It’s the start of something new — the Sidekick 4G. While T-Mobile has been rather busy with touchscreens — from tablets like the G-Slate to high-performance smartphones like the G2X and Nexus S — as well as the T-Mobile G2 which has been a recent addition to the slide-out QWERTY keyboard set, the Sidekick line has come to life again, with the Sidekick 4G. A 1GHz processor, best keyboard out there, and with “4G” HSPA+ data speeds, the Sidekick 4G has a great future ahead of it. Read the full review past the break for my take on it.

Price as Reviewed: $99.99 on a 2-year agreement with T-Mobile USA

Disclosure: Evaluation unit

Specs

1GHz Cortex A8 Hummingbird processor
3.5-inch WVGA (800×480) touchscreen display
“4G” HSPA+ speeds up to 21MBps (*this statement has been updated)
3.2 megapixel back-facing camera, VGA (0.3MP) front-facing camera
2GB microSD card included
Dual-band 4G, quad-band 2G GSM worldwide
Weighs 5.7 ounces

Looks And Feel

First of all, it’s worth noting that the Sidekick 4G is built by Samsung, not known for full metal casings or rock solid design for their smartphone and tablets (that are currently on the market), and the Sidekick 4G is no exception: no metals for the  exterior design, just different colored plastics of varying qualities, however which still feels good in the hand. Also, considering what you’re getting for the low price (an HSPA+ “4G’ smartphone with 1GHz Hummingbird processor, it’s still quite a steal).

The Sidekick 4G has a pop-up keyboard, rather than a slide-out. What does this mean? Well, it’s darn sure more comfortable, and is the best QWERTY keyboard I’ve used, besides a Macbook Pro and a few gaming keyboards. Feel free to prioritize the keyboard more than the sharp 3.5-inch touchscreen when using the Sidekick 4G — which in fact, you’ll have to, because one of the gripes of using the Sidekick 4G is the button layout, which was designed to be used horizontally (home button is at the top right, “jump key” (read: multitasking) is in the opposite corner, and back and menu at the bottom. It’s an incredibly hard-to-adjust layout of buttons, considering most Android phones don’t even share the same layout in the first place.

Now speaking of the Sidekick’s looks, I dislike the T-Mobile branding on the back — that is, a massive slab of pink behind the screen when the keyboard is in use. It looks girly, honestly, and I don’t have a grudge against the color pink, either.  And if you’d like to use a term for the Sidekick 4G’s design, it would by “funky”: white with black, pink under the screen, slightly thick, unusual shape. But all in all, it’s a fun smartphone.

Speaking of which…

The Sidekick UI

If every UI for Android was this well integrated and innovative, then dang, I wouldn’t mind a skin on everything. The Sidekick UI has 8 different color schemes, several options absent from other Android smartphones (like auto-rotate on the homescreen, without the keyboard having to be open), a lockscreen that prioritizes multitasking and notifications (all at once), and even the ability to change fonts on the fly. It is in fact, the only user interface I enjoy for Android besides the HTC Sense UI and stock “Vanilla” experiences.

I would also like to mention that on two occasions, the Sidekick 4G completely hanged using the official Twitter app, then shut itself down. This also occurred with the mobile hotspot app, and are probably just errors with my evaluation unit, or bugs that will be fixed on over-the-air updates (OTAs).

Now, if you wouldn’t mind T-Mobile, I’d like an Android 2.3 Gingerbread update to appear as well. That would be greatly appreciated.

How That “4G” HSPA+ Works

It has a theoretical peak of 21MBps, according to T-Mobile. Let’s just get straight to the point: Not even once have I hit 21MBps, in either New Jersey, New York City, or Brooklyn. That being said, the shot above displays all the tests I’ve taken on the Sidekick 4G, and even though the numbers are less than 21MBps, the Sidekick 4G is blazing fast, on T-Mobile’s end. Even with wireless hotspot enabled — which was shared among a PS3, Macbook Air, iPad 2, and a Windows PC — speeds were at 2MBps, at the very least, which is very good considering the connection was being shared among 4 different devices. As for battery life under those wireless hotspot conditions: Let’s just say give it a one hour charge if you want the battery to last you a few Google Maps Navigation runs, phone calls, and apps.

