Launch Date for the T-Mobile Sidekick 4G Revealed

Those who are interested in the T-Mobile Sidekick 4G won't have long to wait: T-Mobile announced this morning that the first Android-based model in this long-running series of consumer-oriented smartphones will be available in three weeks.

The specifications and price for the Sidekick 4G have already been revealed so all that was left was the launch date. And that's no longer a mystery, thanks to a post on T-Mobile's Twitter feed:

Its official, T-Mobile's Sidekick 4G arrives on April 20.

It will be available for $100 after a $50 mail-in rebate card and with a two-year service contract.

T-Mobile Sidekick 4G Preview
This will be the first model with the "Sidekick" name that runs Google's mobile operating system, and the first with a touchscreen, but it will retain the hardware keyboard its predecessors were known for.

The Sidekick 4G will include a 3.5-inch WVGA (800 x 480) display that will flip up to reveal its keyboard.

This device, which is being produced by Samsung, will run Android OS 2.2 (Froyo) on a 1GHz Cortex A8 Hummingbird processor.

In addition to the standard suite of communication and entertainment apps, the model will mark the debut of Sidekick Group Text, which will let users send a single text to a group of users.

With 4G in its name, it's no surprise that this device will support T-Mobile's HSPA+ cellular-wireless network. It's also going to have Wi-Fi b/g/n and Bluetooth 3.0.

This Sidekick is going to have a 3-megapixel rear-facing camera plus a front-facing VGA camera for video chatting.

Other features will include a microSD memory card slot, GPS receiver, and DLNA. The T-Mobile Sidekick 4G is going to be offered in two color combinations: matte black or pearl magenta.