T-Mobile Sidekick News

T-Mobile is playing by "IGBYGB" rules?

2011-05-11T09:46:00.000-07:00

I am sorry and this is not directly Sidekick (4G or any other model) relate but in an indirect way it is!

If you have been a long time Sidekick user you are surely frustrated at MS' move to buy Danger Inc. and now the fact that T-Mobile is (forced to?) discontinuing your Sidekick specific services.

At the same time for many of us "SK users" there seemed to be "light at the end of the tunnel" when the Sidekick 4G Android based phone was announced. Many of us thought wow, there is something we can move on to after all. We pretty much "knew" after some time that our so precious $19.99 all-you-can-eat DATA & TEXT packages were doomed, as they have been for years now, for new "signup-ees". Yet we it seemed maybe there is hope as various blog sites including my own calls to 611 (numerous of times) indicated that long time SK users would be eligible for special promotions and discounts.

Well having talked to customer service (611) and loyalty department now about 4 hours total in the past 2 weeks, and having purchased two SKs in my local corporate store on two different numbers, I can say there is ZERO consistency within T-Mobile right now. Not only does not one department have any clue what the other department is offering/promoting. One prime example is the screen-shot (and link by clicking on it) above. This was tweeted on April 28th no-one within T-Mobile sales was able to located such a package and insisted that I had misunderstood something!

Now if you start looking at the numbers you will soon realize that T-Mobile is just shuffling figures around to distort the true picture! For instance if you take a look at T-Mobile current Family Plans you will notice that all and any plans that have DATA included also have UNLIMITED TEXTing included. Including the "low end" ones I chose to include in the screen-shot below (clickable picture takes you to their site):

So why is this important? Well remember the $19.99 all-you-can-eat DATA and text plan mentioned above? Well it appears that T-Mobile is CLAIMING to be grandfathering these to some Sidekick 4G users. However with a twist they charge for TEXT. For instance long time Sidekick user Mike Chapman /ncmacsl was one that got treated to such a "deal" and while he seems to be perfectly content with it, to me it is just added proof how T-Mobile is joggling numbers around to their benefit and to create a vast smoke screen to the users!

When I called in to check what my options are for some cheaper monthly plan from the $80+ I originally signed on for with 500 minutes and 5GB ($30) data plan, I too was presented with a $10 option where they would "give" me the data not for $30 but for $20 however after he talked about a number of other things he at the end added "there will be a $10 fee for unlimited texting"bringing the end total to the exact same figure! At this point I finally then got the information about the VB (voice barred) package for $49.99 (after pushing for alternatives or&informing him I would "have to leave" T-Mobile if not) and this is what I am on currently as of the past five days. But now I run into this information:

This (if accurate?) would not only indicate that they in fact do allow for $19.99 data packages for the SK 4G (as was 100% denied to me over at TMo Loyalty Department, indicating "If I could do it for you I would") but even that they are allowing DATA ONLY packages not even at the 2004 price rate of $29.99 but even lower!?

T-Mobile at this point I feel you need to do some explanations as to what is up with you UP FRONT PUBLIC plans & rates and the ones you offer "behind closed doors" (read when people call in and really threaten to leave you!)

I am sure this all has to do with the AT&T acquisition pending and the half a million customers having left T-Mobile the first quarter of this year:

But frankly that should be of no concern to the consumer / user (not at this time nor frankly at any point). These HIDDEN PLANS and offerings are just creating a jungle that it appears not even T-Mobile internally has any clue what they are up to. To me it just seems like everyone there is running in their own direction prior to the ship sinking!? Seems to be a case of IBGYBG if you ask me!

Take screenshots with your Sidekick 4G

2011-05-08T23:07:00.000-07:00

One of the first things I started looking for when I got my Sidekick 4G was a way to take screenshots with it. After some research I found this app that can do so without having to root your Sidekick. It is called Screen Capture Shortcut Free and works just fine with your Sidekick 4G. It works a little bit different than other solutions. You can reach the "shutter button" from the notification bar, and set the delay to these various settings (in seconds) 0s, 0.5s, 0.75s, 1s, 3s, 5s, 10s.

T-Mobile Sidekick 4G shares battery with other Samsung models.