*Update: According to my T-Mobile contact, the 21MBps limit is for the network itself; the Sidekick 4G is capable of speeds up to 12MBps.

See here:

“T-Mobile’s 4G network is capable of theoretical speeds of 21 Mbps, testing on T-Mobile’s original 4G phones showed download speeds approaching 5 Mbps in some cities & peak speeds of nearly 12 Mbps.”

Those Cameras

Uh, they’re sort of like the iPad 2′s: just there for the spec sheets and usability. Don’t try and do anything amazing; just keep it straight, simple, and fast. Video chats had decent voice and video clarity over strong WiFi and HSPA+ connections, in the Qik app. Stills and 480p video are quite clear, although heavily depend on lighting conditions. Below is a gallery of photos taken with both the VGA front and 3.2 megapixel back-facing cameras (the last of which was taken with the front-facing).

Battery Life

Long enough for a full day, if used wisely. If you do plan on texting, making long phone calls, photo-taking, tweeting, web browsing, and some multitasking, then plan to see the battery drop within hours, which in my case was usually 8-10 hours.

Final Verdict

Go ahead. If you want T-Mobile’s “4G” HSPA+ network with all of the awesomeness that comes with the famous Sidekick brand, then go straight ahead and buy one. It’s the only budget-priced Android smartphone I’d ever buy for myself, or suggest at the moment. The specs don’t even reflect the price, which makes the Sidekick 4G even sweeter to use.

Of the two Project Pink phones that were humorously leaked in December, the Pure and Turtle, a turtle-shaped phone with a round keyboard and shell seems to be the first handset seen and approved by the FCC. Since it is a Microsoft/Danger-designed phone and the speculated replacement for the Sidekick, then you would think it would be produced by Sharp, which is the current manufacturer of the aging Sidekick. In a search of the FCC’s Authorized Equipment database, Sharp is revealed to have been authorized for a CDMA-based handset, which an FCC label matches the renderings leaked last year. With all of these details uncovered, and info from large media like WSJ and CNET, you can be sure that these “teen smartphones” will be used soon enough.

[Via wmpoweruser and Zune Boards]

Read

With all of the new and fast, as well as cool looking smartphones around, who would ever buy a Sidekick knowing that everyone lost their contacts and other forms of data for a whole week?

Here’s what T-Mobile said:

“T-Mobile is pleased to announce that Sidekick sales have resumed. New pricing for the Sidekick LX 2009 will be $149.99 with a two-year contract and the Sidekick 2008 will be $49.99 with a two-year contract.”

I know I won’t buy one, and the price might will make some not buy it.
[BGR]

It’s about time! You know, the T-Mobile Sidekick cloud computing failure, where everyone’s data disappeared due to a server failure by Microsoft/Danger? Well, now it’s fixed, and according to Roz Ho, Corporate VP of Premium Mobile Experiences at Microsoft, this is what she had to say:

On behalf of Microsoft, I want to apologize for the recent problems with the Sidekick service and give you an update on the steps we have taken to resolve these problems.

We are pleased to report that we have recovered most, if not all, customer data for those Sidekick customers whose data was affected by the recent outage. We plan to begin restoring users’ personal data as soon as possible, starting with personal contacts, after we have validated the data and our restoration plan. We will then continue to work around the clock to restore data to all affected users, including calendar, notes, tasks, photographs and high scores, as quickly as possible.

So, in the meantime, most if not all users have their data back on their phones again. But this should never have happened in the first place. Come on Microsoft, no backup from the beginning of this whole crisis?

Oh by the way, Microsoft said they will be improving system stability, and will have a backup ready to maintain the server.

Go figure.

Talk about an epic cloud computing failure. All of your important info (ha, ha) is now missing due to a severe error with Microsoft/Danger’s server. And if you thought there was a chance you could get your stuff back, well, read this official statement:

Regrettably, based on Microsoft/Danger’s latest recovery assessment of their systems, we must now inform you that personal information stored on your device – such as contacts, calendar entries, to-do lists or photos – that is no longer on your Sidekick almost certainly has been lost as a result of a server failure at Microsoft/Danger. That said, our teams continue to work around-the-clock in hopes of discovering some way to recover this information. However, the likelihood of a successful outcome is extremely low.

That’s right. No more personal data for you, it’s all gone. The T-Mobile Sidekick gave you a big kick in the side.