Those of you who follow me on Twitter will know I have a keen interest in older devices. I’m not sure exactly why. It could be that they were more interesting back in the days pre-iPhone. When devices weren’t just super slim rectangles with massive displays, manufacturers were creative with hardware design. Phones flipped, swivelled and twisted and came in all shapes and sizes. Circles, triangles, diamonds, you name it, there was probably a device in that shape.

I turned that interest in to a retro review series on PhoneDog’s YouTube channel, which meant buying a handful of old phones that I think are interesting. This latest group of devices included the original Sidekick. It was the only one on eBay, so I couldn’t pass it up. And that got me thinking about you, TmoNews readers.

There was a day when every carrier had its own iconic exclusive device. Sidekick, as a device (or range of devices) was one of those devices synonymous with the Magenta carrier. You saw them on TV (normally in the hands of some teen sensation), but still, it was a widely reconognizable product, and it was different.

The original model came with a monochromatic display and the unique flip-out screen, which presumably gave the device its name. It sort of kicked out to the side, and rotated 180-degrees revealing an awesome QWERTY keyboard underneath. Each button press produced its own entertaining tone, and the scroll-wheel used to control everything flashed up all kinds of bright colors.

Since the original, it saw many variations, and with each one it seemed further away from the what the Sidekick should be. But still, it was a great range, and you knew what to expect when a brand new model came out. You knew you’d get a slide-out display and a keyboard in a fashionably-designed handset. And it’s a range I’d love to see return. Just to have something cool and different on the market. Even if it meant running Android like the last version did, before the series died its seemingly inevitable death. If not that, then an entirely modern version of the Motorola RAZR.

What do you guys think? If you could bring any device, or series of devices back, which would it be?