Here is the LX alongside assorted phones competing for its audience: iPhone, Palm Centro and BlackBerry Curve: As you browsed through these Sizemodo shots, you probably noticed that there was no comparison with an older Sidekick. Unfortunately I don't have one here, but I will tell you that, measurement wise, the LX is only 2/10 of an inch slimmer than the Sidekick 3. It is also slightly lighter:

Sidekick LX: 5.1 x 2.36 x 0.7 in. - 5.7 oz.
Sidekick 3: 5.1 x 2.3 x 0.9 in. - 7 oz.

The Slide, built by Motorola, is actually the smallest Sidekick. We'll do a Slide vs. LX Sizemodo when it ships on November 7. Those shots will be much more interesting. [T-Mobile]

Sidekick 3 and Sidekick iD users will be able to grab it, and the Sidekick Slide (a.k.a. Zante) will get this installed by default.  Jason Chen

T-Mobile FAQ Page [T-Mobile via Boy Genius Report via Crunchgear]

Once your SK3 is brought up to speed with Release 3.4, you'll have access to myFaves, an improved "Active" address book, a text message character counter, and the ability to save photo attachments from emails onto your SK3 photo album. The automatic update is rolling out starting today, but will be gradually deployed over a month, so don't worry if you haven't gotten it yet.

 Jason Chen

In a few hours, T-Mobile will officially announce the latest addition to the Sidekick line up. We wanted you to be the first to have the details...The T-Mobile Sidekick 3, D-Wade Edition, will be available at select T-Mobile retail locations, select dealers, and online at www.t-mobile.com beginning Feb. 21.

Giz: Thanks for talking to us today. Why did you decide to go with white and gold rather than red to represent the Miami Heat?

D.W.: Yeah, I thought it was pretty easy. Going off the championship round we had last year all white and then with the championship and the gold. I thought it would be a nice look, something different.

Giz: What other factors played into the unique design?

D.W.: I wanted to find a way to put my name and stuff on it and not be too much. I got the gold threes around on the front part and the screen part. I got my name and my silhouette of myself on the back of the screen, but the most important thing to me was probably, if you pick one up and see the back, it is different, it is more like a basketball kind of material.

Giz: Did you decide on the synthetic basketball from the first half of the season, or the real leather basketball?

D.W.: It does kind of look like real leather. It's a little different than the real leather; it's not real leather, per se. It's not synthetic like the basketballs we played with. It's a little different. It just gives comfort. It just gives a different look.

Giz: Do you ever get sick of the basketball texture? Would you prefer something different like maybe ... a tennis-ball, or raquetball grip?

D.W.: Nah. I stick with what I know.

Giz: So what is your preferred method of communication? Text messaging, calling or e-mail?

D.W.: Actually one of my teammates turned me onto the Sidekick. I've been using it every chance I can get, I don't talk on the phone much. You can ask anybody—I'm always e-mailing and instant messaging. It's a huge thing now with younger people. We instant message a lot, it is just new means of communication. We instant message all the time. It is always in my hand. It's always in my Sidekick holder—it is a part of me.

Giz: Would you ever consider making a special edition Dwyane Wade Blackberry to appeal to the business folks?

D.W.: You know what, haven't got there yet. It is a good idea, though.

Giz: Besides the Sidekick, what are some of your other can't-live-without gadgets?

D.W.: Can't live without gadgets? I'm not really a big gadget guy. Besides the Sidekick, the only other thing I travel with ... got to have my laptop, got to have my iPod. Besides that, that's it.

Giz: Our readers need to know: are you a Mac or PC guy?

D.W.: Neither. I'm a Sony guy.

Giz: What kind of plans do you have for future D-Wade-branded consumer electronics?

D.W.: Right now this is the first thing. It is going to be great. I think a lot of people are getting a buzz already about it. A lot of people have been hitting me up: '"Yo, I heard you have an SK3 coming out." A lot of people are excited because, you know, it's a Sidekick. It's a very hip thing to have. A lot of people, of course, are asking for it. I can't wait for it to come out.

==

So, what did we learn from one Mr. Dwyane Wade? Well, he likes to bling out a phone. He likes his basketball number, three. Unfortunately, he isn't releasing a special edition Blackberry. The man is just like me when it comes to gadgets. All I need is my phone, laptop and iPod to be happy. –Travis Hudson

It has the innards of the stock Sidekick 3, but D-Wade has chosen a swank white, tan and gold exterior with a special basketball-textured back for easy gripping. Just don't slam-dunk it, D-Wade. No pricing information was available, but this looks like it would command a sizable premium over an ordinary Sidekick 3.

