Originally posted by: taurean
How well does this work as a phone? I tried playing with one at Circuit City and couldnt even figure out where my ear/mouth was suppossed to go. Does the screen need to be flipped open to accept an incoming call? Is there any option to just get a data-only plan for it? The best I seen on Tmobiles site was $19.99 for the cheapest plan, plus $20 for unlimted data. I'd love to get a Sidekick, but I like my current cellphone. Trying to see if I can find a middle ground and have both, or if the Sidework works well for calls. Any opinions?
It works moderately well as a phone. It is my only cell phone, but I don't use it heavily for voice; maybe 150 minutes per month on average.
To use it as a phone, you hold the screen side toward your face/ear. The ear end is the end with the wheel. I believe most heavy phone users use the headset thing with this device.
The screen does not need to be flipped open when a call comes in. You press the wheel down and it answers the call. I think that where it fails the most is when you need to dial the phone. You have two options. You can either flip the screen up and use the number keys to dial, or use the onscreen keyboard navigated with the wheel so you don't need to flip up the screen. Of course, I have most of the numbers I need to dial in the address book, so dialing those is very easy.
There is a data only plan for the SK. It is $29.95 a month for unlimited data.
like I said, I don't have a problem with the phone functionality of the SK. I could see other people not liking it. You might want to check around with Compusa, CC, or a Tmobile store and see if one of them will let you use it for a couple of weeks and then return it if you hate the phone.