Is this the T-Mobile Sidekick III / Hiptop 3? (Part II)

Well well, this thing sure does look a lot like the Sidekick III we caught shots of before. Is it real? Is it the same device? Is this what every 'tween, teen, and their mother's gonna be (barely) pocketing in a few months? Who knows, but we stand by our previous statement: please, Danger, please remove the wings to the sides of the flip.

P.S. -Now with hot rear-shot action.

[Thanks, Sam & steffan]

[TZK @ Feb 16th 2006 10:50PM]

Sleek, is not it :) (Thanks Yoda) The body gets better with each release. I am looking forward to this one.

:)

[Ryan Green @ Feb 16th 2006 11:23PM]

if it has bluetooth, I hope to GOD that T-Mobile doesn't cripple it, as they did with the ability to upload ringtones and do MMS with the SKII.

[Brian @ Feb 16th 2006 11:26PM]

It would actually be "Sleek, it is not." :D

These look pretty real. I just wish they could produce 'em for Cingular.

[Cliff @ Feb 16th 2006 11:46PM]

Bulky... :|

[Tim @ Feb 16th 2006 11:50PM]

Omigod that thing looks twice as big as the Sidekick II? Can Danger be serious? I mean, they don't have to reinvent the wheel but c'mon how about making it a little thinner. Geezus, it looks like they put more rubber bumpers around t on the sides there. I'm gonna pick up the MDA next week for sure, sorry Danger you lost another fan of your product.

[Luis @ Feb 17th 2006 12:12AM]

It does look bulky.... Hmmmm... not sure about that one... Why couldn't they make it slick like the 8700c. They should complely re-design it without the fold out screen. Oh well... we'll keep wishing... not like I use one anyway but just a thought.

[suhail @ Feb 17th 2006 12:14AM]

it might look bulky because maybe a midget is holding it

[Shawn @ Feb 17th 2006 12:22AM]

While I do think this looks fairly decent in terms of design, I really just wish Danger would re-build the entire Operating System for the device from scratch, because the current Operating System on the Sidekick II is just horrendous. It's terribly slow at times, and I just can't stress how much I despise the look of the Male and Female characters on the default screen when the 'Phone' icon is highlighted. While some factors such as the Art and such may not be important to many people, I believe the company should do everything in it's power to ensure every feature is top notch. I also dislike the idea of using plastic buttons on the keypad (that's what it looks like the device has from those images), because I certainly feel that the current rubber keypad is damn near flawless. I'm just anxious for the day when Danger finally officially announces the device and releases a list of all it's features.

[sidekick III @ Feb 17th 2006 12:27AM]

it's starting to look more and more like we'll see a cat remote get released by tmobile! http://www.hiptop3.com

[Dalton @ Feb 17th 2006 1:03AM]

Holding my Sidekick II up to the screen, it appears that from what I can see, the UI seems to be updated. If this is the Sidekick III (which I'm hoping it is), I really look forward to picking it up. It's certainly a lot sleeker, and the keys are spread out quite a bit more. Makes for real easy typing!

[kyle @ Feb 17th 2006 1:28AM]

maybe theres a harddrive in it?

[Bill @ Feb 17th 2006 1:49AM]

Maybe there's a freakin' coffee shop in it? That thing is huge! Does it come with its own backbrace?

[BH @ Feb 17th 2006 2:41AM]

"remove the wings to the sides of the flip" - what, you mean where the menu, shortcut and selection controls are? So you'd have to open it to get anything done? I don't think you're going to be winning any user interface design awards.

Looking at the Sidekick II and allowing for the fact that the person in the photo seems to have pudgy little hands, I think this Sidekick III is probably the same size as its predecessor. If it were any smaller, the thumb keyboard wouldn't be as usable. I know that most of the commenters are probably more interested in small, pretty devices to look at while they touch themselves, but once you've actually used one of these things, you'll understand why it has to be that size - to give you room to type with your thumbs while holding it two-handed.

