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Its now official, Microsoft spent $500 million on the purchase of Danger. Of course this does not come as much of a surprise, after all that figure was the exact number that was rumored several months back. However, thanks to Microsoft’s most recent quarterly report this number has been confirmed.

Its always interesting to see just how much a company is purchased for, especially something of this magnitude, more important is just what Microsoft plans to do in order to make this a worthwhile acquisition.

Sadly though, even with all that money spent you would have thought they could have come up with a better name for the latest Sidekick to hit the market, which if you remember was simply called the Sidekick 2008.

Lots of people see the Sidekick as less than a threat and something that is marketed to mostly younger and teenage users, but we have to remember they are a rising part of the mobile industry, it will be interesting to see just what Microsoft/Danger will do in the future to hopefully keep their customers from growing older and looking towards a “real” smartphone.

Read [Yahoo! News]

T-Mobile has unveiled the latest model of the Sidekick, once known as the Gekko, it has been dubbed the Sidekick 2008 and is retailing for $149.99 along with a two-year agreement will be available beginning today.

The Sidekick will feature a decent set of specs which include a 2.6-inch 400 x 240 WQVGA display, 2 megapixel camera with video recording capability, Bluetooth 2.0 with A2DP support and a microSD card slot. The handset also ships with a 512MB memory card. The phone itself measures in at 4.7 x 2.3 x 0.7-inches and weights 5.3-ounces, and as expected it also maintains the standard, easy to use IM, text messaging and email capabilities.

In addition to the nice price, this Sidekick also marks the first to have user customizable shells, which sell for $14.99 each and are available from sidekickshells.com. Keep reading if you would like to check out the full press release, otherwise like previously mentioned it will be available today.

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T-Mobile has always had an interesting approach to releasing new models of the Sidekick. They announce the device and then initially offer it for a limited time only to current customers who are looking to upgrade.

It looks like this pattern was not any different with their latest release of the Tony Hawk branded Sidekick LX. The device was originally available to those lucky customers a few weeks back, and has since just been made available for everyone.

Anyone looking to score the limited edition model will have to be willing to part with $299.99 along with a two-year agreement or $449.99 contract free.

Sure it looks really cool, and I am sure there is a good market for it, but do we really need a Sidekick that looks like a skateboard. The look is complete with the grip tape like texture and eight screws on the bottom.

Read [T-Mobile]

As part of the recent OTA update for the Sidekick LX, those lucky users were given the ability to record video. But with a little disappointment the quality of those videos is not looking all that great, in fact it seems pretty bad. Of course, I am not sure what quality level we were really expecting, because after all the Sidekick still images have not always been of the highest quality either.

The folks over at Hiptop 3 have a few videos they are showing off, as they explain they opted not to post them on YouTube because they come out even worse than they started, that alone should tell you something. However, the videos are small, coming in at just 176 x 144 pixels and can be considered acceptable. They even went as far as doubling the video size, bringing it up to 352 x 288 pixels and although you can see what is going on, its not what you would want to really bother with. For those who are ready to grab that Tony Hawk branded model, the quality does not seem like its going to be anywhere near nice enough catch your hottest skate tricks.

Overall it seems the only place the video does not look horrible is on the device itself, so I suppose if your only intention was to share the video with your Sidekick carrying friends than you may still have something to get excited over. Otherwise you may want to look into an inexpensive handheld video camera such as the Flip mino.

Via [Hiptop 3]

While the official announcement of the Tony Hawk branded Sidekick LX showed us a neat new limited edition model, it also gave up some details on just what every other current Sidekick LX users had to look forward to, most notably the soon-to-come video capture support.

Well the good news is that the update will begin to roll out in a little over a week from now. Coming in the form of an over-the-air update it is scheduled to begin on June 25 and will be rolling out, as opposed to hitting everyone at the same time. Which means that in the past it has taken upwards of 4 weeks to reach everyone, so while the update is well worth the wait, try and be patient if yours does not arrive on the first day.

