Limited Edition Tony Hawk Sidekick LX On the Way?
by Darren Murph, posted May 2nd 2008 at 11:31AM
Posts with tag sidekick
New T-Mobile Sidekick LX and Sidekick Slide
The barrage of new iPhone killers continues on a pace with updated versions of the popular and user-friendly T-Mobile Sidekicks. Though specs and rumors have been floating around the blogosphere for the past couple of months, the new Sidekick LX and Sidekick Slide are at last official and should be available from T-Mobile's Web site and retail stores in a couple of weeks.
True to their iPhone-killing essence, both new Sidekicks are significantly slimmed down, almost to the point of being as slim as the iPhone itself. But unlike the iPhone, these two quasi-smart-phones -- popular with teens, hipsters, and Hollywood types -- have actual keyboards that are among the more comfortable out there.
The Sidekick LX (pictured, above) retains the phone's signature swivel screen, but adds a WQVGA screen high-def LCD, mood lights that flash in different patterns depending on whether you're getting an SMS, IM, e-mail, or phone call, an improved Web browser with better JavaScript support (so more animated Web sites will work), and a custom MySpace app. Out on October 17th for $299.99 with a two-year service agreement, the LX comes in brown or blue.
The black and deep purple Sidekick Slide (pictured, right) eschews the swivel screen for a more traditional slide, but it's got the most sophisticated and sleek looks of any Sidekick so far (no surprise, given that it's made by Motorola, home of the RAZR). It's smaller than the Sidekick LX and has a little bit less battery time (5.9 hours of battery time versus the LX's 6.9 hours). The Slide is out on November 7th for $199.99 (with a two-year service agreement).
Both phones will feature the same cartoonish, user-friendly interface the Sidekick is famous for, as well as built-in, real-time, AOL IM, Windows Live and Yahoo! Messenger support. Also: Bluetooth, support for up to 4-gigabytes (GB) of external memory, and quad-band world phone capability.
The bulky size of previous Sidekicks was a big drawback, so we're loving these new slimmed-down handsets, but we're also a bit disappointed that the built-in cameras are still only 1.3 megapixels. And though the improved Web browser is welcome, it won't make much of a difference since neither device has Wi-Fi, so you'll have to depend on T-Mobile's less-than-broadband-idyllic EDGE network for data.
Then again, the Sidekicks have always been about those easy-to-use keyboards. If you're a heavy text-message- or e-mail-sender, you may want to pick one of these up next month.
Related Links:
MySpace Coming to T-Mobile Sidekick
Starting this week, T-Mobile will roll out an upgrade to all Sidekick 3's and Sidekick ID's with a custom MySpace app. The app will let you do all the normal MySpace things (change your profile, send messages, comments, etc.) shrunk down to a format more appropriate for the tiny Sidekick screen.
T-Mobile's press release mentions nothing about a charge for the application. We mention that because AT&T has a similar application for MySpace, but charges $2.99 a month on top of any charges you incur for data usage.
We do wonder how pleasant the MySpace experience could possibly be on the GPRS-equipped Sidekick ID, as GPRS is even slower than the iPone's molasses-like EDGE data rates.
From Gizmodo
Related links:
Text-Messaging Turns 15
Ah text messaging, what would us phone shy individuals do with out you. This month marks the 15th-anniversary of the debut of the life changing service. Text messaging is part of the new wave of communication that is quickly destroying more traditional methods, like e-mail, and phone calls... and of course snail mail (a.k.a. the kind that come from the U.S. Post Office), which exists only to send you coupons and bills at this point.The popularity of devices such as the Sidekick and the LG enV illustrate how texting has become one of the killer features of cell phones.
When the technology was launched back in 1992, the Short Message Service Center (SMSC), produced by Acision, could only handle 10 text messages per second. Now, thankfully, the SMS systems can handle an almost unlimited capacity.
Happy Birthday SMS! We don't know what we'd do with out you.