2011-05-08T11:38:00.000-07:00

I was pleasantly surprised a few days ago when I noticed that eBay was "full of" affordable battery options for the Sidekick 4G especially since many of them even came with stand alone chargers.

I could only assume that the SK4G was sharing the battery with other Samsung models, and it appears to be confirmed by at least one eBay seller if this information is any reliable and without promoting one seller over any other on eBay the one with this information listed has 40.000+ positive feedback at a higher than 99% so it should be somewhat reliable.

According to this particular seller the Sidekick 4G by Samsung uses the same battery as the following Samsung models:

i8910 Omnia HD

Omnia 3G

Omnia Pro B7610

Giorgio Armani B7620

Omnia Pro B7300

Omnia Pro B7320

i6410

S8500

My T-Mobile & Sidekick 4G escapades!

2011-05-08T11:24:00.000-07:00

As the long time Sidekick user I am I went to my corporate T-Mobile store (less than 2 miles from where I live) to pickup a new Sidekick 4G on April 20th.

As you maybe already know the Sidekick is being advertised as being $99.99 as seen in the above picture, however part of that price is a $50 MIR (Mail In Rebate), and in the state I am in I have to pay sales tax on top of the full "suggested retail price" ($379.99) which was $35.14 then you have the upgrade or/and activation fees etc etc. So before you are "out-the-door" it is just under $200.

I was however pleased and felt I got away with not too much when I (on April the 20th) paid $100.12 "out-the-door" and the rest split up over monthly (interest free) payments of $33.33 (which were to start after my 30-day remorse period was over). However since I am the only one of my family members who is with TMo still I was now on an individual plan (with a 2nd phone on another carrier in my other pocket for a number of reasons one being private vs business line & calls). So my $30 (data) & $39.99 (500 min voice) and insurance and other small taxes, fees, services made my monthly total to be in the $80-90 range (since insurance will be going up to $7.99 shortly).

So since the new Sidekick was giving me a little shorter than I wanted/needed battery time. The Android ecosystem and OS was growing on me but yet had far from become "my own" and the monthly fees seemed to be a tad high for my needs. I started to consider other alternatives, and returned my Sidekick 4G on May 5th 2011. T-Mobile's restocking fee policy is $10 and I feel that is more than fair. So my SK4G 2 year contract was reversed and my $90.12 ($100.12-$10 restocking fee) was refunded to me instantly.

I had in fact prior to this already ordered online a Samsung Galaxy Tab (refurbished) for $149.99 on T-Mobile website with two year contract and their then just released new $39.99 (2GB) "unlimited" data package (I should add that I bought a Tab also when it was released back in late 2010 on Amazon for $599.99 with no contract, only to sell it 4 days later much due to the price, to try and test it). Maybe this "new generation" communication and media device (Tablet) could fill my needs, I was anyhow already carrying another (sometimes called "magical" :)) smartphone in my other pocket in the same under 4" range size as the SK4G. Well after (once again) having tried to "haul" this 7" device around for a week or so, I do realize two things. First for me personally Android is easier to "get along with" when I have many physical buttons. Especially buttons I can customize and make do what I want. Also I must say that the Launcher Pro helps a lot. Secondly a 7" device is still a huge device and while it is fantastic size for viewing some types of media, it is a very large device for hauling with you always. So I decided I will be returning it (have yet to do so!).

So when I found that Sidekick 4G batteries (that on the Galaxy Tab is non removable but 4000 mAh and thereby over 2.5 times the SK4G battery capacity) are affordable and readily available on eBay for the Sidekick 4G with even stand alone chargers included it opened new doors of possibilities for me to have a Sidekick 4G after all. Then when I (as a last hope of staying with TMo and/or the SK platform) called TMo loyalty department and explained my needs and wants, and the person I spoke to told me about the $49.99 DATA ONLY (voice barred) hearing impaired plan then it was pretty clear that this would most likely work out for me.

This is when I called up my corporate store again to see if "my" Sidekick 4G was still there, I mean I felt it was only appropriate for me to take it back and use "it" since I had become this "wishy washy" person who didn't know what he wanted (in my own eyes!). Well long story short I was given a totally new phone. But not only that to my surprise (and joy) I was this time around treated to a $50 INSTANT REBATE in opposite to the MIR version on April 20th. Yet I was still able to split up the payments into monthly installments (interest free). So now I enjoy a $49.99/month plan, and this time I paid $55.49 "out-the-door" with sales tax of $30.50 (on a $329.77 "retail price"!?) and with another two payments of $24.99 that will appear on my monthly bills in the future.

