We all remember seeing pictures of Paris Hilton at a club texting on her pink, bedazzled T-Mobile Sidekick phone. Well just as Paris Hilton has changed (her hair is longer), so has the T-Mobile Sidekick.

I got my hands on a T-Mobile Sidekick 4G, and I must say, it’s a pretty cool phone. It’s a texter’s dream. The sliding screen slides up to reveal a full keyboard, which is so much easier than texting on a touch screen (although you have that option as well). It also has Google Speak, so if you hate texting, you can just say what you want to text, and the phone will do the rest for you. It probably won’t pick up on your group of friends’ slang (“omg he’s sooooo adorbs”), but it will pick up on normal words (“I’m so drunk”).

The phone is an Android phone, so you have access to all Android apps. I’ve been playing Fruit Ninja Free in all of my classes to pass time. There’s basically an app for anything you want. You can get radio, Google Maps, Skype and a lot more.

I’ve owned a Blackberry before, and I loved that it had a notification light when I got a text, missed call, Facebook update or email (I know, I’m simple). So I was overjoyed when I learned that this phone has a notification light too. You can set your notifications to have different color lights (my texts are purple, and emails are blue).

My favorite thing about this phone is that it syncs all of your Facebook friends, G-mail contacts, and people you follow on Twitter to your contacts list. I’m a social media junkie, so this feature is AMAZING.

But the phone isn’t all sunshine and amazingness…

One thing I didn’t like was the screen. The screen is great indoors or when it’s dark out, but when I’m outside I can barely see the screen. If I want to see what someone texted me, I have to walk indoors or into a shaded area to see the screen.Also, in the area of themes, this phone disappointed me. I’m the kind of person who likes to use the backgrounds/themes my phone gives me, I just don’t see the point in having a background that is a picture of me at my drunkest. There are only a few themes on this phone, and none of them appealed to me.

Complaints aside, this is a great phone if you are looking for a phone that does it all. You’ll be able to get tons of apps, keep up with your Twitter followers, and text more than talk (which most of us do anyway).

Check out the camera’s mad skills. I took all these awesome UF photos on my Sidekick.

initiating the gallery...

Editor note: Samsung was kind enough to provide Jessica with a Sidekick to review. Thanks Samsung. And thanks Jessica for keeping the review honest and real.

[There are over 100 million sites on the Internet. 100 million! You might think you know about all the important ones (CollegeCandy, Gmail, Google, Facebook…), but there are thousands of other sweet sites out there (like Jog.FM, Fellow Up and Swap.com) and more showing up every day! We get it – it’s not easy or fun sifting through the crap and porn to find those gems, so we’re gonna bring the gems to you. Just sit back, kick up those feet and allow us to introduce you to the diamonds in the internet rough.]

Ok, I’m going to come right out and admit that this week’s post isn’t a website, despite the fact that this column is called “Web Spy.” But recently, I found out about an cool mobile app and I have to share it!

LiveProfile is an awesome messaging app for your smartphone. It’s faster and better than texting, because it shows you exactly when a message is delivered, read, and when a response is being typed. It also lets you share photos, videos,  add status updates, and update to Facebook or Twitter.

You’ll love LiveProfile if you’re already a fan of BBM, but what’s great about it is that it brings that same quick messaging to all the major smartphone platforms — Blackberry, iPhone and Android! What’s even cooler is that LiveProfile lets you connect with other LiveProfile users, no matter what type of phone they have!

Be still my iPhone addicted heart.

If that wasn’t already cool enough, LiveProfile is also 100% free! It uses your existing data plan or wi-fi to send and receive messages, doesn’t charge additional fees for international messages, and won’t cut into your texting plan — so it actually saves you money!

LiveProfile is gaining popularity pretty quickly — it recently added one million users in a matter of only five days (bringing the current total number of users to over two million)! But it’s so cool, that’s not much of a surprise, is it? I wouldn’t be surprised if everyone (with a smartphone, that is) is on LiveProfile soon.

Good deal, right? And there’s plenty more web where that came from. Check out the other sites that are on Laura’s web radar!

Hint: I’m talking about some of the very same technology that we all freaked out about when it first came out.

Smartphone vs. Smartphone: Google entered the smartphone market when they launched their Android all the way back in January. But that didn’t scare Apple away from launching their new iPhone in June (though its reception favored left-handed talkers and called for ton of free “bumper” cases from Steve Jobs). Then came the Blackberry Torch in August and the Windows 7 phone in October. It seems that Smartphones are no longer a luxury item, but a necessity. You were cool if you had one in 2009, but if you don’t have one by 2011, you and your T9Word texting on that black-and-white screen better start saving up.

Foursquare: The schoolyard ballgame is now a new type of social media? Okay, so the “game” started back in 2009, but our favorite businesses and restaurants didn’t start playing until this year. And even though it’s pretty creepy to let complete strangers know where you are and where you’ve been and what you’re doing at any moment, it’s pretty awesome that you can “check in” for discounts. By the end of this holiday (shopping) season, I will be Mayor of my local mall…and my bank account be mayor of “broke.”

Apple’s iPad: It’s like an iPod Touch for giants! Hopefully, the fancy tablet will continue on its mission to revitalize the print magazine industry. As of now it’s changing the way we read books and surf the interwebs, and doing a great job pumping up gaming app sales. Have you played Doodle Jump on an iPad yet?!? If not, you don’t even know the definition of addiction.

Facebook Add-ons: We all thought it was weird when Zuckerberg announced the new version of Groups, and people freaked out about their privacy when Places launched. Most of us are still revolting against he new profile by refusing to get it, but soon, this year’s Facebook add-ons will become second nature with our daily scanning and stalking – just like last year’s additions did.

