T-Mobile teamed up a while back with a bunch of fashionistas to design elaborately redone Sidekick 3s to benefit Fashion Targets Breast Cancer, an organization raising money to benefit breast cancer causes worldwide to the tune of some $40 million since its inception in 1994. The results are in -- and while we can't comment on the usability or aesthetic goodness of what we're seeing, we've got to stay focused on the fact that it's all going to a very worthy group. Some of the names on the list of participating designers are big enough to drive prices way up on the auctions, we'd imagine, which all end today. So go place that massively generous bid of yours, and if anyone can figure out what the heck is going on with the Duckie Brown one, do let us know!

[Thanks, Jade C.]

Now's your chance to cast your ballot for the 2006 Cellphone of the Year! Our Engadget Awards nominees are listed below, and you've got until 11.59PM EST on Monday, April 16th to file your vote. You can only vote once, so make it count, and may the best tech win! The nominees: Danger Sidekick 3, Helio Drift, LG Chocolate, LG CU500, Motorola KRZR, Samsung Sync, and Sony Ericsson K800i.

We've noticed that Hiptop users tend to be some of the most rabid, intensely loyal fans of their devices around; the reasons vary a bit from user to user, but the gist seems to be that Danger knows how to make products that simply work with minimal fuss. So yeah, to that end, good news: Danger and T-Mobile hear you guys, and the love is going to get a little stronger this year. First up, myFaves support is going to get pushed to Sidekick 3 owners over-the-air -- as all Sidekick updates tend to come -- adding a critical feature out of T-Mobile's playbook to its most popular exclusive device. Oh, and the Danger options in T-Mobile's lineup are going to get a little more extensive, too (read: two devices instead of one). We knew there was a low-end Hiptop of some sort gettin' baked by California's funkiest mobile platform folks, but the smart money always said it'd be called something a little more interesting than "PV150," Sharp's model number for the new piece. We now have that name, at least in T-Mobile nomenclature: "Sidekick ID." Besides being myFaves compatible, the new model will lack EDGE and a cam to keep pricing low -- like "$99.99 after $50 rebate" low. Not bad, Danger; not bad at all. Just add a high-end Sidekick with support for T-Mobile's odd brand of 3G and you'll have a little something for everyone.

[Thanks, The Fish]

If high-fashion isn't your thing, and baby tree urban camo doesn't cut it with you, but you still want to get in on some of this Limited Edition Sidekick 3 action, then you might be interested in T-Mobile's upcoming D-Wade edition. Apparently "Flash" has been an avid Sidekick user since 2004, and was personally involved in the new design, drawing on styles from luxury cars and Miami's South Beach. Turns out the number 3 is a big thing for Dwayne as well, given that whole jersey number thing and years-in-the-NBA thing, so he's made sure to highlight the numeral in gold. The back of the limited edition has "realistic basketball texturing" for increased comfort, grip and sexay, but like always with these limited editions, there isn't really a whole lot else going on here. No word on a release date, the current info we have was leaked onto the internets in PDF, but we're guessing we'll be seeing this thing hit retail sooner rather than later. Check some more pics after the break.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

Like we'd been hearing, T-Mobile is going all designer label on us with a couple of new Sidekick 3 looks. Last time, with the Sidekick II, they nabbed Juicy Couture and Mr. Cartoon to do the honors, and this time around we've got designs from Lifted Research Group (LRG), which is rocking a baby tree camo motif, and from Diane von Furstenburg which is sporting a "black is the new black" paintjob and some signature hot-pink number keys. Both phones also sport a bit of customized graphics for the phone interface itself, but otherwise the two limited edition Sidekicks remain largely unchanged. What we don't expect to remain unchanged is the price, but T-Mobile isn't saying exactly what yet -- we expect at least a $50 bump. Both phones should be available online and select retail stores on October 30th. Keep reading for the full-size pr0n.

[Via Mobiledia]

T-Mobile promised there'd be at least a couple different limited edition versions of the Sidekick 3 when they announced the phone this past summer, and it looks like one is due out soon. Reader Andy scanned this pic from the November issue of XXL magazine that shows a green version of the SK3 from Lifted Research Group. No word on pricing (or a release date), but T-Mob charged a premium for those limited edition Sidekick II's, so expect this one to cost at least fifty bucks more than the regular version.

[Thanks, Andy]

It pays to be a T-Mobile customer: while the rest of the country will have to endure nearly two more weeks of excruciating waiting to get their hands on a Sidekick 3 (well, except for us), current Mobbers have been snatching up the new device since it became available at one minute after midnight. Agreeing to a one-year contract extension will net you an SK3 for $350, while two more years of living the Mob life will knock off another fifty bucks, and a "naked" unit will set you back an even $400.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this is]

By the time the Bluetoothin', memory expandin' Sidekick 3 drops on T-Mobile come next month, it's our duty here at Engadget to make sure our readers practically know more about the phone than your average Danger employee. The next phase in that plan involves a barrage of reviews, presented here for your perusal. Complaints centered around the device's weak-but-common 1.3 megapixel camera, while the redesigned glossy keyboard earned mixed ratings. The critical reaction has been generally positive, with some reviewers suggesting that the third iteration of the Hiptop is the first one strong enough to serve as a dedicated phone.

Read - Mobileburn
Read - PC Magazine
Read - LAPTOP Magazine
Read - Phone Scoop

Engadget Mobile has a bunch of hands-on shots with the new T-Mobile Sidekick 3.

No shocker here: T-Mobile and Danger are officially unveiling the new Sidekick 3 today. (Note that it's not called the "Sidekick III". T-Mob has requested that it only be written as "Sidekick 3".) The specs are no surprise, either, since they've been rumbling around for weeks now, but we'll run down the official details for ya:

• Size: 130 x 59 x 21.8mm
• Weight: 6.7 ounces
• 240 x 160 pixel, 65,000 color display
• Trackball (!)
• Tri-band GSM/GPRS/EDGE
• Bluetooth 1.2 (limited to Hands-Free profile and vCard exchange)
• 1.3 megapixel digital camera w/LED flash
• miniSD memory card slot (supports up to 2GB cards)
• 64MB of SDRAM/64MB Flash memory
• Music player software

Word has it that T-Mobile will be opening up pre-orders to current Sidekick owners first, with the rest of us getting a crack at it sometime around July 10th.

Stay tuned for a slew of hands-on pics.

Ah, hello there high-res shot of the Sidekick III. So nice to see you. Launching soon we hear? Good, good, we'll see you then, cheers!

As soon as a Sharp-made handset shows up on the FCC with a whole bunch of confidentiality-request paperwork affixed, you know it's gonna be good. Sidekick fans, feast your eyes on the real deal up in the grill (yep, all those pics were legit), and the um, naked, battery-less tail end of the Sidekick III (model PV200). Can't be long now, can it? And yes, this confirms pretty much much of the info we'd already heard about the forthcoming device: 1.3 megapixel camera, expandable memory (miniSD), and Bluetooth.