T-Mobile Sidekick LX - midnight blue
Reviewed by
Bonnie Cha
on 10/18/2007

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o CNET editors' rating: 3.5 stars Very good
Detailed editors' rating
Design : 7.0
Features : 8.0
Performance : 7.0
Overall score: 7.3 (3.5 stars)
o Average user rating: 3.5 stars out of 48 reviews
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* Quick specs
* Band / mode: GSM 850/900/1800/1900 (Quadband)
* Talk time: Up to 408 min
* Combined with: With digital camera / digital player
* See full specifications

Add to my list Product summary

The good: The T-Mobile Sidekick LX boasts a sleeker design with a larger and much-improved display. The handheld continues to be an excellent messaging device with a spacious full QWERTY keyboard. It also offers Bluetooth, MySpace Mobile integration, and a 1.3-megapixel camera. The software also brings video recording and playback and stereo Bluetooth support.

The bad: The Sidekick LX lacks integrated Wi-Fi. The phone's speaker is on the weaker side.

The bottom line: The T-Mobile Sidekick LX will continue to attract a legion of young fans with its fresh design and excellent messaging capabilities. We like the improved display, and the software update brings some much-needed additions to the features department.
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CNET editors' review

* CNET editors' rating: 3.5 stars Very good
Detailed editors' rating
Design : 7.0
Features : 8.0
Performance : 7.0
Overall score: 7.3 (3.5 stars)

* Reviewed by:
Bonnie Cha
* Reviewed on: 10/18/2007
* Updated on: 07/17/2008
* Released on: 10/17/2007

Editors' note: The review and ratings have been updated since the original publish date to reflect the new enhancements that were made with release of the June 2008 over-the-air software update.

First released in October 2007, the T-Mobile Sidekick LX impressed us with its slimmer and lighter design and sharper and larger screen. However, we couldn't help but be a little disappointed by the lack of new features. There were some slight enhancements to the music player and a new MySpace Mobile application, but we were left wanting more. Well, with the new software update that was released in June 2008, we finally got it. (Better late than never, right?) The upgrade finally brings video capabilities, stereo Bluetooth support, and more. This, in addition to the strong e-mail and IM capa

First released in October 2007, the T-Mobile Sidekick LX impressed us with its slimmer and lighter design and sharper and larger screen. However, we couldn't help but be a little disappointed by the lack of new features. There were some slight enhancements to the music player and a new MySpace Mobile application, but we were left wanting more. Well, with the new software update that was released in June 2008, we finally got it. (Better late than never, right?) The upgrade finally brings video capabilities, stereo Bluetooth support, and more. This, in addition to the strong e-mail and IM capabilities, will certainly appeal to young messaging fanatics. Current Sidekick LX owners will receive the update over the air, while devices that ship after July 29 will have all the new capabilities built into it. The T-Mobile Sidekick LX is available now for $199.99 with a two-year contract and after rebates and discounts.
Design
The T-Mobile Sidekick LX makes quite a first impression. It's noticeably sleeker and sexier than any of the previous Sidekicks, though technically on paper, the LX isn't that much smaller than the Sidekick 3, measuring 5.1 inches tall by 2.3 inches wide by 0.7 inch deep, compared with 5.1 inches wide by 2.3 inches wide by 0.8 inch deep. However, the LX is 1 ounce lighter at 5.7 ounces and the slim handheld is just easier to slip into a pants pocket or purse. Plus, we like its updated look and shape--a tad iPhone-esque actually--and you have your choice of two colors: midnight blue or espresso brown.
The T-Mobile Sidekick LX next to the Palm Centro. The LX is lighter and thinner than previous Sidekicks.
Perhaps what we're most excited about is the much-improved screen. The low-resolution displays on the previous Sidekicks have always been a sticking point with us as well as users, but finally Sharp gives our eyes a reprieve. The Sidekick LX now has a larger 3-inch, 65,000-color TFT display and a sharper 400x240-pixel resolution. The difference in quality is amazing, as text and images look crisp and colors are more vibrant. You can also choose to customize the home screen with different background themes and change the font size.
The navigation controls surrounding the screen remain pretty much unchanged from the Sidekick 3 and Sidekick iD. To the left you have the Menu and Jump buttons and a directional keypad that doubles as the phone's speakers, and on the right, there is a Cancel button, Talk and End keys, an OK button, and the trackball navigator. Along the bottom edge of the handheld, you'll find the volume rocker and a power button, while along the top, there are two function buttons that perform different tasks depending on which application you are using. We found this last set of controls a bit hard to press since they're tiny and set flush with the phone's surface.
Nothing new here. You'll find the same navigation controls on the LX that are on the T-Mobile Sidekick 3.
To expose the full QWERTY keyboard, just nudge the upper-right corner or the lower-left corner of the screen to trigger the swivel mechanism, causing it to rotate a full 180 degrees and snap into place--mind your fingers, though. There are some slight modifications to the buttons, but they're all good and we still think the Sidekick's keyboard is one of roomiest and easiest to use. There's plenty of space between the keys, and the buttons now have a frosted, more tactile feel to them unlike the glossy, somewhat slippery ones on the Sideki
from CNET

