for a second, this att ogo thing looked very low-cost interesting, but after looking over the salesman's shoulder today and browsing the (horrible/uninformative flash-based) site, now i'm thinking it's lame -- like a half-assed tmobile sidekick/danger hiptop. [update: at least they have a coherent non-flash site up now. which has this slick (sarcasm) empty accessories section. the good: no contract, only $15/mo for existing att customers, uses a mini-usb port for charging; the bad: $100 to buy, a remarkably goofy industrial design, cheap feeling plastics (on the unit i saw in person), only good for email and IM (not web), nice non-flash site sends you to flash site for most questions (hello?).]

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Robert lewis [ 10/19/2004 16:54]: Looks lame!

nadya [ 10/20/2004 19:44]: ok, so i was looking into this for a client and i randomly got to your little blog. you just saved me alot of time with your thumbs down opinion. funny!

the other noah [ 10/21/2004 11:55]: It's amazing what aggressive marketing can get you! (i.e. it can get really, really junky gadget noticed. :)

Shim [ 10/24/2004 16:17]: ARE YOU BOTH CRAZY!!! For $100 I can now check up to 5 pop email accounts and or my yahoo, MSN and AOL and be logged into all three instant messenger accounts at the same time for $100 and $17 bucks a month for unlimited instant messenger, email and text messaging....this device has a nice address book and alert tones that you can assign to different folks in your address book which can hold up to 500 names.....ant to boot...THIS OGO HAS BLUETOOTH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Side kick 2 $300 plus...NO BLUETOOTH

Shim [ 10/24/2004 16:26]: PLUS!!!! NO CREDIT CHECK! which helps younger folks and the credit challanged...Its also tri mode...great service....all services keep you logged in 24/7 no additional charges. Now, does it have a plastic feel...yes...its made of plastic! not yelling just excited about this thing....for the cost, its outstanding...take another look...you might see something you like.

Noah [ 10/24/2004 20:40]: hello mr shim. yes, i do think it's fantastic to see a simple device at such a low cost. but have you used one yet? i was as excited as you seem to be :) until i actually used one. and the bluetooth bit is curious; the manual does state (page 62) that "Information regarding Bluetooth functionality will be added as peripherals become available." what would that functionailty be?

Shim [ 10/25/2004 02:17]: Noah, we have four of these units...the Blue tooth fuctionality has the ability to pair with cell phones, laptops etc etc...You are correct, there is no True funtionality as of yet...understanding OGO has only been out for a short time...Unlike the sidekich where they still dont have infrared worked out at all. I have high hopes for this unit...for the $, its not bad at all. I would like to see its functionality for the price matched...remember, this device is going for the true text, pager market...not the cellular

Hew [ 10/25/2004 02:25]: Check it!! The OGO is basically a life saver for the person on the go who specifically needs email and IM. Its affordable, so what it doesn't have a phone,GO BUY ONE! If your wondering about the bluetooth talk to the people at ATTWS about it they'll give more insight on whats to come of it. I personally like it ,I stay up to speed with my business by email (I don't like to many phone calls)..I keep up with my partners by IM..and I have a great coverage area unlike T-MOBILE.

Shim [ 10/25/2004 02:26]: This unit has the ability to chat real time with customer service which is great. In talking with them, some of the blue tooth functions may be...the ability to use the ogo as a modem for your PDA and or laptop via att GPRS/mMODE to blue tooth headsets for possible cellular applications to sending vcard data to other bluetooth devices..it comes with 2 batteries which was really cool...again for those text messaging junkies and those folks with the old pagewriter pagers, P900s and timeport pagers this is a great step in the right direction..Nice keys, AIM, Text, POP accts, Yahoo mail, AOL mail, NSN Mail..at a cost that wont kill your pocket....

