Sidekick 3 With Bluetooth Should Support Tethering

If the FCC documents that leaked out are any indication, the Sidekick 3 (Hiptop) will include some sort of Bluetooth capability.

No doubt, this will be used with a headset profile, but what about the huge potential in allowing Bluetooth tethering to a laptop? The Hiptop is a very useful device today even without Bluetooth... I can receive email from multiple accounts over POP3 or IMAP. And the web browser works pretty nicely as well, especially with the recent addition of a Javascript interpreter.

A Bluetooth unit would allow a wireless headset first of all, making phone calls a more comfortable affair. Perhaps if there are MP3 capabilities that are used in conjunction with the new MicroSD slot, Bluetooth can also be used to drive stereo headsets. But a great use would be to allow data service to computers via tethering, something that many other T-Mobile phones support today.

T-Mobile, keep up the great work and make sure to allow tethering on the upcoming Sidekick 3. I'm sure many of us would even be willing to pay a few dollars extra for the freedom, on top of our existing unlimited data plans.

Otherwise, you're making the MDA a much more attractive option with its WiFi, Bluetooth, and wider application support via WM5, including video playback. The Sidekick 3, which is rumored to be launching this summer according to hiptop3.com, is widely believed to have similar capabilities minus the WiFi. I won't call WM5 a definitive gain because as I've written many times before, the Hiptop OS is a wonderful approach with its own set of strengths too . I will be seriously considering the MDA, however, if the Sidekick 3 falls short. (Don't even bother bringing up the Mototola Q, launched by Verizon - I can live with GPRS speeds as long as Verizon's EDGE plans are so pricey)