Hello this will be helpful for you.
I'm not wild about the Sidekick LX, but that opinion might say more about me than about this flashy messaging powerhouse. It excels at text, IM, and e-mail but puts up some roadblocks for those who use a phone primarily to make calls.

The LX costs $300 with a two-year T-Mobile voice plan and a reasonable extra $20 per month for an unlimited data plan. You can pay $30 per month for a data-only, no-voice plan. You'll need a good data plan to take advantage of the LX's primary strength: messaging. I easily set up an AOL IM account (the LX supports Windows Live Messenger and Yahoo Messenger, too), and I also logged on quickly to Gmail and to PC World's Web-based mail accounts; the LX supports the IMAP e-mail protocol and most other popular Web mail services. And, of course, you can text- and picture-message as well.

The LX is designed for two-handed use. To access the keyboard, you lift and swivel the large, beautiful 3-inch screen to reveal a luxurious QWERTY keyboard with excellent spacing between the keys and a no-slip matte finish. New instant messages scroll across the top of the screen when you're doing other things like surfing the Web, which, by the way, is slow. (Currently T-Mobile doesn't offer 3G network speed, but the company plans to roll it out in the first half of 2008.) The senders and subjects of new e-mail messages appear when you scroll to the main interface's e-mail icon using the quick and handy scroll ball.

This design, however, is not great for phone calls. You'll want to import phone numbers into the LX's address book and access them that way, because it's awkward to dial using the number keys, which sit in one horizontal row at the top of the keyboard almost directly under the display's hinge. Plus, you'll need to swivel the keyboard out to dial and back in again to talk--awkward design decision number two. While call quality in my area was fine, the speakerphone sounded distorted to me at volumes loud enough to hear. (Call recipients had no complaints, however.) Battery life in PC World lab tests maxed out at 10 hours of talk time.

People who don't want their phone constantly beeping, buzzing, and flashing won't particularly like this model either. Under default settings my test unit glowed green, or blue, indicating a new message, even when it (and I) were sleeping at night. It made frequent, unexpected jarring alert noises too. Sure, you can turn all that off using the phone's settings and hardware volume buttons, which I often hit accidentally while trying to swivel the screen. But it's part of the Sidekick LX's celebrity-attracting bling; turning everything off is like getting an Old English sheepdog and giving it a buzz cut.

Other features: The LX has a 1.3-megapixel camera with flash that takes decently sharp pictures but doesn't take video--a pity given the large screen. You can plug in standard headphones without an adapter, and you can play music that you transfer via USB or store on a microSD card.

I didn't like the Sidekick LX, but I can see why other people might. Since I'm not a master messenger, I can't overlook the awkward phone-dialing design, the sluggish Internet, and the too-flashy audio-visual effects.

As a loyal owner of many models of the Sidekick Dynasty, I have suffered (albeit joyously) through various stages of metamorphosis--from awkwardly bulky housing, nonprogrammable sound profiles, to not-quite-what-it-could-be interfaces. It seems, however, that Sidekick has finally come into its own in the newest and most improved Sidekick LX from T-Mobile.

