Tech Throwback: The T-Mobile Sidekick

I like to take a look at where I’ve been to evaluate where Im going. Technology is cyclical after all… wait no its not. That said I still like all the feels that come rushing back like a flood of nostalgia every time I get my hand on the tech I grew up with. Im going to go back periodically and take a looking at the stuff that used to blow our hair back and get our minds rolling. Some of these device blew up and changed the world, some where ahead of their time and some just fell flat and became colossal failures. Today I’ve got my hands on the T-Mobile Sidekick

The Danger Hiptop, also re-branded as the T-Mobile Sidekick, Mobiflip and Sharp Jump is a GPRS/EDGE/UMTS smartphone produced by Danger Incorporated  from 2002 to 2010. Released on October 1, 2002, the original Hiptop was unique compared to all other hardware versions. All the units, from the beginning, have featured “Menu”, “Back”, “Jump” and other keys accessible even when the unit was closed. The Hiptop also featured a speaker which is used for device sounds but not telephone. Along the top edge of the phone bezel is an infrared transceiver. The headset jack serves a dual purpose, as it is also used for the accessory camera. A later revision of the Hiptop upgraded its screen from a monochrome LCD to a color LCD viewable with or without the backlight on

Powering Back Up the T-mobile Sidekick

Like I like to do I purchased one of the original T-mobile Sidekick. First thing I notice is how thick it is. It is girthy to say the least, its like holding 3 iPhones. The flip screen is still snappy. This was a one of a kind phone, no one else even mocked it. The spinning rotating screen is still unique with its 180 degree flip to reveal the key board. The keyboard is nice and very well spaced out. For text messaging this phone was way ahead of its time and is still probably the best and most efficient SMS device.

This phone is the original basic smartphone. It has still an advanced for the time but basic phone OS. The best way to describe it is to say its very PDAish but with a killer keyboard. The picture quality, let talk about it, its rubbish. black and white and grainy. Im actually terrified that some hipster will find one of these and turn it in to the next hipster camera trend. Posting terrible pictures is just the kind of thing that is up their ally.

The Final Thought

I never had the Sidekick, it was a T-mobile exclusive and I was a Cingular guy. This was the most experience I had with the sidekick. I can say it is interesting, fun, quirky, qwerty and perfect for its time. Its success was limited to the T-mobile network which was not great. Many other instances of the T-mobile Sidekick was released in subsequent years, some of them didn’t even kick out.  The last thing Ill say about this device is just like its most famous users, Hanna Montana and Paris Hilton, it belongs in 2003. Lets leave it right there.