T-Mobile Sidekick LX 2009 photos

Eventually replacing the first Sidekick LX, the T-Mobile Sidekick LX 2009 is a stand-out with its slimmer design, high-resolution display, and a host of new features, such as 3G, Flash video support, GPS, and Facebook and Twitter integration.

Current Sidekick owners will get first dibs on the new device. Online presales start now for a price of $199 with a two-year contract. For everyone else, the T-Mobile Sidekick LX 2009 will be available in stores nationwide and online on May 13 for $249.99 with a two-year contract.

Manufactured by Sharp, the T-Mobile Sidekick LX 2009 keeps the same overall look as the rest of the Sidekick family but holds the title of being the thinnest Sidekick to date at 0.6 inch thick.

However, just because it's thinner doesn't mean it's small. The Sidekick LX is still tall compared to other cell phones and smartphones, so it's not the most pocket-friendly handset.

In addition to being the thinnest Sidekick, the Sidekick LX 2009 also boasts the largest and sharpest screen to date. The WVGA display is based on Sharp's Aquos technology and measures 3.2 inches with an 854x480-pixel resolution.

The Sidekick LX features a soft-touch finish to give it a nonslippery texture instead of a slick, plasticky feel. Sharp also added small grooves on the back of the device where you can rest your index fingers when holding it.

The Sidekick LX 2009 keeps the trademark swivel design. To flip the display and expose the keyboard, you nudge the upper-right corner of the screen, but be sure to give it a good push, as it's pretty hard to open.

We found the Sidekick's keyboard quite easy to use. There's good spacing between the keys so there were few mispresses. Our only complaint is that the buttons are slightly stiff to press.

Surrounding the display are the same navigation controls as the previous Sidekick LX. On the right, there is a Cancel button, Talk and End keys, an OK button, and the trackball navigator. On the left (not shown), you get Menu and Jump buttons and a directional keypad that doubles as the phone's speaker.

The T-Mobile Sidekick LX 2009 is equipped with a 3.2-megapixel camera with video recording capabilities, a flash, auto focus, and more--a nice boost from its predecessor's 1.3-megapixel camera.

Despite the better camera, we were a little disappointed by the picture quality. The color was OK, but images were often a bit fuzzy.

The expansion slot is located behind the battery cover. The Sidekick LX ships with a 1GB microSD card, but it can accept up to 16GB.