The list of heralded improvements starts with the slim and sleek, even thinner than before design, which looks and feels similar to the famously thin RAZR by Motorola. Available in espresso brown or midnight blue, the housing is shiny, smooth like glass, and features a leather-like backing to the battery compartment. The brilliant high-resolution screen is now three inches wide and crisper, brighter than ever, even when kept at "low" brightness level, which conserves battery life.
The LX boasts new blue "mood lights" located at each of the four corners, which can be customized to suit different message/text/IM/email alerts. The mood lights and track ball light up whenever the user receives a call/IM/text/email.

For anyone who has owned or operated a Blackberry interface, users may be pleasantly familiar with the LX OS, as it is somewhat similar. The email application is effortless, reminiscent of Mozilla Firefox's easy tab configuration and those who are upgrading from the Sidekick 3, will find their settings, email accounts and nearly every setting from their Sidekick 3 already conveniently configured on the LX. New customizable options include font size, as well as backgrounds and complete sound-infused themes.

As for games, say "bye bye" to Rocket Blaster and "Heeellllo" to Bob's Journey: TO THE CENTER OF THE EARTH! This popular game comes pre-loaded!

And now, for the creme de la creme...
I have saved the two best features of the new Sidekick LX for last.
For users who are Myspace addicts, a completely user-friendly and super convenient Myspace application is available for download in the catalog! While the application itself is free to download, users will have to agree to a nominal monthly fee until the application is discarded. In the Myspace application, users will enjoy "online now!" status, up to the minute photo/profile comment alerts, mail/blog subscription post/comments/friend request alerts, as well as instant picture upload straight from the LX to their Myspace profile! Myspace alert sounds are customizable as well.

And finally...*drum roll, please*
The feature many have been waiting so patiently for...
For the first time on a Sidekick, users are now able to send Picture Messages/(MMS)!!!!!!! No longer will users have to email pictures to a long numerical phone number email address, no more are the days of being outside the MMS loop. Rejoice! Picture Messaging has arrived!


All in all, I couldn't be happier with the extremely well done revamping on T-Mobile's Sidekick line, and have rated it a definite, no-doubt "excellent."

Just got my Sidekick LX today, and here is the scoop:

The good: The T-Mobile Sidekick LX has the best display of any Sidekick yet. It is 3 inches wide and has a resolution of 400 x 240 pixels. The Sidekick LX is the first Sidekick yet that is MMS compatible... at least on the T-Mobile network. T-Mobile removed MMS from all the other sidekicks. It also offers Bluetooth, MySpace Mobile integration, and a much improved 1.3-megapixel camera with a very strong flash to provide the best picture quality of any sidekick yet.

The bad: The Sidekick LX's camera, although good at picture taking, doesn't record video and there's no integrated Wi-Fi. The phone's speaker is on the weaker side, and there's no A2DP Bluetooth support. The battery is also rather weak, much in the same way the Sidekick 3's battery was.

Sidekick LX: Talk: 6.8 hours (408 minutes)
Standby: 96 hours (4 days)

Sidekick 3: Talk: 4.5 hours (270 minutes)
Standby: 72 hours (3 days)

Overall, I would recommend this phone for anyone who likes to text or e-mail a lot. For anyone who loves recording or watching videos, this is not the phone for you.

If this review helped you at all, please click "Yes" below. Thanks!

So I Have been using my Sidekick LX for about a month now..which I bought as an upgrade to the Sidekick 3 and it indeed is an upgrade. One feature that I have agreed upon with all my girlfriends that most people dont even recognize as a signifigant change is that the keypad on it is made of some type of non-slip hard rubber so when you are texting your fingernails dont slip off those tiny buttons.. ANother cool feature it come in two different colors Dark Blue or Brown which as a sheerly cosmetic quirk makes it stand out from the rest.
The New LCD screen is the biggest improvement which absolutely makes a difference when your using the internet access or even just text you can see the screen way more clearly. It comes with a less than decent camera built in but your not really buying a phone to take pictures right?! so I guess it's good for a "capture the moment" type situation..Depending if you are an existing costumer of t-mobile or not the phone will run you between $300-$400 dollars is it worth it?? if your into the keeping up with the new trends then yes..if it isn't that big a deal to you and your just looking for the capabilities get the sidekick 3 its cheaper and does everything the same.

After recently acquiring the T-mobile Sidekick LX I have to say I am very impressed on many of its features. Not only does it look sleek but it will have people eyeing it as they walk past.

