According to the press release, it sounds like Telstra has launched the Hiptop 3 (you know, what T-Mobile calls the “Sidekick 3”) in Australia. It’s not on their site yet, but we imagine it will be soon. No word on pricing for our friends in Australia yet.

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:

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.

Everyone is slipping these days. Looks like the Rebate guys over at T-Mobile were a little quick to jump the gun and information on the Sidekick iD’s release date, rebate amount, and available colors slipped out. The rebate will be $50, the release date looks like April 18th, and you’ll have your choice of blue, pink, or yellow at first. From what we hear the colors will actually be changeable, so no need to buy all three to match your outfits. They’ll be like the bumpers were on the Sidekick IIs. With the already low price and the rebate, these are almost like disposable Sidekicks, handy for the situations where you wouldn’t want to take your several hundred dollar Sidekick 3.

Rebate Form (PDF)

Thanks Engadget

We got the image above from someone who probably wants to remain anonymous. We’re told it’s a slide from a PowerPoint presentation given at the T-Mobile National Marketing Meeting last week in Twenty Nine Palms, CA. While it’s not as exciting as pictures of an actual device, it tells us a few things. The “Sidekick X RAZR Multimedia device” basically says it’s going to be made by Motorola, it’ll at least play music (possibly even video since they mention “multimedia” instead of “MP3”), and it will be a smaller form factor as is typical of the RAZR phones. Speculation past that at this point is probably just speculation. Whether or not this “Sidekick X RAZR” name will stick is yet to be seen as well, but chances are the “Sidekick” name is still going to be used since it mentions their “intentions with the Sidekick line”. What’s with the “4:49” in the middle? We’re assuming this was put up on a projector at the conference with a countdown timer to when the session was due to start, a common sight for anyone attending conferences. What’s with the blur? Out of courtesy, we covered up someone’s full name so they don’t catch any heat. Unfortunately no time line or expected drop date, so we expect it’s far in the future. As always, we’ll keep you updated on what we hear.

We’ve been hearing a couple rumors about an OTA for the Sidekick 3 coming soon. No definite dates, but then again it doesn’t really matter as we’ll go through the same old roll-out sequence of a few at a time. We’ve heard that maybe this OTA brings MyFaves support, but haven’t been able to confirm that. We heard that MyFaves support was coming out, but you would only get the update if you called and requested it. That’s highly unlikely, so don’t bother picking up the phone and bothering TMobile.

We also heard that the Sidekick 4 was coming out soon, but we know that’s bunk. The PV-150 is next on the list, sometime in the next two months or so. We know it’s not the “Sidekick 4” but it is another Sidekick model. We’ll get more details on it as soon as the FCC docs are released into the wild. From all we’ve heard it looks like this won’t be a device for the hardcore Sidekickers, but will be a highly affordable internet enabled phone for everyone else. Tmobile/Danger are skimping on the features in order to offer a low-cost phone with internet and AIM. If you debating on whether you should wait for the PV-150, don’t. Go ahead and get a Sidekick III, or settle in for the long wait for the Sidekick RAZR that may grace us who-knows-when.

Looks like GeekSugar has some photos from the DWade release party fun in Las Vegas. Several hip hop stars were there, including Will.i.am, Ciara, Luda, Kelis and DJ AM, as well as other celebrities. Yes, probably another great party that you weren’t invited to. (Don’t worry, neither were we)

While we have heard of the dreaded “Sidekick-thumb” disorder, the jury is still out on whether or not D-Wade’s excessive Sidekick usage had anything to do with the dislocation of his shoulder on Wednesday night. Ouch. We couldn’t help but notice the indirect reference to D-Wade’s Sidekick from head coach, Pat Riley:

Riley said he would talk with Wade about the decision in the next couple of days.

“I don’t have any anticipation,” Riley said Thursday night before an NBA finals rematch against Dallas. “I wrote him a letter today — FedExed it, because his mailbox was loaded on his phone.”

Hey guys, maybe it’s time to bump up the size of the mailbox? 🙂

If anyone thought the Dwayne Wade Sidekick 3 might just be a rumor (not sure how), T-Mobile has confirmed officially the planned released of the D-Wade Limited Edition Sidekick 3. The T-Mobile Sidekick 3, D-Wade Edition, will be available February 21 for $399, or for $299 with a two-year contract, $100 more than the normal SK 3. T-Mobile is also launching one of their largest ad campaigns, with one of the largest “billboards” on the side of the Mandalay Bay Hotel (a 39 story hotel) in Las Vegas.


