This picture is real but not Sidekick III. This device is under different name and will be released in Asia counities soon. It is PocketPC based OS. We will not expect to see this model in the USA this year. We do not know if this company will market to US next year. Someone created a page at
http://www.freewebs.com/sidekick3/index.htm is hoax We already reported this hoax to T-Mobile.
There is NO official words about Sidekick III from either T-Mobile or Danger this time. We beleive.... no Sidekick III will be released this year.
This Device is NOT Sidekick!
FAQ:
1. Will this new T-Mobile model, MDA IV, be sold in the USA?
NO! T-Mobile has announced the MDA IV for the European market this
summer. There is no information on when the MDA IV will be available
in the US market - it is highly doubtful it will be this year.
2. What is the expected price?
T-Mobile Germany did not set the price yet. We believe that it would
cost about US $500 to $600.
3. Why will they not sell it in the USA yet?
The MDA IV is designed to work with European network technology in
mind. US wireless networks are older than Europe's, and this probably
is one reason the MDA IV is not going to be available in the US yet.
The MDA IV can use GSM/GPRS and UTMS (3G) which is very fast. (It can
use Bluetooth and WiFi as well.)
4. Will MDA IV replace the Sidekick II?
No, it is developed by a different company, HTC. It also runs a
different OS, Windows Mobile. The Sidekick is made by Danger and the
Sidekicks run the Danger OS.
We are making an educated guess that we
may be hearing about the new Sidekick sometime in the Spring of 2006, probably not sooner.
4. Where I can read more information about the MDA IV?
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2005/02/03/t_mobile_unveils_mda_iv/
http://www.engadget.com/entry/1234000090030074/
http://www.infosyncworld.com/news/n/5757.html
http://www.heise.de/newsticker/meldung/55854
Also, feel free to visit Deaftech.info who also has an article
debunking this rumor:
http://www.deaftech.info/2005/02/the_tmobile_mda.html
5. Letter to Deaf Community from employee of T-Mobile USA
Hello everyone,
Have you received a forwarded email with a picture of a very cool looking device which the email claims to be a Sidekick 3? I've gotten plenty of these the last few days. At first, I thought this was a Sidekick 3 as
well.
So I did some research and here's what I figured out.Last week, it was announced that a new Microsoft PDA phone would be released for T-Mobile Germany this summer. It's style resembles that of the
Sidekick.
Just so there's no confusion, this is definitely not the T-Mobile Sidekick 3 (or any Sidekick device). This is the MDA IV. MDA is a product lineup of Microsoft smart phones sold in Europe. At this time, there is no word of a Sidekick 3 release. My guess is the earliest we would see a new Sidekick would be early 2006.
T-Mobile USA will not carry the MDA IV. It's network standards are designed with European technology in mind. It's possible a similar version could be designed for us. If it does I will be sure to publish an update.
I believe it was a news article written in the United Kingdom that sparked much of the confusion. The link for the article is below. Notice how the title of the article might imply the device was a 'Sidekick 3.' I think I might write a letter to the editor
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2005/02/03/t_mobile_unveils_mda_iv/
Thanks,
Eric Marks
T-Mobile USA
Phone: 630-627-0800
Fax: 630-627-0482