This comes as a catch-up to the Sidekick 2009, which comes pre-packaged with free Facebook and Twitter apps. Why the Twitter app needs a monthly fee is a mystery to me, but maybe it's really spectacular. [Thanks, Matt!]

The Price: $200 with two-year contract for existing customers, $250 for new customers (both after rebate)

The Verdict: It's nice! The flip-out screen, nicely-designed keys and generally usable interface may be attractive to people who've never used a Sidekick before, but the Sidekick LX is clearly aimed at people who are already familiar with the platform.

Although it's larger than the Sidekick 2008, the screen is bigger, the keyboard is better and the UI is improved. The home screen now has larger icons and more fluid animation, but is still so decidedly "Sidekick-like" that longtime users will have no problem adjusting.

The addition of GPS integrated with Microsoft's Live Search finally brings some kind of map/direction finding to the platform. Although the GPS works alright outdoors (indoors is iffy), the actual usage is awkward. You have to manually tell the phone to find your location, then open up Live Search and select "my location at 9:53 AM" to do anything with it. This is one step in the opposite direction of how we think GPS on phones should work. There's also plenty of privacy settings that control what can touch your location data, probably because the Sidekick is very popular with kids.

Its keyboard is also noticeably improved from the SK 2008. Each individual key is lower to the ground, but is easier to type on. All the other standard Sidekick keys (back menu, call, etc.) are where they should be. And that horizontal blue LED on the bottom of the screen that lights up when you get an incoming call is really cool looking.

What I don't like is how the mini USB charging port is now on the bottom right, compared to the top left on the Sidekick 2008, and how it gets in the way of usage while charging. The flip mechanism is also slightly worse, in that now you have to push up toward your face, instead of out away from you, in order to get the screen to open. Perhaps it's not so much "worse," but just "different". And the fact that you have to open up the battery plate to get to the microSD card is annoying.

That 3.2-megapixel camera is so-so for something you carry on you at all times, but it's not astounding, as the sample shots above show. T-Mobile's 3G connectivity is still T-Mobile's 3G connectivity—as in, it's not that great—but if you live in an area with coverage, it's better than NOT having 3G.

As for voice calls, the quality is fine, but I hear slightly too much of my own voice when having a conversation. Nothing you'd really be aware of unless you switched phones a lot.

Overall, Sharp did a pretty good job with the build quality other than the fact that they mucked up and placed a few things in weird places, and Microsoft's Danger did a good job further refining the Sidekick interface. If you were a fan of the Sidekick before, there's no big reason not to upgrade to the LX. But if you've never been interested in Sidekicks in the past, this definitely isn't going to lure you over. [Sidekick]

Improved keyboard, sturdy body

Who's going to turn down GPS and 3G, even if it doesn't work as well as it does on other phones

General UI improvements are welcome

3.2-megapixel camera is decent, but not great

Strange design decisions like placing the microSD card inside the shell and placing the charging port in the way of your hand

Social media services were a big focus for the Sidekick team as the worked on revamping the Sidekick this year. As a result, you'll see better integration of Facebook and Myspace in addition to Twitter. All these services have been integrated into the Sidekick UI to maintain the same look and feel as the other apps.

In addition to the new screen, the quad-band Sidekick LX 2009 has 3G data, a 3.2-megapixel camera that can record video (and upload it to Facebook/Myspace), GPS support with live search, web browser, Bluetooth 2.0 with A2DP and microSD storage (1-gigabyte card included). The media player also supports streaming audio, as well as RTSP streaming video, and the 1250mAh battery means you can get between 3-6 hours of voice and 6-8 days of standby.

I got to play around with it briefly at CTIA, and in general, it feels and looks pretty solid as far as Sidekicks go. It's still pretty plasticky and un-sleek, but the keyboard feels nice and clicky, and the screen is gorgeous. The new, high-res, F-WVGA display allows for plenty of items to fit on the screen with great detail. As a result, little things, like the UI tracking new tweets from friends as a scrolling notifier up top works extremely well. Aside from the screen, I don't know that this brings anything new to the table for those not already sold on the Sidekick, but fans of the previous iterations will definitely want to give this one a look.

The Sidekick LX 2009 is available for presale now, and will be available on May 13 for $200 in a dark gray or maroon color.

Be the hub of your social circle with the latest T-Mobile® Sidekick® LX. Your fast-paced life needs a device that can keep you constantly connected - whether planning an impromptu BBQ, embarking on a career, or traveling this summer - the high-speed, 3G-enabled T-Mobile Sidekick LX will have the bases covered. The new Sidekick LX is the ultimate device for virtual socialites with built-in support for the top social networking applications including Facebook, MySpace, Twitter, as well as GPS-enabled Live Search.
The Sidekick LX also offers the largest and sharpest screen to-date for a Sidekick device, which helps support the enhanced video capability - record and share easily with friends and family via upload to video Web sites, Bluetooth®, or MMS messaging. The refined LX boasts the thinnest design of the Sidekick family while maintaining the iconic swivel screen and full QWERTY keyboard. The phone is available in carbon and orchid finishes with moodlights running horizontally across the top of the screen.

