For seven years, T-Mobile’s Sidekick messaging phones have been popular devices for teens, skaters, and twentysomethings, and they keep coming back for more. The latest in the line, the Sidekick LX, brings some grown-up features to the party: 3G data speeds, a vastly improved camera, and GPS. Add to that software for popular social networks, and the LX is an upgrade that Sidekick lovers will drool over. The biggest drawback to the device is its $199 sticker price—$250 for new users—which seems a bit high for a device less versatile than a traditional smart phone.
Design
The Sidekick LX, built by Sharp, is available in Orchid (maroon) or Carbon (dark gray), which, thanks to the silver accents on its borders, looks much more professional than the neon green Sidekick 2008. However, a colorful light bar on the screen and a glowing trackball makes this device more playful than professional, and will no doubt appeal to the phone’s demographic. Unlike the Sidekick of 2008, the latest version doesn’t have a customizable, removable shell, though later this summer hipsters will have the option of customizing the battery cover with laser etching.
The LX measures 5.2 x 2.4 x 0.6 inches and weighs 5.7 ounces. That’s a bit bigger and bulkier than the Sidekick 2008 (which measured 4.7 x 2.3 x 0.7 inches and weighed 5.3 ounces) and closer in size to the original LX from 2007.
The device has an absolutely stunning 3.2-inch, 854 x 480-pixel display, which is a higher resolution than any other phone on a U.S. carrier at the moment—including the iPhone—making the user interface and pictures look beautiful on the device. Colors pop off the screen, and you almost feel like you can reach in and touch the icons. Unfortunately, this isn’t a touchscreen; you have to use the trackball. The swiveling display feels sturdy and easily opens with the flick of a finger across a small protruding ridge on the bottom of the device.
Buttons and Keyboard
Fans of the Sidekick series will appreciate that the button layout remains intact from previous models. Swiveling the screen upward reveals a menu button, a four-way navigational pad (which doubles as the phone’s earpiece), and a MyFaves quick-launch button on the left. On the side opposite is an exit button, Send/End keys flanking the device’s trackball, and a Return key. With the screen closed, two buttons on the right launch the camera and the picture-messaging inbox. On the left are volume keys, the microUSB charging port, 3.5mm headphone jack, and power button.
The keyboard, nearly identical to that on the Sidekick 2008, is very spacious and extremely easy to type on. The circular buttons felt a bit stiff at first but loosened up after some use. The keys have a soft white glow for typing in the dark.
User Interface
The orb-based Danger operating system remains intact and unchanged; it’s just as easy to navigate as ever. Small circular icons represent each option, such as the Address Book, Download Catalog, Instant Messaging, MyFaves, Phone, and more, which you can navigate with the trackball. Though a bit sluggish at times, overall the LX ran smoothly.
You can change the look of the desktop by picking one of a few dozen fun themes, available for $2.99 each, that cater to the Sidekick’s youthful audience. We downloaded and installed the Street Fighter Theme in about 5 minutes over EDGE; you can expect a much zippier experience over 3G. Games are available for a range of prices; we downloaded a Resident Evil game over the 3G network and finished installing it in about a minute.
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