Lisa S. [ 10/27/2004 01:12]: Hello :) The OGO is great. I don't know what you all are talking about? I bought one for my boyfriend last month, and he actually prefers it over the sidekick. The screen has great color, it is very easy to type on... the keyboard is spaced out perfectly.. and it actually has hard keys, as opposed to soft plactic ones. I do not think it feels cheap plastic at all. It feels the same as the Sidekick, and it is even smaller. The IM feature is very easy to use, and the OGO feature keeps everything very organized. AT&T even issues customers a phone number (even though there is no phone service) so other people can text you who do not have AIM/Yahoo/MSN acess on their phones. The service is affordable, and no contract which is even better. I think AT&T really picked a winner with this product. I give it 2 BIG thumbs up. I just wish they made some accesories like a leather case, or a car charger... hopefully soon :)

Noah [ 10/27/2004 19:49]: hey everybody, thanks so much for all your feedback and thoughts. i am still convinced the bluetooth bit is kinda bogus (at least until att can explain what the heck it might be for on a device with no voice support, on a data plan that doesn't allow use with a pda/laptop, with an addressbook that don't suppose sync), but i do still concede the price/plan is very attractive. i must say, though, that any industrial/user-interface designers out there might want to try one in person before they buy (thought not at the att on bwy/24th as they seem committed to not activating their demo unit). but i am glad to hear all the great feedback and i do hope this bodes well for the unit. oh, and lisa, you might want to try a usb car charger like this one (with this usb cable). according to the ogo specs it should work (no warranty, use at your own risk, blah, blah, of course).

JK [ 11/02/2004 09:47]: I am a little disappointed in this review. Although good web based support is important, that's not what my decision hinges on. The rest of the "review" was devoid of the substance I do need. This device actually hits qiute a niche: 1) affordable device, 2) affordable monthly, 3) NOT all in one. Believe it or not, my phone is a great phone and a horrible messaging device. And having that separation can be good. I want to know if this thing delivers what it promises. I want to know how well it works. I want to know how durable it is.

Noah [ 11/03/2004 16:07]: hi jk: calling this entry a review rather oversells my arbitrary observations. for an actual review, i'd strongly encourage you to read something by someone who has actually used one of the devices for more than 20 seconds.

Shim [ 11/11/2004 09:27]: The unit works well, there was a little issue with getting it activated that was quickly resolved. Email capability: Up to 4 POP accounts, the ability to check hotmail, yahoo and MSN. the ability be logged into MSN, AOL and Yahoo instant messangers at the same time and ogo supplies you with a phone number for text messaging. Full blown price is 23.99 per month for unlimited access, great keyboard and screen. total cost about $100. The unit works great, at a great cost with no credit and long term agreement hassles. It was mad for the email, text messaging, instant messenger junkie.

Shim [ 11/11/2004 09:29]: The unit works well, there was a little issue with getting it activated that was quickly resolved. Email capability: Up to 4 POP accounts, the ability to check hotmail, yahoo and MSN. the ability be logged into MSN, AOL and Yahoo instant messangers at the same time and ogo supplies you with a phone number for text messaging. Full blown price is 23.99 per month for unlimited access, great keyboard and screen. total cost about $100. The unit works great, at a great cost with no credit and long term agreement hassles. It was mad for the email, text messaging, instant messenger junkie. Bluetooth is on the device, but is of little use at the moment. Possible future use with bluetooth head sets and the ability to use ogo as modem for laptop. realtime customere support via the text messenger on device is also a plus. I have 4 of these units and use them for my business. so far so good. we have been using them for about 45 days.

Jane [ 11/19/2004 12:00]: Does any of you know what kind of agrement they have with the IM providers? If they change or update their IM service, will the service be down for days like it happens with trillian? Any thoughts? Thanks!

Two Dishes [ 11/22/2004 23:31]: I just want to add that I, like Shim and Lisa, am not a paid employee of a phone company or for any firm doing marketing development for THE MASTER -- I mean AT&T. I just like to make long, emphatic, detail-packed postings of specs, etc. I give TWO BIG THUMBS UP for all postings for Shim and Lisa and Lisa's boyfriend.

Karen [ 12/17/2004 00:58]: Juss wonderin..do you need to have a plan to go with it. Because i want to buy one for a friend for Christmas though dont know if i could just buy the phone.

