With the familiar flip-up screen and customizable bumpers, the Sidekick iD also lacks some of the Sidekick 3's advanced features. For $100 price cut, will you miss them?
Review summary of the T-Mobile Sidekick iD:
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 If you think about this phone in terms of what it isn't, you are left with a lot of disappointing omissions, especially the lack of even 2.5G networking and a camera. The phone lacks the multimedia prowess of the older Sidekick 3, but retains the impressive messaging features. If you or, let's face it, your younger users at home want a phone with the cool Sidekick styling and the top-notch messaging options that young phone enthusiasts seem to love, the iD is a fine choice. It makes an even better messaging device than phone, unfortunately, but for a small audience, that might be just fine. Release: April 2007. Price: $50.
Pros: Great Sidekick design, now with more customization options. Very good messaging, with pre-loaded settings for popular IM clients. Best-in-class contact list integration.
Cons: Slow network speeds. Disappointing call quality. No camera. No way to move files to and from the device.
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Full T-Mobile Sidekick iD Review:
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It would be easier to judge the Sidekick iD (pronouced ID, as in identification) for what it isn't than for what it is. It isn't a robust Sidekick 3, or for that matter a 3G LG enV. It isn't a smartphone, though it does have a full QWERTY keyboard. It isn't a thin phone, though its rubberized bumpers will undoubtedly help it survive being tossed into backpacks and slipped into tight jean pockets. We looked at the Sidekick iD as a light calling and messaging phone, which is where it fits not only in terms of features, but also in terms of price. The Sidekick iD, at $100, is half the price of its older brother, though it would be a more compelling option if it were completely subsidized with a 2-year agreement.
Design
The Sidekick iD looks very much like the Sidekick 3, with the rubbery sidewalls of the Sidekick 2. It happily retains the Sidekick 3's trackball, and besides the removable plates, the only real design difference is the speaker grill on the 4-way navigation button. The fashion plates are removable, though peeling them off the device is a chore involving numerous tiny tabs that need to fit precisely into place. It isn't a difficult process, and we managed it without breaking off any plastic bits, but it could have been simplified, we're sure. Like the fashionable iterations of the Sidekick 3, the iD is an attractive device, though it's quite large for a phone, even a full QWERTY phone. You could probably stack two or three opened Samsung SCH-U740s in the space of one Sidekick iD.
The interface is pure Danger, and looks exactly like the interface on the Sidekick 3, albeit with fewer options. The trackball works well, and feels as sturdy as on previous models, with a soft glowing light that changes colors for a cool effect. Thanks to the rubbery finish, the unit is easier to hold, and the spacious menu and other corner buttons have a nice tactile feel and a confident click. The keyboard looks exactly the same as the Sidekick 3, and though we liked its width, the ravine that your thumbs have to descend to press the keys started to grate on us, especially since we've become used to the flatter keyboards on messaging phones like the LG enV and the Samsung U740.
One thing the Sidekick iD does borrow from the Sidekick 3 is its lousy screen. The display on the device borders on unacceptable, dimly lit and low on pixels. The 240 by 160 pixel display, at half the resolution of a QVGA screen, looks noticeably washed out, lending every picture and icon a grayish blue tint. A screen door effect is prominent to the naked eye, and the screen is simply not bright enough to read easily in bright, outdoor light or even in a well-lit office.
Calling - Good
Sound quality the Sidekick iD ranges from good to unacceptable, and that is during a single phone call. In our tests, calls suffered from distortion, static or plain old dropped sound, but often recovered to full clarity in the course of a conversation. This was with full reception while sitting in place in our lower Manhattan office. T-Mobile has cut a number of calling features from the Sidekick lineup for this phone, so don't expect Bluetooth or voice dialing from the iD. Still, the speakerphone was adequately loud for an outdoor conversation, and the contact list integration is among the best in its class. Start typing a phone number or name, and the phone activates live, while-you-type searching of your address book to help you out. We usually don't see this level of integration outside of Windows Mobile or Palm OS smartphones. We would have liked Outlook integration, but since there is no way to connect the phone directly to your PC, the point is probably moot. Instead, T-Mobile offers a Web-based solution, which backs up your contact list automatically and allows you to add and edit your address book entries online. Its an innovative solution that we wish all the carriers would adopt across their device lineups.
Our favorite: Live, while-you-type searching of the contact list while you dial.
Our request: The lack of Bluetooth means wireless handsfree options are out, a drawback for iD customers who are old enough to drive.
Messaging - Very good
While the iD may be lacking some of the advanced features of its siblings, T-Mobile hasn't compromised on messaging options. The phone comes pre-loaded with AOL, MSN and Yahoo instant messaging clients, and the device can handle 10 simultaneous instant message conversations, even though we couldn't find 10 buddies with whom to chat at once. For e-mail, a T-Mobile account comes ready-to-use, or you can setup any POP3 or IMAP4 account with the phone. We would have liked preloaded e-mail for AOL, MSN and Yahoo, and perhaps Gmail as well, but we're just being selfish.
The messaging app also incorporates live, while-you-type searching of your contact list, which, again, is a great feature we usually don't see on simpler messaging phones. For text messaging, the phone easily handles a full 160-character SMS message on screen at once, and will even send two concurrent messages if you run over the limit. Though the phone can handle MMS messages, without a camera, we could only receive these messages, and had little multimedia to send out.
Our favorite: Pre-loaded protocols for popular services is the way to go for instant messaging
Our request: Now, pre-load e-mail settings for the same services, and we'll be all set.
What's missing
The most startling omission on this phone is the camera. We think Sidekick users will really miss being able to take candid snapshots, even if the quality on the Sidekick 3's camera was lacking. For fun, and also for filling in those MyFaves icons, the camera was a necessary part of the Sidekick experience, and though we're not sure we'd pay the extra $100 for a Sidekick 3 just for a camera, the lack of a lens may keep potential buyers away from the iD.
For networking, the phone lacks EDGE, relying instead on slower GPRS for data, hobbling the Web browser most of all. Games and ringtones downloaded smoothly, but Web pages, especially our picture-intense homepage, stumbled along at a snail's pace. For messaging, we didn't notice much lag sending or receiving instant messages or SMS text messages, so maybe this cost cutting omission was worth it, if users don't mind waiting an extra minute, literally, for a large Web page to load.
No expansion slot and no media player means this phone won't replace your iPod, but we doubt many Sidekick 3 users have been leaving their digital audio players at home anyway. We would have liked a way to transfer files to and from the device, it might have helped us fill our photo albums, given the phone's lack of a camera. The phone also has no data transfer capabilities to and from the PC. No USB slot or Bluetooth means the only way to get files onto the device is over the T-Mobile network, using the GPRS connections. This means that ringtones and wallpapers will have to be purchased through T-Mobile, and can't be sideloaded directly from your desktop.
Price and availability
The T-Mobile Sidekick iD is available as of April 25 for $100 with a 2-year agreement.
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