How would you change the Sidekick II?
By Barb Dybwad 
posted Jun 3rd 2005 5:12PM
posted Jun 3rd 2005 5:12PM
Aight, peeps, it's time for this week's edition of "How would you change…" where we get to re-imaginate our favorite
(and not so favorite) devices. This week, let's take a look at the
Danger Sidekick II:
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Add other chat networks: Yahoo, Jabber, etc.
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IRC client
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Search function in the Notes feature, and more ways to organize notes (by priority, keyword, etc.)
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Have anyone other than T-Mobile carry this, or have T-Mobile miraculously build out a network with better coverage. Please.
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Add WiFi to compensate for point 4.
Yer up: go!
First off, I believe you can already download a Yahoo IM client. As for other needed features of the SK3, it needs Bluetooth, MP3 playing capabilities, true syncing, and javascript. That would make it about perfect. I've been using every SK since generation 1.
I'd have Danger, the maker of SK2, go to Cingular. T-Mobile is the worst.
Well the Sidekick could be the most lousy, uncomfortable phone I've ever used (old BlackBerry's weren't so hot either) so you could improve the ergonomics. I know people will say size is an issue but when you think about it, the sizing is about right. Could be thinner. Could have EDGE or UTMS. Touchscreen. Developer apps should be more usable.
Port Firefox for a browser, don't use Danger's crappy proxy, add bluetooth and WiFi oh and let us create and load our own themes and backgrounds. :)
- Open the platform up for 3rd party software & ringtones. I mean, when my only option for a ringtone is 50 Cent saying "Sup my bitches" and it costs $3.99, it makes me cry.
- CSS, Frames & JS support in the browser (not sure how likely that all is, but at least something would be nice)
- Bluetooth as option. Not everyone needs it, but if there were a model which had Bluetooth, that would be nifty.
- Camera as option. Not everyone wants a camera.
- Ability to transfer pictures in the AIM or Yahoo clients
- 802.11b would be great, with support for WEP and WAP too (Next: NetStumbler for the Sidekick! ;)
- Ability to sync with Mac or PC via USB (and transfer pictures & ringtones)
I haven't gotten to play much with the either of the Sidekicks, so my suggestions are cosmetic. The current model has this 1980's Tiger Electronics handheld video game body. It's too square and clunky. Danger needs to shave down some of the corners and maybe shrink the whole thing (if possible). Also, make those side buttons less square. Oh, and I've always wanted this thing to have a screen that slides straight up from the keyboard, rather than twirling around to the top. I remember being so geeked for the Hiptop when Danger first announced it, but was turned off by the size and squareness of it.
- ability to use IRC, SSH
- BETTER RF PERFORMANCE
- Ability to create custom themes and backgrounds
- Add anti-Swarovski-encrusting coating
actually, you can download yahoo messenger for free.
as a sidekick owner, i'd change a lot for the next generation sidekick:
-2 megapixel camera
-SD slot
-EDGE support (t-mobile will be launching their EDGE network very soon)
-WiFi (why not?)
-MP3/AAC iTunes Player (hey, i can always dream. but i'd at least like some sort of mp3 player.)
-Bluetooth
-Thinner, lighter design
-Larger display (get rid of all that black stuff around the edge)
-Quadband support (T-Mobile is starting to offer roaming on the 850mhz band, for example, in northern Wisconsin. Currently when I visit family, I have to use my old 3595 to get service there.)
-AIM through sms when the data network is down/ when roaming. This way, I could use AIM while outside of T-Mobile's native coverage area. Currently, I cannot, since AIM goes through GPRS and Danger's servers.
Yes, this would be an expensive device if it had all of the above. But by the time the Sidekick 3 comes out, these will probably be fairly common features.
- give it a browser that shows websites the way they're supposed te show.. put mimo on it or something like that..
- better camera
- mp3-player
- add msn messenger
T-Mobile coverage where I am (Minnesota) is actually really nice. But, I want Danger to build a CDMA Sidekick for Verizon!!!, But yes, T-Mobile does have bad coverage in a lot of places. A Cingular Sidekick would be nice. But honestly, I wouldn't change it because I love the sidekick, and everything it does.
