Sharp Hiptop 3 / Sidekick 3
Phone Scoop Review
Jun 19, 2006 by Eric Lin
In Depth review of the sleek new Sidekick 3 for T-Mobile, with Video Tour and side-by-side comparison with Sidekick II. read review ›
User Reviews
Average Ratings
one actual complaint, but nice phone
my boyfriend has this phone and although the constant noises for every move you make on the sidekick 3 is annoying, the only real problem i have with the phone is that sometimes it doesn't receive text messages/aim messages at the same time they were sent. in other words, i'll text my boyfriend and he won't respond for hours or DAYS (yes, DAYS) because he didn't receive them at the appropriate time. and sometimes he'll receive them but his won't send properly. it's only happened on a few occasions, but it 's hella annoying.
Cute phone
Received the Diane version a week ago. I was excited but after receiving it and realizing that the battery lasts much less than my palm...I am rethinking.
CONS:
Fast dying battery
Can't add my MSN email
Can't add pictures to screen (or if you can, I haven't figured it out and T-mobile is no help)
Takes quite a while, and sometimes just doesn't connect to the download catalog
Weighty
Camera has taken one good picture out of 10 and that's with lots and lots of light, without light, with and without flash, they have to do better with the camera
No video??????
Can you even add pictures to the phonebook? Says you can but am still searching for that one.
PROS:
Cute
IMessenger
looks like a mini mini laptop when open
Signal has been good
Overall, I think I am sending this one back and maybe wait for the 4th version to come out and hopefully it will have a better camera, video and alarm and they'll allow you to add your msn/hotmail accounts so you don't have to log on to msn or hotmail and get the mail.
SK3 just a cool toy for kids!
If you are in your teens, this might be the phone for you. If not, look into another phone. I had this phone for the 14 days that tmobile allows before getting your refund. The screen sucks! if you could get your hands on a tmobile SDA, or MDA.. check out the screen quality and compare it to the sidekick. HUGE difference. the SK3 has a dark screen and the image quality sucks. the isntant messenger and texting is cool but thats about it. using the phone for phone calls and other things is just not that great. anyway.. i suggest you try out the phone for a week or 10 days to test it out yourself if u dont mind going through the trouble of returning the phone. trust me. this phone is NOT worth the money AT ALL.
I Must get a new phone every 2 weeks! Call me obbsesd! But the SK3 is about as good as it gets!
I have recently received the SK3 and yes like many other I am on it! I just simply cannot get enough. I truly love this phone! I was always a Sidekick Fan and when i heard about the 3rd i started my research! And yes i am young and having fun so this is one of the phones fit for me! The SK3 relates to his fellow bothers (previous sidekick models) in a way but not all the way, it has a nice new sleek design and a new MP3 player, plus it is packed with a new 1.3 Megapixell camera but i must say the flash is still not the best i have seen. But who really uses a flash? Anyway i truly love this phone it has a wonderful keyboard which i think is better than ever before, because it is a glossy and strong one. On the old sidekick 2 the keyboard would brake very easily b ut on this new one it doesn't. I am truly obsessed! Plus it will catch everyones attention! Its is a not so heard of "Sexy Smart Phone" Hey its gotta be sexy Paris Hilton owns one!
Goods-
-Who Keyboard
-Camera
-Texting made easy
-Web browsing
-MP3
Bads-
-Little big
-Made only for T-mobile
^(fine with me 1 of my carers is tmobile!)
all in all i love this phone it may not be for the corporates users or the old cranky man who needs to be at work but is aw some for me in the teen years! usually ages between 12-30
From a Dealers Mouth to Your Ears PT1
The Sidekick 3 allows secure pairing with other phones and devices, but not data transfer between the two devices that are paired, which seems rather strange considering practically EVERY other phone carried by T-Mobile with Bluetooth feature is able to. Kind of doesnât make sense that the best and most advanced (personal bias) phone we offer CANâT do what some of our free phones can. Iâve had it for 3 days, and have run our franchises tests on it to make more accurate reviews for our internal network and our dealers. It really is sad that some of key features were changed when they were already perfect (i.e. Keyboard, Button lights, etc.). Luckily some things were added that are GREAT additions.
Pros:
1.3 Mega pixel camera
One of the very few phones with a QWRETY keyboard.
New design
Detachable back battery cover
Removable battery
MiniSD card support
MP3 (and other file type) player
Bluetooth
SK3 has more option/ability to edit/customize phone, looks, and options.
New âtrack ballâ allows you to select options in different directions and helps in browsing.
New menu style has main folders then subfolders and programs once main folders are selected, better organized.
