Who knows what awesome powers The Boy Genius has to acquire all the pre-production cellphones he plays with, but rather than puzzle over it until our bladders ache instead let’s enjoy his hands-on experience of the new Sidekick Slide (aka Zante). A similar form-factor to the Sidekick 3, though returning perhaps to the more squared-off predecessors, it has a smaller, higher-resolution screen and quad-band GSM/EDGE.

Rumoured to be launching on T-Mobile in the US in Q3 this year, feature-wise the Slide looks to be pretty similar to existing Sidekick models.  Thankfully the keyboard doesn’t look to be changed much, either.  Reception (on what is, remember, a pre-production handset) is changeable, although the apparently superb speakerphone seems to help make the most of when you’ve got a signal.

It takes a lot to impress TBG, and yet the Slide seems to be leaving him with a smile on his face:

“It’s so far our favorite Sidekick to date, but maybe we’re just hype. It does combine every existing feature we’re used to, and improves on some of them. So there isn’t much to hate when we’re getting that in a smaller, hipper device”

We’re promised a video review soon, but until then you’ll have to make do with his photo gallery .

Boy Genius Report