Although I don't own one, it should defenitly get Bluetooth.
You can definitely download a Yahoo IM client; I have and use it frequently. It's free, too. Wish the browser could handle frames. REALLY wish the browser could handle gmail. And though I agree that MP3 would be nice, it's pretty much moot without removeable storage, which should be Priority 1a, right after hooking those nice folks at Danger up with a *real* telco. Call it T-Mobile, call it Deutsch Telekom, any way you look at it that's a nasty service. (So nasty, in fact, that I use my SK2 only for data and PDA-type purposes; my voice provider remains Sprint, and so I drag around two devices. Most annoying. In related functionality, would love the ability to hide some of the functions I don't use -- that would be the phone.)
Restore the original keyboard. God, the SKII's keyboard sucks.
I have no use for Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, or MP3s.
A faster browser and better infrastructure (or better carrier) are my only needs. An IRC client would be nice, but I can use a shell account with my ISP via telnet to do that now.
I'm a T-Mobile rep, and I think that the SK2 should have come with a multimedia player, (flash player maybe built-in for the web browser?), Bluetooth, downloadable wallpapers, ringtones via USB (So you can make your own, not have to pay for them ONLY ALWAYS from T-Mo.). Over all though, I do have to say that the always-on feature rocks. We do have a great network (here in new england) and I am never outta the zone.
Restore the original keyboard. God, the SKII's keyboard sucks.
I have no use for Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, or MP3s.
A faster browser and better infrastructure (or better carrier) are my only needs. An IRC client would be nice, but I can use a shell account with my ISP via telnet to do that now.
-GPS (cell tower triangulation, if not satellite)
-google maps (there is an app for developers only, its great) and integrate that with GPS
-decent ring tones (other than rappers)
-drop the camera and make it smaller, that camera is unspeakably bad
-when data connection goes down, route it through the usb to your computer for important tasks
-route your computer through the sidekicks data connection via USB
-drop the danger proxy for the web. it takes too damn long
-themes, the default is so lame
matt
Open it up to 3rd party J2ME development or go home...
My wife has had hers forabout a month and her only complaint is that the battery life stinks. A charge lasts two days MAX. I'd get one in a heartbeat if it had bluetooth and a way to input numbers without flipping to speaker phone to access the keypad (like during calls to automated answering services)
-p-
My suggestions, in order of importance.
1)A better radio. Believe it or not, where I live (Baltimore, MD) T-Mo has excellent coverage. I have NO problems with reception.
Oddly, every SK owner I know does. So the conclusion is the radio in it SUCKS.
2)Bluetooth (duh)
3)Actual developer support. Be nice to have a lot of (official) apps and such out there for it
4)Make one in black (DUUUUUH!!!!)
5)Megapixel (or better) camera. Not really a necessity for me, but would be nice. Video recording would be nice. Of course this would raise the need for a memory card slot as well.
Other notes:
*Feel free to make it a lil smaller but it's current size isn't so bad. MiniMo browser would be nice, though the included one does it's job.
Get rid of the IR port. It's has never been used (to my knowledge) and is therefore wasting space that could've went to a Bluetooth module.
-improve battery
-improve reception (not sure if that's T-Mo or the phone)
-thinner
-no camera or separate cam option similar to SK1
-less proprietary apps
An SSH client is available for the Sidekick II. This allows one to connect to remote UNIX shells and do all kinds of things especially access an IRC client. However, SSH sessions time out for no reason, closing the connection after only a very short time. This must be a feature as it happens when connected to Solaris, IRIX or Linux, firewall or no. If remote connections would just stay open without disconnecting at random, you would have an extremely useful device. Sadly, it's just good for logging in and issuing a few comments before being booted.
actual numbers outside of phone, instead of having to open the screen up or scroll through numbers!
mp3 player would be great.
a better camera, thing is awful
msn messenger/irc
customized menu, edit things out instead of scrolling around.
a hot key to take notes easily!
smaller of course.
upload own ringtones
better buttons for playing games(i know its not a ngage or whatever)damn scroll wheel and ikari warriors
btw there is a terminal client and yahoo messenger. honestly the web broswer is pretty good except that flash is not supported
Actually SKII already has
- Better radio - the new one's totally better than the first one, beats my old Nokia phone actually
- Yahoo - like folks mentioned
- SSH - you can download this, called terminal I think.
