T-Mobile has officially launched the rollout of their 3G network with New York City. The plan is to have 3G rolled out to the major cities in the US. We haven’t heard anything on when we’ll see 3G Sidekicks yet (most likely not on the Sidekick Gekko), but we hope T-Mobile realizes that Sidekick users would be the ones to benefit the most with the high-speed network. We have our fingers crossed. The press release is below:

NEW YORK and BELLEVUE, Wash. – May 5, 2008– T-Mobile USA, Inc. today announced that the company has taken the first commercial step in the rollout of its third-generation (3G) wireless network by launching its UMTS/HSDPA network in New York City. T-Mobile plans to continue the rollout of its 3G network across major metropolitan markets through the year. By year’s end, T-Mobile expects its high-speed data network will be available in those cities where a majority of its subscribers currently use data services.

“The launch of our 3G network comes at a time when 3G phones and services are more affordable, capable and appealing to our consumer marketplace than ever before,” said Cole Brodman, chief development officer, T-Mobile USA. “We benefit not only from the economic scale of 3G, but also from the extensive commercial experience of 3G in our European markets. Today, T-Mobile USA customers already have among the highest adoption of data and messaging services in the industry. Through our 3G network, we look forward to delivering a rich portfolio of new and meaningful services to enrich our customers’ lives.”

T-Mobile’s 3G network supports voice and data services consistent with available service and handset offerings. The company today offers multiple phones that are able to operate on the UMTS network. The phones are designed to automatically connect to the best available network (3G or GSM/GPRS/EDGE) to provide the great call quality and rich communication services customers expect from T-Mobile.

Customers using a 3G-capable handset from T-Mobile will also experience faster data speeds when accessing the Web, or downloading content from the T-Mobile t-zones content portal, for example.

In the coming months, T-Mobile plans to offer its first HSDPA device, along with new and compelling data-centric, all-in-one devices that help make the most of T-Mobile’s high-speed data network.

The launch of the 3G network also enables T-Mobile to accommodate and serve more customers more efficiently through the use of its AWS spectrum, effectively doubling T-Mobile USA’s spectrum position, and laying the foundation for the company’s future growth. T-Mobile and the U.S. government, namely the Department of Defense and the Department of Justice, continue to work closely and effectively together to make available AWS spectrum that will give consumers access to the 3G network.

As the 3G service rolls out in targeted major markets, T-Mobile will continue to build upon its
T-Mobile® HotSpot Wi-Fi network — its wireless high-speed Internet offering that launched in 2003 — and its nationwide voice and data network, to empower customers to effortlessly stay connected using the best available network.

T-Mobile International is following a common technology path across all of its markets in Europe and the United States, from GSM/GPRS/EDGE to UMTS/HSDPA. T-Mobile USA greatly benefits from
T-Mobile International’s 3G experiences in Europe, where adoption of non-messaging mobile data is growing dynamically; and with more than 120 million customers worldwide, T-Mobile International is able to generate significant global procurement synergies.

Anyone that keeps tabs on which celebrity uses a Sidekick will know that Tony Hawk loves the Sidekick. The press release for the Sidekick II even quotes him:

“I can’t live without my Sidekick,” said skateboarding icon Tony Hawk. “I take it everywhere with me. It allows me to answer emails as they come in instead of coming home to 100 different messages.”

So it’s not too big of a surprise to hear rumors that he’s going to get his own Limited Edition Sidekick LX. We hope he’s still not stuck on the Sidekick II, but if so, this will be more than enough reason to upgrade.

No official word from T-Mobile on this yet, but rumor has it that the Tony Hawk Limited Edition Sidekick LX will launch on July 16th. This is perfect timing as it is 2 days before the first stop on Tony Hawk’s Boom Boom Huckjam presented by T-Mobile Sidekick. Yes, another event with a name just as long as the 50th Grammy Celebration Concert Tour presented by T-Mobile Sidekick. We’re not even sure of the color of this one yet, but as soon as we find out more info, we’ll let you know. What color do you think it should be?

