Friday, March 18, 2011

T-Mobile demos new Sidekick opening mechanism, promises mobile hotspot and tethering support

So what do you think of the first touchscreen Sidekick? A desperate attempt to keep an archaic brand alive with unrelated hardware or a modern retelling of a successful retail story? Either way, T-Mobile's keeping the popular name alive, albeit with an Android 2.2 foundation and Samsung-built guts. The new slider mechanism, which replaces the popular 180-degree swivel that was the hallmark of Sidekick devices, has now been treated to a neat video demo, where it's assured upwards thrust gives us cause to be cautiously optimistic. Phone Scoop has also received confirmation that Android's built-in mobile hotspot and USB tethering functions will be supported on the new device, along with MicroSD memory expansion -- 1GB of storage on board will be supplemented with a 2GB card in the box -- WiFi, Bluetooth, and GPS. Video follows after the break.

[Thanks, Brandon and Timothy]