[Wupideedoo @ Feb 17th 2006 3:44AM]

Holding my hiptop up to the screen, it looks slightly longer, but slightly thinner and not as tall.

As long as they actually improve the internals this time around (what they did last time wasn't anywhere near enough of an improvement), and give it a faster CPU and some decent storage, I'll be happy.

[U. Betchya @ Feb 17th 2006 4:37AM]

Now if Danger's/T-Mo's network delivered *reliable* 24/7 data access, it may acually be something worth checking out. Seriously. New one probably has EDGE now too. But 17/5 uptime doesn't cut it guys. Neither do the sort of "whoops *shrug*" excuses when the server is down for hours or days.

Given the purchasing demographic perhaps they can get away with that sort of thing. Too bad. Could really be a wonderfully functional device if the network didn't blow.

Loved my Sidekick Color until the upteenth server outtage. Click. Goodbye. Checks in the mail. Not.

[quay @ Feb 17th 2006 6:26AM]

if you have had the sk2 the bulkiniess thing seems to dissapear when yuo got the cooles phone on the block and you are addicted.... if that makes any sense

[thomas_h @ Feb 17th 2006 8:04AM]

i can't believe someone would actually walk around with that big cellphone thing in their pants. i understand it's nice with a full keyboard and a large screen, but i know i would never trade in my trusty K750i for that..

it lasts for over a week between each charge, has a lovely 176x220 screen with 262k colours, 40mb memory + mem card slot, rds radio, bluetooth, 2mpix cam with autofocus and light, what more could a guy ask for? :p

[flipp @ Feb 17th 2006 8:30AM]

a back shot of the same phone shows a removeable battery. even that alone would be a much needed feature. i wish there were some side shots so we could see if it had expandable memory or something.

i don't like how they're getting rid of the scroll button for what looks like a pencil eraser type mouse thing. (ala ibm thinkpads) boo.

seriously, the guy that took these 'spy' shots should be taken out back and flogged. show us the good stuff next time.

[Damo @ Feb 17th 2006 8:44AM]

#9 At www.hiptop3.com the back of the screen says "by SHARP". Do they mean the screen is by Sharp? Do current Sidekick II's say that (I've never seen the back of their screens)? This seems a little odd to me.

[stephen @ Feb 17th 2006 9:02AM]

They can't afford not to leak more info. There will be a mass migration to the MDA unless Danger can get out some info on the III - and Pronto.

[Circ @ Feb 17th 2006 10:06AM]

wish list from my II
BLUETOOTH
SD, mini SD or memstick duo slot
MP3 capability
stereo headphone jack
more RAM - the browser upgrade to the II was great, but now the device chokes on large scripts.

And yes, the back of the II's screen looks similar to that photo of the 3, but has much more info - serial #, imei, etc MFG by Sharp Corp. Also interesting is that the back of the II does not mention TMobile anywhere, just hiptop and sharp.

Another big difference is that all of this info is on a sticker afixed to the back of the screen, not printed on as this unit seems to be. I pulled the sticker off to see if it looked like that underneath, and it was blank.

Look at the full size image of the back of the screen on the hiptop3 link - the little sticker on the left edge of the screen looks like a bad photoshop blend - it's much sharper than the rest of the image.

[agent lead @ Feb 17th 2006 10:09AM]

theres gonna be a mass migration to the mda on tuesday anyway....people wanna be able to have some sort of control over customizing their device....

dangers os just wont allow it...

mda for me on tuesday...no questions asked..

[Goodman @ Feb 17th 2006 11:00AM]

I've had every Sidekick since the day the first one was released. I use the web browser, email and IM features constantly (and lately the networkable 10 Pin game). My brother got a Treo, but I couldn't see giving up the nicely sized keyboard, push email, multitasking and Apple-worthy interface. The recent browser upgrade (adding javascript among other things) was pretty sweet too. It looks like the Hiptop 3 is about the same size as the 2, and probably just adds a few features. I'm pretty satisfied with what I've got, but I'll probably end up upgrading eventually.

