T-Mobile unveils designer Sidekicks

T-Mobile has announced that it will be launching two new designs for the Sidekick 3 at the end of October. The wireless carrier teamed up with fashion designer Diane von Furstenberg and clothing company Lifted Research Group to create the new, distinctive designs.

Diane von Furstenberg, who has her own line of fashion, jewelry, and accessories, created the look of a sleek black Sidekick with red lips decoarating the border around the screen, obviously with a female target audience in mind.

For the other half of the demographic, Lifted Research Group, known for its urban-style clothing line, designed a multi-shaded green Sidekick with its company emblem plastered on the screen’s inner border.

With thousands of ringtones, interface designs, and cases available for cell phones, the market has become obsessed with customization, and that’s the point that T-Mobile hits with these new phones. "The Diane von Furstenberg and Lifted Research Group limited edition T-Mobile Sidekicks help communication fanatics differentiate themselves by choosing their way to stay connected and by expressing their individual style while doing so," said Greg Andrews, T-Mobile’s director of youth marketing.

The Sidekick series is T-Mobile’s premiere line of communication-based phones. The Sidekick 3 offers QWERTY keyboard, pre-installed instant messaging applications, and support for T-Mobile’s EDGE mobile data network.

Both special editions will be available beginning 30 October, according to T-Mobile. No pricing details were announced, but it is expected that they will sell for substantially more than the regular Sidekick 3. Last year, T-Mobile introduced two similar limited edition versions of the Sidekick II that sold for $400, $150 more than the plain model at the time.