- More developers - actually there's a ton of games and stuff and lots of ringtones other than rappers.
Things they need for SKIII:
- MP3
- Better camera
- MSN
- faster webbrowser with better display
- Longer battery life
- Not smaller but thinner
And that would make it perfect. Course it's pretty good right now definitely better for what I want than Treo or any phone!
Jesus christ.. half of thesew wishlist things are already there - RTFM you dopes. And visit hiptop.com, christ.
Now - bluetooth would be nice. A high resolution (please, 320x240 at least)) 18K screen (262,000 colors) thinner, improved swivel (stronger) mechanism. better integration of phonebook with the calender. (birthdays, etc) browser java script support (not a big deal to me personally) a tabbed browser option, "sounds themes" for functions - to give it character.
wheres my paris hilton menu skin btw?
simple to make perfect....
built-in sync for Mac OS X/WinXp
bluetooth 1.1
better VGA camera
make fold the way it will protect the display.
improve brightness display blah blah
Bluetooth, WiFi, Mp3 playing, better camera, video playback and/or recording, higher res screen/bigger screen, media card slot. Easier one hand operation, faster startup.
I am a sideckick II user and I love it, it definately has a lot of room for improvement!
The Yahoo client on the Sidekick II doesn't work long enough to count. I agree that the sidekick would be an awesome device if it was supported by ANY CARRIER BUT T-MOBILE. I have experienced outages that were longer than a week!!! I also agree about Bluetooth, wi-fi and any other way to amuse myself while I'm watching my signal swim around. Maybe I wouldn't have had to switch to another phone...
mmmm, well Tmobile I would say is the best service I have used in a long time. Service is great, reception is great, and PINK is a rockin color. I have the Sidekick II and It is a great time killer when you are riding the ferry or waiting in traffic (stopped of course)
Things to improve on the Sidekick 2
2+ megapixle camera
more email storage
better interface
msn messanger
java based application compatiblilty
more to choose from the catalog menu
Yeah BLUETOOTH would seal the deal for me coppin' a sidekick II. I own a V300, so I had to buy an adapter for my bluetooth headset. I can never go back to the wired earpieces! If they get bluetooth, they got me!
oh yeah... Forget to add one... should have EDGE
T-Mobile is crap. Well, in NYC it's crap. There's just zero reception indoors and call quality drops dramatically with decreased reception (vs. CDMA which holds call quality much better). I've had two SK1s and an SK2 and the only genuine negative was the signal strength. It would be PERFECT if:
- it was on a CDMA carrier with EV-DO.
Nuff said!
IRC and SSH are very possible with a shell and screen
Yahoo client sucks but kind of works
size is perfect in my opinion
there is no more IR port on the sk2
AIM through sms is possible in the sms app, maybe an option to proxy the AIM client through sms instead
Tabbed (of some sort) browsing would be nice
Integrated GPS would be good, but wouldn't want to sacrifice size for it
Bluetooth, schmootooth, make this an option or addon
Able to use as a modem would be so nice.
More memory, or at least option for some sort of removable memory for photos and additional apps. I hate the camera lockups after taking too many photos.
More Paris Hilton hacks...
App dedicated to HiptopHunt.com :)
I vote for a search feature for the inbox on top of increased storage. I pop Gmail on my sidekick because of the mediocre 6mb tmail account. What a joke. 6mb was what hotmail was 5 years ago.
I also vote for javascript support and multiple window internet browsing. It would be awesome to get FF on the SK. I mean we already have support of multiple windows in AIM, why not browsing?
More productivity apps like a dedicated feed reader. Staying informed on the go is essential. I know I know this isn't exactly the best professional phone but still..
How about having a carrier in Canada use these? Thats what I want.
The Sidekick needs a new network. Period.
The Sidekick II design rememdied a lot of problems with the original. I wanted one so bad when my Verizon contract was up, but I didn't want to go through the hell that is T-Mobile's network.