While I am now pleased with my "out-the-door" and total purchase price for the Sidekick 4G and also the $49.99 data only package, I must say it puzzles me why after have "wasted" the (very same) rep's time now three times (1. Buying the SK4G 2. Returning the SK4G 3. Buying the SK4G again!) and being on a less expensive plan with TMo, why did I get a much better deal on the purchase price? It is ironic but that's how it turned out. In reality it is only a matter of an instant rebate vs. a MIR (mail in rebate). But still it makes a difference at the time of purchase.

The new T-Mobile Sidekick 4G with their "VB" (voice barred) data only package.

2011-05-08T10:36:00.000-07:00

If you are like me and use your Sidekick mainly as what I sometimes refer to it as a "Email, text & IM pager" maybe you are not so interested in paying for a voice plan. Perhaps you are hearing impaired and therefore the voice plans would just be a "waste of money" for you.

Whatever the case might be, T-Mobile offers something they do not advertise much (if any) they call these plans "VB" (stands for voice barred). They have been around for a long time with TMo, in fact back when I got my first Sidekick I had such a package for $29.99 a month.

After having had my Sidekick 4G on a $30 (data) & $39.99 (500 min voice) plan for around 2 weeks, I have changed my mind and gone with this "VB" plan for my SK 4G, that now goes for $49.99. Why do I chose this option? Well for me (using an individual plan & having a "second line & phone" with another carrier) it just made no sense to pay close to $100/month for my SK4G.

So how does this work in reality? Well you have zero minutes on your account and in fact you can not call out nor can anyone reach you at the number that is assigned to the Sidekick. If someone calls your number they will get the message "At the subscribers request this phone does not accept incoming calls". So how can one still keep on using your phone and maybe (as with me) long time phone number in a more normal way? Well recently Google Voice has started to allow for porting of numbers the Google voice service as such is free (for domestic calls and texting/SMS) but the port itself costs a one time fee of $20 and takes around 24 hours to be completed (exactly to the hour for me!). The completion of the port of the texting/SMS feature takes longer (still pending for me for incoming but works for outgoing).

Since the new Sidekick 4G is Android based it works very well with the Google voice app from the the Android market (also available for iOS devices btw). So I can continue to send and receive text messages/SMS' to my "old" number and (uniquely to Google voice for now as far as I know) you can even forward your texts/SMS to another number as SMS (or/and to emails if you want!). So the SK voice barred (but with included unlimited text/SMS) can be set up to receive the SMS as a real SMS which can be handy if/when you happen to be in poor reception where there is no data coverage but maybe voice (whereby text/SMS also works) coverage is available.

I can also place and receive calls within my Gmail account in my browser. However since the Google Voice app for the mobile phone wants to use the voice line to place a call I am NOT able to use my Google Voice app for placing or receiving calls. Now while the mobile data coverage and speeds are somewhat lacking still in North America it is possible (though at times limited) to use VOIP over 3G/4G data. So I am able to use the Skype app for unlimited calling in the US & Canada for $2.99/month (with $13.99-19.99 for worldwide unlimited packages as optional). Once Google Voice completes the full port and thereby activates my incoming texts/SMS I can add my old (now ported to Google Voice) number with Skype and thereby have it to show up as the caller ID number when I use Skype to call out.

This all might sound somewhat complex, but I must say once it is all setup it works fantastically smooth and gives me full control of what, where, to where, from where I get calls texts/SMS and how I can access them. Unlike "traditional" texts/SMS since I now get an email with them I have them archived for as long as I chose to, something that has at times been an issue in the past, especially with the old Sidekicks that had a maximum of 100 messages.

All I can say is I am NOW HAPPY with my Sidekick 4G setup at $10 more a month than I was paying for my very first Sidekick soon to be a decade ago!

The only little silly thing is I have no way of calling 611 to reach T-Mobile! :)

T-Mobile Sidekick 4G Software Review

2011-05-05T19:27:00.000-07:00

If you for some reason still haven't gotten the new Sidekick 4G but yet are interested in it (why else would you be reading this? ;))

Here is a nice review a little deeper than your average "hands-on" video:

Includes overview of the LED settings.

