rowyn: (Default)
rowyn ([personal profile] rowyn) wrote2007-07-12 10:17 am

So Shiny

Yesterday, Lut and I went out to get a new phone,.

For several years, we've had just one phone between us. Back before we moved to the house we're living in now, we couldn't get the landline phone company to fix line noise problems with the phone. So we went to T-Mobile (then Voicestream, to give you an idea how long this has been), got a cell phone, cancelled the landline, and never looked back.

When we moved, we did talk a few times about getting a new landline, but it didn't seem worth it.

However, we have thought it'd be nice to have two phones, especially when I'm travelling. And now that Lut has a job with a 50 mile (ouch) commute, he wants a phone to keep wirh him all the time.

So we hit the T-Mobile kiosk at the mall. There, the counter before us had an array of PDA phones: Sidekicks and Blackberries.

For years, I've wanted some kind of PDA or laptop. Mostly, I want to be able to write on a computer while travelling. Internet connection would be a plus, as would game-playing.

The Sidekick 3, I noticed, did real webbrowsing now.

"How much is that one?"

After some dinking around with options, the sales clerk produced figures: $200 for the Sidekick, $20 a month for unlimited text and browsing.

I've been deliberating on this subject for years. I decided I'm never going to do the research and discern the right answer to this question. So ...what the heck. Just take the one in front of me and see how it goes.

It's very shiny.

I do not love the little thumb keyboard; maybe I'll cut my fingernails for it and see if that helps.

The web interface isn't bad. It works with Yahoo Groups (clumsily) and LJ (rather better). Tweaking settings will probably help. Scrolling is somewhat slow; wondering if I can do something about that.

Best part is how easy everything has been. The keyboard may be awkward, but I haven't been staring at it much and thinking "Now, how do I do *this*?"

I'll be travelling this weekend and next, so plenty of time to stress-test it before the trial period is up. So far:

Oooo. Shiny. O_O

PS: And yes, I typed this entry on it. Took a while.

[identity profile] sandramort.livejournal.com 2007-07-12 06:07 pm (UTC)(link)
oooooh, if you have mobile to mobile, we can talk for free! do you get photo and text messages free too?

[identity profile] sandramort.livejournal.com 2007-07-12 06:08 pm (UTC)(link)
duh, you just said text. I meant photo and video.

[identity profile] nkcmike.livejournal.com 2007-07-12 06:21 pm (UTC)(link)
50 miles?!? Yikes.

[identity profile] emilydm.livejournal.com 2007-07-12 07:05 pm (UTC)(link)
My girlfriend has a Sidekick, and we both love it. There's nothing like being able to browse the internet or IM people anywhere you can get a cell signal. "Guess where I'm emailing you from?"

[identity profile] level-head.livejournal.com 2007-07-13 12:08 am (UTC)(link)
I know one young lady who got an email from a person sitting in the witness box in a courtroom, while the attorneys were busy talking to the judge. ];-)

===|==============/ Level Head

[identity profile] jordangreywolf.livejournal.com 2007-07-12 10:03 pm (UTC)(link)
Does it perchance have a USB port, say, for an external keyboard? I know that greatly reduces the portability of it, so I wouldn't be surprised if the answer is "no," but I'm just curious. =)

[identity profile] octantis.livejournal.com 2007-07-13 02:49 am (UTC)(link)
Coooool! I've pined for something like that for a long time, put up more reviews as you learn more!

[identity profile] krud42.livejournal.com 2007-07-20 04:06 pm (UTC)(link)
I'm particularly glad that you didn't get suckered into an iPod™!