is that just a sidekick?

If you:

• Have a few minutes.
• Own a cell phone with a camera in it.
• Have ever had that phone taken away before you're let into a movie.
• Enjoy a bit of the funny.

You'll want to go read Ryan's tale Employee of the Month, wherein we learn that his Sidekick has a really crappy camera which is apparently better at making it hard for him to get into screenings than it is at actually taking pictures.

Comments

[VeronicaRobinson]

Dide, the Sidekick is a crappy phone overall. If he hasn't had problems with it other than the camera yet, he will. I've troubleshot more Sidekicks than any other PDA type device.

The Blackberry's are good phones. The Pearl is the newest and is getting great reviews so far. People around work are starting to carry them more often (we all had the samsung t809, which i still have, until the pearl came out) and if I'm lucky, my senior rep will let me stare at his. I want one SO BAD and the Hottie won't let me have it.

When you're due for an upgrade, get him out of the Sidekick's. They really aren't worth the money. The Pearl isn't too expensive right now. With a full upgrade, it's $249 with a $50 rebate. Partial is still $249. Prices are subject to change and thank you for calling *-******!

[VeronicaRobinson]

Okay hold on. That Ryan isn't your son, is he? If he is, wow the writing gene jumped to him. If not, the advice above will be $4.95 per word for a non *-****** subscriber.

I don't take personal checks or credit cards. Cash only.

(that first word was supposed to be dude, by the way)

[starshine_diva]

HAHA!
Why am I not surprised?

[Absinthe]

As the owner of the aforementioned SideKick, I feel I should speak out here in its defense.

I bought a 2 not long after they released the 2. It worked impeccably (well, except for the camera, that sucked) until the 3 came out. I don't know how it worked after that because I stopped using it because, you know, I bought a 3. 3 still works like a charm.

I like it primarily for two reasons:

1. It does the thing(s) I want it to do, that being allowing me to type really goddamned fast. Aesthetically pleasing though I might find this Pearl of which you speak, I've held one in my hot little hands and it doesn't do that.
2. It doesn't waste a lot of energy doing things I don't really want it to do.

and also for a third:

3. No, seriously, really goddamn fast.

[esmerel]

The sidekick's camera -is- a piece of crap. The 3's camera is slightly better, but the 2's camera only could take a decent picture in bright daylight.

And as for the blackberry - I have a friend who worked for the sidekick maker. He quit. His new jorb -gave- him a blackberry. He loathed it. He made them take it back and bought himself a new sidekick because it works far and away better. :)

[Ryan Waddell]

I've been to a few press screenings like this in Toronto, due to my best friend working for a paper there... and yeah, they've been pretty draconian about regular digital cameras (even still, what fucking good will taking still photos of the movie do?)... I never saw them get all hardcore about cameraphones though. That is absolutely ridiculous.

[Kai]

Kind of off topic, but I was wondering why you, Wil, haven't mentioned InDigital at all? There is a new episode, starring Wil, up at revision3.com.

[Kenyon]

You people and your stoneage American phones. I've got a cheap 2.5 year old Japanese phone that still seems to be as good as your top of the line ones.

SUCKERS!

[Katrina]

I do the movie review thing for my company's magazine... and for the recent film fest I was covering, I had credentials including a press badge almost as big as my head that I was to wear 'at all times.'

As a writer and PHOTOGRAPHER, you think carrying a camera would be part of my job. Most of the festival crew smile and nod me into the theater.

Until of course I get to Warner Bro's screening of "The Fountain." They actually set up a table with a handful of goons to search people bags. I saw about a half dozen films that festival, and this was the ONLY film to do this.

I made no attempt to hide my very large camera. I explained I was a member of the press, gave them my credentials, business card, everything but my first born, but no go. Because, ya know, I'm going to take a bazillion screen shots with my STILL camera and patch them together with my own audio to pirate the movie? wtf?

I'll give the goon some credit though, he was nice enough to see if there was an office I could lock my camera in (no go), before I finally had to run 2 blocks to lock it in my car. And he made sure they saved me a seat, even if it was in the second row.

But yeah. Would it kill the big studios to show a little kindness to the press on occasion?

[Meredith]

I have a Sidekick 2. I don't plan to upgrade to the three for a while because I can't afford it. I got my original Sidekick in January 2005 and my Sidekick 2 in January 2006 - both LONG after they were released.

I agree that the 2's camera is really shoddy, but it's enabled me to take pictures of things I would have missed because I don't carry around my camera. Then again, some cell phones have REALLY good cameras, so it could be better - but nothing beats the Sidekick's keyboard. I wouldn't get a Blackberry just because the keyboard looks much less comfortable than that of the Sidekick.

Sorry Wil, I'm just kinda rambling.