And of course the normal billboards are also starting to popup:

And if that wasn’t enough marketing for you, there’s also a Flash ad on sidekick.com that lets you rotate the device and see it from any angle.

thanks to xLotuSx over at the hiptop.com forums for the pictures!

We got a link from Jahmar to the images above. Looks like screenshots of a PDF. We’d love to get our hands on the PDF for further investigation, but this looks legit. The details? A white and gold Dwayne Wade Sidekick 3 with a special “realistic basketball-textured backing for added comfort and grip”. The number 3 is also highlighted in gold since that’s D-Wade’s number. Thanks to Rap-Up.com for the additional photo below, showing off the textured back:

The text:
Designed by D-Wade
NBA All-Star Dwayne Wade is connected to the number three in a variety of ways: the number on his jersey, his mind-bending three-point plays, and his three spectacular years in the NBA, so far. Now with the Dwayne Wade Sidekick by T-Mobile, he takes on another kind of three — the T-Mobile Sidekick 3.
T-Mobile has teamed up with the 2006 NBA Finals MVP to create a unique limited edition version of the T-Mobile Sidekick 3. the Dwayne Wade Sidekick by T-Mobile connects the personal style and grace of the NBA’s fastest rising star to T-Mobile’s star communication device.

Designed to Amaze
Wade, an avid user of Sidekick since 2004, was integrally involved in the design process from start to finish, drawing on numerous realms of personal inspiration. The sleek device emulates a luxurious look and feel inspired by high-end automobiles. The crisp white colo of Miami’s South Beach is contrasted with tan accents and bronze number keys. Wade’s signature “3” stands out as the only detail in gold, symbolizing the elegance of winning an NBA championship trophy — which Dwayne hopes to be the first of many. Last but not least, the Dwayne Wade Sidekick by T-Mobile debuts another exciting first — a realistic basketball textured backing for added comfort and grip.

original forum post

Up until today, we only had a rumor, but now there has been an official press release from T-Mobile UK confirming the launch of the Sidekick 3! Here’s the typical info from the press release:

Today T-Mobile announces the arrival of the Sidekick 3, the ultimate communication gadget and exclusive lifestyle accessory – making it even easier to stay in touch on-the-move.

Following the huge success, and popularity with high-profile celebrities, of the Sidekick II last year, T-Mobile is bringing the eagerly anticipated Sidekick 3 to the UK for people who are fully engaged in their social universe and who aren’t afraid of standing out from the crowd.

The Sidekick 3 is the latest handset to offer simple, open Internet access through T-Mobile’s web’n’walk service – enabling you to surf the internet in the same way as you could on your PC. With an intuitive and distinctive trackball, it makes navigating through the menu of the device or web browsing, effortless.

Staying in touch with friends or work mates has never been easier than with the Sidekick 3 – providing a one-stop-shop for organising your social calendar. With phone, email and instant messenger functions available at the touch of a button, the Sidekick 3 makes messaging quick and simple to use whilst on the move. The device has a full QWERTY keypad that makes typing faster and more accurate – perfect for staying in touch via text as well as by voice.

The Sidekick 3 also boasts a large colour screen, which is ideal for playing games, viewing photos or web-pages. The trademark Sidekick screen swivels open to be used like a mini laptop or used closed as a gaming device, phone or camera, depending on how you wish to use it.

For the first time, the Sidekick brand now offers a built-in MP3 player within the handset.

The built-in 1.3 mega-pixel digital camera is ideal for capturing and sharing special moments. Within seconds of taking a picture, each image is stored online in a back-up gallery, enabling you to send pictures to friends and loved ones or save them to your PC and print them.

On top of all this, the Sidekick 3 is the ideal personal assistant – with calendar, notes and ‘To Do’ list easily updated and always with you, helping you stay on top of your hectic schedule. The Sidekick 3 boasts an internal memory of 64MB Flash ROM and an external MiniSD card slot (with a 64MB Mini SD card included).

Phil Chapman, T-Mobile UK’s Marketing Director, said, “The Sidekick 3 is the ultimate communication device – for both social and entertainment aspects of people’s lives. This Sidekick brand has been hugely successful in the US and T-Mobile is delighted to be the first and only company to offer the Sidekick 3 in the UK.”

The Sidekick 3 will be available through T-Mobile retail stores and online at www.t-mobile.co.uk from December 2006, pricing will be dependent on price plan.