Bringing Synch to the Sidekick
Those of you who own the T-Mobile Sidekick I'm sure have been following the story of "synch" or synchronization. Basically, many PDA's and PDA-phone's out there (The Blackberry, Treos, and various PocketPC phones as well as other "smartphones") have had this capability for years. It is the ability to transfer back and forth data between your phone/device and your computer. Specifically, it allows you to transfer PIM data (contacts, calendar, tasks, notes, etc.) back and forth so that if you make a change or addition on your computer, the next time you "synch" it shows up on your phone, or if you make it on your phone, it shows up on your computer.
The Danger Sidekick is a phone that I've owned for a year and a half now. It has some great features like the ability to get pushed email like the blackberry, do AOL instant messaging via a very nice and fast interface, and do web-browsing fairly quickly where proxy servers downsize images and remove and reformat items to better fit the Sidekicks smaller screen. The keyboard is one of the best out there for a small device like this. It has all those PIM apps like Contacts, To-Do, Calendar, etc., and you can even import some of your data over the web, but it is only a one-way process and not a very flexible one.
Danger has promised full synch capabilities for the Sidekick since before it came out - almost 2 years ago. Rumors have abounded of it being ready for almost as long, but somehow it hasn't been offered yet. Recently it actually was offered, but only to those using the Sidekick via another wireless provider, Cable and Wireless, which doesn't offer service in the U.S. T-Mobile is really the only game in town for most U.S. Sidekick users and so we are beholden to them. It has been vitally clear on the Yahoo! Group I manage as well as on hiptop.com, the primary forum for Sidekick users, that synch is a critical and yearned for feature. Users have been clamoring for it for a long time. Yet it isn't offered yet and we have no word from T-Mobile whether it will be any time soon. T-Mobile, perhaps, needs something more visible to show how many of its customers need this functionality and so in that vein I created an online petition. I am hopeful that if we get enough signatures, we can push T-Mobile into offering a functionality that is long overdo (and which they already offer via other devices like the Blackberry). If you are a current Sidekick user, or are considering buying one, I urge you to sign the petition and alleviate probably the most glaring ommission in what is otherwise an extremely useful product!
I feel your pain. I left T-Mobile, Danger and the Sidekick behind a few
months ago for this exact reason (and the fact they started nuking my
non-inflamatory posts regarding the issue from their forums). While I
don't put a lot of stock into petitioning, I do support your cause as an
ex-Sidekick user.
For a more in depth review that I did on the (monochrome) sidekick, visit
my website defcon4.net.
I think you have a misconception of Danger's sidekick synchronization
capabilities. I don't think Danger Inc. intended to sync with your
computer/Outlook. It was meant to synch with your "desktop interface" that
is located on tmobile's website.
I beg to differ, Che. Danger specifically talked establishing partnerships
with companies such as Pumatech to develop a synch solution for Outlook
among others. And in fact the Cable and Wireless synch app on the Sidekick
is titled "Intellisync" which is a Pumatech product. The synching with the
desktop interface is definitely a nice feature but it pales in comparison
to true Outlook synch. So many people use Outlook in their business and
personal computers to manage their schedule and contacts, and to not have a
way to synch this with a phone that stores the same type of data in a
seamless way, the way many other PDA's and phones have been able to do for
YEARS, is really ridiculous!
Visit me @ http://twelveblackcodemonkeys.blog-city.com
I would have written the petition differently. While a number of people
use Outlook, the petition should be to simply allow the product that
Mark/Space developed and the one that C&W is using. Also, why should we
pay for such a service? It provides them with more people that would like
to use the phone anyway.
schalliol
OK guys, I can tell you how this works. Danger has partnered with Pumatech
to offer the Intellisync functionality, but it is at a cost to the provider
who can either eat it or pass it on. T-Mobile could offer this in a minute
if they wanted to. The question is why don't they? There are two options,
they either don't want to for some reason I don't know or they are waiting
for something else. I will let you guess which is the most
likely.
kaskade
Ok T-Mobile alreadry has Sync Capability its called Wireless interface
!!!
jcmcougar
jcm, I assume you mean the "Desktop Interface." My thrust of my petition,
although it I call it in general "synch" is described on this page and on
the petition itself as OUTLOOK synch. Yes, the sidekick synchs with the
desktop interface, but that doesn't get around the issue that millions of
people use Outlook and other PIM's both at home and at work and don't want
to give up all the data in these apps for the somewhat basic and limited
interface of the Sidekick and Desktop Interface.
Visit me @ http://twelveblackcodemonkeys.blog-city.com