It goes without saying that the next model MUST have Bluetooth. If it doesn't, it will fall behind the new smartphones coming out that have Bluetooth as standard equipment. The camera could go, and a more open platform would be cool but isn't really needed. Wi-Fi would be a welcome improvement, especially with T-Mobile's craptacular network.
Get rid of the "store everything on servers" mentality. Put some memory in the thing and let people store everything on the device or SIM. It keeps T-Mobile (or hopefully some other carrier) from having another "Paris Hilton" incident. If I were a Sidekick user, I would be very untrusting of T-Mobile after that.
Bluetooth. That's the only reason I went with a Moto A630 (and soon an iPaq h6315) over the SK2
I started thinking about this, and it all led me back to one inescapable conclusion:
The only thing the Sidekick has going for it is its form factor.
Therefore, the Sidekick should not be changed. The Treo 650 should be remade into the form factor of the Sidekick. That adds:
-Touchscreen
-MP3 player
-Bluetooth
-Third party programs
-Synch
Plus it would be smaller, because the Treo is already half the size of a Sidekick.
Problem solved!
add an rss reader and a good poker game. memory expansion and mp3 player
I forgot the IR port WAS removed with the SK2
My mistake:)
I bought a sidekick2 when they first came out back in October 2004, I thought it was a killer concept -- internet wherever you go.
Then I bought a car, and got a girlfriend. And my use of the sidekick was left to short spats of boredom when waiting in lines, or when dropping the kids off at the pool.
Nonetheless, I sold the phone on ebay after owning less than 6 months.
Some things that I wanted on the sidekick model to entice me into purchasing again:
- Full MP3 Ringtone Support, it currently has a 4-bit ADMPC WAV and weak MIDI support, not high quality at all
- support for storing phone numbers and other information on the SIM card, when i left the sidekick I had to manually enter all my info onto the SIM card for another phone
- a better flash bulb for the camera, the sk2 came with a 3 WHITE LED flash that was too weak to take pictures in a club, or worse if done in pitch black night.
- although i would of liked a wireless handsfree headset, via bluetooth -- having a normal handsfree set worked fine, and quality was even better than the normal speaker
- scratch proof, or resistant front lcd plate -- i scratched the plastic on the front so many, and tmobile or danger didn't provide easy methods for purchasing protection sheets, or what not
- danger also needs to open up their development requirements, because they are a small business they can't focus on too many applications -- and granted they will only sell or license out the software that fits their business models, however i've seen a handful of really good applications that never made it to point of licensing or sale on the hiptop downloads page.
- music, ringtones, apps -- need an update, over the course of nearly 6 months of ownership the application, and games page was updated twice... not very high paced if you ask me
- better microphone support, or wider aperture for the microphone hole -- lots of confusion when talking anywhere
- and finally, it needs a beefier processor, OS, or raw speed -- this thing couldn't even play mp3's, couldn't watch movies, couldn't do very much -- besides text msging and viewing basic html pages, done very well.
still for it to be a real multi-function pda/cell phone it needs to address quite a few quality issues and make it worth more to consumers and dedicated users.
Better radio. The problem isn't tmobile -- my nokia phones work great. Its the crappy sidekick. If you think tmobile's reception stinks, buy a nokia and then let us know.
I'm pretty happy with mine in general. I knew that T-Mobile would stink when I purchased so I can't complain too much.
I would definitely like RSS feeds. I would use that constantly.
There are actually a ton of different apps that developers have put together. They just aren't available to us common folk. I guess that is what I would most like to see changed. The ability to install the available apps without unlocking your device with a dev key.
How about making a device that isn't designed for a bunch of 14 year olds. Better email client, more secure, bluetooth, EDGE, no proxy needed, no camera (or a cameraless version), a good keyboard, VGA touch screen, wifi, gps and a good OS like Windows mobile.
Wait, that would be most new PDA's coming out with WIndows Mobile 5. Who needs a sidekick.
Oh yeah and they should dump TMobile also.
I cannot believe that this has not been mentioned yet. Security, security, SECURITY!
Not necessarily an anti-virus program but at least some kind of regular security patch. Do we have to wait for our Sidekicks to be hacked
And how about making the Sidekick compatible with standard mobile games. It would be nice that if I could play Splinter Cell on this bad boy.
