Budget T-Mobile Sidekick iD Set for April

Here's another former rumor we can now call fact. T-Mobile and Danger have officially taken the wraps off a bargain version of the Sidekick, dubbed the iD, and it'll hit the streets in a couple of weeks.

The new Sidekick looks pretty much like the phone we saw in last month's leaked pictures; the Sidekick 3's glossy black shell is out, and a simplified white case with swappable "bumpers" (in black, yellow, blue, white, purple and glow-in-the-dark colors) is in. Not my favorite look, but the kids might love it. Also gone, as predicted, are many of the SK3's key features, including the 1.3-megapixel camera, Bluetooth, MP3 player and a slot for expandable memory. Meanwhile, cell phone blog Phonescoop reports that EDGE data support is missing as well, which means you'll be stuck with poky GPRS for Web browsing; and trust me, as the former owner of the GPRS-only Sidekick II, that's a bad thing.

That said, the iD will ship with the Sidekick's distinctive swiveling screen, a full QWERTY keypad and a trackball, instant messaging (including AIM, Yahoo! Messenger and Windows Live Messenger), and T-Mobile's myFaves feature for unlimited calling to five buddies. Last but not least, the iD will retail for $99 with a two-year contract, about $50 less than expected. Look for the new Sidekick to arrive in stores on April 25.

Related:
T-Mobile Sidekick iD Makes a Statement [Official T-Mobile Sidekick wiki]
New Sidekick Starts at $99 [Phonescoop]