Features: The Sidekick LX comes with a 1.3 megapixel camera, 128mb MiniSD card, USB, Wall and car charger, 2 cases and ear phones. The applications include email, sms/mms, internet, games, mp3 player, aol/windows live/yahoo messenger, to do list, calendar and notes.

Good: The Sidekick LX has a gorgeous 3 inch screen with 65k colours which is great for internet browsing. Like most sidekicks the aol/windows live/yahoo messenger services are top notch and the operating system looks great and is easy to use. The full QWERTY keyboard is spaced out and the buttons are comfortable, the track ball on the side is also very useful. The Sidekick LX has a smooth finish on the top and as for the back it is rough and grippy.

Needs Improving: The camera is only 1.3 megapixels and only takes ‘ok’ pictures in brightly lit rooms, it also does not take video. You cannot put your own ringtones, games and applications on Sidekick LX without paying for them from the download catalogue. The speaker is not very clear and many simple applications are not found on the Sidekick LX such as an alarm clock and a video player.

Despite lacking many basic features the Sidekick LX still manages to look great, have excellent email and text and a simple yet eye catching OS. I would recommend this to teenagers/young adults who prefer texting and emailing over media based applications.

Wonderful Phone. Full QWERTY Keyboard makes for easy texting, IMing, What ever. I love this phone so much, That I hve been with T-mobile for over 4 years based on the Sidekick alone.

Highly Recommended Buy :D

I bought the phone because I really love the look of the sidekick lx. I also wanted a phone with a qwerty keyboard because I text a lot more than I talk on the phone, so that feature was very important to me. The only thing I really hate about the phone is that if you don't have the tmobile sidekick plan, about 20 dollars more on the monthly bill, a few key features don't work. So, the phone can't be used to its full potential. Some of the features that don't work are myfaves, the phone won't notify you if you have a text message, when you get a text message you can only see the number that its from not the name associated with that number, and the internet/email is not available. I've gotten over not being able to use those features and I still love the phone.

A couple of things I wish I had known about the Sidekick LX prior to purchasing one is that it doesn't come with any real ring tones besides variations of a land line phone ring and it doesnt have a calculator. Also, the LX horizontal length is longer then the 2008 Sidekick so if you have short thumbs it's not as comfortable to type on the qwerty keyboard, it takes some getting used to. Otherwise it's an ok phone.

Ok the sidekick lx is on of the latest models of the sidekick T-Mobile has dropped... other than the sidekick 2008. It's a little more pricey but it's worth it. If you are a textaholic like me then you also need this phone! The lx is lightweight and sleek. You can text a whole lot faster with the rubberized keyboard. The trackball lets you move lines and spaces with the twitch of your thumb. I know some ppl say the ugh the swivel screen sucks. But you get used to it in a breeze! Oh and the over the air updates!!! The lx is now capable of capturing, sending, and receiving video!!! I cant wait until the next OTA comes out....

Well I had this phone for a bout 3 days and i have to say this phone was just to delicate to use in every day use, Im a delivery boy and i love sidekicks i had a sidekick 3 for 2 years i love it but then i got the LX and i just brought it back and got the T-mobile Wing
The bad thing about this phone is its glossy finish if you scratch this thing or drop it it will break or just make you want to bring the phone back, I i almost dropped it and my heart stopped heh but another thing is the Camera you would think that they would of put a video camera by now on the Danger or Hiptop family but i havent found one yet so i guess i gotta wait another year for the 4 and take the Wing back but if you want a phone that can take a fall and you dont think your gonna break it go with the wing.

Don't believe the "hype." This phone worked out well, but soon after I was over the whole "social networking" scene that made this phone the Sidekick, after that it just became a regular phone with software issues that became rather annoying.

For instance, if you cancelled out your data service plan with your mobile service provider, you will constantly be reminded that the phone is not online. Also, the various software issues that need to be resolved by Danger, or Microsoft are not frequently updated and the result is a very, buggy phone.

I like the flipping screen, the comfortable keyboard, and i love the interface of the phone, is so easy to use. I decided to buy it because I'm a big fan of the sidekick and i need to buy a new phone so i decided to buy myself a sidekick LX.

