Product Placement 101 and the Sidekick III

We watched "The Devil Wears Prada" a few nights ago (another Hollywood video pickup at the behest of Ms. D. because I'd failed to get it into my NetFlix queue in time for the weekend) and I couldn't help but notice that our heroine, throughout the story, is carrying what looks to be a Sidekick III. I, of course, immediately upon seeing the film decided that it'd been too long since I'd obsessed over the possiblity of trading in my Blackberry and proceeded to spend ACTUAL TIME this weekend looking again the T-Mobile pricing plans for the Sidekick III, including the rather appealing prepaid plan (appealing if only because that seems like the easiest way to get rid of it after a few months).

I KNOW that the Sidekick III is too heavy. I feel fairly strongly that it isn't really Mac-friendly enough, although I haven't played with the online tools scheduling tools much. I know it's a toy.

I got a chance to evaluate a Sidekick II a year or so ago when I was working on a book (I think it was the Leo Laporte Mac Gadget Guide) and enjoyed playing with it. I used to tell people that the coolest thing about it's always-on access for AIM messaging was the fact that I could literally tell if co-workers at the JFP were at their desks by glancing at my Sidekick to see if their messaging was up and running. It also let me "peek in" over their shoulders and drop a quick message from home or lunch or the post office if I had something to mention to them.

Of course, a Treo or Blackberry or pretty much anything could probably do that. The camera is nice but not completely necessary and seeing as how my PRIMARY requirement of any smartphone is that it fits comfortable in the front pocket of my chinos -- not weighing the pocket down unnecessary and not fitting into a Bat-holster, since I refuse to wear a utlity belt so as not to reveal my secret identity -- then it's utterly fatuous that I'm looking at the Sidekick III at all.

So what' the verdict? Prepaid Sim cards are running about $40 on eBay with the phones themselves hovering around $250. The service is $1 a day flat for all online services and $0.15 per call prepaid. There's something I love about the straightforward pricing. Or, maybe a Sidekick II...cheaper at around $100 on eBay...