Looks like one of Danger’s trial users has broken their NDA for Boy Genius Report and leaked tons of info on the Zante. Photos of the device from all angles, some screenshots of OS 4.0, and comparisons to a Sidekick 3 and an iPhone. He gives a quick review and promises of a video review to come. Here’s a summary, keep in mind that this is a trial device and not necessarily what TMobile is going to release:
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Operating System: Not much new other than system sounds and a prettier look.

Instant Messaging: More reliable.

Size: About the size of a Blackberry 8800, rubberized finish, plastic body.

Keyboard: Pretty good, circular keys, wish there was more tactile feedback

Reception: No concerns, seems about the same

Call Quality: Quality on par or better than Sidekick 3. Good location for earpiece

Speaker Volume/Quality: Really loud external speakers. Speaker is by the Tmobile logo.

Catalog: Disregard what he says, this is a trial device. Trial users have a different catalog than normal users. Hopefully themes aren’t going to cost $2.99 apiece or everyone will keep getting them for free.
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Looks like BGR’s WordPress is currently broken, but we were able to grab copies of the photos and add them to this post.

via BoyGeniusReport

CrunchGear posted about the latest Sidekick Zante/Slide info and are a bit cautious about believing it. We’re also a bit skeptical over here. Here are some reasons why we think the latest “leak” of Zante / Slide info is flawed.

The Zante on the features image is a bad photoshop. Why would you put a black phone on a black background? And even so, why not outline it in white rather than leftover garbage from a select tool? However the actual Zante image itself is something new. I just find it hard to believe that any “official doc” like this would be so poorly done.

What is the difference between a Feature and an Enabler? Why so much repetition in specifications? Are you just trying to take up space?

The Zante will use microSD not “Mlini SD”

The Zante has previously been reported as the Q700, not the Q900.

All the info has been previously leaked in some form already or easily assumed. It’s easy to gather it all and photoshop it together.

Why is it spelled “Catalogue” and not “Catalog” like it is on the Sidekick devices?

The screen on the Zante is an image of Danger OS 3.0, not 4.0 like the URL for the user manual placeholder on Danger’s site indicates.

Why in the world would you measure size in cc instead of inches or millimeters?

There is talk of the Zante having incredible battery life, but the battery is only 1130mAh, whereas the Sidekick 3’s current battery is 1500mAh and only gets about a day of usage. Can we really believe that they dropped the power consumption that much to get a rumoured 5.9hrs of talk time?

No mention of the feature of OS OTAs? This is one of the features that Danger has that most other phones don’t.

“WMA.2.5mm Audio” ? – Is this a new codec or did someone not hit return to create a new bullet point about the size of the headphone port?

All in all, I think some of this info is right, some of it is wrong, and some of it is old. Perhaps the person leaking this does have access to some info, but I don’t think this came from Danger or Motorola. Anyone else want to point out other fun facts about this latest “leak”?

More renderings of the possible Sidekick Slide / Zante have surfaced as well as an image with some stats. While the first two are most definitely renderings, the specification sheet is somewhat suspicious. Poor graphics, and misspelled words like “Mlini” and “catalogue” (it’s Download Catalog on the Sidekick 3 devices). And if they’re going for form factors, one would think they would opt for microSD as opposed to miniSD. And if this is a sheet for T-Mobile (as it has the T-Mobile phone people) why is it called the Zante and not the Sidekick Slide? If it’s not for T-Mobile, why is it using the T-Mobile phone splash screen and not Danger’s internal splash screen? We’re a little skeptical of the source, although a large part of the information looks to be correct. Here are the specs from the image:

Zante Main Features / Highlights

Specifications

SA Date: Q3 2007

Form Factor: QWERTY assisted slider

Finish: Premium-look CMF, plastic

Bands/Modes: GSM/GPRS 850/900/1800/1900

GPRS (2U/4D) Class 10

EDGE (2U/4D) Class 10

Size: 104cc

Weight: 150g

Antenna: Internal

Battery: 1130 mAh (BK70) removable

Key Features

2.4″ QVGA 65k TFT Display

1.3MP Imager

Large 5-row QWERTY keyboard

MP3, WAV, MIDI, AAC, AAC+, WMA, 2.5mm Audio

Push Email

SMS, MMS, IM (AIM, Yahoo, Microsoft)

Web-browsing with Javascript support

Game controllers

Bluetooth Wireless Connectivity

Expandable mem up to 2GB with Mlini SD

Enablers

EDGE

1.3MP Imager

Java

Audio Codec: MP3, AAC, AAC+, WMA

EL Backlighting

Integrated BlueTooth

128MB shared internal user memory

Danger Service Delivery Engine

Realtime web-page conversion

OTA synchronization of user data

Download catalogue

original post over at Gizmodo

Some of the guys (Thanks FULLY EQUIPPED and Brandon) over at the MySK4 forums let us know that about information posted on T-Mobile’s site about a possible MySpace application. We gathered some more info from sleuthing users on hiptop.com/forums Unfortunately the page is now coming up as “no longer exists” now, but some screenshots were snagged by abercrombieboy:

Still don’t believe it?
Search for MySpace

More info in on the Sidekick Slide has leaked out.

