14 DAY TRIAL // Wireless carrier T-Mobile USA has finally went official with the new Sidekick 4G, an Android-based device coming from Samsung, which should become available on its airwaves later during this spring.
The new device comes with the stylish good looks and the popular keyboard of the older Sidekick, while packing the power of Android and support for the carrier's 4G network.
The new Sidekick 4G is expected to become one of the fastest devices on the carrier's network, offering support for theoretical peak download speeds of up to 21 Mbps.
The new handset preserves the popular design of Sidekick, boasting a 3.5-inch display, with touch capabilities this time, and a sturdy “pop-tilt” hinge, which would reveal a five-row QWERTY keyboard.
“Backed by the faster speeds on T-Mobile’s 4G network, the new Sidekick 4G offers customers both speed and style,” said Andrew Sherrard, senior vice president, product management, T-Mobile USA.
“We’ve reinvented the messaging experience that made the Sidekick such an iconic device, and supercharged it with communication and entertainment experiences that take full advantage of our 4G network.”
The handset is powered by a 1 GHz Cortex A8 Hummingbird processor, runs under Google's Android 2.2 (Froyo) operating system, and also sports a VGA front-facing camera for video calling (T-Mobile Video Chat powered by Qik).
Among the main features of the new device, we can count Sidekick Group Text and Cloud Text for enhanced messaging capabilities.
Sidekick’s Group Text feature would offer users the possibility to create, name, manage and participate in reply-all group text conversations.
Through Cloud Text, they would manage to text their friends groups across platforms, either from a PC, or from the new Sidekick 4G.
Dale Sohn, president of Samsung Mobile, said, “We are proud that T-Mobile selected Samsung to help create the next-generation Sidekick and carry the iconic Sidekick brand and device to the next level.
“Samsung redesigned the new Sidekick 4G with our best-in-class hardware, combined with T-Mobile’s 4G network speeds, the Android operating system, and unique messaging and entertainment features, to make this a perfect match for both loyal Sidekick fans and new Sidekick owners.”
The Sidekick 4G also comes with Facebook and Twitter applications, multitasking capabilities, Media Room (which puts together music, videos, movies, YouTube, T-Mobile TV and Slacker Radio), as well as with DriveSmart from T-Mobile.
It would also support various mobile services from Google, including Gmail, Google Maps and access to thousands of applications on Android Market.