Sidekick 4G extra batteries on eBay

2011-05-05T09:07:00.000-07:00

Out of curiosity I checked on eBay to see if batteries for the Sidekick 4G

were available yet, and to my surprise there are plenty of them there.

I can only presume the Sidekick 4G shares the battery with some other already existing Samsung models?

You can click on the image to check for yourself.

After a week of Sidekick 4G how do you like yours?

2011-04-28T11:28:00.000-07:00

So now some of us has had the Sidekick 4G for a week or so.

Is it worthy of the Sidekick name?

Does it live up to the legend?

Is it a let down?

Personally I feel this post over on Hiptop3.com really sums it up for me too very well so well I decided to post it up here! (click on the image below to get to the post directly)

I must add that I never intended to post much subjective and opinions on this blog but after having had the Sidekick 1 - LX09 and now the Sidekick 4G (a week) I can not help but feel exactly as "Goliath"!

Video chatting over 4G on new Tmobile Samsung Sidekick

2011-04-24T21:09:00.001-07:00

Here is a quick demo video of video chat with the new Sidekick:

T-Mobile Sidekick 4G Unboxing & review videos.

2011-04-24T20:50:00.000-07:00

If you are curious to see what is in the T-Mobile Sidekick 4G box?

Here is some unboxing & review videos:

Review: Sidekick 4G by a teenager.

2011-04-23T15:19:00.000-07:00

Gigaom's Kevin C. Tofel's 13 year old son did a review of his two year use of the Sidekick 4G:

New promotional videos for the new Sidekick 4G by T-Mobile.

2011-04-23T09:55:00.000-07:00

T-Mobile has released new promotional videos for the new Sidekick 4G

to see them click on the picture below:

T-Mobile Sidekick 4G online help / online manual

2011-04-22T10:40:00.000-07:00

Do you miss the old Sidekick online help & procedure manual?

Well don't worry for the Sidekick 4G it can be found here (click on the picture):

T-Mobile Sidekick 4G User Manual in PDF format

2011-04-22T09:26:00.000-07:00

Are you looking to get aquinted with the new T-Mobile Sidekick 4G

or just want the user manual in electronic PDF format, well here you go (click on the picture):

T-Mobile Sidekick 4G root already discovered

2011-04-22T08:48:00.000-07:00

If you are like me and considering rooting your new Sidekick here is how to do it thanks to the Android Community:

"The T-Mobile Sidekick 4G has only been on sale since Wednesday, but that hasn’t slowed down the rooting masters at xda-developers. They’ve already come up with a root for the messaging-centric smartphone, opening the door to custom ROMs and other juicy hacks.

The root is the handiwork of “josby”, but according to other xda members there are several ways to hack the Sidekick 4G. Next up is stripping away some of the preinstalled apps T-Mobile load onto the handset, which may give it an extra turn of speed.
We found the Sidekick to be something of a unique proposition among Android devices, doing a darn good job of following in the footsteps of its unusual predecessors and differentiating itself for a pretty specific market.

1) enable debug USB mode on your phone
2) install Samsung drivers for the phone – right now Samsung’s site seems to not have a choice for the Sidekick 4G’s model (SGH-T839), but I grabbed the drivers for the Vibrant (at www .samsung.com/us/support/downloads/SGH-T959ZKDTMB) and they worked.
3) get adb shell working on your PC (Google it)
4) download the rageagainstthecage-arm5.bin and Superuser packages from the links in this page: wiki.cyanogenmod.com/index.php?title=HTC_Hero_%28CDMA%29:_Full_Update_G uide (be sure to unzip the files into the directory where your adb.exe program is unless you’ve put it in your path)
5) reboot your phone and plug it in
6) adb push rageagainstthecage-arm5.bin /data/local/tmp
7) adb shell
8) cd /data/local/tmp
9) chmod 755 rageagainstthecage-arm5.bin
10) ./rageagainstthecage-arm5.bin
11) wait until you get booted back out to your DOS command prompt
12) adb kill-server
13) adb start-server
14) adb shell
15) you should now be at a # prompt. The first few times I tried, I wasn’t – I was at $. Doing this from a fresh boot seemed to be the trick. Reboot your phone and try again if you’re getting a $.
16) mount -o remount,rw /dev/block/stl9 /system
17) exit
18) adb push su /system/xbin
19) adb shell chmod 4755 /system/xbin/su
20) adb push Superuser.apk /system/app
21) adb shell mount -o remount,ro /dev/block/stl9 /system
22) exit
23) reboot the phone then run an app that requests root, such as Root Explorer, to verify"

T-Mobile releases Sidekick 4G ads

2011-04-17T09:39:00.000-07:00

Here is TMobile's ads for the Sidekick 4G demonstrating it's speed:

Video tour of the new Sidekick 4G 3 PART VIDEO!