[daniel @ Feb 17th 2006 12:09PM]

too bulky...

[Rich @ Feb 17th 2006 12:30PM]

#18, The current Sidekick 2 also says made by SHARP on the back. That is because T-Mobile has a contract for SHARP to make the sidekicks. It is a lot cheaper and quicker for SHARP to make them, rather than Danger.

[NormalPerson @ Feb 17th 2006 3:35PM]

so ket me clear up a few things, the reason the imei and all that info is not on the screen is because its supposed to have a removable battery so that info will probably be under the battery. another thing is that teh buttons may not be hard plastic but maybe clear gel buttons. i am 14 years old and can recognize these kind of things, so get it right before you post some stupid stuff and also it is rumored to have mp3 player sd card slot and bluetooth 1.2 i dont care im getting one the day it comes out. and 4 all the haters i have a job

[acidjazz @ Feb 17th 2006 5:56PM]

uhm. 100% BULLCRAP. please refer to hiptop.com's listing of all the hoax stuff that isn't sk3.

please don't waste peoples time by making more fake internet kthx.

[Adam @ Feb 17th 2006 10:39PM]

I am watching the NBA All-Star Weekend on TNT, sponsored by T-Mobile. In a commercial for the All-Star weekend, T-Mobile shows off its phones in a NBA locker room. The phones are ringing, and the Sidekick III is briefly shown.

[bruce phillips @ Feb 17th 2006 11:32PM]

Its funny how people say they are going to go to MDA and other smartphones using windows mobile. I recommend you test the MDA before buying it. My friend has HP 6315 has sent it back 10 times for windows mobile crashing and making device useless. We are both computer techs so he is knowledgeable on using Windows OS. By the way bluetooth makes it a lot easier for governments or anyone else to track you. Each device has a unique identifier. Do a google on LOCA Location Oriented Critical Arts

[Joe Somebody @ Feb 19th 2006 5:11AM]

Guys here is where we break it down...

Some of you gripe and say that it looks bigger than the sidekick 2. It is not. While it is nearly the same length and thickness, The shoulder buttons have been noticeably shrunk. There are no more bumbers lying around the outside of the device either. and where the power, camera, and volume buttons were, there are now nearly flush buttons that are a third the size.

The phone has a 1.3 mp camera, but the same horible flash. The phone will support bluetooth technology, and also will have an sd memory card slot located underneath the removable battery located on the back of the phone.

The wheel has obviously been removed and replaced with a ball. The ball rolls just as fluidly as the wheel, but also allows for side scrolling useful for navigating thru the menu's.

The user interface has also been changed in these prototypes, while not sure if they will stay that way. AS for right now for example, instead of having seperate "bubbles" for aim, & yahoo instant messenger, they now have created one "bubble" called messaging that will have aim yahoo and yes msn messenger as sub choices.

As for the keyboard, it will be like the sidekick II, but the keyboard is underneath another hard plastic layer like that of a regular phone. Due to the sidekick II keys peeling and breaking they decided to add another hard plastic key cover to each individual key, making the keyboard more durable.

egde capable, no word on wifi, mp3 player

and to whoever said this was 100% BULLCRAP... you're wrong. i also browse the ht forums. It is. Think of when the skII was on its way in and appletech and mwsmith locked every thread they could. sure enough appletech had his since february. 7 whole months before it was released.

lastly the reason why sharp has its name on it is due to the manufacturing abilities. Danger comes up with the design, the interface, the concepts, the production layout. Sharp puts the thing together. Created by danger, manufactured by sharp, sold (mostly) by t-mobile.

It looks and feels nice, operates just as well.

[anthony @ Feb 22nd 2006 5:32PM]

I'm looking foward to this one. Problem: I've seen other pics nd there is no speaker.
But that won't kill!