Also what about being able to surf the net or IM while talking on the Sidekick no wait better service would have to come first. And customization is always a plus.
Of course other features like SD or Memory Stick Duo memory card slot, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, 2 or 3 megapixal camera, better battery and multi-colored models (ala GBA) would be nice but I would like a stripped down version that would cost less for those who dont want to replace their Razor V3.
thinner!
RE: Yahoo! IM constantly disconnecting on the Sidekick - I'm not convinced this is a Sidekick issue. I think it's actually a weakness in the Yahoo! protocol when it comes to poor connections. I've noticed similar disconnect problems on other mobile Yahoo! clients (that dont occur on AIM clients on the same device).
I wish Danger/T-Mobile would allow external development/publishing. There's actually a fairly active development community and some great apps already done and in the hands of the few who have development keys, but none of the apps ever get submitted for approval for a variety of reasons (I'd say having to deal with T-Mobile as a reseller being a primary one). In the end, this restriction is going to kill the Sidekick faster than anything other shortcomes.
If Danger does release a Sidekick III and it doesn't include Bluetooth, their entire management team should be sacked. The people who hired them should also be sacked, and the people who didn't threaten to quit if they didn't include it should also be sacked. It's fair to say that would happen anyhow as the low sales would kill off Danger altogether.
There isn't much I would want to change on SK. I love the form factor and I bought the SK for ease of communicating but no device is absolutely perfect so the changes I would want to see are:
*global search for any text - notes, addresses, calendar items
*the ability to view more than one week's worth of upcoming calendar events
*a "today" screen similar to pocketpc
*a touchscreen while in phone mode would be nice, but since I use a headset 90% of the time, it's not missed
*bluetooth like that used on the BB7100 series would be useful for those who don't like wired headsets, but since I am a cheapskate and misplace things like earphones and sunglasses, that too is not a high priority.
*I would love to see Danger and/or T-Mobile partner up with Yahoo. I think it would be great if our SKs could synch with with the Yahoo calendar.
I hear many calls for an MP3 player. Sure it would be OK, but how many people really use their phones for listening to tunes? And I don't think we will be seeing a HD based SK ever.
I have now seen two requests for a browser that renders the page the way it was intended. Doesn't that defeat the purpose of a compact device? The SK is for quick browsing on the go, though while some of us (me included) use it as much or more than our desktops/notebooks, it is not meant to replace a full-fledged computer.
To poster #16, if your wife is getting two days on a single charge, she is actually doing quite well. Because the SK is constantly talking to servers, battery life does take a hit. If your wife commutes daily by car, I would suggest purchasing the car charger kit.
As many of you know, the SK already supports server side javascript, it is client side js that is unsupported. While there are a few instances where it would be nice to have js, there is no excuse for sites that do not have alternative methods for accessing or processing data. Too often I see javascript on the web that is totally unnecessary and is only there for aesthetic purposes.
Finally, speaking of javascript, I have been able to access gmail via the SK. No, it's not the speediest method for retrieving mail, but it does work.
USB. Everything should start coming with USB ports standard so that I can put my USB drive into it!
Believe it or not, I broke my Sidekick II last night.
I stupidly had the phone in my pocket and I slid past the corner of a hardened table. i heard the snap and that was it. The interior of the lcd screen broke while the exterior didn't have a scratch on it.
The Sidekick II needs
#1 BLUETOOTH
#2 Java - to view Yahoo music videos
#3 a better synch system with Outlook and Yahoo Synch/ or bluetooth synch over a LAN
#4 easily accessible top row keypad buttons
#5 downloadable mp3's from online mp3 retailers such as ITUNES
#6 An SD card slot
#7 an easier to use calculator. The one it has is very confusing and has a poor user interface.
#8 GPS navigation ala NEXTEL I730^
#9 a megapixel camera.
I'm thinking about getting a V330 tommorrow since my Sidekick is busted so I can still use my SIM card. To be perfectly honest, all I really want is the BLUETOOTH and the new Jabra headset BT800. I would get a Nextel but those are just SHOW OFF PHONES. I'll wait for the I930.