Sources confirm that it is the Zante, and here are the specs:

•It’s called the Motorola Q700, or Zante
•September 9-11, 2007 Launch [In question, as are all unofficial release dates]
•Danger 4.0 OS
•Assisted slide
•Round keyboard keys
•Transmissive 2.4-inch, 320 × 240 screen
•118mm x 62mm x 17.5mm
•MMS support
•MicroSD
•USB charging
•Voice dialing
•Same 100/30 SMS message limit as previous SKs
•Same 1.3MP camera

Some are speculating that this is an “interim device” to hold people over until the Sidekick 4. This is not just some thrown together device that’s basically the same as the old device, like the Sidekick ID was. This is a new hardware design, aimed at the market of people who complain that the Sidekick is too big and bulky. The new operating system probably won’t be ground breaking (we don’t expect to see video on it), but it will have some nice improvements over version 3.4.

via Gizmodo

Danger’s job page, while always interesting to look at, sometimes drops clues regarding what features they’re working on for future devices. This time it looks like they’re going to be working on GPS support via bluetooth. Here’s the internship listing:

Internship – Software Engineering: Location-Based Services
Job Code : Intern-07-3
Division/Company : Apps
Location : 1; PALO ALTO CA US 94306
Travel Required : No Travel
Job Type : Intern-Temporary
Career Level : Student (Undergraduate/Graduate)
Education : Some College Coursework Completed
Skill : Computer Software Development -> C language programming, Java, UNIX
Category : Computers, Hardware,Computers, Software,Engineering,Telecommunications
Compensation :
Job Description :

INTERN AT DANGER THIS SUMMER!

Internship – Software Engineering: Location-Based Services

We are offering full time summer internships in both MBA and technical areas. Our Summer Internship Program will run 3 months from approximately June 4th thru August 31st.

We are seeking talented students who would love the opportunity to work in a challenging & creative environment. Danger, Inc. is a dynamic, fast paced, private software company in the mobile/internet space. Creating innovative, user-friendly, fun software for the mobile Internet is the heart of what we do. As an intern at Danger, you will be a part of innovative projects and work with some of the most talented people in the industry! You will learn from the best and be a part of today’s most cutting edge technology! All our internships are paid! We offer competitive salary and perks.

APPLICATION DEADLINE IS MAY 11TH! APPLY NOW!

In this position you will be working with Danger’s experienced Library Team to formalize our Blue Tooth support for serial protocol.

* Formalize Java Native Interface APIs for our BT serial support
* Get API approval through the API Council
* Formalize the Java Native Interface and glue layer for binding the BT serial support as a GPS provider of data

Job Requirements :

Skills/Requirements

* This is a great opportunity for a Computer Science major with coding experience
* Bachelor’s level student working at the C-language level
* Working knowledge of Java a big plus!
* You must be enrolled in a college or university and actively pursuing a degree relative to the internship
* You must be immediately authorized to work in the US.

Thanks to exiva from HiptopHunt for noticing this

UPDATE: Confirmed by John B, it does have a USB port and it’s covered up with a little bit of plastic that is easy to lose. Thanks John!

Sounds like some lines got crossed somewhere. Whether or not the Sidekick iD has a USB port is in debate. Check out the image from www.sidekick.com:

and then check out the video from Crunchgear’s John Biggs:

Hmmmmmm….. maybe there are SKiD flaps?

Thanks to exiva at HiptopHunt for pointing this out

Greg Andrews, the director of marketing at T-Mobile has a few press blurbs via video snippets on why the Sidekick iD is going to be a great device. Apparently it’s all about individuality and customization. Personally, we’re still curious to see if there will be any way to load themes without an SD card or if you’ll be limited to the catalog.

Videos:
The iD stands for individuality:
The Youth Market:
Sidekick iD Customization:
Sidekick iD Release Date:

John Biggs over at CrunchGear has a video showing off the swappable bumper covers on the new Sidekick iD.

Our favorite Sidekick theme site has somehow uncovered a hidden feature on the Sidekick themes, video themes. They’ve posted a few video themes already. Basically they act like normal themes, changing backgrounds, bubbles, and icons, but instead of playing a sound when you flip open the screen, it plays a video in the background. There are only a couple up right now, but they’re very cool to see in action.
Hope you had a HAPPY APRIL FOOLS DAY!