Sidekick 4G

T-Mobile Sidekick 4G by Samsung priced at $99.99

T-Mobile Sidekick users were probably a bit stunned when it was announced that data service for the popular messaging handheld would cease on May 31. Though the interruption of service is certainly inconvenient, it doesn't mean the end of the Sidekick--quite the opposite, actually. The T-Mobile Sidekick 4G, which will be available April 20 for $99 with a two-year contract and after a $50 mail-in rebate, pumps new life into the Sidekick line with the addition of the Android operating system, a touch screen, and enhanced messaging features, among other things. As with the previous models, the Sidekick 4G won't be for everyone, but we found a lot to like about it. Read on to find out if it's right for you.

It's been nearly two years since we last reviewed a T-Mobile Sidekick, and it would be a vast understatement to say things have changed. Then, they were designed by Danger and manufactured by Sharp, and were the messaging phone of choice. Today, following fiasco and failure, the Sidekick empire is in ruins. But good ideas and their originators live on, and several of Danger's brightest wound up in Mountain View, California. Danger's Andy Rubin founded Android, design director Mattias Duarte built Honeycomb (after helping craft the Helio Ocean and webOS for Palm) and now, the Sidekick itself has joined its founders in the house that Google built. In many ways, the Sidekick 4G is a return to form, but in an ecosystem filled with similar Android devices, can it stand out from the crowd?

Design
Though Samsung has taken the reins from Sharp, the company wisely kept a lot of the design elements that made the Sidekick a Sidekick. The T-Mobile Sidekick 4G still has the landscape-oriented slab form factor and it's about the same size (2.4 inches wide by 5 inches long by 0.6 inch thick) as the Sidekick LX 2009, but it's a bit more streamlined since there aren't as many gaps or protruding buttons. As a result, the phone feels smoother and slips into a pants pocket more easily.

The Sidekick 4G has a plastic construction and feels relatively lightweight but solid
Four navigation controls that occupy each corner of the handset.
Sidekick 4G has a 3.5-inch touch screen--a first for a Sidekick.
Pinch-to-zoom support.
Two hallmark features of all the Sidekick models.
Five-row QWERTY keyboard
3.5mm headphone jack, a volume rocker, and a power button on the left side (when held in portrait mode) and a Micro-USB port and camera button on the right.
MicroSD expansion slot behind the battery door.
Sidekick 4G comes packaged with an AC adapter, a USB cable, a preinstalled 2GB microSD card, and reference material, and you can purchase the smartphone in either matte black or pearl magenta.

User interface and software

T-Mobile Sidekick 4G now runs on the Android operating system, more specifically Android 2.2.1.
Sitting on top of Froyo is Samsung and T-Mobile's custom Kick UX interface
Customizable the seven home-screen panels with various themes and wallpaper that are slightly flashier than most

Hardware

The screen on the Hiptop 1, 2, 3, Sidekick iD, Sidekick 2008, Sidekick LX, and Sidekick LX 2009 flips 180 degrees to reveal the qwerty keyboard. The screen in the Hiptop Slide simply slides up to reveal the keyboard. There are two buttons on the left side of the device ("menu" and "jump") and also two on the right ("back" and "cancel"). On all Hiptops except the original, the left side houses a directional pad and on the right, a scroll wheel (Hiptop 2) or track ball (Hiptop 3, LX, 2008, 2009 and Slide.) The Hiptop 2 and Slide's directional pad contains internal multicolored LEDs used in ringers and notifications, while the 3, 2008, LX, and 2009 track ball contains internal multicolored LEDs that provide the same function. The right side also has two phone buttons: send call (also page-down) and end call (also page-up). The top of the unit has two shoulder buttons (application-specific). The bottom has volume controls and a power button. The Hiptop line is designed to be held horizontally with both hands, allowing typing with two thumbs, similar to a Game Boy Advance or a console video game controller. This design contrasts with the majority of other cell phones which have a vertical design.

The good: The T-Mobile Sidekick 4G impresses with the addition of a touch screen and the Android operating system. The handheld also offers enhanced messaging features, great call quality, and a good camera.

The bad: The user interface won't appeal to everyone. The smartphone can occasionally be sluggish.

The bottom line: The T-Mobile Sidekick 4G continues the Sidekick's legacy as an excellent messaging device and also serves as a great entry-level smart phone.

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