Aside from the video capture support, there is a whole slew of other features which include the ability to send or receive photos, videos, or music via Bluetooth, QuickFind, and no more restarting after a download. Keep reading to check out the full list below.

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Well it looks like our earlier post was indeed correct, T-Mobile has officially announced the Tony Hawk Edition Sidekick LX. Complete with the special Tony Hawk graphics on the front and rear of the flip-out display as well as the grip tape like texture and eight screws on the bottom to give it a true skateboard style.

The specially branded Sidekick LX marks the first to ship with video recording and play and share. Other improvements include an improved web browsing experience, stereo Bluetooth, and easier downloads. They also increased support for background personalization and added more themes. The Sidekick also includes a Tony Hawk theme with special background, “skate-themed swivel screen open and close sounds” and an exclusive video.

As we mentioned earlier the current Sidekick LX owners will get an OTA update during the summer with the new features such as the video recording and improved web browsing.

As with previous Sidekick releases, current owners will be given the first shot at grabbing the new model, with non-owners following. For current Sidekick owners the Tony Hawk Edition will be available in July from either t-mobile.com or by calling 1-800-T-MOBILE, regular retail availability will follow “soon thereafter.”

Keep reading to check out the full Tony Hawk Edition specs as well as a few more images…

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Well it looks like the previously rumored Tony Hawk branded Sidekick LX will be hitting the market after all. The new LX will not only be sporting a new look on the outside, thanks to some Tony Hawk graphics, but its also rumored to be packing some more, welcomed internal features. Aside from the new look, the LX is also expected to include video recording, stereo Bluetooth and an updated download system that is said to make it easier, along with more themes and backgrounds available to offer some additional customization. In addition the new LX will include a new feature called Play and Share, which will allow for you to easily share those newly recorded videos. The handset itself is also expected to have a “skateboard look and feel with a grip-tape-texture.”

While the Tony Hawk branded LX will come with the video functionality out of the box, the rest of the Sidekick LX’s currently on the market are expected to get an over-the-air update sometime this summer to also get that functionality added. The Tony Hawk Sidekick LX is expected to be announced and shown off today, with a release date sometime in mid-July. No word yet on pricing.

Via [BGR]

The FCC has confirmed the next Sidekick, which is currently codenamed the Gekko/Aspen by uploading the label for the device on their site. The new device will be manufactured by Sharp Corporation, and is named the PV210. Sadly but not unexpected, it will not be a 3G device. It uses GSM-850 and PCS1900 networks, and also has a microSD card slot and removable battery. The device is rumored to have a July release date.

Read [FCC] Via [HipHop3]

Millions of Sidekick lovers were excited with Microsoft’s announcement of the acquisition of Danger last February.  While the software giant has confirmed that Danger would live in Microsoft’s new Premium Mobile Experiences team and detailed how Microsoft plans to use Danger’s platform, the silence on plans about Sidekick have grown ominous.

“No new phone” has been confirmed at a recent pre-Mobius event.  However, the company seems to be working on synergies between the Windows Mobile and the Premium Mobile Experiences teams.  Some Windows Mobile team members are even joining the Premium Mobile Experiences team, so a saucy Danger ‘component’ shouldn’t be ruled out in Windows Mobile phones in the future.

Integrate Danger’s offerings into the Windows Mobile core would be an interesting task with substantial potential benefits. Danger’s operating system and back-end enables social networking, gaming, instant messaging, and other popular features.

Via [Geek.com]

I’m not sure why a lot of people seem excited about this, but T-Mobile has just officially outed the Scarlet Red version of the Moto Sidekick Slide, as we earlier reported. The new version offers a purely cosmetic change over the old one, so that means you still get the same big, clunky slider with QWERTY-keyboard that could be considered a whiz bang gadget—back in 1999. You should be able to get first dibs for it by paying up $199.99 a piece with a two-year service agreement. Visit local shops or online stores for deal specifics.

Via [HipTop3]