Review: Sidekick 3
Browser
The Sidekick is meant to be used for browsing regular (desktop) websites. Simply enter in the address of any website you normally visit and the servers back at T-Mobile will go out, get that website for you, and re-format it so that it fits nicely on the small screen. It even works with many websites that require Javascript, like banking sites. The servers store all your cookies and autofill information so every time you visit that site, any data stored there is easily accessible.
The Sidekick system of doing all the website processing back at the servers is meant to speed up browsing, and finally with the upgrade to EDGE data on the Sidekick 3 it lives up to its promise. Browsing on the Sidekick 3 is fast and painless.
Customize
The Sidekick comes with a wide variety of ringtones and alert tones. Previously the musical ringtones have had a very techno sound to them. On the Sidekick 3 they are mostly latin and funk inspired. There should be a large library of additional ringtones available for purchase by launch. However none were available for us to browse through while testing the phone. As with past Sidekicks, you cannot use your own audio files as ringtones.
With this latest version, you can now skin the main menu. Four different pictures come with the device. We're betting that you will be able to download additional skins in the future. As with the latest version of the Sidekick 2 OS, you can use any of your own pictures as a screen saver.
File Management
Although you can use the web interface to manage information and even pictures, you use the Sidekick's catalog application to manage purchased content and applications. Music is managed simply by moving files into or out of a "music" folder on the memory card. If you store photos on the memory card, these can be managed the same way.
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