TMobile Sidekick LX: Cell Phone Review

A few years ago I was watching one of my favorite celebrity news program's on VH1. On this program I saw Paris Hilton holding an oh so adorable rhinestone covered cell phone. Only this cell phone didn't look like a cellphone, it looked more like a mini computer, with a keyboard, and a pretty screen. This phone of hers was called a Sidekick. Sidekicks have come a long way though since I had last seen one.

 The newest models being the Sidekick LX, and Sidekick Slide. I choose the Sidekick LX though, and here is why.

The Screen:
 
The Sidekick LX has the neatest little screen I have ever seen. It doesn't not just click up like a standard cell phone, it doesn't slide up like the Sidekick Slide, it doesn't do anything boring like that- oh no. The Sidekick LX has a really cool swivel screen, that will click up for you with a simple push to the side of it's screen. It's pretty neat, and reminds me of an automatic click up pocket knife.

Once the swivel screen is open, the phone opens up to a full QWERTY keyboard which I will discuss later on.

The Sidekick LX's screen is also gorgeous. Besides the sweet kick ass swivel feature, the LX displays up to 65000 colors in 240x400 pixels. Numbers and specs aside, the real deal is this; the colors on the Sidekick LX look sweet, and the screen displays them flawlessly. For me looking at the Sidekick LX's screen is like looking into a mini High Def screen. The screen itself comes in at 3 inches or pure gorgeousness.

The Phone:
 
I bought the LX in brown, which truly looks more like black in most lighting. Deciding which color to buy was probably the most difficult thing for me to do. Blue or brown?

For those who are struggling on which color to choose, I would have to recommend the brown one because it does after all, look black. A more universal color than blue, which for me makes the phone look a little cheaper.

The phone weighs in at 5.6 ounces, and is 5.1 inches long, and 2.4 inches wide. To put it simply, the LX fits in the palm of your hand with ease, and will fit in your pocket without creating much bulge at all. The phone is also relatively slim at 0.9 inches.

So far I have had no issues carrying the phone around in my pocket or purse. I do however recommend a carrying case to protect the screen.

-What The Phone Comes With:
 
Out of the box the LX will come with a black carrying case, the Sidekick LX, a PC USB adapter, a Wall charger, and small ear buds, and an instruction manual.

Phone Features:
 
The Sidekick LX has automatic call back features, call hold, call divert, texting capabilities, caller ID, call time, call waiting, volume control, ringer control, conference call, and computer link.

Lets Chat:
 
Besides all of the features the phone itself has, the Sidekick LX's texting and socializing functions are what makes the LX famous for what it is.

The full QWERTY Keyboard is so easy to use, that with a little practice you could easily write out a whole letter in just a few short moments. Although the keys are small, the Sidekick LX spaces the keys out with just enough room for you to easily get at each letter without even having to look down at the board.

The keys themselves are made of what feels like plastic, but with a more rubbery feel for easier grip.
Instant messaging programs come built into the phone. If you paid for Data (internet) you can log onto your AIM account to chat, your Windows LIVE Messenger, or Yahoo Messenger.

The phone is pretty kick ass when it comes to keeping in touch with your friends. Definitely check out Myspace Mobile as well for keeping connected.

Let's Text:
 
You have two options when it comes to texting. You can send a normal text only text, or you can send a text with a photo or sound file. Everything is really hands on and pretty self explanatory when it comes to texting.

Say Cheese!!!!!
 
The Sidekick LX comes equipped with a 1.3mp digital camera. A lot of people hate on the LX's camera, but I was able to take some really beautiful photos using the phone. I will say though that lighting effects the image greatly. I find that well lit outdoor photos look best. Indoor low light photos come out looking really grainy.

Calendar Notifications:
 
The Sidekick LX is a really sweet phone/texting device, and honestly I couldn't have asked for more. Besides all of the above I have already mentioned, the LX also comes with a neat little calendar application built into the main menu. Here you can store important dates, and events that you have to attend, or remember. The LX will then notify you of the even depending on when you set it to notify you.

Ex. Aunt Jens birthday is on July 20th, and you want your phone to remind you to buy her a gift on the 15th. The phone will chime in and remind you to get her a gift.

You can download message/calendar ring tones as well for even more customization. As of now, mine is set to 'Check yo messages cuzz!'. You however can download whatever sound you want to play for message alerts. Or save yourself $1.69 and set it to the available message alerts that come built into the Sidekick LX.