TmoNews says it so it must be true, right? 🙂

This is definitely one to take with a grain of salt, and there’s not really a whole lot of meat to salt! Tmonews is reporting that there are is a new device (possibly two) on the way in July. They say there’s evidence (but not what the evidence is) of a device named “SK Gekko” due on July 27th and a “Sidekick Aspen” launching on July 30th. Like everyone, we’ll have our eye on the FCC site to see what sort of info we can find on these devices if they are in fact real. Could this be the 3G Sidekick we’re all waiting for or maybe just limited edition devices? We’re putting our money on some new limited edition devices since the LX hasn’t had any Limited Editions yet and it would be silly not to offer those since they sell like crazy. Who would you guys most like to see a Limited Edition from?

Thanks for the heads-up Shawn

The blogs are abuzz with rumors of T-Mobile finally launching a 3G network here in the US. According to TmoNews, New York will be the first city to get the coveted high-speed connections in May. Another 24 cities will also be outfitted with 3G in the coming months. Of course this is all rumor and not confirmed, so take it with a grain of salt. And it means jack squat for us Sidekick users, until a 3G version of the Sidekick comes out. But with T-Mobile supporting 3G in the near future, that means there is more motivation for them to get out a 3G version of the Sidekick in order to keep that market going. Don’t get your hopes up yet, I’m sure the dust from the Microsoft acquisition of Danger will have to settle first.

Here’s the list of 25 cities to get 3G first according to TmoNews:

New York City
Austin
NJ and Long Island
Las Vagas
Minneapolis
Miami
Dallas
Chicago
Houston
Philadelphia
Denver
Detroit
Orlando
Kansas city
Atlanta
Los Angeles
New England
Portland
Sacramento
San Diego
Seattle
Washington DC
San Francisco
Birmingham
Memphis
Tampa
Phoenix

According to TmoNews (an unofficial blog about T-Mobile) the new Sidekick Slide color is going to officially be called “Scarlet” and should be available May 15th. They’ve got what looks like to be an internal memo about it.

There’s a video that proves its existence (or at least a prototype) and now BGR is reporting that the Sidekick Slide is slated for a late May/early June release from T-Mobile. They’ve also got the above image, which may just be a color-shifted version of the purple Sidekick Slide we all know.

We’ve got no further information on this yet, so buyer beware, but there’s currently two auctions up on eBay for Limited Edition Black Sidekick LXs. The seller says he has 5 units pre-ordered, 4 of them “Buy-It-Now” style and one up for auction. The seller also says that the devices won’t ship until January 30th. Reasons we’re skeptical:
The photo of the said device is very poor. It’s not a press photo from T-Mobile and the seller says he has devices pre-ordered, not in hand, so how’d he get the picture? Why is he selling most of them “Buy-It-Now” when he could definitely make more money selling them auction style? But if you’re trusting and have the money to spend, here’s a link to the Seller’s Items. He does have 100% feedback for what it’s worth.

UPDATE: Our sources say that this is fake, not to mention the auctions got pulled from eBay. We’ll let you guys know as soon as we hear anything about Limited Edition Sidekick LXs.

It’s official.. The Sidekick Slide has landed for T-Mobile customers. If you were passing on the Sidekick LX because you wanted a smaller device, then now is your chance! Check it out on the official T-Mobile page.

It’s going to cost you $329.99 without a contract, or $249.99 with a contract, which is a bit more than we were all expecting. Heck, it’s even more than what T-Mobile said it would cost. At least people are reporting that T-Mo is tossing in the free Express Shipping for the $30-50 increase in price.

Want to check out the Sidekick Slide Reviews while you wait on hold?

Let us know how your ordering experience went in the comments!

Looks like T-Mobile isn’t the only one pushing the Slide this month. Telstra has a fancy Flash page up advertising the availability of the Hiptop Slide. Sam says the retail stores were telling him November 5th! Check out Telstra’s page for more info!

Update: We’ve been told the Hiptop Slide actually was available at the beginning of November, so go get yours now!

Holding out for the Sidekick Slide on November 7th here in the US? Don’t worry, we haven’t forgotten about you Motorola lovers! Hands on reviews for the Sidekick Slide have been popping up now that T-Mobile has officially announced it (along with the Sidekick LX). Here’s a roundup of posts that we’ve found so far. If you’ve seen any others, drop them in the comments!

Gizmodo – Hands All Over the Sidekick Slide (Verdict: Best Build Quality Ever)
Engadget Mobile – Hands-on with the Sidekick Slide!
CrunchGear – Hands on with the Sidekick Slide
BoyGeniusReport – Sidekick Slide (Zante): Hands On!
CrunchGear – Sidekick Slide review [Update]