The most frequently asked question our customer service team receives is “Which Pager is Best for Deaf Users?” After years of providing customers with our standard “personal preference” reply we decided to put today’s most popular pagers to the test.
The devices selected for review were the Sidekick 2008, Sidekick LX and Blackberry Curve. The criteria we used to rate each device was Usability, Features, and Reliability. A side by side comparison of the devices we evaluated can be viewed here.
This topic always seems to stir a lively debate… Whether you belong to Team Sidekick or Team Blackberry we look forward to your comments.
Usability
Screen. Winner: Sidekick LX
The Sidekick LX wins hands down with its large 3″ screen and brilliant 400×240 resolution.
Keyboard Winner: Sidekick LX
The Sidekick LX claims an overwhelming victory with its spacious layout and dedicated numbers and punctuation. We actually think the Sidekick has the best keyboard of any wireless device on the market.
Operating System Winner: Sidekick 2008/LX
The Sidekick’s operating system was much more flexible and user friendly then the Blackberry Curve. The user has the option of scrolling through the menu or simply using a hot key. The hot key feature is consistent across all applications. For instance, pressing MENU N opens a new email, creates a new note, a new calendar entry, and new address book entry.
Another huge plus for us was the email application. The way the Sidekick handles email is much more similar to regular email programs. There is an inbox, sent folder, and trash folder. Items in the trash folder can be scheduled to delete each night. Also, if you are on a plane or outside of a coverage area you can compose emails that will stay in the queue and be sent automatically when you return to a coverage area.
Features
Email Winner: Tie
The Sidekick does push email and lets you add up to three POP accounts. The Curve can handle more accounts but none of our testers had more then four email accounts so this wasn’t a big deal to us. The Sidekick is much better at completing mail delivery in intermittent service conditions. The Curve handled larger attachments and synced with MS Outlook.
Browser Winner: Sidekick 2008/LX
Although the Browser on the Curve seemed a little faster when in an EVDO coverage area the real time web browsing on the Sidekick 2008 made it a winner in this category. Websites appeared on the Sidekick just like they do on your PC. We also liked the fact that you can access and edit your Sidekick calendar, notes, and to-do list online from any computer.
IM client Winner: Sidekick 2008/LX
Another big victory for the Sidekick models. Instant messaging was superb on the Sideick 2008 which comes with AIM, Yahoo, and MSN clients pre-installed. We were able to
Camera Winner: Tie
Both the Sidekick 2008 and Blackberry Curve feature a 2.0 megapixel camera. Picture quality on each seemed comparable.
Video Winner: Tie
Both the Sidekick 2008 and Blackberry Curve allowed us to capture short video clips for playback or sharing with friend and family. As with the camera, video on both devices seemed comparable.
Reliability
Memory Winner: Sidekick 2008/LX
On paper it would seem the Blackberry Curve wins this category, however we found a major drawback here with the Blackbery. When the memory state gets low it is prone to reset and delete data on the device. We inadvertently let emails build up on the device and lost all of our email. The SideKick does not seem to have this memory leak issue. The OS on the Sidekick prompts you to delete items when the memory gets low. This was a huge plus for our testers.
Battery life Winner: Sidekick LX
It was hard to do an actual real life comparison in this category so we deferred to the carrier websites. The Sidekick LX led the field with an advertised 6 hours of battery talk time.
Sync Winner: Sidekick 2008/LX
We liked the “Always Synced” feature of the Sidekicks. Important notes, emails, contacts, etc are readily available via a web-based desktop interface. We felt very secure knowing that our information would be available if we lost or damaged the Sidekick.
Editors Choice: Sidekick 2008
In the end it came down to a battle of the Sidekick models. The feature sets of both models were nearly identical with the main difference between the two models being size. While some of us were more attracted to the smaller, sleeker Sidekick 2008, others found the larger screen and keyboard on the LX a better fit.
The FREE after rebate sticker price on the Sidekick 2008 clearly made it the pager with the most bang for the buck. With all the features this device packs we think it will be a favorite in the Deaf community for a long time to come.