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MattJo · 05-29-2005, 3:33 AM

I'm totally jealous of my friends with sidekicks!!! I really want one and I think it would be useful.

However, i'm currently with Verizon and while i'm extremely satisfied with the overall service and coverage I am upset with the lack of "new" and "functional" phones that Verizon doesn't offer. I'm tired of Verizon having such boring phones and if the phone does have a feature i'm tired of them crippling it.

So here is my dilemma, I want a sidekick and I want the battery life that comes along with having a GSM phone. Is it worth switching to T-Mobile just for the sidekick and ditching the warm blanket that is Verizons coverage?

I'll be living in San Francisco near USF so if anyone has any first hand experiences in or surrounding that area with their T-Mobile phones or even more so, their Sidekicks, what do you think? Should I break down and get a sidekick?

Thanks!!

-A fed up Verizon customer

ShoresGuy · 05-29-2005, 6:39 AM

Before you break down and ditch VZW completely, go for a 30-day trial with T-Mobile and test them in the SF districts you frequent. Noe Valley and the other hilly areas used to be a bit weak with GSM but in the last couple years, Cingular has made improvements.

Good Luck

Chinasaur · 05-29-2005, 2:16 PM

1. I thought CA got rid of the 30 day and went back to 14 day?

2. If it works for you, do you mind carrying two devices? If not, keep VZW and get the SKII "Pay as you go" option.

3. I would recommend reading older posts at www.hiptop.com about outages with the SidekickII. Danger does not communicate when an outage is planned and never communicates to users during an outage. You don't see Treo's or BB's with the downtime that Danger causes.

4. That said, I dig my SKII. It's a bit big but the functionality far outweighs the bulk. I carry a Sprint Nokia as well and I'm sure I look like Batman's utility belt sometimes. I too like the "warm blanket" feeling of Sprint's coverage so it seems I'm doomed to carry two devices unless Sprint picks up something like the SKII.

Luck!

ShoresGuy · 05-29-2005, 4:57 PM

Ah what am I saying? Cingular made upgrades back when the network was still theirs. T-Mobile will be making all future improvements since Cingular sold them the former shared network.

Great idea, Chinasaur, Pay As You Go is definitely a sensible option. Plus if you like the SKII's performance on PAYG, you can always switch over to postpaid.

budney · 05-29-2005, 10:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chinasaur

If it works for you, do you mind carrying two devices? If not, keep VZW and get the SKII "Pay as you go" option.

I would say that "this would be the best way to go IMHO". I tried the original Sidekick. Great for data, but bad for voice. If I heard right Danger did improve the RF & phone side of the device on the II.

chefofthefuture · 06-04-2005, 10:42 PM

As others mentioned, unless you're willing to carry two devices, the answer is no. No one I know with a Sidekick in this area finds the RF quality to be sufficient for using as a primary cellphone.

ShoresGuy · 06-04-2005, 11:44 PM

The main problem with SF are its hilly areas. I recall reading that places like Noe Valley used to be a real challenge to maintain a stable signal.

budney · 06-05-2005, 2:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ShoresGuy

The main problem with SF are its hilly areas. I recall reading that places like Noe Valley used to be a real challenge to maintain a stable signal.

The original Sidekick had really bad RF. It would go in & out of service where my other phones had a solid bar or two, and could make calls fine. Lately I haven't heard a lot of complaining with the RF in the SF area. So coverage must have improved in the last year with all the GSM carriers. But the Sidekick would probably amplify the weak areas pretty well.

ShoresGuy · 06-07-2005, 4:23 PM

Yeah, I haven't been back to the US for almost 2 years so there definitely must have been some improvements in that time. AT&T probably made a number of changes to their network before it was transferred to Cingular and now T-Mobile will do the same to the shared Cingular network.

The only real way to determine if the coverage is sufficient is to conduct a test on your own in the areas where you need the phone to work.

budney · 06-07-2005, 10:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ShoresGuy

The only real way to determine if the coverage is sufficient is to conduct a test on your own in the areas where you need the phone to work.

Yes indeed!

05-29-2005, 3:33 AM	#1 (permalink)
MattJo Junior Member Join Date: Aug 2003 Posts: 59 Phone(s): Motorola V710, LG VX6000 Provider(s): Verizon Wireless Devices: iPod Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	Sidekick in SF, Yay or Nay? I'm totally jealous of my friends with sidekicks!!! I really want one and I think it would be useful. However, i'm currently with Verizon and while i'm extremely satisfied with the overall service and coverage I am upset with the lack of "new" and "functional" phones that Verizon doesn't offer. I'm tired of Verizon having such boring phones and if the phone does have a feature i'm tired of them crippling it. So here is my dilemma, I want a sidekick and I want the battery life that comes along with having a GSM phone. Is it worth switching to T-Mobile just for the sidekick and ditching the warm blanket that is Verizons coverage? I'll be living in San Francisco near USF so if anyone has any first hand experiences in or surrounding that area with their T-Mobile phones or even more so, their Sidekicks, what do you think? Should I break down and get a sidekick? Thanks!! -A fed up Verizon customer