:)

I want it

[greg @ Feb 23rd 2006 11:31PM]

my worry is whether it will have the 850 mhz frequency.......Our network in Canada is pretty weak without the 850. And we don't have the OTA update yet but I hope the java scripting makes a difference. Can any of you tmobile users say the browser is much better now?

[Jay Playboy @ Feb 24th 2006 11:34PM]

Well I think speak 4 all when I say that they really need to improve the camera, add mp3,tv compatibility make it as flat as the sidekick 2 but as small as the sidekick 1

[toetouch88 @ Mar 1st 2006 4:32PM]

Well I have never had a sidekick so this looks just FINE to me! If anyone is planning on letting go of their sidekick II before or at the time that this baby comes out please shoot me an email to toetouch88 at aol and let me know! I would prefer if you live around or near Memphis, TN because I'd like to see it before I buy it. Thanks!

[Jickup @ Mar 8th 2006 10:02AM]

I don't recommend enabling the Javascript support; I don't know if it's because I keep a lot of notes in my sk2 or what, but it constantly gripes about not having enough memory to run scripts. I'd rather see more memory added than anything else, and not just for Javascript, which I can live without (at least, on decently designed web sites like engadget!). I'd like to see automatic page downloads like AvantGo supported on PalmOS, so I could count on the top stories from the Post being on my phone when I wake up, and I'd like to see multibrowsing ("tabless tabbed browsing", which could be implemented similarly to the way multiple conversations are handled in AIM). Both would use more memory, but it would be so worth it...

[warlok @ Mar 18th 2006 1:28PM]

i was talking to a t-mobile representative and she told me that there is not clear date of when the sk. will come out but that its supposed to come out nest month, meaning in april. so also told me that it was going to be touch screen lol :) and that its going to be aroung 600$... yup, cant wait for it to come out!! im saving up already lol

[Justin @ Mar 20th 2006 10:31AM]

I'm getting tired of waiting, they really should give us something. I just want a list of known specs it will have. That way I can decide if I want to go out and just pick up the MDA. Why should I wait for something that's probably just going to let me down?

[AVAVriel @ Jun 20th 2006 2:19AM]

Specifications
Battery Life Talk time (hours): 5 hours

Standby time (days): 60 hours

Talk and standby times and other specifications are provided by the manufacturer and are approximate. Actual performance varies based upon features or services used, network configuration, signal strength, operating temperature, customer use, and other factors.
Battery Type Battery type is listed here
Changeable Faceplates No
Codecs AMR
EFR
FR
HR
Dimensions Height 1.26 width 1.90 thickness in inches
Display Type: SXVGA
Colors: (16-bit) 65K
Size: (pixels) 240 x 160
Mini Display N/A
Memory Memory listed in KB, MB, GB

Expandable Memory: Yes
Type: miniSD
Frequency Bands GSM 850
GSM 1800
GSM 1900
Phone Style Flip screen
Phone book Capacity 2000 in device memory, 650 on SIM Card
Operating System Proprietary
Weight Weight (in ounces): 6.7
Call Management
Picture Caller ID Yes
Ringer Caller ID Yes
Speed Dial / One-Touch Dial Yes

Maximum Amount of Speed Dial Entries: 9
Speakerphone Yes

Type: Full-Duplex
Vibrate Yes
Voice Dialing No
Camera
Modes Yes - Airplane mode, maximum. Loud, normal, soft, buzz, and silent
Megapixel(s) Yes

Megapixels: 1.3
Resolution In pixels: 38,400
Video Capture No
Zoom No
Connectivity
Bluetooth Yes
Bluetooth Profile: 1.2
Browser Type:
Type Version:
Supports: WAP (1.0, 1.2.1, 2.0), HTML, XHTML, XML
EDGE Yes

Class: E2
GPRS Yes

Class: Rel 0.4
Infrared (IR) Port No
Synchronization Yes, No
SyncML Yes, No
UMA No
USB Support Yes
USB Mass Storage Yes
Wi-Fi No
Messaging
E-mail Client Yes