2011-04-16T07:46:00.000-07:00

More video goodness on the Sidekick 4G for those who can't get enough of these videos.

This time by Mobileburn:

Extensive review of the Sidekick 4G with VIDEO and PICTURE SAMPLES!

2011-04-15T08:23:00.000-07:00

Infosync has a very nice extensive review of the new Sidekick 4G here is a quote of it. ENJOY!

(One note, this is the very first Sidekick that Samsung made!)

"Check out our Sidekick 4G review here. Is this texting machine the most powerful Sidekick yet?

Sidekick 4G Report

The resurrection of the Sidekick emanated from left field, after the trendy texting machine seemed to have drifted into the witness protection program for a significant amount of time. Well, the Sidekick 4G is here, and we're certain that it's the best Sidekick yet. Not only did Samsung retain the tried and true messaging-happy form factor, but the phone can tap into T-Mobile's HSPA+ speeds and it's fortified with Android 2.2. Samsung also stuffed a quicker 1GHz Hummingbird processor into the Sidekick 4G, and the phone receives a front-facing VGA camera for Qik video chats when the fingers have keeled over from abusing the phone's new and improved QWERTY keyboard.

The Sidekick 4G is also the first of its ilk to feature a 3.5-inch capacitive touchscreen, which made our navigation experience all the more enjoyable. The phone is also no slouch when it comes to multimedia, thanks to T-Mobile TV, Slacker Radio, YouTube, Android Market, in-browser Flash support, and Samsung's Media Hub. Although the Sidekick 4G's 3.2-megapixel main camera left a lot to be desired and we experienced some lagging within the phone's performance, the Sidekick 4G proved itself as the most capable QWERTY warrior to date, and will certainly find itself into the hands of teens with eager fingers nationwide.

Design

Following in the typical Sidekick tradition, the Sidekick 4G is not a compact device, especially in this day and age. The phone resides on the bulky side of the spectrum in terms of thickness, but that's because its signature feature lurks beneath, waiting to be violated by rabid fingers with "LOL", "TTYL", and emoticons on their mind. Yes, a good portion of the Sidekick 4G's raison d'être is its high-quality flip-out QWERTY thumbboard, which is further improved for 2011. We've seen a fair number of QWERTY phones this year, but the Sidekick 4G's keyboard is hard to beat. Keys are spaced out for plenty of texting real estate, and we get convenient shortcut keys for smilies, Voice Search, and several ALT commands.

Furthermore, the Sidekick has a Jump key that can be used in combination with any letter on the QWERTY thumbboard for assigning quick actions, so the entire phone can be customized at the drop of a finger. Samsung also migrated over the secondary navigational control, though the original track ball has been replaced with a BlackBerry-like optical tracking pad. The sensitivity was decent, but we found its existence to be questionable, given the fact that the Sidekick 4G is equipped with a 3.5-inch capacitive touchscreen. We're not talking iPhone Retina or Samsung Super AMOLED quality, but the Sidekick 4G's screen will hold up against select Droids and other roadwarriors. The concoction of a sizable touchscreen and full QWERTY thumbboard made the Sidekick 4G even more powerful than it ever was, and we found that it was easier than ever to fire off texts with ferocious accuracy.

Rounding out the Sidekick 4G's architecture, the phone has a 3.5mm audio jack, volume control, and Power/Lock button located along the left side. It will take some practice to avoid hitting these controls while flipping out the screen, so beware. In addition to the Jump key, the Sidekick 4G has Home, Menu, and Back buttons along the sides when held horizontally. A 1500mAh battery and 2GB MicroSD card slot hideout beneath the back panel, along with the lens for the 3.2-megapixel camera. Unfortunately, the camera lacks a flash, but for the most part, the Sidekick 4G kicks some major butt on the design frontier.

