T-Mobile debuts Sidekick Slide and Sidekick LX

OK, kids--hope you've been nice this year, because here's something you might want to add to your holiday wish lists. Today, T-Mobile announced not one, but two new Sidekicks to be added to its lineup: the T-Mobile Sidekick LX and the T-Mobile Sidekick Slide.

Let's start with the latter since it brings something new to the mobile messaging device: a slide-up screen (all together now: oooohhh, ahhhh). Unlike previous models, which have been manufactured by Sharp/Danger, the Sidekick Slide is made by Motorola and features a smaller design. It measures 4.6 inches wide by 2.6 inches high by 0.6 inch deep and weighs 5.3 ounces, while the T-Mobile Sidekick 3 comes in at 5.1 inches wide by 2.3 inches high by 0.8 inch deep and 6.7 ounces and the Sidekick iD is 5.1 inches by 2.4 inches by 0.8 inch and 6.2 ounces. And hallelujah--it has a higher resolution screen at 320x240 pixels and 65,000 colors. The Slide still has all the messaging options that made the Sidekick popular in the first place, including a personal T-mail account, support for POP3 and IMAP e-mail, integrated AIM, Windows Live, and Yahoo instant messaging clients, and text and multimedia messaging. The quad-band phone also supports the new MySpace Mobile application (a separate download), which you can peep on the phone's Web browser that is said to have better JavaScript support. Other goodies include Bluetooth, a 1.3-megapixel camera with no (!!) video-recording capabilities, and a music player that requires the use of a microSD memory card but supports MP3 and AAC files. The Sidekick Slide will be in stores starting November 7 for $199.99 with a two-year contract.

The T-Mobile Sidekick LX goes the more traditional route in terms of design with its swivel screen. The LX is made by Sharp, and fortunately the company also decided to improve the device's mug with a larger 3-inch, 65,000-color TFT display and 400x240 pixel resolution. It's trimmed down a bit in weight at 5.7 ounces but otherwise retains the same dimensions as the Sidekick 3 mentioned above. You'll have your choice of two colors--midnight blue or espresso brown--and you can program it to light up like a Christmas tree to alert you to text messages, e-mail, and so forth. The Sidekick LX has all the same messaging features of the Slide and also works with MySpace Mobile. Final highlights of the quad-band phone include integrated Bluetooth, a 1.3-megapixel camera (again, no video recording), an MP3 and AAC music player, rated talk-time battery life of 6.8 hours, and a microSD expansion slot. T-Mobile customers get first dibs on the LX starting October 17, while the rest of the world can buy it in stores and online on October 24. Pricing is set at $299.99 with a two-year contract.

Now, we haven't had a chance to play around with these two new Sidekicks yet--we're hearing promises of the next week or two--so it's hard to comment about the new designs, which seem to be the biggest difference between the two devices and the Sidekick 3. Frankly, I wish there was a little more in the multimedia department considering the youth appeal of the Sidekick. Anyway, I'm curious: Among the current Sidekick owners and potential Sidekick owners, which one of these devices are you more interested in and why? Is there enough there to make you want to buy it?