Protocols Supported: IMAP4, POP3
Instant Messaging Client Yes - AIM®, Yahoo!®, and MSN® Messenger
MMS / Picture Messaging No
SMS / Text Messaging Yes

Concatenation Support: Yes
Digital TTY/TDD Support: Yes - two apps available for download through the PDM catalog that support TTY: "IP Relay" and "Sprint Wireless Relay"
Predictive Text: Yes
Predictive Text Technology: User configurable Auto Text
Organization
Alarm No
Calculator No
Calendar Yes
Currency converter No
Dictionary No
Memo / Notepad Yes, No
To-do List Yes, No
Phone book Multiple numbers per name: Yes
Address Field: Yes
E-mail Field: Yes
Caller Groups: Yes
Voice Memo No
Personalization & Fun
FM Radio No
Games Embedded: Yes
Games installed: listing of games: Rock and Rocket

Downloadable: Yes
Music Player Yes

Type of Player: SonicBOOM
Supported file formats: MP3
Ringtones Yes

Types Supported: Polyphonic (# of chords), HiFi - t-zones not supported, but there is a Danger download catalog
Themes Yes

Themes Provided: Liquid, Madison, Rodeo, and Surface
Wallpaper Yes

Types Supported: Static

[AVAVriel @ Jun 20th 2006 2:26AM]

T-Mobile is excited to announce the launch of the new Sidekick 3 (SK3) on June 28 to existing customers. The company will kick start the festivities on June 20, with a star-studded launch event in Hollywood.

Due to high demand and limited inventory, T-Mobile will offer our valued customers a chance to purchase a Sidekick 3 before the phone is available to the general public. Existing customers can perform an upgrade through Care or My T-Mobile between June 28 and July 9. Customers will also be able to purchase a SK3 at two T-Mobile direct retail stores beginning June 28:

New York City
Store 3799
Madison Ave - NYC
307 Madison Ave,
New York, NY 10017
Store Phone: [phone]

Los Angeles
Store 7393
Wilshire
335 Wilshire Blvd
Santa Monica, CA 90401
Store Phone: [phone]


New customers will be able to purchase a SK3 beginning July 10 through T-Mobile Retail, Upgrades, T-Mobile.com, Value Added Resellers, Consumer Direct, and Business Customers. Extended availability to Indirect Dealers, Exclusive Dealers, I-Dealers, and National Retail will occur on or before August 28, depending on inventory.

The Sidekick 3 will allow T-Mobile’s young and social customers to stay on top of their active social lives and meet all of their communication needs. Like previous versions of the device, SK3 features include:

Easy to e-mail or IM with built-in QWERTY keyboard
Real Web browsing of sites like MySpace, Facebook
Phone
Unlimited text messaging
Continuous back-up of address book so customers never lose contacts
Unlimited e-mail, IM, text messaging and Web browsing for less than $1/day
Take pictures with the integrated camera...it even has a flash!
Send pictures via e-mail to friends and family
Thanks to input from our customers, the SK3 also features several great improvements over Sidekick II, including:

A sleek new design (20 percent smaller)
Bluetooth technology makes the device easier to use
AOL, Yahoo! And MSN Instant Messaging built-in
An MP3 music player
Faster browsing through EDGE network
1.3 megapixel camera
Removable battery

[Alex @ Aug 1st 2006 6:16PM]

Search4hardware.com

[Alex @ Aug 1st 2006 6:21PM]

Some more opinions about T Mobile3 :

http://www.search4hardware.com/product_rating.aspx?c=17&p=413

[Me @ Aug 16th 2006 9:59AM]

hey! duz anyone kno when the sidekick 3 will be released in Canada??? Cause I've been hearing so manydifferent answers and i don't know which ones are right.

[bec @ Jun 5th 2008 3:03AM]

do the hiptop 3 have to be on a plan or can they be pre-paid????