The Sidekick 3 About to Land, We got First Dibs!

As the release date of T-Mobil's Sidekick 3 looms every closer, Gadget Lab© performs and weeklong test drive and review of the latest installment of the Sidekick series.

By Calvin Allen
Gadget Lab Editor

Sidekick zelots ring the block and camp out in hopes of being the first to grab an SK3. Photo: www.wireimages.com
It was difficult not to look cool during the weeklong review of the SK3. Photo Illustration: Calvin Allen

After months of hype the SideKick 3 finally sits on the eve of it's launch date, was all the hype justified? Let's have a look at the Vital Stats:

Like the SKII, you’ll have access to instant message, e-mail, web browsing, and text-messaging. New and improved on the SK3 is a 1.3 megapixel camera, an MP3 player, and it is now Bluetooth enabled for hands-free talking…because it is a phone. The SK3 is must-have for those looking to stay on top of the urbanite lifestyle.

But vital stats won't be enough to cover a product of this much press, we had take it to the streets and become one with the SK3.

Weeklong Review
It’s always in a company’s best interest to let the hype around their soon-to-be launched build as much as possible. So, after several weeks of badgering T-Mobile’s P.R. department and sighning a stack of privacy agreements, I finally got my hands on a Sidekick 3. First impression after taking it out of the box, this new toy is sexy. This version of the kicker is thinner, lighter, (and thanks to a new designer) sleeker than its predecessor. When light hits the body, it seems to twinkle and glisten. The screen is updated to resolve deeper and richer colors that show off the 1.3 mega pixel camera. The Sk3 has also included a tasteful amount of blinking and lighty fiddly bits that add to its visual charm during incoming calls and messaging. T-Mobile has managed to put together a visually appealing unit without over doing it, but enough about aesthetics, lets talk functionality.

As far as functionality is concerned, the Sk3 is light years ahead of its processors. The most noticeable feature is the navigational trackball. The translucent trackball has panning, scrolling, and selection features and blazes in a myriad of colors when ringing or receiving messages. Its gripy rubber surface is gentle on the thumbs during extended use. This updated interface stands above the old as most of by allowing most of the Sk3's basic functions to be done with one finger.

The new camera on the Sk3 is slightly better than the old are, but doesn’t offer much in the way of features, just point, zoom, and shoot, but that is enough for me. For most users, this unit is mainly a messenger. So it seems like the quality of the phone was an after-thought, because the audio quality sucks. But this is easily resolved by utilizing the Sk3’s nifty blue-tooth feature and going wireless with your headset. The wireless headset also comes in handy listening to tumes on the new mp3 player.

After a week with the Sk3, my synopsis is this: the upgrades are legitimate improvements to the kicker. With not a whole lot to complain about the Sk3 is worth the buy.