The Sidekick LX is a great phone with good applications. I love the swivel screen and the fact that it has a full keyboard. It takes a little time to figure out how to use everything but once you get to understand it, you'll love it! I am a mom and needed a phone I couldn't lose and something functional and this was perfect. Ther's nothing extraordinary about the phone but I still love it. I can't wait to try the LX 2009!

I have had a sidekick 2, 3 and now the LX, and without doubt Sidekick scored again! It has everything that we have come to know and love about the original sidekicks, but with some much needed improvements. I can assure that you will not be disappointed with this phone.
Pros:
-"Sidekick 2 esq" keypad :)
-Slimmer and lighter than the 3
-Keeps the camera flash (2008 does not)
-Lights are for more than just show
-Improved battery life
-Amazing screen
-Better web browser
-Yahoo mail support in the email client
-Classy looks
-Stereo bluetooth

Cons:
-Still a bit big, 2008 is better, but screen is not as good
-Battery still goes down to one bar by the end of the day
-Reception still not the best

I bought the T-Mobile Sidekick LX about 3 weeks ago. So, far the phone is working great. I was really impressed by the features on the phone. I love the fact that I can go on the internet from the phone and reply to my emails in a timely matter.THanks for your excellent service

I am a fan of the sidekick lx because its thinner than the other and well the color blue is good the only thing its still a little big ... I mean I like everything but still like flip phones wit great technology ....but overall it is a good phone to have..!!!!

I absolutely loved the sidekick 3 device. Have to say if your a young adult or teen, its a must. I recently sold it and got the even newer one Sidekick LX, which is also a must. The newer one offers a sleeker and more slim design and now offers mood lights which glow blue when you get a text or and instant message. The sidekick devices are for the younger crowd not typically for people who have had blackberrys or any other device that holds a lot of data. The phone can do lots of things at once like Instant Message, Internet,Music and emailing. If your like me and like to text a lot and like the attention than wait no more. I'd recommend a excellent phone for teen and young adult crowd!

This phone is great, really thin and light. fixs in your pocket perfectly. camara improve as well. The best thing is the internet brower, it is now a lot faster than sk3. The speaker is also very loud, also the screen is beautiful Hi-Res. The screen is so clear the best sidekick screen yet. The bad thing abour the LX is that the battery is not that good. Doesnt really last as long as the sk3. so the battery is worst i guess. the keyword feels rubbish and its kind of hard to type. i would say the sidekick 3 keyboard is better. overall the sidekick lx is a great phone to get if you love the sk3. you must get this sidekick.

Right Off the bat, i can tell you that the sidekick LX is the ideal phone for people who mainly text or are on aim. The menu is fairly simple to go through and there shouldn't be any confusion while using it. A downside about this phone is the trackball. If it happens to get something sticky on it, sometimes it will disfunction. Other than that, this is the perfect phone for the price it was sold for.

I've always wanted a sidekick, and now that I was finally able to get one I'm happier than ever about it. Due to not having a credit score, I could not afford the discount on the phone through t-mobile. I'm happy that I was able to fine a great phone for 250 bucks less than what I would of had to pay. I'm very pleased with my purchase. :)

good phone for price if you cant get a sidekick 2008 or sidekick lx 2009, this phone works great. There are lots of colors you can get and nice games too

I just received that Sidekick LX (and did not purchase the data plan) and I noticed a bunch of glitches with it that I already don't like. First off, when I began receiving text messages, I noticed the sender's number would show up rather than the sender's name. This means that I would have to open a window to reply to the sender before I knew who the sender was. I also noticed that when I received a text message, the phone wouldn't alert me of it (meaning it wouldn't vibrate or ring). To get around this, I had to set a notification (for 2 minutes later) for any alerts (meaning new unread text messages). This was really annoying seeing as to how I needed a new phone because my old phone didn't vibrate or ring anymore. Another thing that I noticed was that when I received a text message, the times would be off. I don't know why this happened and tried to find a way around this, but so far I haven't found a solution. It's really annoying. The inbox also only holds 100 messages on the phone and 30 on the sim which is a big downgrade from my last phone which seems to have no message inbox limit. However, it is fun to text with this phone and i really like the swiveling screen. The speaker quality is okay and the track ball is pretty fun to play with. Overall, I was a little disappointed with this phone but I'm sure I'll learn to live with it after a couple of weeks.