It's got back, too. Take a jump shot for a gander at its basketball-like dorsal side:

It's certainly not for those who favor understated elegance.  Charlie White

The D-Wade Limited Edition Sidekick 3 [Hiptop 3]

iBored [mrpunk2u - THanks Matt!]

No word on when it's hitting or anything else about it though, despite our best efforts to get some T-Mobile verbiage, as their spokesperson apparently doesn't take their slogan of "talk it up" to heart. All they'd offer is that "T-Mobile doesn't comment on rumors and doesn't pre-announce products." Is it really possible to pre-announce a product? I mean, once it's out there it's announced, no?  Matt Buchanan

FCC Approves Stripped-Down Sidekick [Phone Scoop]

Monaco Sidekick 3 Cradle [Hiptop3]

Don't fret, pre-existing SK3 owners, you can still send in your phone to get colorized for a fee of $99. I'm going to be brutally honest, this is pretty damn awesome. Good job, ColorWare. So, uh, can I get a hot pink and brown SK3 now, or what?  Travis Hudson

ColorWare PC

LRG Limited Edition Sidekick 3 [Via EngadgetMobile]

eBay Auction [Via PhoneLaunch]

Now, we're off to load up our SK3 with pictures sounds of Paris taken from screen-caps of One Night in Paris.  Jason Chen

Custom Backgrounds on your SK3 [Hiptop3 - Thanks Bryon!]

We'll open the floodgates with Nick Denton's short, but precise review of the Sidekick 3.

Okay, so I've been using the Sidekick 3 for about a week now. Here's the good and the bad.
• web access is usable finally
• ability to add storage useful, if only for carrying around files and music
• phone slightly lighter
• um, that's about it
Now, the bad...
• still a storage limit of 100 text messages on the device, so you're still constantly deleting old messages in order to make space for new ones — an idiotic limit, given the additional storage available
• max of 2,000 contacts — which makes for sync issues with Outlook — Sidekick doesn't download all contacts, and then tries to write over Outlook
• power consumption definitely heavier — phone, after a full night's charge, lasts me till about midnight — old one used to go to morning of the second day.
• flip screen catches — action isn't as smooth as with Sidekick II
• now takes an extra click to get to AIM — very annoying — menus ought to be customizable

First the good: 1. It seems faster, probably because the camera pictures can be stored on the minisd card. 2. The camera is faster, with high resolution. It does seem a little grainy thoguh. I'm not sure I've only had it a week, and I'm still learning. 3. The funtion buttons are less likely to be hit accidently. 4. Clicking on an address in the address book brings up a mobile mapquest map. But it doesn't provide a link to get directions.

Now the bad:
1. The keys are like chicklets. Where as before I was able to nail each key with my finger nail, now they keep sliding off. May be a lack of pratice.
2. The trackball doesn't have as much feed back as the scrollwheel.
3. Applications have to be re-downloaded, what's worse is not all of the applications are aviable. Terminal client isn't even in the catalog. Further more the ring tones don't carry over. Not sure if there will be a fee to re-download the apps and ringtones a user already purchased for the sk2.

The ugly, these may not be t-mobile/dangers fault:
1. Livejournal accounts seem to be inaccessible. The browser is very quick to say that it couldn't load the page. Its like it's not even trying hmmm.
2. This isn't the sidekicks fault but it is worth mentioning. The great tech blog gizmodo doesn't even show up properly on the sidekick! Ever since the new layout it has only shown up as mostly white space. And most of the gawker media sites don't run well on a protable devie with javascript on. Come on guys you have a way of testing this, you have a sidekick!
3. While you're at it, smack your sistein-in-law-blog the comsumerist for how their website looks on a side kick. The darkgrey background has only the slightest contrast with the black text. I've been using googles page for portable devices to read consumerist and gizmodo.
http://www.google.com/gwt/n
-Brian (sidekick email)

We went. We sweated. We didn't get a free SK3.

Ok. Big change today. We're lucky enough to get two T-Mobile execs, Sam Bell, senior marketing manager, and Jeff Folino, senior manager of product development for the Sidekick, who are willing to tell us all about the SK3. The Skypecast will be at 4:30pm EDT today and the link is here. Sorry for the late notice, but this is one you won't want to miss.

You haven't lived until you've seen Zapruder-esque footage of someone opening a Sidekick 3 and mumbling to themselves. Great stuff.

