T-Mobile USA’s new CEO Phillip Humm confirmed at an event on Thursday that the carrier will soon launch a pair of new “4G” HSPA+ phones. Humm noted that T-Mobile will soon announce a 4G version of Samsung’s Galaxy S smartphone as well as a 4G addition to the popular Sidekick line that will run Android. “We will launch as new the Samsung Galaxy S 4G … and coming soon, will also be a Sidekick 4G. Everybody knows the Sidekick, and we’re going to relaunch the Sidekick and bring it as a 4G device, Android based, into the market,” Humm said at the event. While he didn’t refer to the Vibrant 4G by name — instead, he called it a “Galaxy S 4G” — Humm’s confirmation certainly firms up our exclusive report from earlier this week. We can likely expect both handsets to be announced next month at Mobile World Congress, and Humm confirmed that both devices will launch in the first half of this year. T-Mobile also said at the even that its current Vibrant smartphone will finally receive a software update “very soon,” and that the carrier will not offer Apple’s iPhone in the near future due to the device’s incompatibility with its AWS 3G network.
UPDATE: Check that. It looks like T-Mobile went with the “Galaxy S 4G” moniker instead of “Vibrant 4G.” Since it’s basically the same phone with the addition of newer HSPA+ compatibility from the looks of things, the carrier likely wanted to distinguish it from its predecessor as much as possible.Friday, April 1, 2011
T-Mobile Sidekick 4G hands-on!
As tech writers we get to play with a ton of phones, but nothing really takes us back to our high school days like playing with a Sidekick — and we just had a chance to sit down with the first one powered by Android. Built by Samsung, the Sidekick 4G features Android 2.2 (Froyo) and, despite our initial fears that it would be a lackluster device compared to the high-end beauties recently announced, we were pretty pleased with what the Sidekick 4G offers. It includes a horizontal-slider form factor, a throwback QWERTY keyboard with rounded keys, and more power under the hood than any Sidekick before it. Hit the jump for our hands-on with the Sidekick 4G, and some initial impressions.
The Sidekick 4G is powered by a 1Ghz Cortex A8 Samsung Hummingbird processor, so unlike previous models that had a feature phone feel, the Sidekick 4G has enough kick to keep up with T-Mobile’s high-end smartphones. It felt well built and its display hinge felt very sturdy when we popped it open to reveal the keyboard. Moving around the custom user interface was fluid and fun, but we think tweens and teens will probably enjoy the colorful UI a bit more than we did. The Sidekick 4G has a 3-megapixel camera but sadly, it lacks a flash. For those up on video-chatting, however, there’s also a front-facing camera.
Overall, the Sidekick 4G felt light in the hand and well built, but it also reminds us a bit more of a feature phone than a smartphone. That’s OK, though, given that it has the power of a smartphone with the features users expect from a Sidekick: Easy and quick messaging with a great keyboard and a fun user interface.
T-Mobile Sidekick 4G images uncovered
Following T-Mobile’s confirmation last week that it would soon launch an HSPA+ compatible Sidekick sequel, leaked images of the Sidekick 4G have been revealed. Enthusiast blog TmoNews published the images on Thursday along with some preliminary details. The T-Mobile Sidekick 4G is manufactured by Samsung, and the device pictured is said to be running a customized version of Android 2.2.1. It is unclear if this is a final build for the phone or if it will launch with a newer version of the Android operating system. From the image above, it appears as though the display will feature a sliding mechanism that opens at a forward angle like the Nokia N97, or allows the display angle to be adjusted like the HTC Touch Pro2. There also appears to be a front-facing camera on the device for video chat. Hit the break for more shots of the upcoming T-Mobile Sidekick 4G.