Key features of the T-Mobile Sidekick LX include:

Integrated social networking application bundle includes Facebook, MySpace and Twitter

High-speed Web browsing with 3G support

Built-in GPS support with Live Search

3.2-megapixel camera with autofocus and an LED flash

Ability to record, play and share videos
o Share recorded videos via e-mail and upload videos to social networking sites
o Watch videos on YouTube via the web browser or on MySpace

Carbon or orchid finish

Music player with streaming audio and streaming RTSP video

3.2-inch F-WVGA screen with high-definition LCD technology with 854x480 resolution

Support for personal e-mail, SMS, MMS, instant messaging (IM)
o Built-in IM clients include AOL® Instant Messenger, Windows Live and Yahoo! ® Messenger

Iconic swivel design and full QWERTY keyboard (manufactured by Sharp)

Intuitive user interface with Quick Find to search across all applications

Network Address Book

Included 1GB microSD™ memory card

Bluetooth 2.0 with A2DP supports stereo Bluetooth and Bluetooth file transfer to other Bluetooth devices including photo printers

Dimensions: 5.1 x 2.4 x 0.6 inches; 5.7 ounces

Quad-band GSM/GPRS/EDGE worldphone (850/900/1800/1900 MHz)

Dual-band UMTS/HSDPA (AWS Band IV & Band I)

1250 mAh Lithium Ion battery

Battery: 3G - 3 hours talk time, 6 days standby; 2G - 5.5 hours talk time, 8 days standby

Software and services provided by Danger, a Microsoft subsidiary

Shortly following launch, T-Mobile plans to make available Exchange Active Sync support via the Sidekick
Download Catalog so customers can stay virtually connected to work

Availability
The T-Mobile Sidekick LX will be available for purchase for current customers during the pre-sale starting April 17 for $199.99 with a two-year service agreement and mail-in-rebate.* The Sidekick LX will be available nationally May 13 at select T-Mobile retail stores and online at www.t-mobile.com.

* Capture videos using the new video mode
* Playback from the SD card or email attachments using the media player
* Share videos via email, Picture messaging, and Bluetooth
* Listen to songs or videos using a stereo Bluetooth device
* Send and receive photos, videos, or music via Bluetooth
* 3 IM clients & enhancements to AIM® and Yahoo!® Messenger
* Create and join group chats
* See who is logged into IM from the address book or email and instantly start a conversation
* Set a custom status message then keep chatting
* Search for friends in a buddy list
* Got more buddies than you can keep track of? See who’s online right from the address book or email, and search for friends in your buddy lists
* Select how Web pages are displayed based on preference
* PC-like, full-size layout to pan & scan while reading o Standard Sidekick screen-size layout to simply scroll down the page to read · Mini Page to zoom out on an overview of an entire Web page
* Save images from Web pages to the SD card Personalize the way you want to surf
* Device does not restart after a download. Just install an item, and it’s ready to use
* Capture videos and share them directly from the Camera app
* Video integration for playback, send, and save to gallery
* QuickFind: search for keywords across applications to find messages or information
* Spell Checker

[T-Mobile]

[Gadgetell]

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]

Both are more slender than anything yet seen in the Sidekick family: the $299 swivel-action LX is .86" thick, while the aptly named $199 Slide is even slimmer at .68". I can actually conceive of putting the Slide into my jeans pocket—a first for the notoriously chunky Sidekicks. Both have 1.3 megapixel cameras and microSD card slots that support cards up to 4GB.

The LX's 3" screen is spacious, bright and higher than the others in resolution, at 400 x 240 pixels. (The Slide's perfectly adequate screen is a more typical 320x240.) Typing is a bit easier on the LX, too, since the keyboard area is a bit wider and the keys themselves have more spacing than ever before. The LX is available in dark brown and midnight blue, as you see in the gallery, and comes with a 128MB microSD card—not quite what you're gonna want, but better than nothing.

In case you were wondering, T-Mo mentioned that the Sidekick 3 would be phased out, though the iD would stay in circulation as the most affordable option in the lineup at $49. Also, these Sidekicks bring with them long overdue arrival of MMS for sending photos. That's right, no longer will Sidekick users have to attach photos to e-mails, you know, like it was the 1980s or something.

But all that info comes by way of forums and leaked docs, so who knows what the final will look like. The FCC docs do mean it's real, however. And hiptop3.com believes the phone will come in October. [FCC via Hiptop3]

Sidekick LX and LE [Hiptop3 via Sidekick Slide]