OverDosis [ 12/22/2004 00:43]: I own one of these, and to tell you the truth... It Rocks! I havent been able to find another device that allows me to do this much for so little. I only paid $49.99 for it (Online from Cingular, with 2-3 Day Shipping.) No contracts at all was a big plus. I can check all my POP3 email accounts aswell as my Hotmail/Yahoo... Im logged to my MSN Messenger 24/7, and I must say its great. Reception is wonderful here in the Miami, FL area... I havent had a single problem with this unit. Some will argue that it looks cheap, and that it doesnt look fancy like the SideKick2... I say please. You cant even compare these two devices they are in such different leagues. First of all the Sidekick is $300 dollars versus $50 dollars which is what I paid for my Ogo. Second the Sidekick is going to cost you $60 dollars a month for service... and yes it does include calls but who the hell wants to talk with a hot plastic brick next to your ear... Plus seems to me like the voice plan sucks so once you go over your minutes be ready for $0.25 per minute. Of course I only pay $20.00 for my monthly Ogo fee, that gives me both MSN & Yahoo Messenger and I get to check my pop accounts, my hotmail, and yahoo... You cant beat the deal that Cingular/ATT is giving out with the Ogo... Sure the Sidekick is fancier and you can browse... but lets be honest browsing is great and all but who the hell is going to be browsing all their favorite pages on a Sidekick? Whos going to read a 10 page review from Anandtech through a Sidekick? Sounds like a recepie for blindness... Anyways the Ogo offers all that and more... and for a grand total of $90.00 I got my unit, actiavtion fee, and 1st month service fee... Cant beat that.

Adrian [ 12/22/2004 14:21]: Just happened upon this page and thought I would leave my opinion about the OGO. Myself and two business partners of mine each bought one from Cingular during their $49.95 sale. We have been using them for about a week and I have to say I am a satisfied customer. I haven't found any other device that comes close for the price. It does feel a bit cheap as was mentioned above, particularly the hinge. However, the functionality of it is excellent. We bought ours to use as a cost effective means of keeping in touch throughout the day while on the road, and they have been performing that task quite well. I'm looking forward to seeing what bluetooth devices will be introduced for it down the road, but in the meantime I'm not bent out of shape about them not being around. When we purchased our OGOs, we weren't even aware it had bluetooth. If you need iPod-esque sex appeal in your messaging device and are willing to pay for it then this may not be the device for you. I personally have no complaints about the OGOs appearance, but from what I've read others seem not to like it so much. Overall, I love the OGO. After only a week or so it has saved me enough phone calls that I'm sure I'm already saving on my bill.

Jason [ 12/22/2004 18:09]: I just did get my OGO and the only little thing I would ever change is the fact that it cannot browse web, otherwise I LOVE it, the feel is not bad at all, I can use all my messenger stuff with no issues and even with my big hands, i can type well with it. I agree this product is wonderful for those needing IM/Email on the go... For the price, you can not go wrong.

Ben [ 12/27/2004 02:17]: All the negative opinions out there are irrelevant. The ogo is a well designed, cheap, and useful device. Comparing it to the sidekick II is ridiculous as it fits an entirely different demographic. Care to tell the deaf community (which love the ogo) that the ogo sucks? I bought FOUR of these at the 49.95 price, and the people that received them and I love it. I'm a major tech-head, and love the ogo, even though I wish it had wireless web. The fact that it doesn't is also irrelevant though. I'm not paying $30 a month like you find with similar devices, to use it. I'm paying $17.99 for quick, virtually bug-free access to the services I find critical to my social life. If the device had turned out to be fragile (like the sidekick II), buggy, or too slow for my use I wouldn't use it, but it's not. It works great for what it is, and that is as near an objective fact as there is.

shim [ 02/03/2005 00:50]: To all OGO supporters Ditto!!!!!