From Engadget
Related Links:
The Switched Questionnaire: Jamie Kennedy
Though his sketch show The Jamie Kennedy Experiment is long over, actor-comedian Jamie Kennedy is keeping busy with a new movie, Kickin' It Old Skool, about an early '90s rapper who falls asleep and wakes up in 2007, Rip-Van-Winkle-style. Though he plays a throwback in his latest film, Kennedy is no stranger to cutting-edge gadgets -- in fact, he's a fixture at many a Hollywood PlayStation or Sidekick party. We asked Jamie about his gadgets to see just how he deeply he kicks it New School.
What gadgets do you always bring with you to the set?
I like to bring my Apple iBook, Sidekick 3, and Bose headphones wherever I go.
What cell phone do you have right now and what do you love/hate about it?
I have a Sidekick 3. I love that it's really easy to use, but I hate how flimsy it is.
Who's the last person you sent a text message to and what was it about?
The last person I sent a text message was my sister. I wanted to see if she got the 'Kickin' It Old Skool' t-Shirt I sent her.
Where do you go pretty much every time you get online?
When I'm online, I like to check out iTunes, YouTube, StupidVideos.com, Stickam.com, MySpace, Dorks.com, AOL, Digg.com, Gamefly.com, IGN.com, and JamieKennedy.com! ;)
What annoys you most about your iPod, cell phone, or laptop (or any other gadget)?
I get annoyed that they're not all together. I'm tired of carrying so many gadgets. They should be merged already.
Name one thing you wish your iPod/cellphone/laptop (any gadget) could do that it doesn't do now?
I wish my cell phone could do everything my computer can do. The Internet on my cell phone isn't that good.
What upcoming gadget can you not wait to get your hands on?
I'd like to check out the iPhone and see if it's for real.
You're stranded on a desert island: What gadget do you bring?
If stranded on a desert island, I'd bring a computer. The island's probably wireless.
Tell us what's the most-played song or artist on your iPod.
The most-played artist on my iPod would be Jay-Z.
Blackberry, Sidekick, or Treo?
I would pick the Sidekick.
Are you getting an iPhone -- if so, why?
I'm thinking about it. It seems very user friendly and I like the fact that I don't have to listen to voicemail. The phone actually turns voicemail into text messages. That's pretty amazing.
What's the longest time you've ever spent playing a video game in one sitting and what game was it?
The longest time I have ever spent playing a video game would be when I played the original Tomb Raider, from 11pm - 6am.
Related Links:
Celebrity BlackBerry Addicts
Celebrity BlackBerry Addicts
by Tom Conlon, posted Apr 25th 2007 at 6:30PM
Sidekick 'Lite' Officially Launched
While Sony kills its stripped-down version of the PS3, T-Mobile is taking the opposite tact with the official launch of the low-end Sidekick iD. Available beginning April 25th, the $99 iD features the standard Sidekick accoutrements: 2.4-inch color screen, a full keyboard, and integrated chat support for AIM, Yahoo! Messenger and Windows Live Messenger. It also boasts a rubber exterior, which can be swapped out to fit its owner's personal color scheme. However, at a $100 discount compared to the full-featured Sidekick 3, it's no surprise that a few luxuries have been scrapped, most notably the camera.
From Engadget
Text-Crazed Lindsay Lohan Gallery
by Tom Samiljan, posted Apr 5th 2007 at 4:15PM
Yesterday, we linked to GQ's Lindsay Lohan interview, conducted entirely by BlackBerry, which got us thinking--where else and what else does Lindsay type on her little portable messaging device? And, to whom does she send these many texts, for that matter? (She got a lot of flack for texting condolences to the late director Robert Altman's family last November.) These days, the notorious party-cum-recovery girl takes her BlackBerry everywhere from the velvet ropes of nightclubs to the doorways of rehabs, but it wasn't so long ago when she toted around a Swarovski-Crystal-encrusted Sidekick (so very 2004-era bling). We found a bunch of fun pictures of a text-crazed Lindsay from the past couple of years and figured we'd share them with you in this fun little gallery, below (with captions by Tom Conlon). We're just guessing what she's doing (and who/what she's texting) in each of these pictures, but if you've got any better ideas, let us know below.
