Having gone through several displays on my Handspring Visor, and a few of the previous Sidekicks, one advantage that's almost never mentioned is the inputs. The SKs were not given a touch screen of any sort, and I think this is an advantage. The screen can be made more rugged, a critical point of failure is removed, and we get tactile feedback in the buttons.
Most phone functions on the SKs can still be done even if there is an input failure, such as a nonworking button, wheel/ball, or the keypad. It takes some work, but it is even possible to use the phone without a working screen. My last Sidekick 2, I cracked the screen. (My own fault.) It was still usable to a degree while I waited for the insurance replacement to come in.
It does bug me that one can't upload MP3s into ringtones, and it's also annoying that the shift in API does mean backward incompatibility. I don't know if Terminal, the Telnet/SSH client has been ported from the SK2s yet, but when it does come out, it will be a must have (again). Until then, or even after, there's always the option to void one's warranty in fun and creative ways.
I was going to mention it earlier, but it's one factor of many on the Apple-like magic. Or rather, it's an interesting point of note. As you know, Danger, Inc. is the company behind the Sidekicks. Take a look at their Advisory Board.
by Blain — Aug 04
Most phone functions on the SKs can still be done even if there is an input failure, such as a nonworking button, wheel/ball, or the keypad. It takes some work, but it is even possible to use the phone without a working screen. My last Sidekick 2, I cracked the screen. (My own fault.) It was still usable to a degree while I waited for the insurance replacement to come in.
It does bug me that one can't upload MP3s into ringtones, and it's also annoying that the shift in API does mean backward incompatibility. I don't know if Terminal, the Telnet/SSH client has been ported from the SK2s yet, but when it does come out, it will be a must have (again). Until then, or even after, there's always the option to void one's warranty in fun and creative ways.
I was going to mention it earlier, but it's one factor of many on the Apple-like magic. Or rather, it's an interesting point of note. As you know, Danger, Inc. is the company behind the Sidekicks. Take a look at their Advisory Board.