T-Mobile Resurrects the Sidekick Smartphone with Android OS
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CREDIT: T-Mobile |
Just weeks after discontinuing their old Sidekick service, T-Mobile has announced that the Sidekick smartphone will return in a newer, better Android-based form.
It could be argued that the T-Mobile Sidekick was the original smartphone (stay calm BlackBerry fans, we know what you're thinking). It was based on Danger servers that offered many of the services that have become standard in smartphones today.
The new Android Sidekick 4G takes all the features that made the original so popular and tweaks them a bit. The design looks very similar, with a pop-open screen over the physical keyboard, but the new Sidekick 4G sports a touch screen that can use the standard Android multitouch interface.
The emphasis on messaging is still prominent, and Android apps help augment the messaging capabilities and improve social media interaction. There's even a dedicated "jump" button that allows the user to move between applications quickly. The Sidekick 4G comes with Twitter and Facebook integration as well as group text messaging added on to the standard messaging options .
"We've reinvented the messaging experience that made the Sidekick such an iconic device, and supercharged it with communication and entertainment experiences that take full advantage of our 4G network," said Andrew Sherrard, senior vice president at T-Mobile USA , in a statement.
Inside is a 1GHz Samsung Hummingbird processor running Android 2.2 (Froyo), a front-facing camera for video chat and a rear camera capable of taking 3 megapixel images. And as the name suggests, the phone can use T-Mobile's 4G connection (which isn't technically 4G , but still faster than 3G).
T-Mobile said the Sidekick 4G will be ready "later this spring" but did not give a definite price or release date.
