Review - Sonnet's "Sidekick"

From Sonnet Technologies' Website - "Have you ever tried to plug in a new gadget to a USB port only to find it won’t fit because it’s too big, or because your computer’s USB ports are too close to each other? Don’t create clutter with a cable—simplify with a Sidekick! Sonnet’s Sidekick is the double-jointed USB 2.0 adapter that bends over backwards and sideways to connect flash drives, card readers and other small, direct-connect USB 1.1/2.0 devices in small spaces. It’s short and narrow, so it plugs into recessed or closely spaced USB ports with ease, and its extreme flexibility enables you to position an attached device in nearly any orientation."



Sonnet Technologies Inc, famous for their Macintosh Processor Upgrades and iPod accessories, have released a simple gadget that solved the problem many laptop users and gadget junkies faced... accessing the USB to only find that the gadget just simply won't fit... for me, I have used hubs,extension cables, etc. But the thing that irks me is that it adds to the clutter, and when I am out and about using the laptop, especially the office-supplied Sony Vaio with recessed USB ports! (*arrggg), it is a real pain to be bringing the USB hub out, especially when you need to find a wall socket to power it up.

Sidekick to the rescue!

When I first received the Sidekick, I was very happy, because for the past few weeks since I received the company issued Sony Vaio, I have been very angry... why? Because the designer who worked on the Vaio must be a left hander, or does not use the mouse at all on his laptop when he is out and about.

He/She designed the USB ports to be accessed from the right side of the laptop, and what happen is, when you plug in a mouse, the connector pertrudes a few inches and irritates the hell out of the user because it simply gets in the way when you are working! Can't the designer of VAIO use his brains for once, and move the ports to the LEFT SIDE of the laptop? And to make things worse, the ports are RECESSED and they are placed CLOSE to one another... (hey, I do like the Vaio for its performance and little things that makes it nice, but hey, its no Apple Powerbook). But the USB ports location is simply STOOOPID!

So here is what Sidekick has done for me... (bless you Sonnet, bless you!)









As you can see above, the Sidekick neatly and effectively connects my mouse to the right side of the Sony VAIO laptop and frees up precious "mousing space" for me especially in cafes like Starbucks. The Sidekick is well made, I requested for two units, and one which I have been using for "drop tests".

It has been thrown across the room to colleagues who wanted to see how Sidekick is made, missed and dropped on carpeted flooring 6 metres away, dropped from 76cm (tabletop) to hard, tiled flooring, bent and twisted by some sadistic technicians in the engineering department and Sidekick survived the abuse and probes...

Sonnet has a winner of a product. And if you have a gadget that is giving you problems trying to navigate through the tight spots... get a Sidekick. It has earned its place as an essential piece of accessory for your computer, especially when you own a Sony VAIO VGN-S series laptop.

ps : I am still a Mac user folks, I just needed to use a laptop with a bad design to fully illustrate how Sidekick can save the day, and in this case, the VAIO topped the list for bad industrial design.

For those in Asia who wants to order the Sidekick, you can order them through Patrick Chua (in Singapore) by emailing him at genmksvc@yahoo.com.sg