This hunk of electronics will set you back $300 with a 2-year contract, $350 with a 1-year contract and $400 for no contract (prepaid). For non-T-Mobile customers, you will have to wait until July 10 before signing up for T-Mobile service and purchasing the SK3. Check out all of our Sidekick 3 coverage here, including our exclusive hands-on review.  Travis Hudson

However, with the glitteratti slopping themselves at the troughs of semiconductor bliss so publicly, everyone and their dog needs to have one of these things. I think I still have the sticker that goes on the front of the SK3I sent the unit backanyone want to pay me $500 for it?  John Biggs

Auction [eBay via Smartfone]

Is this an official Sidekick 3 video? Or did Sarah make this herself? Who knows and who cares—it's awesome. Watch and see why the SK3 is a woman's best friend. And why Jimmy Kimmel is a lucky man.– Jason Chen

Thanks Marc!

The job was done by Crystal Icing, a company that takes great pride in "icing" various gadgets, like iPods, iPod cases and cellphones.

If you listen closely, you can almost hear the sound of our Founding Fathers rolling in their graves.  Nicholas Deleon

Paris Hilton with her Crystal Icing Swarovski Crystal T-Mobile Sidekick 3 at the Sidekick 3 Launch Party [Crystal Icing via Luxury Launches]

Here are their launch plans, and our hands on.  Jason Chen

MSNBC
Laptop Magazine
Mobile Burn
Phone Scoop
CNET
PC World
Washington Post
PC Magazine

Two stores are going to carry this on June 28th for current customers, Madison Ave in NYC and Wilshire Blvd. in LA. Indirect dealers, i-Dealers, National Retail and VAR are going to get this August 28th, give or take, depending on inventory. The reason they're launching only in two places is to "help create additional excitement for the July 10 nationwide launch".

This means you're probably not going to get one for a while unless you live in LA or NYC. Oh yeah, and if you're a celebrity. There's a line in the PDF that refers all celebs to a number so they can get a SK3 early and flaunt it around at all-star events.

Sidekick 3 Launch Plans

The first question is this: Should I upgrade to the Sidekick 3? The answer is this: Yes. The second question is: Why? The answer will be found in the next few paragraphs.

Yes, friends, the Sidekick 3 is here. I've sat on this for almost three weeks. I showed it to some people and one person, who shall remain nameless, offered me $3,000 cash for it on the spot. Everyone else was in awe. One guy couldn't get enough. He just kept opening it and closing it like some kind of totemic object, like something that landed from outer space just to give him pleasure. So that's the power of the SK3 and that's why it's so hard to write about.

First things first. I won't go into speeds and feeds, because all that info is already out there. First, it's made by Sharp. Not a big deal. The basic info: removable battery, miniSD slot, Bluetooth, USB syncing, 1.3-megapixel camera, and a beautiful display. Expect to pay about $200 with contract. What doesn't it have? A video recorder (yet), GPS, DRM music player (yet), Wi-Fi, FM tuner, and video playback (yet). Otherwise, you have a smaller, lighter Sidekick with great GPRS speeds and an excellent interface.

The SK3 was designed for email and IM. That's about it. Everything else, even the phone, is kind of gravy. So let's talk about that first. Email and IM work as advertised. IM is simplest. The SK3 supports AIM, MSN, and Yahoo Chat. Type in your username, password, and you're set.

Email is a bit more difficult. Luckily, I have an excellent test bed because all of my Gizmodo addresses are almost completely inundated with spam. Therefore, an IMAP connection is very dangerous because I could end up with thousands of emails per day, a hard task for even some smartphones. That said, set up is just as simple. There are settings for encrypted and unencrypted POP3 and IMAP. Just type in your info and go. The phone picked up most of my emails in batches and the MiniSD card adds extra space for storage, although I often verged on filling up the SK3 with my junk.

Little notifier icons in the top right corner inform you when you have a message in IM, mail, or SMS/MMS. Messages appear in a little bubble for a moment before disappearing, so you can assess the value of emails and messages before reading. There is an airplane mode that turns off the wireless and basically lets you browse your mail like a madman but little else.

The trackball is a real winner. It lights up with all the colors of the rainbowactually about 10and is one of the best user interface tools I've seen on a phone. Phone manufacturers take note: Please let this be a rule, not an exception. Use the trackball, if you can. It is very important.

The interface allows you to go forward and back, just with the trackball. The keyboard is a bit cramped but I was able to walk down the street and send emails and IMs, so that's fine. The battery lasted one full day. From 8am until about midnight, it was ready to rock and roll. However, all that work did drain things considerably and Bluetooth chunked out the battery even more.

Voice quality was fine and reception as about as good as can be expected. One pet peeveit would lose its GPRS connection and only a full reboot would get it back.

The audio player doesn't support any DRMed content yet, but it's nice enough. Nothing special. The camera takes pictures which you can then send to your friends. Big deal. However, unlike your friends, you'll actually be able to get IMs and email using an impressive and intuitive interface.

