The latest iteration from Sidekick’s got more nicknames than David Ryder (aka Thick McRunfast aka Roll Fizzlebeef aka Big McLargehuge). Dubbed the Gekko, Gecco, Sidekick '08 and even just “Sidekick,” the whatever-you-want-to-call-it (for our purposes we’re naming it the “2008”) has finally arrived and it definitely delivers what we’ve come to expect from Sidekick.

The biggest selling point is supposed to be the customizable “skins” you can order to replace the solid-colored ones (we opted for jet black). But apart from flashy aesthetics, the pocket-friendly 2008 is 0.4 inches shorter and 0.9 oz lighter than the pricier LX. It also packs features that were sorely missed with the tragically minimalist iD. Most notably, a 2.0-megapixel camera that can also capture video clips (albeit crappy ones).

Though the 2.6-inch WQVGA swivel screen’s gotten a slight — and necessary — boost in pixels (400 x 240), the resolution’s still not fantastic. And neither is Bluetooth. We found data transfers not only paused the media player (annoying), but afterwards, we had to go back and manually unpause whatever track was playing (doubly annoying). For the price, though the 2008’s a solid option compared to the LX — but only if you live and die by instant messaging and you don’t mind being seen with Paris Hilton’s device of choice in public. —Steven Leckart

WIRED: Spacious, comfy QWERTY. 3.5mm headphone jack. Surprisingly loud, radically clear music player. Wide screen excellent for web browsing. Solid battery life. Quick video recording/sharing. Comes with two skins (we got black and iridescent lime). Bluetooth with A2DP (great to have, even if it does disrupt tunes).

TIRED: Screen retains more fingerprints than the Feds. No flash. No WiFi. Mike captures poor sound when recording video. Only 20-second video clips. Only 512 MB microSD card included. Apps are mostly in the $2.99+ range (except for the janky free Calculator). No 3G (yeah yeah, we’ll hold our breath).

Price/maker: $150 (with 2-year contract), t-mobile.com