The Sidekick is back and better than ever. Check out CNET's hands-on photos of the new T-Mobile Sidekick 4G.
Bonnie Cha
Bonnie Cha was a former chief correspondent for CNET Crave, covering every kind of tech toy imaginable (with a special obsession for robots and Star Wars-related stuff). When she's not scoping out stories, you can find her checking out live music or surfing in the chilly waters of Northern California.
Though Microsoft and Danger are shutting down the old Sidekick data service on May 31, the messaging handheld lives on in the new T-Mobile Sidekick 4G. The smartphone will be available starting April 20 for $99.99 with a two-year contract and after a $50 mail-in rebate.
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New features
The Sidekick 4G adds Android 2.2.1 Froyo and a touch screen. There are also enhanced messaging features, including Group Text and Cloud Text, which is a Web-based app that lets you send and receive messages.
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Keyboard and display
The handset features a 3.5-inch, 480x800-pixel touch screen with a "pop-tilt" slider design. When open, you get access to the five-row QWERTY keyboard, which we found to be excellent. It's roomy, and the keys provide a nice tactile feedback.
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Back
On back of the phone, you'll find the 3-megapixel camera. The Sidekick 4G will be available in two colors: pearl magenta (shown here) and matte black.
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Right side
The right side of the device (or the top when held in landscape mode) features a Micro-USB port and a camera button.
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Left side
On the left side (bottom in landscape), you get a volume rocker and a power/lock button.
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Picture quality
We weren't expecting much from the phone's 3-megapixel camera, but we were truly impressed by the sharp picture quality.
