Hey all!
Thought I would take the time to post my thoughts on both of these T-Mobile network devices, as I have owned them both!
I originally knew I wanted the LX, but I had never owned a Sidekick before. After my hearing difficulties and my relying mostly on text/email, I thought the Sidekick would be an excellent device.
I liked it. I liked the feel of it and the keyboard was wonderful for quickly pounding out texts/emails.
But...
After extensive testing, we discovered my hearing loss was caused by a neurovascular disorder and I have regained most of my hearing (I only have some low frequency loss now). Since I was able to use voice calling a lot more, I paid more attention to the voice calling on the LX. The speakerphone is good, but there is a lot of high-pitched and otherwise "strange" noises when trying to talk on the phone w/ the speakerphone disabled. I had a very hard time hearing people and then discovered
THIS review on the low frequency signals and the LX.
The ringers on the LX were VERY hard for me to hear and I was missing most of the calls that were coming in if my LX was not on my person.
I did, however, love the strobe lighting and the vibrating is very strong.
One thing I didn't know is how locked down the Sidekicks are. I was not able to even download my own ringtones without paying for them through T-Mobile. The LX doesn't even come with any sort of alarm clock! I thought that was a bit peculiar.
Another strange thing is that the LX does NOT support the My Album feature through T-Mobile so you can share pictures. The reason for this is because the LX can send and receive picture messaging, so they decided to make it not compatible with My Album. The problem with this is that the earlier Sidekicks don't have the same MMS capabilities, so the only way for my friend with a SK3 to send me a pic message to the LX is if it's sent as an email attachment. Weird.
I returned the LX for the BlackBerry Curve 8320, and I am SOOO glad I did! The keyboard is a bit awkward to adjust to, but I'm sure I'll be fine. The ringers on the Curve are LOUD and there are many, many to choose from. You can also make and send your own for free through a few different websites. The call quality is much, much better for me. There aren't any high-pitched noises (sounded almost like tinnitus) and I'm understanding people much better on the phone. I love the features on the Curve, and the WiFi is an added bonus as a research student always on Campus or in a coffee house. lol My Album is featured as is MMS.
All in all, I think both phones are great devices, it just depends on what you're going to be using them for. If you need a phone solely for text/paging and no voice plan, then I'd say the LX will do just fine, although some have said it's the "Fisher Price" of messaging tools...you kinda get the feeling that it's geared toward the younger generation with all the lockdowns and such. The Unlimited Sidekick plan is really nice and all-inclusive too.
I think the BlackBerry Curve suits perfectly if you only need it for text/paging and more realistic web browsing (especially if you need a business SmartPhone), but the added bonus is that the call quality is better if you use voice phone. The downfall is that the BlackBerry doesn't have a "special plan" the way the Sidekicks do and is almost $15 more per month for text/internet/etc.
Just thought I'd share. If you have any questions, feel free to ask. I'd be glad to help out.