Software and Interface

Part of what makes the T-Mobile Sidekick dynasty a breed of its own is the custom Sidekick experience that is exclusive to the phone. Rather than a TouchWIZ, Sense, or MOTOBLUR type experience, the Sidekick 4G gives us its own interface, fortified by Android 2.2 and supervised by a 1GHz Hummingbird processor. The phone offers WiFi, Bluetooth 2.1, and GPS for connectivity, and our experience was not far removed from other Samsung phones we've seen in the recent past. We get 7 Home screens with the ability to adorn each one with a plentitude of widgets, folders, or shortcuts, many of which are prone to live-updating for the latest news.

Of course we get the Android drop-down menu with Notifications, and Samsung offers a handful of colorful themes to dress up the screen of the Sidekick 4G. We will say that the Sidekick 4G was not as snappy as other phones with similar processors, and it lagged in certain areas, even when swiping between Home screens. The more background junk you disable, the better, and we recommend taking out the trash early on in this phone's career.

Internet

Samsung does not skimp on the Sidekick 4G's internet experience, as we're given a full browsing experience rife with Flash 10.1 support for playing videos within web pages. The Sidekick 4G supports pinch-to-zoom, double-tap-to-zoom, and allowed us to use the optical track pad in order to fine-tune our navigation. We were impressed with the Internet performance on the Sidekick 4G, as it enabled us to keep open windows in a scrollable bar and assign pages to any of our Home screen. But it was the productive force brought about by the full QWERTY that really made our Internet experience shine. Inputting the same character multiple times on a virtual keyboard is enough to catalyze on-site hair removal, but the Sidekick 4G's keyboard let us fly through web addresses and Google searches effortlessly.

Multimedia and Productivity

The soul and DNA of a Sidekick resides at the core of its messaging capabilities, and the Sidekick 4G showed up the competition by offering Group Text, which let us participate in SMS Text threads with numerous members. We could create groups and save them for quick mass-texting action, but that wasn't all. The Sidekick 4G had a Sticky Text Message box that could be customized with our favorite text threads for quick access. So, when we were in the midst of an LOL fit, we could save the conversation on a Home page in the Sticky widget (what a dirty sounding thing) for future accessibility. We also had T-Mobile's Cloud Text for instant messaging, and of course the Sidekick 4G could handle video chat with other Qik-enabled contacts. Let's also not forget about the Buddies Now widget—a Rolodex of favorite contacts—that seems to make its way onto every Samsung smartphone these days. The Sidekick 4G is a messaging powerhouse, and few will come close to topping it in that respect.

Though the Sidekick 4G's legacy is its messaging magic, the Sidekick 4G can handle multimedia like some of the best out there. The phone has an accelerometer for 3D gaming, so we had no issues downloading the latest content from the Android market and going to town. The phone also comes preloaded with Media Room, a hub for music, videos, movies, YouTube, T-Mobile TV and Slacker Radio, with a full search function in order to track down more content. We liked Media room because it combined our own pictures, videos, and music into easy to access compartments, more like a centralized hub for all things entertainment. The Sidekick 4G even came with Thinkfree Office, allowing us to work on Word and Office documents using the friendly QWERTY. Almost anything you can find on a high-end smartphone will be available on the Sidekick 4G, and that's what makes this device such a gem.

Call Quality/Battery Life

The Sidekick 4G continues to kick butt with an impressive battery performance, courtesy of its 1500mAh rechargeable pack. After 24 hours with moderate usage and an overnight standby, our Sidekick 4G review unit exhibited 53% life, which is not too shabby compared to the typical smartphone that is tapped out by dusk.

In addition, the phone proceeded to make crisp and clean calls, even though we were not connected to a native T-Mobile tower. Usually we have gripes about T-Mobile phones, but the Sidekick 4G seemed to sift out background noise and provide quality audio during our tests.

Camera

The Sidekick 4G's Achilles heel is its 3.2-megapixel camera, which lacks a flash. The phone is capable of capturing 720 x 480 widescreen standard-definition video clips that exhibited mediocre quality, but the sound recording was better than most phones we've seen. For 3.2-megapixel images, the quality was not bad, but we had to make sure we shot in specific Scene modes that were tailored to the environment in order to get the best results. Also, the camera could not do low light at all, unless we shot in Night mode, which ran the risk of blur due to the slower shutter speed. The Sidekick 4G's Gallery is identical to other recent Samsung phones with Android, making it super easy to share pictures and videos on the go.