05-29-2005, 6:39 AM	#2 (permalink)
ShoresGuy Euer WA Experte in Europa Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: 94065,US/Köln, Germany Posts: 6,569 Phone(s): HTC/T-Mobile MDA II PPC, Motorola E770V Provider(s): E-Plus (BASE 12 month flatrate)/Vodafone Germany Devices: T-Mobile MDA II - GSM 900/1800/1900 w/WM 2003 Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts Images: 419	Re: Sidekick in SF, Yay or Nay? Before you break down and ditch VZW completely, go for a 30-day trial with T-Mobile and test them in the SF districts you frequent. Noe Valley and the other hilly areas used to be a bit weak with GSM but in the last couple years, Cingular has made improvements. Good Luck __________________ Visiting Europe?Ask me: http://forums.wirelessadvisor.com/international-wireless-forum-including-canada-mexico/ http://forums.wirelessadvisor.com/international-wireless-forum-including-canada-mexico/8351-europe-sim-info-helpful-links.html Nokia Reset Codes: http://forums.wirelessadvisor.com/nokia/7973-nokia-series-40-60-80-reset.html Originally from: Redwood City, CA Living in: Cologne, Germany

05-29-2005, 2:16 PM	#3 (permalink)
Chinasaur Join Date: May 2003 Location: Seattle Posts: 252 Phone(s): E61, Nokia 6230i , 3120 & 3595 Provider(s): T-Mobile Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	Re: Sidekick in SF, Yay or Nay? 1. I thought CA got rid of the 30 day and went back to 14 day? 2. If it works for you, do you mind carrying two devices? If not, keep VZW and get the SKII "Pay as you go" option. 3. I would recommend reading older posts at www.hiptop.com about outages with the SidekickII. Danger does not communicate when an outage is planned and never communicates to users during an outage. You don't see Treo's or BB's with the downtime that Danger causes. 4. That said, I dig my SKII. It's a bit big but the functionality far outweighs the bulk. I carry a Sprint Nokia as well and I'm sure I look like Batman's utility belt sometimes. I too like the "warm blanket" feeling of Sprint's coverage so it seems I'm doomed to carry two devices unless Sprint picks up something like the SKII. Luck! __________________ It has yet to be proven that intelligence has any survival value. --Arthur C. Clarke

05-29-2005, 4:57 PM	#4 (permalink)
ShoresGuy Euer WA Experte in Europa Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: 94065,US/Köln, Germany Posts: 6,569 Phone(s): HTC/T-Mobile MDA II PPC, Motorola E770V Provider(s): E-Plus (BASE 12 month flatrate)/Vodafone Germany Devices: T-Mobile MDA II - GSM 900/1800/1900 w/WM 2003 Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts Images: 419	Re: Sidekick in SF, Yay or Nay? Ah what am I saying? Cingular made upgrades back when the network was still theirs. T-Mobile will be making all future improvements since Cingular sold them the former shared network. Great idea, Chinasaur, Pay As You Go is definitely a sensible option. Plus if you like the SKII's performance on PAYG, you can always switch over to postpaid. __________________ Visiting Europe?Ask me: http://forums.wirelessadvisor.com/forumdisplay.php?f=10 http://forums.wirelessadvisor.com/showthread.php?t=8351 Nokia Reset Codes: http://forums.wirelessadvisor.com/showthread.php?t=7973 Originally from: Redwood City, CA Living in: Cologne, Germany

06-04-2005, 10:42 PM	#6 (permalink)
chefofthefuture Junior Member Join Date: Aug 2002 Location: SF/Bay Area, California Posts: 226 Provider(s): Verizon Wireless Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	Re: Sidekick in SF, Yay or Nay? As others mentioned, unless you're willing to carry two devices, the answer is no. No one I know with a Sidekick in this area finds the RF quality to be sufficient for using as a primary cellphone.

06-04-2005, 11:44 PM	#7 (permalink)
ShoresGuy Euer WA Experte in Europa Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: 94065,US/Köln, Germany Posts: 6,569 Phone(s): HTC/T-Mobile MDA II PPC, Motorola E770V Provider(s): E-Plus (BASE 12 month flatrate)/Vodafone Germany Devices: T-Mobile MDA II - GSM 900/1800/1900 w/WM 2003 Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts Images: 419	Re: Sidekick in SF, Yay or Nay? The main problem with SF are its hilly areas. I recall reading that places like Noe Valley used to be a real challenge to maintain a stable signal. __________________ Visiting Europe?Ask me: http://forums.wirelessadvisor.com/forumdisplay.php?f=10 http://forums.wirelessadvisor.com/showthread.php?t=8351 Nokia Reset Codes: http://forums.wirelessadvisor.com/showthread.php?t=7973 Originally from: Redwood City, CA Living in: Cologne, Germany

06-07-2005, 4:23 PM	#9 (permalink)
ShoresGuy Euer WA Experte in Europa Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: 94065,US/Köln, Germany Posts: 6,569 Phone(s): HTC/T-Mobile MDA II PPC, Motorola E770V Provider(s): E-Plus (BASE 12 month flatrate)/Vodafone Germany Devices: T-Mobile MDA II - GSM 900/1800/1900 w/WM 2003 Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts Images: 419	Re: Sidekick in SF, Yay or Nay? Yeah, I haven't been back to the US for almost 2 years so there definitely must have been some improvements in that time. AT&T probably made a number of changes to their network before it was transferred to Cingular and now T-Mobile will do the same to the shared Cingular network. The only real way to determine if the coverage is sufficient is to conduct a test on your own in the areas where you need the phone to work.

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