Ready for even more rumors about Windows Mobile 7 and Microsoft's mysterious "Pink" smartphone project? Good, cause we've got a few -- and the first is potentially huge. ZDNet's Mary Jo Foley says her best understanding of "Pink" is now that it's a Microsoft-branded phone running a custom UI on top of Windows Mobile 7, developed by what's left of the Danger team and targeted at the Sidekick market. Yep, Microsoft-branded -- as in, the exact thing Microsoft has been denying for ages now. What's more, Redmond wouldn't be letting third parties use this new UI -- Pink would be manufactured only by Sharp or Motorola, who've made Sidekicks in the past. It all makes sense, even if it does feel a bit like MS is knifing its partners in the back -- companies like HTC and Samsung have been equally aggressive in layering their own UIs like TouchFLO 3D and TouchWiz on top of WinMo, but it's another thing entirely to compete against Microsoft itself, especially now that AdWeek says Microsoft's selected an agency to develop a Pink ad campaign. Yeah, things are starting to get a little wild -- we haven't even mentioned the open questions of whether the Zune HD is running Tegra because it's based on Windows Mobile 7 Chassis 1, or whether Pink will launch on Verizon, or whether Zune will appear on other phones, or... you get the idea. Hey Microsoft -- you want to clear any of this up by shipping some products?

Read - ZDNet
Read - AdWeek

No doubt, the latest Sidekick looks pretty much like the swivel-screen Hiptop of yore. But as you'll recall from our review, the new 3G Sidekick LX takes the original tweener aesthetic high-end to match its aging user base. That means one of the best displays (854 x 480 pixel) available on a US handset and new 3G and assisted GPS radios to upload geotagged pics on the quick snapped by the LX's 3.2 megapixel camera with flash. Available now for $250 (after instant discount, mail-in rebate, and 2-year commitment) in your choice of carbon or orchid paint.

[Via PhoneArena]

T-Mobile's Sidekicks have been cult favorites stretching all the way back to the original grayscale model -- a device with a design only a mother could love, may we add -- when it launched nearly seven years ago. Though the unusual form factor with the addictive spring-loaded pivoting swivel has largely prevented it from attracting a mainstream audience, the countless teens and twenty-somethings who've latched on to the Hiptop ecosystem have cited many of the same reasons for loving it since day one: an easy, foolproof UI, push email, high-quality customizability, decent web browsing capabilities, and a stellar messaging-optimized layout (remember that QWERTY was little more than a twinkle in most manufacturers' eyes back in 2002).

At its launch, the first-generation Sidekick LX represented a new high end for the franchise -- big shoes to fill for the 2009 model of the same name. Does it live up to the hype? More importantly, could this be the first Sidekick complete enough and robust enough to reach new audiences? Read on.

You still can't order it unless you got in on the pre-sale, but T-Mobile has now confirmed pricing for new customers wishing to pick up a fresh 2009-vintage Sidekick LX: $249. That'll be an after-rebate price on a two-year contract, while existing T-Mobile subscribers will continue to pay the $199 they've enjoyed during the pre-sale so far. Loyalty occasionally pays, it seems.

Sure, T-Mobile said May 13 for the Sidekick LX 2009's official date with destiny, but if they want to start drop-shipping units a few days early, we don't think anyone's going to complain. In-the-wild unboxings certainly seem to back up stories that devices are already being shipped to those who've pre-ordered it ahead of release -- and call us crazy, but we think we prefer these shots to that creepy viral video unboxing from a while back. Enjoy the shots, and if you didn't (or couldn't) pre-order, we might suggest viewing them very, very slowly so they last through to the 13th.

[Thanks, Ed]

Our first glimpse of T-Mobile's new 2009 edition Sidekick LX was all too brief, so we've jumped back in for some in-depth video hands-on (embedded after the break). One word of warning: this screen is truly incredible, and we can't be held responsible for any instances of sudden onset Sidekick envy. Traipsing through the OS, we found most everything to be responsive, intuitive and actually pretty feature-packed. The Facebook and Twitter apps are some of the best we've seen, and Laura our demo person was actually brave enough to shoot, upload and stream YouTube live on video with us. The browser had a bit of trouble with the visceral multimedia experience of Engadget.com, but overall seemed fairly together. The Download Catalog is a little barebones at the moment, but promising. Overall the hardware will be totally familiar to Sidekick users, but there are enough enhancements and refinements to make this lust worthy to folks on both sides of the Sidekick fence. It's comfortable in hand, with soft touch plastic and a super solid build, despite our best efforts at wrenching that swivel-and-tilt screen from its magical hinge. The phone hits T-Mobile on May 13th for $199 after rebates.

Fake corporate-marketing unboxing videos aren't anything new -- some of them are even pretty amazing -- but this latest one from T-Mobile is definitely the skeeziest we've ever seen. Follow along as a sex-crazed Sidekick LX attempts to limit access to his bubbly new owner's "spring break photos," pushes her into watching her "hot friends" play beach volleyball, and lament that he's ended up in the purse rather than her pocket -- yep, the Sidekick LX is the creepy little brother you wish you never had. No wonder she stashes it next to the pepper spray. Video after the break.

