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>> Bonnie Cha: Hi I'm Bonnie Cha senior editor at CNET.com and today we're taking a first look at the T-Mobile Sidekick LX2009. This is the latest model in the Sidekick series. Unlike previous versions the LX is aimed at a younger crowd and incorporates features that are important to them such as messaging and social networking. The first thing you might notice right away is the beautiful display. It's the biggest screen on a Sidekick to date and it measures 3.2 inches. But I think what's more impressive is the 850 4x4 80 pixel resolution. It makes everything look so vibrant and sharp from screen and images and text look really nice and smooth. Also the LX 2009 also happens to be the thinnest Sidekick yet at 0.6 inches thick. Definitely notice the difference compared to older models, but it's still not what I'd call a compact phone since it's pretty tall but every little bit helps. It's a nice solid handset and Sharp added little grooves on the back to make it more comfortable to hold. Course it wouldn't be complete without the swiveling screen and QWERTY keyboard. To access the keyboard you just nudge the upper right edge of the screen but I found that you have to push really hard unlike some of the previous Sidekicks. The keyboard is pretty awesome even though the buttons look small, there's plenty of space between them so I didn't have too many presses when typing messages. The only thing is they were just a little bit stiff. Course with the keyboard you get a lot of messaging options including instant messaging clients and email support. The Sidekick comes with its own email account from T-Mobile called T-Mail. But you also can also hook up your other accounts like Yahoo, Windows Live or other POP3 and IMAP accounts. It even includes support for Microsoft Exchange for Outlook but I wouldn't really recommend this as a business Smartphone. Some of the other big feature additions to the Sidekick LK2009; a support for
T-Mobiles 3G network, so you get faster speeds for web browsing and streaming media. The sidekicks HTML browser also has support for flash video so you can view clips from YouTube and even upload your own videos to MySpace. In addition to MySpace the LX2009 now ships with Facebook and Twitter apps right on the device so you can keep up with your friends statuses, update your own status and with Twitter you can set the application, detect for new tweeds at time intervals and it'll display a little running ticker on the top of the screen, even if you're doing something else on the phone. Another new feature is integrated GPS which works with Microsoft Live Search to provide driving directions and business searches. You can even search for movie times, gas prices close to your current location which I think is really great but I thought the integration was a little clunky. You'd think you'd be able to find your location while using Microsoft Live search but you actually have to go to the main menu, tell the hand held to find your position and then go back to the program to do anything which I think just seems like a waste of time. Also at 1 point the GPS thought I was in the middle of the San Francisco Bay, which I was not. Other than that my complaints about the Sidekick LX are very little. There's no Wi-Fi so if you're out of a T-Mobile 3G coverage you're stuck with Edge speeds. Also the 3.2 megapixel camera didn't take the best pictures. But overall I think the LX 2009 brings a lot of great new features that really should be a hit with younger college and high school crowd that it's aimed towards. The T-Mobile LX is available in orchid or carbon colors and later on you'll be able to create your own custom shells. For more information about pricing and performance check out my full review at CNET.com. I'm Bonnie Cha and this has been your first look at the T-Mobile Sidekick LX 2009.
