Sidekick II or Nokia?

December 19, 2004 8:32 PM

Cell Phone Filter: I'm trying to decide between a Sidekick II and a Nokia... [MI]

Primarily because they are both free after rebate on Amazon. The Sidekick II looks like it’s great for email/web/IM apps. But the 6600 has an expandable memory card, Bluetooth and looks passable for email which is what I will primarily use it for. (Both have cameras). Anyone have any experience with either of these phones? How useful is Bluetooth? Which would you choose? Thanks in advance.

posted by Heminator to Technology (12 answers total)

If you wanna use it as a phone go with the Nokia. I love using bluetooth with my Sony Ericsson T610, apart from using a bluetooth headset (which I don't have), you can use it to back up your phone, transfer pics to and fro, and do other fun things with your phone, in the case of the 6600 I think you can load programs onto the phone using bluetooth, heck even get terminal access.
posted by riffola at 8:36 PM on December 19, 2004

I currently have a Sidekick (color version 1), and while I think it's a great device, it can be VERY expensive over time. The unit is worthless without a sidekick data plan, which will run you an extra $20 a month above your voice rate, which turns out to an extra $240 a year. The question then becomes, is being able to use the web and IM with a KEYBOARD worth that much extra. For me, the downside of the price and a large phone that feels like a brick is worth it for IMing friends and resolving disputes on google in the middle of a heated discussion in a car. SSHing into my home computer to start a ftp server is neat too. Using it as a phone makes you look like a jackass, lending your phone to others, no one knows which side to talk, data is definitely the strong point of this phone.

If you see yourself using only a phone and minimal typing, I would second the advice of going for the nokia. Unlike the sidekick, the nokia 6600 has a memory slot, meaning you can put a bigger memory card (I think up to 1GB? correct me if I'm wrong) in there and loading an MP3 player. The games on the nokia can also be installed and appear to be more interesting. Don't bother gaming on the sidekick, it's expensive and the games are worthless.

Realistically, using IM or the internet on non-keyboard based phones is used little more than to show off, since typing is impossible. Bluetooth is just used for transferring between the computer and handsfree wireless headsets most of the time. Hope that helps.
posted by amuseDetachment at 9:06 PM on December 19, 2004

I have the 6620 (which is the EDGE network version of the 6600). I love it. I do not use it for email, though. I love the fact it has removable memory and Bluetooth, and use it for some web browsing and lots of text messaging and MMS (moblogging, etc). As a phone it's superb and as a camera phone, I also think it's fantastic. It's a "Symbian Series 60" phone which means that it runs an app stack and has a UI that is quite open and for which you'll find lots of third party apps.
posted by donovan at 9:35 PM on December 19, 2004

I'm currently going through a very similar evaluation right now. As I see it, avoid the HipTop, get a Symbian Series 60 phone (Nokia 66xx series, some Siemens, etc...). All of Nokia's series 60 phones have great features and good build quality.

The 6600 is kinda old, but if you're getting a good deal on it, go for it. Otherwise go for the 6620, 6670, or the new (soon to be available) 6630.

Personally, I'm holding out for the 6630.
posted by C.Batt at 9:57 PM on December 19, 2004

Response by poster: It's only been a few hours since I posted this, but I have to say that as someone who waited FOREVER before MeFi membersip was expanded, I am extremely grateful to be part of this community. The few responses above were, as I expected, extremely helpful -- keep it coming. Thanks!
posted by Heminator at 12:22 AM on December 20, 2004

I upgraded from my 6600 last week to another Symbian Nokia phone. In some ways you have to make a choice about what you want out of your phone. The Sidekick II is going to be a little better at email and web browsing and IM, but you'll give up storage. The 6600 is a great phone, but I always found it a little difficult to write emails with it. Reading email is just fine. With the latest Opera browser it was a usable web browser. I think the camera on the 6600 is going to be a little nicer than the Sidekick II camera, but newer Nokia cameras are a lot better than the 6600 camera. I do think that Symbian has the best phone OS community out there. I moved recently and used the internet over Bluetooth to my phone until my new DSL was installed. If you have a laptop you could do this when you were away from home.

If you get the 6600, look at the AgileMessenger, Doom, Putty, Salling Clicker (for Mac), fexplorer, and Yewnes applications.
posted by joelr at 4:15 AM on December 20, 2004

i've got the sidekick 1, color. it's very useful if you don't need to do all the crazy stuff you'd need a pda for, but would like to have IM/email/internet browsing on-the-go. it's pretty sad for games though, but is awesome otherwise.
posted by lotsofno at 5:32 AM on December 20, 2004

My girlfriend has had every Sidekick since the original black & white one and I have a Nokia 3650, the direct ancestor of the 6600.

If you need to do mobile email or IM, the Sidekick is probably the way to go thanks to its QWERTY keyboard and form factor. If you want to send the occasional mobile email or IM, the 6600 should be enough.

The default web browser on the Sidekick is nicer than the Nokia, but there are replacement browsers for the Nokia, including Opera.

If you have a Mac and want to use iSync, you'll have to go with the 6600. My friend is selling his Sidekick 2 specifically for this reason.

Take a look at the default applications available on the Sidekick. These are pretty much the only applications available for it because it's a closed system. Now take a look at some of the software available for the 6600. If any of those are things you need, you'll want to go with the 6600, which is an open platform. This is the reason I don't own a Sidekick 2. I have a Gameboy emulator installed on my Nokia, something that no phone company would ever allow on a closed platform.

Also, Slate sings the praises of the 6600.

Both are good phones. I suggest you make your choice based on what you need from a smartphone and how much you value form factor and application availability,
posted by revgeorge at 6:44 AM on December 20, 2004

I went with the Sidekick II via Amazon and now it sounds like I'll regret it. I guess it depends on how much I ultimately use the data services once the novelty wears off. I didn't even realize there was a viable alternative since everyone I know who uses a heavy-data phone has a Sidekick.
posted by nev at 7:01 AM on December 20, 2004

Have you considered the Nokia 6820? It flips open to a full (small) qwerty keyboard, and it has bluetooth and a camera. I've been happy with mine.

The only Sidekick users I know are deaf, so they have data-only plans, but I've played around with one and it does seem as though they'd be very awkward to use for making calls.
posted by amarynth at 8:00 AM on December 20, 2004

i've wanted a sidekick since they were first announced and i finally got my sidekick II this year. i adore it and use it constantly.

i've owned various phones in the past couple of years that had IM, browser, text messaging capabilities, but i've never used any of them for those purposes for long because of the limited keyboard. i'm really taking advantage of all of those functions now with my sidekick. i use email, browser, and AIM and Yahoo daily.

the trick to the phone is to use headphones.

there are cons though... their closed system being my biggest peeve. i wish i could download my own rings and apps, as tmobile's selection is very lacking. despite the cons, i still find that i use my sk more than i used my previous two phones.
posted by mileena at 12:30 PM on December 20, 2004

I would advise against the 6600. I've not used any of the Sidekick models, but I know a few people who are very happy with them. I work w/ cell phones (on the content side, I have no affiliation w/ any of the manufacturers) and have developed a rather strong dislike for all thinks Nokia. The playback app for music files is garbage and fails frequently. The UI is poorly organized and can be quite confusing to navigate. Again, I can't vouch for the Sidekick, but I advise against the 6600.
posted by shotsy at 1:09 PM on December 20, 2004