The moment so many loyal Sidekick fans have been waiting for… meet the Sidekick 4G!

It’s not the sexiest phone I’ve seen, but the physical layout of the 5 row keyboard gives me great hope for this new device. It’s very similar to the layout of the Sidekick LX 2009 keyboard, however most of the alt keys have been moved around which I’m sure will annoy some long time users to death. The Sidekick keyboard has remained virtually identical since the Sidekick II, why mess with it? Also the side buttons appear to be rearranged too, with the Menu button on the upper right and the Jump Menu button on the top left now re-branded as “Home” since it will be running Android.

Other things we can glean from these photos: we’re getting a camera (no big surprise), the trackball still exists, there’s a new Sidekick logo icon on the top right of the screen, we’ve lost the Call/End buttons, there’s a headphone port on the bottom left, much like the SK LX 09, we’ve lost the directional pad (another staple since the beginning), etc.

But the big thing that I know is going to upset people: it slides, not swivels.

Pics via TmoNews

UPDATE: Another pic showing that the Sidekick 4G is running Android 2.2.1

TmoNews is reporting that the Sidekick 4G will be made by Samsung. It was reported by two separate sources, but just for safety’s sake consider it still a rumor until FCC filings or official announcements drop. Personally I was hoping for Sharp, but I’m glad it’s not HTC.

I really think the form factor of the Sidekick 4G will be what makes or breaks it. So many people stuck with the device over the years as the OS became more and more outdated only because of the awesome keyboard and screen. Here’s hoping that T-Mobile/Samsung can

The Sidekick 4G Will Be Manufactured By……………Samsung!

This is one of those days where all you die-hard Sidekick hold outs can turn to your friends and say, “See I told you so.”

That’s right, the T-Mobile CEO, Philipp Humm, confirmed in a press presentation this morning that the Sidekick will continue!

“…and coming soon, will also be a Sidekick 4G. Everybody knows the Sidekick, and we’re going to relaunch the Sidekick and bring it as a 4G device, Android based, into the market”

As he said, the device will be Android based, and HSPA+ compatible. No word on the manufacturer, screen size, cpu, etc yet. Here’s hoping they figure out a way to combine the Sidekick’s historically awesome keyboard/form factor with the new hotness of the Android OS. The rumored launch date is sometime in Spring. We’ll let you know as we hear more.

via TmoNews

Andrew got his hands on a MobiFlip and walks us through a quick video tour.