I'd be surprised if it launches before June, at least if they want to launch with reliable software.Ok, so I bought this Sidekick off of craigslist and the guy said it worked. But in my opinion, they have a lot of work to do. It's pre-production, so that's fine obviously they expect to do more work and fix everything before launch. I should also mention that the units we tried were very buggy. So whatever app you use most you can set to be a one-swipe shortcut from the lock screen. You slide it down to unlock, but slide it up to launch right into the app you've set as the lock screen shortcut. One last trick - which actually seems pretty darn useful - is the lock screen. With the phone open, they clearly expect you to hold down the jump key and press a letter, skipping the menu itself. If you use the menu with the phone closed, it works great. But at least the "jump" menu is very customizable. And trying to use the optical joystick doesn't work until you figure out that you're supposed to swipe up to go left, and down to go right. For example it shows shortcut letters (like c for contacts) but pressing them does nothing. But if you just press the "jump" key to bring up the menu, it doesn't work very well. So you can hold down the big "jump" button and press "c" to go right to your contacts, for example. If you essentially skip the menu by using a memorized key shortcut, it's even faster. The jump menu looks great, and could be as useful as any customizable quick jump-to-X shortcut menu, but it's no huge innovation. It also can some cover-flow-esque flourishes. It's pretty slick-looking, with everything tilted on an angle. The new apps that add Sidekick features sound great, although they're almost all social, so we'll need to test features like Cloud Messaging and Group Messaging at home with our own unit to give you a good impression. It's one of the most successful attempts I've seen to customize the look of Android. The default skin looks nice enough, and there are several very different, nice-looking options. Bottom line: they haven't tried to put the whole Sidekick interface on top of Android, they've tried to blend them, and the result takes some getting used to. To tie it all together, they've added a "jump menu" with a slick diagonal look. There is also a set of apps that bring certain Sidekick-like features to Android. They have applied a skin that changes the look of the main Android screens, but not the functionality. And I have relatively small hands and soft skin, so others might have even more trouble with it. It's a key Sidekick feature, and it works fine in portrait mode, but a Sidekick is a very landscape-oriented device, and held that way, the optical joystick is very recessed, and in a weird c-shaped dent, that makes it difficult to reach you really have to mash your thumb into it. The hardware is generally good, although my one niggle is with the optical joystick. Other hardware notes: 4G data and a front-facing camera round things out. Personally, I'd like an apostrophe key, too, but you can't have it all. Curiously, the is also the alt key on the 2 key, so they give you two ways to type it. There are dedicated period and comma keys, and the good ol' symbol. If anything, they feel too far apart, but in a way I think I would get used to quickly. The keys feel great and work even better. Once open, the keyboard is classic Sidekick: very good. The slide/tilt mechanism feels quite sturdy, although peeking into it when open, you see a relatively exposed circuit board cable, which doesn't inspire confidence. If you nudge the bottom of the screen like you would an old Sidekick, it pops open, so at least they're harnessing the muscle memory of old Sidekick die-hards. So Samsung's take is more like a Nokia N97 or E7, in that it slides open, but pops up into a rigid tilt as it slides. Apparently Danger (now Microsoft) owns the patent on that little trick. Because, you see, it doesn't spin open with a fancy pirouette motion like Sharp-made Sidekicks. Open it up, and things change before it's even all the way open. The back has a unique shape and texture that improves grip when help sideways. If anything, it feels more solid than the cheaper models made by Sharp. The form factor looks and feels like a Sidekick when closed.
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