T-Mobile Sidekick

The Sidekick has long been considered the messaging phone of choice for hipsters, but over the last year or so we’ve seen many people (including teens) trading up to more feature-rich 3G messaging phones, such as the LG Voyager and LG enV2, as well as to smart phones like the iPhone and BlackBerry Curve. The new T-Mobile Sidekick probably won’t win any of those converts back. It offers improvements such as a 2-megapixel camera and customizable exterior shells, but even at $149, this device feels overpriced. Hardcore Sidekick fans looking to replace an older model will appreciate these modest upgrades, but other consumers should steer clear.

Design

At 4.7 x 2.3 x 0.7 inches, the latest T-Mobile Sidekick is a pinch smaller than the Sidekick LX, also made by Sharp. At 5.3 ounces, it’s also lighter, but the whole package still feels too bulky and heavy for our tastes. Its 2.6-inch display is smaller than the 3-inch screen on the LX, but its 400 x 240-pixel resolution remains the same. Likewise, the screen still flips the same way into its open position to reveal the keyboard. We appreciated the new 3.5mm headphone jack on the top side of the device, as well as the improved 2-MP camera, which now supports video recording, on the back. The right side of the unit has the same trackball the Sidekick LX and Sidekick Slide include, among other previous models.

Customizable Shells

Our Sidekick sported a black shell, but it was packaged with a neon green casing, which we thought spiced up the device. T-Mobile is allowing customers to create their own shells or choose between dozens of predesigned shells—users can save their own designs for others to purchase. You can design your own shell by choosing a base color and predefined logos and clip art from T-Mobile. We liked the option to upload our own pictures or choose from Flickr albums, and decided on using an image of a surfer for our shell. These cases cost $14.99 each or two for $9.99 each.

T-Mobile Sidekick Keyboard

The keyboard and overall navigation button layout for the Sidekick remains the same as the Sidekick LX. Keys were very responsive, and sending off texts was extremely easy. However, we wish that the space bar was larger, since we found ourselves often looking down to hit it correctly. Sidekick fans won’t be let down in this category, but we appreciate the keyboards on both the LG enV2 ($99.99) and LG Voyager ($149) just as much.

User Interface

The UI on the Sidekick remains, for the most part, untouched. While there is a catalog that lets you download new applications and themes, the left side of the device still has orbital icons that you can scroll through to access the phone’s main menu. To view the options within any one application, you simply need to hit the menu button to the upper left of the display. In order from top to bottom, the menu options are: Download Catalog, Instant Messaging, E-mail, Phone, myFaves, Phone Messaging, Address Book, Web Browser, Organizer, Camera, Media Player, and Games.

Four themes that will appeal to the teen crowd are available: Argyle, Crew, Cut-n-Sew, and Grime. We liked the graffiti- and diamond-accented Grime theme.