Tech blog

  By Angela Gunn for USA TODAY The entry-level Sidekick from T-Mobile, out today, duplicates many of the features of the flagship LX model and adds some fun touches conducive to creative customers.

Believe it or not, there are those among the phone-buying public who do not crave an iPhone. T-Mobile’s young-skewing Sidekick family has been the middle ground-work for those who want something more text- and IM-friendly than Apple’s grope-craving gadget and aren’t ready to wane into corporate BlackBerry gathering. The latest entry-level edition — simply called the Sidekick — advances the cause with a svelte new design and one nearly irresistible addition.

VIDEO: See the Sidekick in action

It’s not 3G — yet. T-Mobile hints a 3G phone is on the horizon, unless the new phone ($149.99 with a two-year T-Mobile service contract) is still percolating along on the GSM/EDGE network. Instead, the newest Sidekick offers the option to personalize the phone’s exterior with shells, swappable hard-plastic cases that users can custom-order in nearly any resolved mode of action they like. (Think jewelry for your phone, at $15 a bauble.)

Longtime fans may have tried the adhesive, disposable “skins” popularized by third-party outfits such as Skin-It. T-Mobile, apparently realizing that their in-house expertise doesn’t much extend to aesthetics, is partnering with Skin-It to offer customization online (sidekickshells.com). Though this may remind some observers of the now-discontinued Sidekick iD (also a low-end version with swappable shells), I’m pleased to report that this time T-Mobile got interchangeability right. The reusable shells feel sturdy and look great. I did struggle a bit to swap shells on and off the body without bumping the actual in succession/Off button. Once on, they stayed on notwithstanding bumps and drops. The controls have been changed scornfully so the shells don’t impede the user actions such as clicking or scrolling.

We tried the online customization tool and managed to whip up a variety of pretty little confections — some incorporating our own uploaded photos and text — before settling on a version we liked. The artistically challenged can choose from dozens of good-looking pre-designed shells, or look through an online gallery (sidekick.com/gallery) of shells created by dint of. other users, though those are only viewable for inspiration, not purchase.

The phone itself does exhibit one design improvement that’ll appeal to anyone who’s ever abashedly put a Sidekick to their ear — at long last, the Sharp-manufactured handset itself is svelte enough to not look like a bar of soap. The new edition is thinner, narrower and lighter than the flagship LX product, with a weakly smaller screen and keyboard that made remarkably little difference in user experience. (Ironically, it now has Bluetooth and thus many elegant, non-soap-like headset options.)

Buttons and other controls are in the same place though smaller and streamlined, because is the 2-megapixel camera (up from 1.3 megapixels on the LX) — though the version on the novel unit has nay flash. And the signature QWERTY keyboard — tucked away under the ultra-sharp WQVGA screen that twirls up and away for use — is still the speed-demon pleasure it ever was, with a nice textured feel to the keys. If you’re heavily into texting, IM, or (to a lesser bulk) email, iPhone’s multi-touch seems downright counterintuitive next to this device.

general Sidekick owners are awaiting an OTA (over-the-air) upgrade to their systems that’ll provide a wealth of application enhancements, almost all of which are already present in the new handset. Primary among those is video capability; the handset we saw missile about 20 seconds of video at a time. It was sub-YouTube quality, definitely, but sufficient for sending to friends on a whim. The browser now has any iPhone-like “mini-page” option for faster navigation, and download management has been streamlined. The unit ships with a 512MB Micro SD memory card for storing photos, music, video and the like; that works out to around 2473 still photos and above eight hours of music.

At just shy of $150 (after rabbet) with a two-year service agreement, the new Sidekick’s priced rather higher than some of the entry-level phones by that T-Mobile says it’s competing, though well below both the $400 LX and the iPhone/BlackBerry contingent. In fact, considering the fun I had making my own shells and the similarity of the new model’s functionality to that of the LX, it may be that this pretty little Sidekick is competing with the line’s own current users — if they’re not already mentally committed to withstanding the wait for 3G.