The much-awaited Sidekick II is now official, sporting a number of improvements over its predecessor in both hardware and software.
After much expectation, the Sidekick II from T-Mobile, based on the Danger Hiptop design, is now official and slated for availability this fall.
 | The Sidekick II is smaller but more featured than its predecessor
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The Sidekick II uses the same general design as its predecessor, with a number of evolutionary changes. The basic smartphone body measures 130 x 66 x 22 mm, 25% smaller than its predecessor, but weighs a bit more at 184 grams. It includes a 160 x 240 16-bit color TFT display in front which flips out of the way to reveal a QWERTY thumbboard. The display now cants slightly forward for a better viewing angle as well.
The thumbboard includes a dedicated number row as well as a 12-key dialpad area that takes precedence when the user is in a phone-based application. The much used @ sign is also now more easily available, and the thumbboard is backlight for night usage.
The Sidekick II also includes an integrated VGA (0.3 megapixel) camera in back. The camera includes an LED floodlight for near-field illumination, as well as a convex vanity mirror for self-portraits. Customization fans will be glad to hear that the Sidekick II supports "color bumpers", essentially exchangeable faceplates, as well as polyphonic ringtones and even pre-recorded voice ringtones featuring assorted celebrities. It also supports speakerphone functionality as well as against-the-face calls.
The focus of the device, however, is wireless data. To that end, the device now has a few extra control buttons and greater flexibility in the extent to which the user can customize them. There is both a scroll wheel and an 8-way directional pad, plus assorted other function buttons. The software has also been beefed up, including support for Yahoo Instant Messenger as well as AOL Instant Messenger, full e-mail support, and a wide array of downloadable applications. That's in addition to the phone application suite and HTML-capable web browser already present.
The Sidekick II runs on a tri-band 900/1800/1900 MHz GSM/GPRS radio for wireless connectivity, and also supports PC synchronization via Intellisync. It does not include Bluetooth, however. The processor is an ARM7 CPU, while the phone supports 32 MB Of RAM and 16 MB of Flash ROM. The Lithium Ion Polymer battery is rated for 4.5 hours of talk time or 60 hours standby.
The Sidekick II will be available from T-Mobile in the United States sometime this fall for a suggested price of $299 USD.
High-resolution images of the Sidekick II are available on the following pages.
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