T-Mobile Sidekick 4G shares battery with other Samsung models.

I was pleasantly surprised a few days ago when I noticed that eBay was "full of" affordable battery options for the Sidekick 4G especially since many of them even came with stand alone chargers.

I could only assume that the SK4G was sharing the battery with other Samsung models, and it appears to be confirmed by at least one eBay seller if this information is any reliable and without promoting one seller over any other on eBay the one with this information listed has 40.000+ positive feedback at a higher than 99% so it should be somewhat reliable.

According to this particular seller the Sidekick 4G by Samsung uses the same battery as the following Samsung models:

i8910 Omnia HD

Omnia 3G

Omnia Pro B7610

Giorgio Armani B7620

Omnia Pro B7300

Omnia Pro B7320

i6410

S8500

  

BGR returns to do another hands-on of the Sidekick 4G with VIDEO

So Boy Genius Report did another hands-on with video this time:

ENJOY!

Pocketnow gets their hands-on with video and download speed test!

So here is a hands-on by Pocketnow along with their video of a nice speed test on the new Sidekick 4G

Below we have their first impressions on the Sidekick 4G:

"In this segment we take a look at the T-Mobile Sidekick 4G, resurgence of the Sidekick line with a new operating system (Android) and a new manufacturer (Samsung). The device felt pretty solid all around, with a good sliding mechanism and tried-and-true Sidekick keyboard. Since this is a 4G device, internet speeds were typically impressive, although some of that is probably due to enhanced coverage here at CTIA. We found the skinned interface to be fairly basic but probably perfect for the Sidekick crowd, as this will likely be a starter Android handset for many. Also, we certainly appreciated the all-caps used to label the icon shortcuts, as our eyes have grown weary from staring at displays with increasingly-higher pixels-per-inch." 

PCmag did also have their hands-on with the Sidekick 4G

There has been so many hands-on with the new Sidekick 4G today that one could easily get the various reports mixed up.

Here is what PCmag had to say about their in person experience with it and yet a few more angles in the pictures below just incase you haven't seen enough  just yet :)

"I'm a little bit in love with the new Sidekick. I kind of want one.

Is that okay? Really? I'm a 36-year-old man, after all, not the Sidekick's target market of teens. And I wasn't much of a personal fan of the old Sidekick's beepy-boopy noises and "disco ball" glowing trackball. But the new Sidekick looks—dare I say it—grown up.

The Sidekick looks even better in person than it does in photos. The matte black model is smooth and soft, made of solid plastic, with a confident feel to it. The 3.5-inch, 800x480 screen is bright and tight.

Teens will still love this phone, because it's a texting beast. Samsung, smartly, kept the terrific Sidekick keyboard, with its slightly stiff, well-separated and bubbled buttons. The phone can be used closed, as a touchscreen phone with a virtual keyboard, or can snap open smartly with the screen sliding up to reveal the keyboard.

The Sidekick is an Android 2.2.1 phone with some pretty heavy customizations, but I think they're good looking. You can look at the slideshow in this story and decide for yourself. Pretty much everywhere you'd expect to see either text or a rectangle on an Android phone has been edited a bit. A little bar across the top of the screen keeps track of which of the seven home screens you're on. The standard Android icon font has been replaced by a small, all-caps font. At the bottom of the screen (or the side, depending on how you're holding it) are the words "phone," "apps," and "contacts" rather than confusing icons representing the same ideas.

Now that I think about it, the fonts, boxes of colors, and use of text rather than icons rather reminds me of Windows Phone 7's Metro design language, which makes an odd sort of sense: Microsoft bought Danger, maker of the old Sidekicks, and while that team wasn't involved in this phone, their spirit lives on.

The purely cosmestic customizations don't seem to drag down performance. The Sidekick felt even zippier than the usual Samsung Galaxy S phone, which was surprising given that they share the same 1GHz Hummingbird processor. And there's all the usual Android goodness in here, including the excellent Web browser and the 100,000-plus Android Market apps.The four Sidekick "jump" keys around the edges of the phone seem a bit vestigial, and they are; they played important roles in the old Danger OS, but here they're really just programmable shortcut keys. Three customizable colored LEDs along the top of the screen play the role of the old "disco ball," telling you about new messages. I like how they're customizable; you can turn them on or off as you like.

