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Hollywood’s favorite Sidekick (not Nicole Richie) |
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Written by Ryan Pearson, asap
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Friday, 30 June 2006 |
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LOS ANGELES — Most phones neither need nor deserve a Hollywood party celebrating their impending availability in retail stores. The T-Mobile Sidekick 3 demands it.
The Sidekick line’s success was born of a sort of organic buzz-farming project where the purses of celebrities like Serena Williams and Paris Hilton were seeded with the text-focused devices. Hooked on its simplicity, they began offering unabashed endorsements along with paparazzi-ready moments of public messaging.
Add in T-Mobile’s relatively lowball pricing plan -- $20 a month for unlimited data service on top of your voice plan -- and you’ve got a product aimed at celeb-dazzled teens and 20-somethings determined to stay in touch at all times, but too young for a BlackBerry.
So of course there was a big, flashy launch party for the Sidekick’s next generation, which adds Bluetooth capability, a music player, a mini-SD memory card slot and faster connections. I visited the Hollywood Palladium party and then spent some hands-on time with the Sidekick in my everyday life.
Here’s a review of both:
AVAILABILITY
Party -- There were well-placed celebrities including Dane Cook and Eva Longoria, but it wasn’t overly exclusive for a high-profile Hollywood bash, all things considered. Attendees lower on the celeb food chain included Mario Lopez from “Saved By The Bell” and Coolio. It was free.
Sidekick -- It’s currently available to T-Mobile customers, and everybody else can pick one up online or at stores starting July 10. The price ranges from $299 with a two-year contract to $399 with no contract.
FLASH
Party -- Plenty of it, with photographers snapping away at Hilton, Nicole Richie, Mischa Barton and Jessica Simpson.
Sidekick -- There is one on the 1.3-megapixel camera, but this device is still good primarily only for taking well-lit outdoor photos.
MUSIC
Party -- DJ AM was spinning everything from Billy Joel to Pharrell, loudly, until She Wants Revenge took the stage and roared through their peculiar brand of posturing, hip-hop-influenced, beat-heavy rock. Very loudly.
Sidekick -- I loaded MP3s of Paul Simon’s new “Surprise” onto the supplied 64 MB memory card through a mini-USB cable, and it actually sounded quite nice blasting from the phone’s speaker. Unfortunately the micro-plug doesn’t allow me to listen through my regular headphones, only on supplied phone-ready earbuds or a Bluetooth headset.
COMMUNICATION
Party -- Remember what I said about the decibel level? You had to escape to the back parking lot-slash-smoking patio to hold a conversation that didn’t involve more than pelvic thrusts.
Sidekick -- It’s more clunky than I wanted when being used as an actual phone; I felt silly holding it up to my ear. But as a messaging device, it was great. I held several AOL instant message conversations at once without breaking a sweat or a thumbnail. Sending and receiving e-mails was likewise effortless. It also supports phone-to-phone texting and the Yahoo! and MSN messaging services.
VISUALS
Party -- Very odd. Girls in short shorts cavorted in a ball pit, swung from swings and straddled the cold-looking pipes of a merry-go-round. There were little mounds of grass here and there. What did this have to do with phones?
Sidekick -- The sensation and sight of flipping the screen to reveal that keyboard simply doesn’t get old. It’s a thrill every time. But the screen could use a resolution boost. The Sidekick sometimes feels too much like a toy: the wallpaper is very kidsy, a bit too much so. (Oh, I guess I get it. So the party was supposed to emphasize the kid theme? Still, it was odd.)
EXTRAS
Party -- There were carnival-type games like milk bottle toss, pop-a-shot and frog flipping. You could win stuffed animals.
Sidekick -- An automatic light sensor initiates the keyboard backlight. That is, if you’re outside in bright sunlight it doesn’t ever turn on. If you’re in the dark, it knows to activate and stay on. Pretty cool.
FOOD
Party -- Mini burgers, pizza slices and cupcakes, as well as free drinks.
Sidekick -- None of the above.
OVERVIEW
Party -- Enjoyable if odd, full of beautiful though perhaps distant people.
Sidekick -- Useful for long-distance communication, particularly with thumbs.
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asap staff reporter Ryan Pearson has no sidekick.
———
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