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Review: Samsung Sidekick 4G

The Sidekick 4G is clearly not Samsung's best effort, nor is it Samsung's worst. It has a few nifty innovations, and one of the best keyboards I've used in a long time. It does well at the basics, such as call performance and battery life, though my review unit displayed a propensity for signal inconsistency.

Messaging options are numerous, and include Group Text and Cloud Text for the first time. Surely the target demographic for the Sidekick 4G will enjoy those. The camera performs merely OK for this class of device, and the media options are better than normal.

My big sticking point is that it really loses the spirit of the original Sidekick. Sure, it looks and acts similar, but the Android 2.2 user interface lacks any of the real UI elements from the Danger-designed devices (such as the carousel menu). For the Sidekick purist, that may be a dealbreaker.

But for those most likely to choose the Sidekick 4G — teens and perhaps early 20s — it offers an abundance of messaging capabilities and a great keyboard on which to peck out he-said, she-said gossip and whathaveyou.

We spent some time with the new Samsung Sidekick 4G for T-Mobile. It does have a Sidekick feel to it, and some interface changes that make it quite different than most Android phones.

T-Mobile Sidekick 4G Boasts Group Text, 21Mbps HSPA+

Mar 14, 2011
T-Mobile and Samsung today announced the Sidekick 4G, a new generation of the Sidekick family that retains the Sidekick's defining characteristics while also breaking new ground. The Sidekick 4G keeps the familiar hardware design with pop-up 3.5-inch touch screen and five-row QWERTY keyboard, but it runs Android 2.2 Froyo with a number of customizations by Samsung and T-Mobile.

T-Mobile Version of Qik Updated with Better Privacy Controls

Jul 15, 2011
Qik today announced an update to its video chatting client for T-Mobile Android devices. The most significant change to the software is enhanced privacy controls.

T-Mobile Sidekick 4G Supports Mobile Hotspot and Tethering

Mar 16, 2011
Samsung has confirmed to Phone Scoop via email a few unannounced features of the Sidekick 4G. It supports both mobile hotspot and tethering for broadband data, as well as microSD cards (ships with 2GB card, has 1GB built-in).

Samsung Expands Mid-Range Lineup with Galaxy A35 5G

Apr 18, 2024
Samsung is bringing more mid-range phones to the US this year with the introduction of the Galaxy A35 5G. Samsung brought the Galaxy A32 5G to the US in late 2021, but the A33 and A34 skipped the US.

Samsung Sidekick 4G

3.5" display 480 x 800 pixels
Samsung Hummingbird Cortex A8 processor
Memory Card Slot, Hardware Text Keyboard, Headphone Jack (3.5mm)

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