ChatRoulette: It’s hard to imagine a pre-party or post-party without it. What were we all doing with our lives before it became possible to video chat with random people around the world? And by “video chat” I mean “see random penises or people in freaky costumes.” But whatever. You can thank 2010 for that.

What has been your favorite tech update this year?

The following is a guest post by our (nerdy yet totally helpful) friends at Hack College. Check ‘em out for all your techy needs. They’re like the nerdy boyfriend you never had but always needed.

Not everyone has a smartphone.

It’s true! Though they are excellent devices, and can even be productivity-boosters for the savvy student, they are expensive–and parents are unlikely to see the need for a smartphone to be as urgent as you see it.

Those of us who have yet to join the ranks of Androids and the iGeneration are not totally without hope, though. Even the dumbest of phones, so long as it can text, can be used as more than a pricey doorstop:

Google Calendar - Though most readers are probably aware that you can both create and be informed of GCal events via text message, dumbphone users have an added advantage: since there’s not a constant barrage of incoming messages from installed apps, the 15-minute warning the Google Gods text you about an upcoming meeting is much more likely to be seen.

GOOG-411 – Google’s directory service will give you location-specific business listings, connect you to them, and give you their address. Very helpful if you’re stuck somewhere and need to find the closest taxi service in a hurry–just be patient with the sometimes-confused voice recognition software.

Cha Cha – Cha Cha, much like its competitor KGB, is an SMS-based answer service. However, Cha Cha has a leg up in that it’s free in exchange for ads at the end of their answers. Because it’s a free service, the answer quality isn’t always the greatest, but if you’re lost and need to know the address and phone number of the restaurant you’re looking for, it will spit it out for you in phone-friendly SMS format. (And, unlike GOOG-411, it doesn’t require you  to wade through an automated phone menu to get the info in text form.)

Tumblr – Unlike Livejournal (which requires a paid/plus account) or WordPress (which requires a third-party work-around), Tumblr allows users to easily create voice posts just by calling them and talking. Useful for keeping people abreast of travel experiences when you’re somewhere without easy free internet access/a computer.

Everything else - And of course, there’s always Google SMS (to check the weather), Twitter (to inform the world what you’re doing), Fourquare (to inform the world where you’re doing it), and Facebook (for everything else).

These hacks can extend the lifespan of an aging phone without a data plan–and getting more life out of one’s tools is never a bad thing. And besides: nothing beats the smug satisfaction of knowing your phone works no matter how you hold it–even if you have clammy soft developer hands.

[There are over 100 million sites on the Internet. 100 million! You might think you know about all the important ones (CollegeCandy, Gmail, Google, TFLN…), but there are thousands of other sweet sites out there (like Regretsy, Clicker, and Homeslyce) and more showing up every day! We get it – it’s not easy or fun sifting through the crap and porn to find those gems, so we’re gonna bring the gems to you. Just sit back, kick up those feet and allow us to introduce you to the diamonds in the internet rough.]

How familiar does this scenario sound to you? You’re driving in your car or walking to class when you suddenly get a great idea or remember you have to do something…but by the time you get a chance to write it down, you’ve already forgotten it.  Or maybe you simply forgot to write down an assignment right when it was assigned…and then forget to turn it in. Or your roommate asked you to pick up some emergency toilet paper… and now everyone has to drip dry.

Thank god I’m here.

Meet reQall, an online service that helps you remember important ideas, dates, tasks, etc., at the exact moment they pop into your head so there’s no time to forget them. (Don’t worry, reQall isn’t some weird microchip installed in your brain.)

It’s ridiculously easy to use: just sign up for an account (you can choose between the “standard” free account and the paid “Pro” account) to get started, and then you can start adding events and reminders.  OK, so that seems pretty similar to having a planner, but it’s so. much. better.

1. There are so many ways to leave a reminder on reQall!  You can call and leave a message, or send a text, e-mail, or IM–no matter which method you use, reQall will store it for you.

2. ReQall actually organizes all the information for you! Whenever you add an item to reQall, it analyzes what you say or type and determines which category on your personal calendar it belongs to (to do, meeting, shopping list, or note).  It also determines where and when the item should be done, how often it repeats (if at all), and if needs to be shared (either with another reQall user or through e-mail).

3. There are tons of different ways to use ReQall. You can use your cell phone (there are also apps available for iPhone, Blackberry, and Android), the web, and most instant messaging programs (including AIM, Google Talk, Yahoo IM, and Jabber).  Plus, it can sync with your computer’s calendar (such as iCal, Outlook, or Google Calendar), and even send you reminders!

As you can see, reQall can do pretty much everything for you when it comes to organizing your tasks and schedule.  It’s sort of like having a personal assistant, only in digital form.  It’s pretty friggin’ awesome, I have to admit.  Why don’t you give reQall a try for yourself!?

Move over Crackberry. Step aside, iPhone. There’s a new boy in town and he aims to be bigger and better than his predecessors. (Note: and, no, John McCain didn’t invent this one, either.)

Rumors have been circling for awhile now that Google would be creating a phone, and in just a few days we will finally get to see it. It is called the Dream, which is quite a name to live up to. The information about this badboy is being kept under major lock and key, but many people (read: techy geeks) are sure that this phone will give Apple a run for its money.

If you are really nerdy, like me, you can watch the demo video to see what The Dream has to offer. But if you don’t want to waste 7 minutes, I can sum it up for you:

It looks and acts a lot like the iPhone: touchscreen, internet, Google maps…

I don’t know much about technology, or programming or phones (beyond texting), but I am not sure this Google phone is so revolutionary. I guess I’ll just have to wait until September 23rd to see. For now, I’m holding tight to my iPhone.