The barrage of new iPhone killers continues on a pace with updated versions of the popular and user-friendly
T-Mobile Sidekicks. Though
specs and rumors have been floating around the blogosphere for the past couple of months, the new
Sidekick LX and Sidekick Slide are at last official and should be available from T-Mobile's Web site and retail stores in a couple of weeks.
True to their iPhone-killing essence, both new Sidekicks are significantly slimmed down, almost to the point of being as slim as the iPhone itself. But unlike the iPhone, these two quasi-smart-phones -- popular with teens, hipsters, and Hollywood types -- have actual keyboards that are among the more comfortable out there.
The
Sidekick LX (pictured, above) retains the phone's signature swivel screen, but adds a WQVGA screen high-def LCD, mood lights that flash in different patterns depending on whether you're getting an SMS, IM, e-mail, or phone call, an improved Web browser with better JavaScript support (so more animated Web sites will work), and a custom MySpace app. Out on October 17th for $299.99 with a two-year service agreement, the LX comes in brown or blue.
The black and deep purple
Sidekick Slide (pictured, right) eschews the swivel screen for a more traditional slide, but it's got the most sophisticated and sleek looks of any Sidekick so far (no surprise, given that it's made by Motorola, home of the RAZR). It's smaller than the Sidekick LX and has a little bit less battery time (5.9 hours of battery time versus the LX's 6.9 hours). The Slide is out on November 7th for $199.99 (with a two-year service agreement).
Both phones will feature the same cartoonish, user-friendly interface the Sidekick is famous for, as well as built-in, real-time,
AOL IM, Windows Live and Yahoo! Messenger support. Also: Bluetooth, support for up to 4-gigabytes (GB) of external memory, and quad-band world phone capability.
The bulky size of previous Sidekicks was a big drawback, so we're loving these new slimmed-down handsets, but we're also a bit disappointed that the built-in cameras are still only 1.3 megapixels. And though the improved Web browser is welcome, it won't make much of a difference since neither device has Wi-Fi, so you'll have to depend on T-Mobile's less-than-broadband-idyllic EDGE network for data.
Then again, the Sidekicks have always been about those easy-to-use keyboards. If you're a heavy text-message- or e-mail-sender, you may want to pick one of these up next month.
Related Links:
Yesterday, 
_thumbnail.jpg "Vintage Keyboards")
