Danger Hiptop 2 / Sidekick II
Average Ratings
Great features, decent battery life, but poor T-Mobile coverage
I've not used a Danger Sidekick previous to this model, so I can't compare and contrast to earlier versions. This review is based on about one week of usage in the San Francisco Bay Area (primarily in the South Bay, East Bay, and Peninsula). I ported my phone number over from AT&T to T-Mobile for one important reason:
"With the Danger Sidekick II, you can load your contacts in to the T-Mobile 'Desktop Interface' (from any web accessible computer) and it auto-magically sync's to your device. This will centralize your data. One copy to of data (contacts, calendar, and to-do) to maintain is a panacea to anyone who wants to update this sort of information from one than more location (computer)." I regularly update my calendar, to-do, and contacts from home and the office, and always do it from multiple computers.
With regard to Mac OS/X, it is possible to extract your contact information from the AddressBook application (using an Applescript program) and import it into the online Desktop Interface. At that point a user would pretty much forget about using AddressBook any more and instead maintain contact information on the T-Mobile web site. And, NO, the Sidekick II does not have bluetooth to connect to an Apple computer, much less compatibility with Apple's iSync application.
Pros:
+ Nice interface, easy to use, intuitive
+ Good battery life in standby or talk time
+ Excellent online support and community interest (hiptop.com)
+ Good form factor (a bit big, but manageable)
+ Comes with a case and ear bud
+ GSM Tri-mode phone (great for international roaming)
+ Great for SMS messaging or light e-mail use
Cons:
- Poor T-Mobile signal in South Bay and Peninsula
- Poor T-Mobile customer support (really bad support!)
- No calculator application
- No bluetooth or Apple compatibility
I'm going to exchange my Sidekick II in hopes that the signal problem is a device defect. I would recommend the device, but am not satisfied with T-Mobile's coverage thus far.
Wow, Just wow.
Greatest thing ever. i love my little buddy.
Pros:
-E-mail
-Text
-Internet
-sweet ass sweet flip screen
-full qwerty keyboard. i have big hands and this thing is perfect.
-everything else.
Cons:
-battery life
-no bluetooth
-t-mobile coverage
i have the unlt'd data plan and i am now unsure how i lived without this thing. the contacts synching up with myt-mobile.com is unbelievable.
overrated!!!!
I have owned this phone for about a year and I was really happy with it when I first got it. As I used it more and more, I became a little dissapointed. For those of you wanting a sidekick there are a few things that I think you should be aware of.
1. I absolutely HATE the way this phone takes pictures! They are grainy and out of focus.
2. If you get a picture sent to you by someone else, you must log on to tmobile pictures to retrieve the picture. If you want to send a picture to someone, you can only do it over email.
3. There is no camcorder function on this phone. Not that it is terribly important but if you are gonna pay the money for a sidekick, it would be nice.
4. The games offered are overpriced and cheesy. Some of the strategy and the old arcade versions are ok but others are really basic. Hardly worth 5.99.
5. And last but not least, I have been through 3 sidekicks this year because the scroll wheel keeps going out.
I myself really like to text message and the phone is wonderful for that! But if you want something that you can constantly use for anything else, it is just ok. Believe me this phone is nice if you are hard of hearing, however I sometimes pick up a lot of clicks and whiring in the speaker and the caller on the other end can usually hear it too. The sidekick is largely overrated and I would definately recommend that if you want a phone that does everything to buy something else. The size of the phone has gotten to be a problem for me also so I am definately gonna upgrade to something different when I become eligible.
This Phone Is Pretty Good
Ive had this phone for about 2 months and it has a few pros and cons..................
Pros:
Cool Swivel Screen
Eye Catching To People Who dont Know what it is.
Peopel Are Jealous Of It Im My School (Memorial Middle School Cedar Grove N.J)
Has An Ok Camera For What I Use It For [...]
Easy For Texting
Loud Ringers
Good Vibrator [...]
Good Color
Flash On Camera
Many More
Cons:
No Video
Kinda Heavy
No Flash Light LoL
No Blue Tooth
Screen Gets Scratched Easily
Not Good Speaker
Every Ringtones Vibrates
No Faceplates
No Mp3 Player
No Expable Memory
Expensive Ringtones
Cant Change Backgrounds
Internet Is Slow
Some Others Too
Overall This Is A Good Phone For a Teenager Who Likes To Text Also This Is Good For Tmobile ToGO Cause Only A Dollar A Day For Unlimited Text,Instant Messaging,Picture Messaging,But Is 15 Cents A Minute!!!!
Ed. note: removed inappropriate content
Its OK, if your into that sort of thing
ive had the sidekick for some time now, but i am shopping around for a new cell. latley ive found that the sidekick is a little "ghetto" or "trendy" for my taste.
pros
great if you text message more than you talk
great calendar and address book (very organized)
great ringtones , load and clear
reception is alright
cons
the camera is one of the worst ive seen
doesnt come with alarm (you have to purchase it!!)
games, ringtones and extras are alittle expensive
to fancy shmancy
bulky
NO blue tooth, or video!
i guess this phone is alright for most people, but i feel it is too expensive to have a plan that takes advantage of all the features.
Better as Organizer than Phone
What you are about to witness are my thoughts. Just my thoughts.
PROS:
*As far as cool points go, the Sidekick II gets you mad respect, especially when people see it flip.
