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Back in February, at the 3GSM World Congress in Cannes, France Danger showed off the next generation of its Hiptop smartphone. This week, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has confirmed the device with some pictures on its website as part of its approval process. All wireless devices must get the approval of the FCC before they are released in the U.S.

Danger's Hiptop is known to most consumers in the United States as the Sidekick from T-Mobile. The wireless carrier offered the first Sidekick with a monochrome display back in the Fall of 2002. The device allowed users to surf the Web, send and receive email, chat using AOL Instant Messenger service, play games, take and e-mail mobile snapshots and talk on the phone with an external headset, among other more standard PDA functions, such as a calendar and a note taking application. It featured a QWERTY thumb-keyboard and a swivel display.

The second generation Hiptop/Sidekick appeared a year ago this month. The main advantage of this device over the initial model was a 240 x 160-pixel resolution and 65,536 color screen. It looks like the Hiptop II will have the same resolution screen at the same color depth. However, initial rumors about the device said the display will be brighter and clearer than the one found in the current model.

The Hiptop II will also maintain the same swivel display design, which reveals the thumb-keyboard, as well as the same width and length as the current model. It'll be about a quarter thinner and will integrate a digital camera and a flash.


Back of Hiptop II

Older Hiptop models used an attachment to add camera functionality. Integrating a digital camera into a mobile phone, let alone a smartphone aimed at consumers, has become par for the course in the wireless industry. It appears the smartphone will lack Bluetooth, which means users won't be able to use the Hiptop II with Bluetooth enabled wireless headsets and other peripherals, such as printers. The GSM/GPRS smartphone should deliver Web access at up to 144 kbps.

While other carriers offer the current Hiptop, T-Mobile, as we mentioned earlier, was the first and is the most prominent. While pricing details haven't been released, the current model goes for about $299 and costs around $30 a month plus 20 cents a minute for voice. Users can also go for another T-Mobile voice plan and add the data side of the equation for $20 per month.

Look for th Hiptop II to go on sale later this summer, probably in August.


Picture of the Current Model