Sidekick 4G – infoSync Diagnosis

The Sidekick is back and it kicks more butt than ever before. If you are a texting teen or find yourself longing for a decent QWERTY, then you should not overlook the Sidekick 4G. This phone is every bit as capable of some of the higher-end smartphones like the Galaxy S 4G, only it's architecturally geared for the diehard keyboard abuser.

The Sidekick 4G also exhibited a great battery performance, made clean calls, and provided plenty of multimedia to pass the time while waiting for responses such as "LOL", "TTYL", or "ROFL". The phone offers plenty of shortcuts, courtesy of the customizable Jump Cut button, and we had an optical track pad handy for fine-tuning our full Internet or basic interface navigation experience even further.

The Sidekick 4G does skimp on the camera, and at times we found it to be more sluggish than the higher-end smartphones in its price range, but overall, Samsung and T-Mobile have a winner here. The most powerful Sidekick has been released, and the best part is that users get to take advantage of its speedy HSPA+ connection. Long live the Sidekick!"

Sidekick 4G Unboxing & Hands On VIDEO!

2011-04-14T07:50:00.000-07:00

So it's another six days until the public can get their hands on the

new Sidekick 4G but here is unboxing and hands on VIDEO:

Official date for the Sidekick 4G given as April 20th!

2011-04-07T07:32:00.000-07:00

So exactly a week after Radio Shack decided to make the April 20th date known publicly T-mobile finally has stated in the tweet you can see above, that the new Sidekick 4G will indeed be available starting the 20th of this month.

Can you wait?

BGR returns to do another hands-on of the Sidekick 4G with VIDEO

2011-03-23T21:55:00.000-07:00

So Boy Genius Report did another hands-on with video this time:

ENJOY!

Android Central has a nice video of Sidekick 4G and pictures.

2011-03-23T08:27:00.000-07:00

Android Central also has had a chance to get their hands-on with the

new Sidekick 4G, and have a very nice video of it:

Here is what they had to say about the Sidekick with pictures at the bottom:

"OK, all you boys and girls out there itching to get your hands on a T-Mobile Sidekick 4G. You can't have it yet, we got our fat little fingers on it for you. And for those of you unfamiliar with the Sidekick experience (that'd be yours truly), it's an ... interesting experience.

The flip-up screen has a nice spring to it, and the keyboard is just shy of being excellent. What's not excellent is that the usual Android buttons are at the four corners (three, actually) of the device, meaning you're doing to be doing some reaching to get back to the home screens.

The software is an interesting mix of Android -- there's much that familiar -- and Sidekick special sauce. We're going to need some more time with the software to get a grip on it, but it's not the worst thing in the world. When it comes to pricing, we're looking at $99 - $149.99 depending on your data plan chosen and fussing with mail-in-rebates. Jump on past the break for some images of the Sidekick 4G"

Pocketnow gets their hands-on with video and download speed test!

2011-03-23T08:18:00.000-07:00

So here is a hands-on by Pocketnow along with their video of a nice speed test on the new Sidekick 4G

Below we have their first impressions on the Sidekick 4G:

"In this segment we take a look at the T-Mobile Sidekick 4G, resurgence of the Sidekick line with a new operating system (Android) and a new manufacturer (Samsung). The device felt pretty solid all around, with a good sliding mechanism and tried-and-true Sidekick keyboard. Since this is a 4G device, internet speeds were typically impressive, although some of that is probably due to enhanced coverage here at CTIA. We found the skinned interface to be fairly basic but probably perfect for the Sidekick crowd, as this will likely be a starter Android handset for many. Also, we certainly appreciated the all-caps used to label the icon shortcuts, as our eyes have grown weary from staring at displays with increasingly-higher pixels-per-inch."

PCmag did also have their hands-on with the Sidekick 4G

2011-03-22T11:47:00.000-07:00

There has been so many hands-on with the new Sidekick 4G today that one could easily get the various reports mixed up.

Here is what PCmag had to say about their in person experience with it and yet a few more angles in the pictures below just incase you haven't seen enough just yet :)

"I'm a little bit in love with the new Sidekick. I kind of want one.

