T-Mobile SideKick Gets Skinned

T-Mobile's new Sidekick messaging-phone lets users swap shells to suit their politics, mood, or outfit...or make their own custom shells.

T-Mobile has introduced a new version of its SideKick messaging phone that takes customization to new levels by enabling users to swap the unit’s shell for something that suits their current mood, outfit, politics, or attitude. The new SideKick—just SideKick, no model designations—can take on any number of pre-designed shells…or users can design their own by uploading graphics or photos to be custom-printed onto a SideKick shell via SkinIt.

“The new T-Mobile Sidekick, with its customizable shells, lets our customers easily express that unique style directly on their phone,” says T-Mobile director of product marketing Sajal Sahay, in a statement. . “Providing our customers with options to stand out from the crowd and show a true expression of themselves is what makes this Sidekick such an intriguing, fun device.”

The new Sidekick is a bit thinner, smaller, and lighter than previous versions—so no cramming earlier models into the new shells—and offers a 2 megapixel video-capabile camrea, microSD storage, Bluetooth 2.0, a WQVGA 400 by 240-pixel LCD display, along with the SideKick’s signature horizontal swivel screen and full QWERTY keyboard. The SideKick also offers Web surfing capability, support for instant messaging, and an improved download capability that lets users download and install items like themes without having to restart the device. The new SideKick also offers a Spanish interface.

The new SideKick is available today from T-Mobile for $149.99 with a two-year contract, after an instant discount and mail-in rebate. The SideKick will ship with black and metallic green shells; SideKick Skins are $14.99 each, whether pre-designed or user-created.