Tasks:
 
Besides the calendar notifications, you can also set up a task. This is found under the same application as the Calendar. Tasks are just small notes that you can have the phone remind you of. Writing out a small grocery list, or a 'thing to do' for a certain day can be plugged in the Tasks. I find that the Calendar notifications though work pretty much in the same aspect.

Music Player:
 
The LX can also have music loaded into it, so you can have your music on the go. I'm not much into this feature, but for those who NEED to have music on their phone, there you go. You can download music from the download catalog, or upload it from your PC.

Music you upload though cannot be used as ring tones which is a major bummer for some LX owners. Another big sigh, is the fact that you can not under any circumstances find FREE RING TONES for the Sidekick LX. I have come across tons of forums where people were asking for info on getting free ring tones for this phone.

IT IS NOT HAPPENING. Any ring tone you want must be downloaded from the download catalog, which you can find on your phone. You MUST have the internet up and working on the phone in order to download anything.

Another major blow to the phone is the fact that it only stores 10 ring tones. Even buying an upgraded Micro SD card will not allow you to store ring tones or games. Not cool TMobile, not cool!!!!!
 
Games:
 
Bob's Journey To The Center Of The Earth is the only game that comes with the Sidekick LX. I personally find the game to be a bore. It includes a little round looking creature that you hop from level to level. Avoiding holes, and enemies as you move on.

Other games can be downloaded from the download catalog, but they cost money, and are not worth much of a glance.

The Download Catalog:
 
This application is located on the main menu on your phone. From here you can download themes, ring tones, music, backgrounds, games, and other applications for the LX.

Everything here will cost you.

Themes:
 
Now themes on the LX are pretty dang neat, and there are websites where you can download them for free. Themes are also for sale in the download catalog, but why pay, when you can get something for free.

Themes add a picture to your menus background, and some themes come with custom hinges.

Hinges:
 
Hinges are the sounds your phone will make hen you open and close the swivel screen. You can make your own hinges, but doing so is difficult, and will take up a lot of time and research in LX forums that you can google search on the internet.

Email:
 
You can read your email directly off of the LX. When you sign up for a TMobile data plan you are given a tmail.com account. From here you can send and receive email.

Internet:
 
Browsing the net is pretty simple on the LX, but truly it can be a strain on your eyes, and not all sites load up the way they would on a standard PC. Remember folks, this is a phone, not a pocket PC.
My favorite sites are myspace mobile, ebay, aol, and so on.

Browsing the net, and browsing through the phones menus are simple and easy using the small track ball located on the right side of the phone. My favorite feature above all about the LX though is the colors the phone displays when it rings. Located in the 4 corners of the phone are blue lights. When the phone rings, gets a text, or a message the phone will vibrate and light up. The trackball will also light up displaying a rainbow array of colors, from blue, green, red, purple, and yellow. It's really psychedelic looking.

Reception:
 
TMobile in my area of New York has a bad reputation. Before buying an LX check Tmobiles site for their reception map. It will show which areas have best reception, and which do not.

According to the map, and where I am located I should have bad reception, with a light green color showing that I would only receive 1 bar worth of signal. For me though this is not the case.

Outside I am able to get full bar, but downstairs only 1 bar, sometimes none.

I don't really have any issues with reception and phone calls. I do however have some minor issues with the internet. It is slow, lags, and sometimes I will loose connectivity.

It does not happen often, but it happens enough for me to have to mention it.

Regular phone calls though, even with only 1 bar of reception come in crystal clear, and I have never had a dropped call, so all is well in that department.

Volume:
 
Volume is an issue though that I will mention. It is sometimes hard to hear when you are in areas with too much environmental noise. Cars going by, people talking, etc. It can be difficult to hear your call when these things are weighed into the equation. Even with the volume at maximum, it can be hard to hear, which is a downer when you have to run to a quite area just to talk.

Overall:
 
The Sidekick LX has it's pros and it's cons. The LX makes for an awesome device when it comes to texting, instant messaging, and staying in touch with friends on the go. It does however have its issues when it comes to the actual phone use itself. Slow internet loading, lots of connection issues online, and an issue with low volume.

Other than that though the LX is a really awesome phone for the younger generation who makes more texts than they will calls. I find that I text more than I call now too, so it's really not a huge loss. The phone balances itself out, and no phone is perfect.

For more information go to Tmobile's website.