Is that okay? Really? I'm a 36-year-old man, after all, not the Sidekick's target market of teens. And I wasn't much of a personal fan of the old Sidekick's beepy-boopy noises and "disco ball" glowing trackball. But the new Sidekick looks—dare I say it—grown up.

The Sidekick looks even better in person than it does in photos. The matte black model is smooth and soft, made of solid plastic, with a confident feel to it. The 3.5-inch, 800x480 screen is bright and tight.

Teens will still love this phone, because it's a texting beast. Samsung, smartly, kept the terrific Sidekick keyboard, with its slightly stiff, well-separated and bubbled buttons. The phone can be used closed, as a touchscreen phone with a virtual keyboard, or can snap open smartly with the screen sliding up to reveal the keyboard.

The Sidekick is an Android 2.2.1 phone with some pretty heavy customizations, but I think they're good looking. You can look at the slideshow in this story and decide for yourself. Pretty much everywhere you'd expect to see either text or a rectangle on an Android phone has been edited a bit. A little bar across the top of the screen keeps track of which of the seven home screens you're on. The standard Android icon font has been replaced by a small, all-caps font. At the bottom of the screen (or the side, depending on how you're holding it) are the words "phone," "apps," and "contacts" rather than confusing icons representing the same ideas.

Now that I think about it, the fonts, boxes of colors, and use of text rather than icons rather reminds me of Windows Phone 7's Metro design language, which makes an odd sort of sense: Microsoft bought Danger, maker of the old Sidekicks, and while that team wasn't involved in this phone, their spirit lives on.

The purely cosmestic customizations don't seem to drag down performance. The Sidekick felt even zippier than the usual Samsung Galaxy S phone, which was surprising given that they share the same 1GHz Hummingbird processor. And there's all the usual Android goodness in here, including the excellent Web browser and the 100,000-plus Android Market apps.The four Sidekick "jump" keys around the edges of the phone seem a bit vestigial, and they are; they played important roles in the old Danger OS, but here they're really just programmable shortcut keys. Three customizable colored LEDs along the top of the screen play the role of the old "disco ball," telling you about new messages. I like how they're customizable; you can turn them on or off as you like.

I didn't get to test the Sidekick's Internet speeds, but I'm expecting good things: this is an HSPA+ 21 phone, and thus it'll be quite fast on T-Mobile's network. The new Sidekick 4G will cost $149.99 with a two-year contract when it comes out this spring; it will also be available for more money on prepaid plans, T-Mobile told me."

Here is what Boy Genius Reports on the Sidekick 4G

2011-03-22T11:36:00.000-07:00

Another well known blog Boy Genius Report aka BGR has had it's hands-on with the Sidekick 4G and another 30 pictures for you to enjoy

Here is what BGR says:

"As tech writers we get to play with a ton of phones, but nothing really takes us back to our high school days like playing with a Sidekick — and we just had a chance to sit down with the first one powered by Android. Built by Samsung, the Sidekick 4G features Android 2.2 (Froyo) and, despite our initial fears that it would be a lackluster device compared to the high-end beauties recently announced, we were pretty pleased with what the Sidekick 4G offers. It includes a horizontal-slider form factor, a throwback QWERTY keyboard with rounded keys, and more power under the hood than any Sidekick before it. Hit the jump for our hands-on with the Sidekick 4G, and some initial impressions.

The Sidekick 4G is powered by a 1Ghz Cortex A8 Samsung Hummingbird processor, so unlike previous models that had a feature phone feel, the Sidekick 4G has enough kick to keep up with T-Mobile’s high-end smartphones. It felt well built and its display hinge felt very sturdy when we popped it open to reveal the keyboard. Moving around the custom user interface was fluid and fun, but we think tweens and teens will probably enjoy the colorful UI a bit more than we did. The Sidekick 4G has a 3-megapixel camera but sadly, it lacks a flash. For those up on video-chatting, however, there’s also a front-facing camera.

Overall, the Sidekick 4G felt light in the hand and well built, but it also reminds us a bit more of a feature phone than a smartphone. That’s OK, though, given that it has the power of a smartphone with the features users expect from a Sidekick: Easy and quick messaging with a great keyboard and a fun user interface."