#T MOBILE SIDEKICK HOW TO#

The Sidekick, as it was, didn’t have to exist. Plus, people really liked the Sidekick, whereas folding phones existed out of necessity. With only one screen, or even two screens, it could easily be priced under $1000 and be a moneymaker because again - the engineering problem of a screen that moves away from the processor has already been solved. T-Mobile’s version of the Sidekick (Image: KnowTechie)o Plus, if a company was to make a new Sidekick-like device, it wouldn’t have to price it at $1500 All these phones are more physically sound than any double-screen flip phone that has been released.

There were other phones with similar form factors, with slide-out keyboards instead of a screen that slid up. There is still a 4G Sidekick being supported by T-Mobile (also teasing that the phone could come back at any time). And because of its form factor, it should be easier to make sure it’s not fragile. The engineering problem is already solved, we know the slide-out screen works. To the point that the physical keyboard could be replaced by a screen under the slide-out (flip-up, 180-degree rotating, whatever) screen. You want a larger screen? Get a tablet.īut the Sidekick, here’s something that lends itself to modern screen technology, while providing a solid engineering solution for companies looking to slide, fold or otherwise add movement to smartphone devices.

#T MOBILE SIDEKICK HOW TO#

Phone manufacturers have yet to figure out how to slam two screens into a phone, a device that really doesn’t need two screens. TCL is apparently working on a phone with a sliding screen, but that also presents an engineering problem that is likely prone to error and fragility. Sidekicks existed from 2002 to 2011, so even the youth of today might feel nostalgic for a phone they saw their parents use. I’m talking about the original Danger Hiptop with a slide-up screen (re-branded as the T-Mobile Sidekick, the device that basically launched T-Mobile into the mainstream). So forget folding phones, bring back the Sidekick But they are rushed to production, prone to breaking and just not good. It’s been clear to me (at least) that folding phones are an attempt to appeal to the nostalgia of Gen Xers with money. There is a future in which technology folds - fold all the things - but that future is not now. The Motorola Razr is an expensive, fragile mistake. The Samsung Galaxy Z flip phone is trash (and has a screen which you’ll need to replace almost immediately). Folding phones to this point, have been a bust.

T mobile sidekick