New Sidekick 2008 GSM Quadband phone for T-Mobile

Good Hardware: This is a solidly built phone with a nice display and very good keyboard. The flip-open mechanism is durable enough for daily use providing you don't get into the habit of popping it open like a switchblade. It is not a touch-screen, which ain't as bad as you might think. the user interface is done "well enough" to make this a non-problem.Bad Software: Ok, to be fair the software is actually well written and stable BUT it's locked-into T-Mobile AND T-Mobile no longer supports the phone ergo, there are some game stopping issues.1.) The phone periodically attempts to establish a data connection to the service T-Mobile no longer provides. That causes the battery to get pounded. I don't have a T-Mobile data plan so I'm not incurring charges for this persistent activity.2.) Should you have your SIM set to auto-lock and you do not have a data plan, the phone stalls waiting for your code and is unable to accept calls or text. This cycles about hourly requiring you to a.) unlock your SIM, or b.) keep checking up on the phone's status.3.) Many "features" of the phone will not allow configuration unless you have an active data connection. (it does not have wifi)Overall, the  New Sidekick 2008 GSM Quadband phone for T-Mobile  is a good phone but unless someone fixes it like they have fixed the  Sidekick LX 2009 PV300 Unlocked Phone with 3G, GPS and QWERTY Keyboard - US Warranty - Carbon Gray  you will be stuck fooling around with the out-of-date software the phone uses.I'm going to keep messing with my 2008 Sidekick, but I will be using some other phone for my daily carry.

I bought this phone about five months ago. It finally broke on me about a week ago, and let me tell you, it was one of the WORST phones I have ever had. Let's clear up some things about this phone that people say it will do. You can turn the phone off without it deleting everything, that is, if you use the power button. If you happen to take the battery out, it will delete everything you have that isn't on a memory card. This phone also loses service like no ones business, it's annoying and very frustrating. The flip action on this phone is annoying as hell, it opens up in your pocket, it opens up when you toss it on your bed, it opens up ALL the time. The screen takes a long time to go dim; for me, it's a little annoying.The stupid little, ball thing that scrolls through your phone will probably stop working, too. I don't know if my phone just had some sort of deficiency but the screen would, at random points, go blank. Don't know why it just did. The most annoying thing about this phone is texting. You don't know when you get a text, it makes no noise or vibration, the best you can do is go to the settings and have it remind you every two minutes that you have a text and it will vibrate or make a noise (however you set it up) the bad thing about it is, it will keep on vibrating until you check it. Pretty annoying if you're sitting in class and you can't check it. The list keeps on going, this is a bad phone, I only liked two things about this phone; A. The music player, and B. You can set up the phone to go silent at certain times of the day and to go back to a regular profile at another point of said day. Pretty handy, but not worth it. Don't buy this phone, save the $45 and just keep on looking.

I bought this phone for my 12-year-old daughter; the observations and opinions expressed in this review are hers.WHAT SHE LIKES: Doesn't drop calls often compared with other T-Mobile phones; good sound quality, twist/flip screen is cool.WHAT SHE DOESN'T LIKE: Bulky; doesn't ring or vibrate until at least 2 minutes after a text message has arrived, menu controls and navigation are confusing, obsolete data network, editing the speed dial number list is undocumented and counterintuitive.The Sidekick is loaded with personalization features, but they're accessed in a complex, counterintuitive and poorly documented menu system. My daughter has had it for a couple months now, and still has trouble changing settings. The phone depends on T-Mobile's extinct Danger Network for obtaining the correct date and time, so it is necessary to manually change the time when traveling between time zones. The phone can work well for people who communicate mainly via text messaging (but note that the phone doesn't alert the user immediately when a message arrives) mostly call the same 8 (speed dial) numbers, but people who frequently have to dial new phone numbers will find the process cumbersome.This Sidekick model was an early smartphone, with many text, e-mail, web and network-based features. However, with the demise of T-Mobile's Danger network, most of these features no longer work on this phone. The only features that still work are the basic voice, text and e-mail services supported by T-Mobile's standard GSM network.Despite these drawbacks, it works well as an inexpensive phone for a pre-teenager.

I've had a lot of difficulty "getting to know" this phone. My biggest complaint is that there is NO NOTIFICATION when a text arrives UNTIL 2 minutes have passed---however, for the first couple of weeks I had it was set to 10 minutes and there was no way to change it! I called T-mobile and they werent sure why that was either, chalking it up to the fact that this phones operating system is retired....What? Anyway, now that I've got the hang of it and it got wet and I reset it, the 2 minute alert finally works, still no sound notification upon receiving a text. oh well. Phone slides open a lot in loose pockets/purses. Doesnt always 'hang up', and its blackberry-ish keyboard feels cramped. Still better than trying to text on my old flip phone, but not as fun as I hoped. I can see why it isnt more popular.One thing I was super pleased with was the prompt arrival and how much is packed with this phone: a mini-SD, charger, 2 shells (green and black), and battery. I feel like there was more but I cant remember now. Nice package for the price.