*I love the keyboard layout, which helps me type extremely quick compared to T9.
*I'm really unorganized & recording event such as work schedule, parties, reminders, or special events in the CALENDER really helps me out, not to mention the TO-DO-LIST & NOTEPAD.
*I was able to send multiple text messages to buddies regarding a general question i had.
NEUTRAL:
*I was NOT able to use the INTERNET function (including e-mail) so i have no say so on that
*I never had a camera phone before so I'm not sure how it measures up, but from the feed back that i get, the Sidekick II is just decent in that department
CONS:
*As far as a phone - I DIDN'T LIKE IT. It's too big, too bulky plus i got a lot of grease on the screen.
*I scratched my screen easily by other objects in my pocket or by not taking care of it (word on the street is you could go to an eye glass store, . EyeMasters or Lens Crafters, and they can buff it up for you. Not sure if it's true yet)
*You gotta drop $20 extra on top of your plan to use the Internet capabilities (meaning all the cool ringtones {which you can personalize for each individual or group}, and e-mail)
*The phone is a personal phone. What i mean by that is only the owner knows how it works. Some outsider (whether a friend, a significant other, or family member) can't just pick up the Sidekick II and start using it to make a call. You have to explain specifically how to use it.
OVERALL
I loved the Sidekick II as an organizer & text messaging tool but i hated it as a phone.
I want something smaller but the same organizing objective utilizing the keyboard. I'm currently thinking about getting the Motorola A630. I suggest you compare that phone with the Sidekick II.
Sorry to anybody who was looking for feedback on the INTERNET side.
How can you live with out this thing
This phone rulez. How can you live with out this thing. For me it is a computer in my pocket. Like snoop dog said every1 needs a sidekick. Look if your think about buying this go out right now and buy it. Yo this thing has internet browser and aim. The aim is like the aim on the computer. You can make away messages and the web broswer you can go on any web site you want. It is like internet explorer even. You get your of favorites even you can set up a home page. Which lets you go to any web site you pick once the internet starts. So if i were u go and get it. You wont regreated i am telling you. This thing is off the chain good. So hola.
Gotta have my Sidekick
I have had this phone for a few weeks now and I must say that it blows the CSK out of the water. I was unsure about getting this phone because it did not have bluetooth and was considering the new Blackberry. I am glad I stuck with the SK2. This is the perfect phone/device to make me more productive. I used the CSK mainly for its unlimited data features but since I have had this phone I enjoy using the phone feature as well. Here's my pros and cons
PROS:
I can use this as a PHONE!!!
Speakerphone is loud and clear.
Talk/End buttons on outside are nice and make the phone feature very usable.
Buttons on outside make it easy to do almost anything without having to flip the screen.
The screen when swiveled out is at an angle which is neat.
Yahoo Messenger
Scroll Wheel has a more practical design
CONS:
So far the only thing that i have found annoying is that I accidentally press the Talk button while putting it away or taking it out of my pocket. Thats easily avoided once I locked the phone.
FINAL THOUGHT:
This is the best sidekick to date. The only thing that would make this the perfect phone is if it had bluetooth and if it wasn't so long. There are no aftermarket cases that are made for this yet...
A GREAT IMPROVEMENT
I had my doubts about this device, but this is an excellent advancement over the original Hiptop/Sidekick. Sidekick 2 improves apon everything. The first thing youll notice obviously is the built in camera. The camera works great, great quality in even poor light, the flash isn't too bad either. Next, the device is ALOT more user friendly, the "send", and "end" buttons make this alot more easy to use than its big big brother. The sound quality is GREAT, Danger made a great decision by letting Sharp build the hardware. Speaker phone is the best Ive heard on any phone, its loud, its clear, theres no static, and you don't hear alot of background noise. Another thing is that it just feels solid, Sidekick 1 felt as if it was going to just fall apart in your hands (and for the most part it did) but this one is solid, while being lighter at the same time. The big knock ill give it is the swivel screen, the screen just makes me feel uneasy, I can see that after a thousand or so swivels that it might break, so be cautious with it. The changeable bumpers is a nice touch, ill never change it though, but for those who are into customization its a nice touch. For those who love PDA's, you might want to try another device...this is a very, very basic PDA style device. It offers email, and web browsing. But those who are looking for blue-tooth, and sync you will be disappointed This device is built around SMS, and Instant Messaging, while it offers email, its not as intuitive as a blackberry, or treo. For those who really get into customization, you also might want to go for a more traditional handset, as this offers a selection of downloadable content, but don't expect to be able to get you tones for 3G, because you CAN NOT, and the device DOES NOT support wallpapers, or screen savers, so don't expect it to cook your breakfast in the morning. I really like this device, its a great improvement by Danger, and Sharp.
My first sidekick.
This was my first sidekick I ever owned. It has forever made an everlasting impression on me. I never went anywhere without this sidekick, and I mean it. This phone was so different from all of the phones I'd had before. It had a lot to offer in a less expensive package.
Pros:
- One of a kind design.
- Full keyboard.
- Huge Screen.
- Sms and Push Email.
- Yahoo and AOL messengers.
Cons:
- Non-removable battery.
- Bad camera.
- No Mms.
- No Windows live.
- Fairly large size.
- Random USB.
Overall this phone is amazing, and I would encourage anyone to buy it. This phone set the base for the sidekicks we have today. It's a collector's item. =]