EDGE powered internet browser.
OS is practically the same, but just a tad faster.
It is thinner then previous versions.
Very Disappointed
When I initially signed up for T-Mobile I purchased the Sidekick 3 but after using the features I was very disappointed with it. The Bluetooth is a huge joke! If the phone wasnât in sight of the headset your phone call would be broken up. The cameraâ¦donât even get me started. Edge is slower than a legless cat. The only thing the Sidekick 3 has going for it is itâs looks and maybe the MP3 player. But now days who doesnât have an ipod, my grandmother even has one. And a major booo on Sharp. Coming from a company that has been making electronics for years they could have at least upgraded the screen. Listenâ¦save your money and get yourself the ID. At least with the ID you can change the housing with out cover-up stickers.
no big deal
after having the 2 i decided to switch to the 3 and i am sad to say there is no big improvement worth paying 399 for this phone compared to the fact i paid only 49.99 for the 2 so iam sending the 3 back and going back to the 2. all they did was add bluetooth and a mp3 no big deal so aye ill go back 2 my phone
Beauty and NO BRAINS!!!
I just purchased this phone and I could not have been more disgusted. I owned a Sidekick II and thought it was "OK" and did not have many features but looked to be very cool. I was able to get the Sidekick II for a great price and decided to keep it. I could not wait for the Sidekick III to come out. Although when it came out it was the other way around.
Pros:
Good/Cool looking device
great keyboard (makes it easy to message) but feels more cheaper and easier to break vs Sidekick and Sidekick II.
Cons:
Still no video capture
Very bad camera
No audio capture
no iTunes
Very weak bluetooth connection; very hard to use; cannot send files
Must cannot set music files as ringtones
Must have special $20 service to keep all of the information from being deleted (if battey runs out and you do not have the Sidekick Interent Service your personal infomation will be deleted.)
No wifi
battery bad
Overall I would not recommend this phone to anyone unless features mean nothing to you. Looks are good but features are a different story. For people like me basic features are essentials (alarm, calander, calculator)
Obsolete
The Sidekick 3 is a device whose tri-band GSM technology is half a decade out of date in a quad-band world.
You will have full GSM coverage ONLY in Anguilla, Bahamas, Belize, Bermuda, Bolivia, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Guam, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Montserrat, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, St Kitts and Nevis, Trinidad and Tobago, Turks and Caicos Islands, United States, and Uruguay.
You will have NO GSM coverage in Andorra, Angola, Azerbaijan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Botswana, Brunei Darussalam, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cambodia, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Central African Republic, Chad, China, Comoros, Congo, Cook Islands, Côte d'Ivoire, Croatia, Cuba, Djibouti, East Timor, Egypt, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Faroe Islands, Fiji, French Polynesia, Antigua and Barbuda, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Gibraltar, Greenland, Guernsey, Guinea, Guinea Bissau, Guyana, Iran, Iraq, Isle of Man, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Kiribati, Korea (North), Kyrgyzstan, Lebanon, Lesotho, Liberia, Libya, Macedonia, Madagascar, Malawi, Maldives, Mali, Mauritania, Mauritius, Micronesia, Moldova, Monaco, Mongolia, Morocco, Myanmar, Nepal, New Caledonia, New Zealand, Niger, Oman, Pakistan, Palestinian Territory, Papua New Guinea, São Tomé and PrÃncipe, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Swaziland, Togo, Tonga, Tunisia, Turkmenistan, United Arab Emirates, Vanuatu, Venezuela, Vietnam, Yemen, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.
There will only be partial coverage elsewhere.
Reviewers should be ashamed of not mentioning that this telephone uses technology obsolete for half a decade.
Danger should be ashamed of designing an obsolete terminal.
Sharp should be ashamed of a manufacturing an obsolete terminal.
T-Mobile should be ashamed of accepting an obsolete terminal.
Purchasers – even unsophisticated children – should be ashamed to be seen carrying a terminal that uses technology that has been obsolete for half a decade.
Novice phone users
For everyone that says "This is the best phone ever owned" you must be new to cell phones or mommy only will buy you a phone every two years. I've owned a lot of phones (average 6-9 a year) and I've owned every sidekick except for the 3 I played with for awhile in the store and a couple of friends and it still has the same stuff as the first sidekick except for a ball, color and edge. T mobile is doing a great job for the kids 12-21 but if you want to keep sales going or get the people with jobs who can pay full price for the phones without waiting for their contracts to be up, step the technology up on it the people aren't going to keep paying for the same stuff. But coming from a power user of cell phones this phone sucks.
