T-Mobile went ahead and announced the Sidekick iD officially and the embargo has been lifted on the device. The Sidekick iD reviews are already starting to hit the web, with a flurry of photos as well. T-Mobile posted a press release on their wiki and Crunchgear has the first full review. Their review can basically be summed up with the following paragraph:

If you have an SK3, you won’t want the SK ID. It’s not for you. At $99, this phone is priced for the same folks who might get a RAZR, but instead pick up a hot little messaging phone. The UI is exactly the same as the SK3’s. The only real difference is there is no camera or MP3 playback options. Instead, Danger has added a photo album feature that lets you move emailed photos to your album. It is also MyFaves compatible. There is also no memory-card slot nor is there a USB port.

Pics from Gizmodo:
   

Pics from Crunchgear:
      

T-Mobile’s news release below:

T-Mobile Sidekick iD Makes A Statement
Personalization and Affordable Style Drive T-Mobile Sidekick iD

BELLEVUE, Wash. – April 13, 2007 – T-Mobile USA, Inc. today announces the new T-Mobile® Sidekick® iD, offering the latest in personalization on a communication device at an accessible price of $99.1 Designed to include the spontaneous communication features synonymous with the iconic brand, the T-Mobile Sidekick iD also offers spur-of-the-moment personalization with easily removable and replaceable exterior panels.

The customizable exterior of the T-Mobile Sidekick iD provides quick modification of the outside of the device with fashionable colors to match anyone’s style, mood or that evening’s outfit. Inside the device, customers will feast on the famous buffet of communications capabilities that make it simple to stay directly connected with family and friends, or stay on top of their favorite social networks and other Web sites.2

The T-Mobile Sidekick iD is designed for virtually anytime, anywhere communication through voice calling and a robust variety of options for messaging-based communication. The signature swivel screen is designed to be a large, color window into one’s own personal life. The screen moves to reveal the full QWERTY keyboard providing the luxury of staying connected through the always-on access to e-mail, instant messaging (AIM®, Yahoo!® and Windows Live Messenger), and text messaging.

“The T-Mobile Sidekick has always been about freedom of expression and communicating with style,” said Greg Andrews, director, marketing, T-Mobile USA. “With the T-Mobile Sidekick iD, we’re expanding on the theme of individuality by increasing the personalization aspect and providing pricing that is accessible to a wide range of consumers.”

The T-Mobile Sidekick iD will have T-Mobile’s myFavesSM available out of the box. The unique myFaves experience provides additional customization as the home screen contains images of the five people that matter most or are called the most often. The myFaves interface also enables access to a straightforward communications menu for effortless calling, texting, multimedia messaging and e-mail. Customers can choose from a range of myFaves plans to get unlimited calling to those five designated people — to any number in the U.S., even land lines (excluding toll-free and 900 numbers) — that make up their personal network.3

Key features of T-Mobile Sidekick iD include the easily personalized hardware to express individuality and style as well as the following:

* T-Mobile Sidekick’s signature swivel screen with a large landscape color display (2.4-inch screen with 65K colors and 240X160 pixels) for improved viewing of Web pages and contacts
* A full HMTL Web browser with enhancements for faster downloading and optimized viewing2
* Beneath the screen, a full QWERTY keyboard ideal for speedy instant messaging and other text-based communication
* Dedicated support for three major instant messaging clients (AIM, Yahoo! and Windows Live Messenger) with the ability to hold up to 10 IM conversations at one time to stay constantly connected to a social circle
* Support for personal e-mail with a dedicated “t-mail” account or use of an already existing personal e-mail account
* Inclusion of myFaves for additional personalization and the benefit of unlimited calling to any number on any network, including landlines, to stay connected to the five people who matter most
* A convenient trackball for one-handed navigation and an improved gaming experience
* A speedy ARM9 processor to handle the massively multitasking communicators
* Replaceable battery with up to 5.3 hours of talk time and 6 days of standby
* Dimensions: 5.12 x 2.48 x 0.87 inches; 6.2 ounces with standard battery
* Accessories available in black, yellow, blue, white, purple and glow-in-the-dark

The T-Mobile Sidekick iD will be available for $99.99 (with a qualifying two-year contract and mail-in rebate) at T-Mobile retail locations and online at www.t-mobile.com beginning April 25. For more information on T-Mobile Sidekick, please visit www.sidekick.com.

[1] Taxes additional; requires activation of a qualifying two-year service plan and Sidekick data plan. 2 Separate charges may apply to some features. Not all Web sites optimized for mobile browsers. 3 Nationwide plan; myFaves contacts limited to total of five U.S. phone numbers (certain exceptions apply); minimum one-year service agreement required.

This entry was posted on Thursday, April 12th, 2007 at 11:05 pm and is filed under Pictures, Release Dates, Reviews, Sidekick iD, TMobile. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.