InsideTech

Sidekick LX: Nice, But Not High Speed by Olga Kharif /BusinessWeek The Good: The slimmest Sidekick to date, with an improved screen and new, cool features The Bad: The improvements—and T-Mobile's network—can't keep up with the iPhone The Bottom Line: A good, practical device, but too pricey for its overall performance Before I got my hands on the new T-Mobile Sidekick LX, the only thing I knew of this trendy product line was that Paris Hilton's Sidekick had been hacked and mined for her celebrity contacts. After trying out the LX, I can say I admire Hilton's taste. But considering what this handset can and can't do, it's just too expensive. Just like its siblings, the LX is first and foremost a great tool for tapping out e-mails and text messages. The backlit buttons on the full-QWERTY keyboard are laid out far more spaciously than on BlackBerry and other thumb-typing devices. One obvious improvement over the Sidekick 3 is the size. The LX is about 15% smaller, measuring 5.1-in. long, 2.4-in. wide, and 0.7-in. thick. It's also more than an ounce lighter, at 5.7 oz. What's New About This Sidekick Despite the smaller package, the new Sidekick's trademark swivel screen offers a wider viewing area. The display is also higher resolution than that of previous Sidekicks. While the resolution is not quite as good as the iPhone's, it's sharper most handsets out there, including the LG VX9400 (BusinessWeek.com, 5/3/07), which was designed especially for watching mobile TV. The device has a 1.3-megapixel still camera and a good music player. And though multimedia messaging is common on most new devices, this is the first Sidekick that enables users to send picture messages and the like. The LX also introduces two other nice features. One is a quick, two-button jump to a menu of the applications you've been using most—a convenience I've not encountered on another mobile phone. The other is more superficial, but funky: When you power up or play a game or ringtone, blue lights flash near the corners of the device, and the scroll ball to the right of the screen lights up in different colors. I'll bet this little mood-light, discotheque effect will appeal to the teens and young adults who have made the Sidekick line a success. The Sidekick's Achilles Heel Would I buy the device? Maybe if I was already under contract with T-Mobile or if T-Mobile's wireless coverage in my area was noticeably better than the local reception on rival networks. Otherwise, I'd go with Apple's (AAPL) iPhone, available only with AT&T (T) service. Despite the iPhone's superior features, the LX costs nearly as much. With a new two-year T-Mobile contract, the Sidekick sells for $300 after a mail-in rebate and a discount. Without a contract, it costs $400—the same as the far more capable iPhone. T-Mobile, which owns the Sidekick brand and gets credit for its novel design, also takes the blame for the device's shortcomings. Because T-Mobile is the only major U.S. carrier