NJNGuy [ 02/07/2005 00:02]: PROS: The Ogo may be marketed toward the youth segment, but this 50-something is impressed! Elegant OS by IXI Mobile (ixi.com). I keep finding new features and shortcuts. Downloading the manual from the ATT Wireless website is a must (it's not in the box) - http://www.attwireless.com/ogo/ogo_manual_r1.pdf . Things I've observed not already mentioned in previous reviews: Three-second pop-up banner at top of display tells you about new mail or IM messages when you're in another mode. Summary screen shows how many emails and IM's are unread. Event sounds and vibration on/off are customizable. Screen contrast and some font sizes are adjustable. Keyboard has raised buttons - easier to use than Sidekick or Blackberries. Battery life is about two days with average use. Battery easily replaceable (behind sliding panel) - you can always buy a spare. Incoming messages are pushed directly to the device by using the Ogo's two addresses: its cellphone number for text messages or cellnumber@mobile.att.net for email. Up to five POP3 accounts (like Comcast.net, Gawab.com, etc.) can be added for free. You can view POP3 inboxes and send from their addresses with the Ogo. These accounts aren't pushed - they must be polled for new mail - either automatically by the Ogo or manually with three button clicks. Polling intervals are adjustable. You can delete mail on just the Ogo or both Ogo and POP3 mail server. "Address clipboard" scans incoming mail for phone numbers and email addresses to help you build your address book. Graphics and attachments are not received by the Ogo. Enterprise email users: if you configure Outlook to forward incoming mail to an external POP3 account, you can see your company email on the Ogo! Live help (using IM format) is available right from the Ogo menu. Very good response times the three times I tried it. That's how I found out about the @mobile.att address for the Ogo. Slips into man's shirt pocket easily. ATT/Cingular GSM/GPRS data service good throughout populated areas of NJ. For deaf people, the Ogo is miles ahead of the little Blackberry 2-way text pagers and a lot cheaper (monthly service, activation) too. After checking it out for ten days, I've given it to my deaf daughter. Withdrawal symptoms are setting in... CONS: Locked up on me once during the first week (blank backlit screen). Just popped out the battery and put it back in - everything still there. Backlit display could be a little brighter for outdoor use, but it's readable. Keyboard backlighting is not uniform (at least on mine), but OK overall. Yes, ATT activation time is long: took 8.5 hours over a Friday night/Saturday morning. Mini-USB jack on unit is for power only - PC doesn't recognize it when connected via USB cable. Long emails are downloaded parts at a time - good if you just want to read the first paragraph, tedious if you want to read a report. Getting the unit out of the box is an ordeal - you can see it through the clear packaging, but if you don't want to rip it apart it will take you a while.

T.L. [ 03/27/2005 11:19]: Hey. I've been wanting the OGO for a while and just bought one yesterday. The only thing is I heard that AT&T is discontinuing them since the company has merged with Cingular and the OGO is an AT&T product. Has anyone else heard this? Any idea what this means in terms of future for people who already own one? Also, does anyone know if you can change the email address you use if you change email service providers? Thanks!

NJNGuy [ 04/03/2005 14:41]: T.L. - See the Cingular Ogo Users Forum for detailed information about the product, services, and use: http://forums.cingular.com (Scroll down the page to find the Ogo forum.)

Jae [ 05/10/2005 12:03]: I've had my Ogo since January'05 and it's been a blessing for my fiance who is posted in the UK and myself, still here in the USA. With a 5-hr time difference, the hours that either of us can be on a computer obviously doesn't always coincide. I'd like to refer back to the bit noted by Lisa in Octobe about the lack of car charger being offered. Noah, you mentioned a usb car charger to try however, I don't know if it's my machine here but I can't see what charger you were referring to try out. Do you have a web link or anything that I could check out? I'm on the road a lot so the benefit of a car charger would be wonderful. cheers.

Robert_DarkFall [ 06/23/2005 11:06]: For those who have read past all the surface garbage and still want to know more, look a little deeper into all you can do with the ogo for a low price: http://newworldsrd.blogspot.com In short, it's a GREAT device at a very affordable price. Talk to anyone who has used it extensively and not just the ones who looked on the surface comments.

Robert_DarkFall [ 06/23/2005 11:09]: Ogo does have a future despite cingular's treatment of it. Get more info at the forums or at my site http://newworldsrd.blogspot.com

KAREN GLENN [ 08/27/2005 06:00]: I HAVE A NEW SIDEKICK2 SINCE YESTERDAY. I HAVE ONLY AOL INSTANT MESSESGER SO I WANT TO ADD YAHOO INSTANT MESSENGER ON SIDEKICK2. MY YAHOO EMAIL ADDRESS IS LOVELYFAIRYBUTTERFLY12311953@YAHOO.COM . THANK U KAREN GLENN