Sound familiar? Indeed, this isn't the first time T-Mobile has offered a Sidekick LX -- but much like last year's simply-named Sidekick, the carrier is once again carrying forward branding while totally revamping the hardware. The 2009 edition of the Sidekick LX is thoroughly new and pretty much nails every item on every Sidekick fan's wishlist: GPS, 3G data, an absolutely glorious 3.2-inch full wide VGA display, and super-tight integration with Facebook, Twitter, and MySpace. You've also got a 3.2 megapixel AF camera with LED flash, microSD expansion (T-Mobile throws a 1GB card in the box), video recording and playback (including YouTube access), stereo Bluetooth, quadband EDGE, and HSDPA 2100 for high-speed coverage when you're galavanting around Europe. The ace up T-Mobile's sleeve, though, might be Exchange ActiveSync support, which will be coming via the on-device software catalog shortly after launch. It's available for pre-sale to current T-Mobile customers starting today -- everyone else will have to wait until May 13 -- but either way, you'll be paying $199.99 after rebate on contract in your choice of "carbon" or "orchid" finishes. Check out all the snazzy photography below -- and follow the break for our quick first impressions of the phone.

The device itself has already been blessed with an FCC approval of its own, but it turns out that new Sidekick T-Mobile subscribers are patiently waiting for has a secret deep within its pretty shell: the radio guts are sourced directly from Option. We learn from filed documentation that the Belgian wireless specialist has crafted a custom module for the new phone called "Deimos," featuring an onboard Qualcomm MSM7201A core, 128MB of RAM, 256MB of ROM, AGPS, Bluetooth, microSD slot, and a stereo headset jack; HSDPA comes on the 850, 1700, and 2100MHz bands in addition to quadband EDGE, making it a perfect device for globetrotters and domestic 3G lovers alike. Interestingly, Deimos will be compatible with Sidekicks featuring Sharp's choice of 2 and 3 megapixel cameras and either 3- or 3.18-inch displays, but really, once you get above the magical 3-inch mark, who's counting? [Warning: PDF link]

[Thanks, Geert]

Well well well. Well. What do we have here? Apparently the cats and kittens over at T-Mobile have something special planned on Tuesday, April 21st. We've just gotten a very brief email letting us know that something was going down, but without any other detail. Obviously our gadget-alarms started clanging, and the way we see it we've only got a few things to get excited about. Will we see the launch of Cupcake? Could this be the official US unveiling of the Magic? Or perhaps we'll finally get to see the new Sidekick which just hit the FCC. Look -- anything is possible, but whatever happens, we'll be there. What do you guys think is in store?

Occasionally, Sharp will pass a Japanese domestic market handset through the FCC for global roaming certification, but not this time. No, instead, we're seeing the PV300 -- and as any rabid Sidekick fan knows, Sharp's Sidekicks are referred to as "PV" followed by a three-digit number internally, so yeah, we're thinking this is probably the real deal. Of course, we've had no shortage of legit-sounding rumors in the past few months that there's a new high-end Sidekick on the way to T-Mobile shelves, and indeed, it should come as no surprise that this one is certified for AWS 3G -- the very kind T-Mobile uses -- along with the usual assortment of GSM / EDGE bands. Anyhow, see you shortly, dear Sidekick. Hopefully.

We still don't know whether to call it the Sidekick 2009 or the Sidekick Blade, but either way, T-Mobile's upcoming hiptop has finally been caught on camera, looking just as it did in a survey from last month and later via render. Unfortunately, we can't glean any specs from the image, but the aforementioned questionnaire listed 3G, a 3.2-inch WVGA display, 3.2 megapixel camera, microSD card slot, and GPS with turn-by-turn navigation. Alright, Danger, you've made us believers -- now give us some official press shots to gaze upon lovingly.

Those Sidekick-crazed hipsters over at Hiptop3 have posted some impressions from a tipster who's purportedly used the Sidekick 2009 / LX 2009 / Blade. Apparently the handset -- which is actually called the "Montreal" by the guys in magenta -- looks just like those leaked images we've spotted before, and has a "more grown up feel" and flush keyboard.The keyboard-centric device is running DangerOS 5.0 (which may or may not be NetBSD based), and has a specialized app to access T-Mobile account info quickly. USB / headphone jacks reside on the bottom of the device, and there's also some new mood lighting. T-Mo will supposedly be marketing this one as the "Sidekick 2009," but that's unfortunately all the intel on sales so far. If the aforementioned deets have your fingers tingling, hit up the read link for even more, and start thinking of ways to pawn off that LX or Slide.

Outside of that dark, grainy, somewhat blurry slide detailing the Sidekick LX 2009, we've had no other images -- renders or otherwise -- to wrap our minds around. Now, we've got this (pictured above, clearly), which is a so-called mockup of the leaner, more streamlined new hiptop. Of course, we aren't about to bet the farm on something as unsubstantiated as this, but couple it with an in the wild shot and you just might make believers out of us.

If Danger's going to switch up its Hiptop platform strategy in the era of Microsoft ownership, you think that it might be to... oh, we don't know, something even remotely Microsoft-related. Granted, shoehorning Windows Mobile 6.1 onto a Sidekick LX sounds like a match made in hell, but at the very least, they could start with a Windows CE base and attach a bunch of Danger-specific stuff with wood glue until the end result looked familiar to users. Alas, Hiptop3 is reporting its own sources in combination with some telling open job positions and notes from Danger employees to suggest that the upcoming Sidekick LX 2009 -- possibly to be known as the Sidekick Blade -- will actually feature an entirely new kernel based on NetBSD. Our only guess is that this fancy little project started well before the acquisition completed, and in the interest of getting a thoroughly modern, 3G- and GPS-equipped Sidekick into the market as quickly as possible, maybe Redmond begrudgingly greenlighted the remainder of the project. Good on you, Microsoft.