I didn't get to test the Sidekick's Internet speeds, but I'm expecting good things: this is an HSPA+ 21 phone, and thus it'll be quite fast on T-Mobile's network. The new Sidekick 4G will cost $149.99 with a two-year contract when it comes out this spring; it will also be available for more money on prepaid plans, T-Mobile told me."

Here is what Boy Genius Reports on the Sidekick 4G

Another well known blog Boy Genius Report aka BGR has had it's hands-on with the Sidekick 4G and another 30 pictures for you to enjoy

Here is what BGR says:

"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."

PCworld has their hands-on the new Sidekick 4G too!

Unlike previous generation Sidekicks, the 4G Android version is really getting the attention of every major Gadget blog out there, here is PCworld's take on it:

"The T-Mobile Sidekick 4G made its first public appearance on the eve of CTIA Spring 2011 in Orlando and I was lucky enough to get my hands on it. As a former Sidekick LX user (and honestly, I kind of miss good physical keyboards), I was excited to check out Samsung's spin on this popular phone.


First things first: The Sidekick 4G's keyboard rocks. And it should; the keyboard is why the Sidekick series was so popular. The keys are nicely spaced, have a satisfying click to them and feel nice against your fingers. I was able to bang out a long message pretty quickly with very little error.

The touch display slides out easily and feels sturdy. The phone itself feels a bit plasticky-but so did the older Sidekicks. It is definitely aimed at a younger set and the fun, colorful design (well at least the magenta version) definitely reflect that.

In addition to the keyboard and the touch display, there are four hardware keys and an optical mouse. The Sidekick shakes up the standard Android hardware keys by adding a Jump Key rather than a Search key (in addition to Home, Back and Menu, of course). If you remember the older Sidekicks, you might recall the Jump Key, which takes you to a list of your favorite programs (which you can certainly customize).

The user interface is basically an updated version of the old Sidekick OS's, but with some Samsung touches here and there. TouchWiz it isn't, but you do have access to the MediaHub, which is found on Samsung's Galaxy line of phones.

Unfortunately Cloud Text (which lets you send texts across multiple devices, like your PC) and Group Text (which lets you send texts to multiple people at once) weren't activated on this particular test unit at the show. The 3-megapixel camera took decent shots, but nothing spectacular. Running on a 1GHz Hummingbird processor, the Sidekick 4G was fast and responsive.

This is the second phone we've seen tonight on T-Mobile, which was just bought by AT&T. I'm hoping the Sidekick has a similar inexpensive price for both the phone and the plan, like the Nokia Astound, which was announced tonight. Pricing and availability has not yet been announced for the Sidekick 4G.

Stay tuned for a hands-on video of the Sidekick 4G in action and more news from CTIA Spring 2011 in Orlando!"

Sidekick 4G hands-on video by Laptop Magazine

Laptop MAG has a very nice hands-on with video of the new Sidekick 4G

Here is what they have to say about the Sidekick 4G:

"Here at CTIA 2011, we were treated to some hands on time with the upcoming T-Mobile Sidekick 4G. This iconic messaging device continues the storied Sidekick  legacy with a very familiar look and feel but also adds the power of Android to the mix, all for $99.

Those who rocked older Sidekicks a few years back should definitely find that the new version carries the torch well. Now built by Samsung, the latest incarnation boasts access to T-Mobile’s 4G data network plus all the powerful apps that Android 2.2 offers. Running a 1GHz Coretex A8 Hummingbird CPU, the phone felt responsive to us. The Sidekick 4G features an excellent keyboard with solid, clicky feel; a sturdy spring-loaded hinge, and a revamped UI.

The demo unit we saw lacked a network connection, so we couldn’t verify download speeds.  Even so, it’s a slick handset, and heavy texters will appreciate features like group messaging."

Another hands-on with the new Sidekick 4G

Android community has done an extensive hands-on with nice video of the custom features of the Android on the new Sidekick.

How do you like a Sidekick with onscreen keyboard capabilities?

Here is an additional 60+ pictures for your drooling :)