Sidekick iD To Be Released April 25th

13^th April 2007- T-Mobile today announced the Sidekick iD, the latest version of their popular Sidekick hybrid cell phone/data devices. The new Sidekick iD will be cheaper than the existing Sidekick 3 ($99 with a two-year contract, against $199 for the Sidekick 3) and is smaller and lighter.  It’s also lighter on features; the Sidekick iD has no Bluetooth and no camera.

It does, however, boast the same large swivel screen, QWERTY keyboard, trackball controller and comprehensive messaging features as the Sidekick 3; it includes a full email client, and an Instant Messaging client that supports AIM, Yahoo and Windows Live Messenger out of the box. The messaging service and web browsing are also included in the monthly fee; although T-Mobile have not released the details on this yet, we expect it to be the same $29.99 a month that T-Mobile charges for the Sidekick 3. T-Mobile claim a battery life of up to 5.3 hours talk time and 6 days standby from the swappable battery. The phone will also support T-Mobile’s myFaves service, where users can pick 5 numbers and make unlimited calls to these.

Another new feature is the interchangeable plastic bumpers, which come in a variety of colors (including a glow in the dark version).“The T-Mobile Sidekick has always been about freedom of expression and communicating with style,” said Greg Andrews, director, marketing, T-Mobile USA. “With the T-Mobile Sidekick iD, we’re expanding on the theme of individuality by increasing the personalization aspect and providing pricing that is accessible to a wide range of consumers.”

The Sidekick iD will be on sale from T-Mobile stores on the 25^th of April, and will cost $99 with a two-year contract.