Is this a smartphone for business folken? No. It is for the young and the young at heart. It is a cool device, less boardroom than the Blackberry and less geekout than the MDA. Buy a gluegun and some sparkles and you can be belle of Paris Hilton's coke party. Wrap it up in some Fiddy skins and you've got a rapper's delight. Have it play some Fall Out Boy and you're ready for the lacrosse team. It is a chameleon, and a charming one at that.

The SK3 will be available to T-Mobile customers on June 28 and to the rest of the rabble in the T-Mobile stores on July 10.

So go ahead and buy it. Go ahead. We won't stop you. If you love the Sidekick, this is a major improvement. If you have an older Sidekick and are thinking about upgrading, feel free. The experience is generally better and worth it. Sure, you won't be able to find itand no I won't sell this oneand it's going to be the hottest phone of the next few months. Then something else will come along. But won't it be great to feel it in your hand for the first time? To swivel up the screen and cry tears of techno joy? It's rare to have a device that engenders such desperation and such a feeling of fulfillment when it is finally owned. But remember, dudes, it's just a phone.  John Biggs

Our sources say there's going to be a celeb-filled launch party in NYC on the 20th of June, and a subsequent launch for us unwashed seldomly-washed heathens on the 26th. They also say they've confirmed the date with other, equally anonymous T-Mobile reps. Other than the dates, we don't know if there's going to be any kind of trade-in program for owners of SKIIs, or anything about the pricing structure.  Jason Chen

The only difference: her pictures didn't have sidekick3.blogspot.com written on it.  Jason Chen

Exclusive New Sidekick 3 Shot!!!! [Sidekick 3 Blog]

UPDATE - Some specs:

Upgrades: Edge/Wi-Fi Detachable battery Mini sd card Music player Video Instead of the scroll wheel there is a ball. It is slimer and no rubber bumpers.

More leaked Sidekick III pictures [Hiptop3]

Web Page [Hiptop3]

I went to the T-Mobile store in my area, it located on 5th street in Brooklyn New York. They are an actual T-mobile store. I went in to purchase a Sidekick because my sidekick broke and I needed a new one because I didn't opt for the insurance when I purchased it. She told me to add the insurance on my phone and then to buy a cheaper phone (a $50 chepo) and wait about a week and claim my phone through the insurance and not to waste my time buying a Sidekick and spending the $400 for the phone because T-mobile was coming out with the new Sidekick 3 in December, she also told me to keep this hush because they have a private list for this phone and that it was by invite only. The invite would be for late November and the phone for the public would be for December around X-Mas. But I am going to do major brown nosing to get on that list for Nov.

There's a private list?! Eh? So who gets to be on the list? Paris Hilton? Lindsay Lohan? What's up with this exclusivity? T-Mobile's being super-sly about this, which makes me think this new Sidekick 3 had better be something special. Now excuse me, as I try to see if I can work my way into this "private list."

Hello, my name is SuperSidekickLuvah and I happen to be browsing for TMobiles Sidekick3. I came across ur site and i just wanted to share some info. I cancelled my Sprint service for this reason, Sidekick 3. I was told 2 months ago at the T-Mobile store inside the Montebello Town Center Mall located in Montebello, California. I was planning on hooking up a phone but they mention i should wait for Sidekick 3 launch. I ask when was this going to happen and they said december but most likely January. I happen to call today and 3 employees updated me on the S.K.3 Princess Peach, Luigi, and i forgot the opther employees name mention a few things about it. It runs on Windows. It has Bluetooth Tech. and Edge Tech. Since 2 months have past since i ask about its realising date i ask again and they said it is going to come out on the week or weekend of THANKSGIVING! Pretty exciting. They mention it is slightly smaller and the screen goes up, they never mention it flips up, i should have ask, I will. I wasnt planning on doing this but i feel like i have to share the excitement. Its weird though, i called customer to see if they knew more, but the girl that was helping me had no clue. But, she told me about Sidekick 2 special Edition. One is black and another one is pink. I told her I havent heard anything about Sidekick 2 Special Edition. Then i happen to call another tmobile store and they also knew nothing about Sidekick 3. So, it does remain a mystery. I am PRAYING it comes out that soon cause i havea no cell phone cause i really want to own that cell phone. Well, i will talk to more tmobile reps. to see what they say, hope to keep in touch, maybe ur able to post this up or share it, see ya.

Uh, wow. Well we already knew about the Sidekick 2 Special Editions (the Juicy Couture and Mr. Cartoon models, respectively), but this whole thing about the Sidekick 3 running Windows is just shocking. WTF is this about? Is it like a Pocket PC wannabe? Will there be a hidden stylus? Inquiring minds need to know! I guess we'll have to wait until December to find out, unless one of us manages to get onto that "private list."