Details Starting to Emerge on Sidekick 4

Update 9/26/2007: Several months later, T-Mobile has formally announced the Sidekick LX, which is the replacement for the Sidekick 3. It has also taken the wraps off the Sidekick Slide. More information is available in this article: T-Mobile Announces Two New Sidekicks.

T-Mobile is expected to introduce the next model in its Sidekick line of smartphones in the coming months. This device has not been announced by either T-Mobile or Danger, Inc., the company that is responsible for its operating system; nevertheless, details are starting to leak out.

It will likely be called the Sidekick LX, but it has the code-name Shuriken. At this point, though, it's typically referred to as the Sidekick 4.

According to unconfirmed reports, it will include a larger display than previous Sidekicks: 3 inches. It has also been rumored that this will have a QVGA (320 by 240 pixel) resolution, up from the 2.6-inch, 240-by-160-pixel screen used in its predecessor.

It is also supposed to include a microSD card slot, while the Sidekick 3 (the only other model in this series with a memory card slot) uses miniSD cards.

The LX is expected to include a 1.3 megapixel camera, as the Sidekick 3 does.

Naturally, the upcoming model will use the same general shape as its predecessors, with a screen that flips around to expose a QWERTY keyboard. It will supposedly be 5.1 inches wide, 2.4 inches deep, and 0.7 inches thick, while the Sidekick 3 is 5.1 in. by 2.3 in. by 0.9 in.

LX vs. Slide

The Sidekick LX isn't the only new model in this series supposedly drawing close to release. Another is called the Sidekick Slide, code-named the Zante.

These two will share the same shape, but the Slide is expected to be thinner than its sister model. It was reportedly designed by Motorola, the creator of the RAZR line of super-slim mobile phones.

The LX, on the other hand, has been designed by Sharp, the company responsible for many of the earlier Sidekicks.

According to unconfirmed reports, the Slide will be launched in October, while the LX will debut at some point during the fourth quarter of this year.

Related Articles

• T-Mobile Sidekick iD Review
• A RAZR-Like T-Mobile Sidekick May Be in Development