T-Mobile has started selling a cut-down version of its Sidekick 3 consumer-friendly email phone that strips outs the camera, Bluetooth and a GSM frequency to knock a hundred bucks off the price.

Dubbed the Sidekick iD, the pitch is that this is not only the cheapest Sidekick yet but the most customisable: the coloured corner, back and screen-frame panels can be replaced. Cool for the kids, huh?

The iD is slightly smaller than the 3 and weighs a little less too, but there's no digicam or Bluetooth connectivity on board, and it's dual-band (850/1900MHz) phone, whereas the 3 is a more worldwide roaming-friendly tri-band device.

One other benefit: the iD has double the 3's stand-by battery lift, six hours to the old model's three. At five hours, the iD's talk time is slightly higher than the 3's four-and-a-half. But there's no memory card in the box.

Only available in the US, the T-Mobile is charging $300 for the iD, though with instant online discounts and mail-in rebate coupons, the phone can be had for $100. With similar deals, the 3 costs $200.

The Sidekick family is T-Mobile's name for Danger's Hiptop range. Danger also said that Australians, who have been languishing in the Hiptop 2 era for some time will now get to upgrade to the Hiptop 3, thanks to indigenous telco Telstra.