Those of you that picked up a new Sidekick 4G probably already know that the old Sidekick forums (aka “Powered by Danger” or “hiptop.com”) are no longer geared towards the new Android based Sidekick. We also have no plans on spinning the old forums back up.

But fear not! Mike (aka @ncmacasl), a long time Hiptop3.com contributor, went on the hunt for new forums to chat about the new Sidekick. Here are his notes:

Android Central’s Forum (5 of 5 Stars)
– Devoted “Sidekick 4G” forum section
– special sub-section on rooting the Sidekick 4G
– 26+ threads so far / 100s-1,000s of views so far in each thread
– Can subscribe to forum updates

Phandroid.com’s “Android Forums” (4 of 5 Stars)
– Devoted “Sidekick 4G” forum section
– special sub-section on rooting the Sidekick 4G
– 15+ threads so far / 248,505 views so far in this forum
– Can subscribe to forum updates

XDA Developers Forum (4 of 5 stars)
– Devoted “Sidekick 4G” forum section
– Good site for Rooting info, nice Tips & Tricks Section
– 55+ threads so far
– Can subscribe to forum updates

Samsung Questions Page for Sidekick 4G (Model SGH-T839) (3.5 of 5 stars)
– 34 posts, all seem to be answered by knowledgeable Samsung Staffers.
– Also has 7 How-To videos

T-Mobile.com Forums (3 of 5 Stars)
– 100+ posts, very few answers. Occasionally you will get an answer from a knowledgeable user, or even less often by a T-Mobile staffer.
– Can subscribe to forum updates

Android.net “Worldwide Android Forum” (2 of 5 Stars)
– Devoted “Sidekick 4G” forum section
– 1 thread so far / 53 views so far

Android Community (1 of 5 Stars)
– No specially Devoted “Sidekick 4G” section
– very few posts regarding Sidekick 4G
– Can use Search to find individual threads mentioning “sidekick”

Phone Scoop’s Forum
– Devoted “Sidekick 4G” forum section
– 1 post

Seems like today is National Get Your Hands On a Sidekick 4G Day. A number of hands-on reviews of the new Sidekick are streaming in from CTIA in Orlando. Here’s the ones that have been posted so far:

LaptopMag: T-Mobile Sidekick 4G Video Hands-on: Great Keyboard, Funky UI

• This iconic messaging device continues the storied Sidekick legacy with a very familiar look and feel but also adds the power of Android to the mix, all for $99.

PCMag: T-Mobile Sidekick 4G: Hands On

• “The Sidekick looks even better in person than it does in photos.”
• “The Sidekick is an Android 2.2.1 phone with some pretty heavy customizations, but I think they’re good looking.”
• “Three customizable colored LEDs along the top of the screen play the role of the old “disco ball,” telling you about new messages.”
• “The Sidekick felt even zippier than the usual Samsung Galaxy S phone, which was surprising given that they share the same 1GHz Hummingbird processor.”

PCWorld: Hands-On with the T-Mobile Sidekick 4G

• “The Sidekick 4G’s keyboard rocks.”
• “The user interface is basically an updated version of the old Sidekick OS’s, but with some Samsung touches here and there.”

MSNBC: T-Mobile Sidekick 4G: The phone your kids will want

• “The device is solid and felt comfortable in our hands whether we were using the full keyboard or the touchscreen. The phone has a secure sliding mechanism which we actually found ourselves preferring over the swivel mechanism of past Sidekick generations.”
• “The Sidekick 4G will be available later this year and will be priced at $99.99 (after a $50 rebate and with a 2-year service agreement with an unlimited data plan).”

AndroidCommunity: T-Mobile Sidekick 4G Hands-On – with video and lots of pics

• “The phone is clearly made for folks who like to text, type, or otherwise message one another, as the entire Sidekick line has always been, and the addition of Android has blasted its insides into outer space in a way that I can only describe as the most ambitious user interface modification ever applied to Android.”
• “This device even marks its info screen differently than the average Android phone, marking its version of Android as “Firmware version: 2.2.1? and its Build number as FROYO.UVKCB. You could also note the model number if you felt so inclined here, SGH-T839.”
• “Lots of apps seem to be integrated in like qik for video chat, Media Hub, Visual Voicemail, wifi calling, group text, and the sweetly touted Cloud Texting which will allow you to pretty much chat from whichever device you’ve got to whichever other device you’ve got one it’s released in earnest.”
• “There’s not too much NEW to say about the hardware as it’s essentially the same model T-Mobile has been Sidekickin’ since back in the day, but with Android running around inside, there’s some magic going on.”

BGR: T-Mobile Sidekick 4G hands-on!

• “…despite our initial fears that it would be a lackluster device compared to the high-end beauties recently announced, we were pretty pleased with what the Sidekick 4G offers.”
• “It felt well built and its display hinge felt very sturdy when we popped it open to reveal the keyboard.”
• “The Sidekick 4G has a 3-megapixel camera but sadly, it lacks a flash. For those up on video-chatting, however, there’s also a front-facing camera.”

cnet reviews: T-Mobile Sidekick 4G gets priced, hands-on treatment

• “The new Sidekick will cost $99.99 with a two-year contract with unlimited data and after a $50 mail-in rebate. Alternatively, you can purchase the messaging handheld for $149.99 with a two-year service agreement and lower data plan, such as its 200MB data plan.”
• “Instead, the Sidekick 4G has a slider design with a spring-loaded hinge. Sliding the phone open was generally easy, and the screen securely locks into place at a slight angle, so it’s easier to see when you’re using the keyboard.”
• “It uses the Samsung TouchWiz user interface but the company has done even more tweaking on top of TouchWiz, including changes to the lock screen, menu shortcuts, and wallpaper.”
• “The only missing part of the puzzle is the release date, which we’ll hopefully have soon, but so far, we think it will do pretty well with the young’uns.”

Engadget: T-Mobile Sidekick 4G by Samsung priced at $99.99 with a two-year contract, we go hands-on – with video

• “Much like its Sidekick 3 and iD older brothers, the slightly-curved keys are almost perfectly spaced, and while they aren’t rubbery like those on the Sidekick LX, they do have a nice smooth coating.”
• “We admit we miss the 180-degree swivel, but the slider actually doesn’t feel half bad.”

Know of any hands-on reviews that we missed? Let us know in the comments.

We’re a bit behind in the news as we’re still getting over the hangover from SXSW. But while we were gone, T-Mobile has gone and dropped all sorts of news on the new Sidekick 4G. Here’s a video they released a couple days ago.

This evening T-Mobile announced their relaunch of the Sidekick brand with the Sidekick 4G, an Android powered device produced by Samsung.

This Sidekick will be HSPA+ 21 (Able to deliver theoretical speeds of up to 21mbps.) and will be the first to feature a Touch Screen. In addition this Sidekick will feature a 1GHz Cortex A8 CPU, and a VGA front facing camera for video calls through Qik. No mention of the rear cameras specifications however. It will also be running Android 2.2 and features a five row keyboard just as previous devices have.

It’s expected to ship later this spring in 2 colors. Matte Black and Pearl Magenta. No pricing information is available, or if T-Mobile will extend discounts to previous Sidekick Customers.

Full press release below.

Source TMoNews
(more…)

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

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