AT&T recently came out with the Quickfire, a touchscreen messaging phone with a slide-out QWERTY keyboard aimed at youngsters.  Basically, this is AT&T’s answer to the T-mobile Sidekick.

If we look back in history, back when AT&T was AT&T Wireless (before Cingular bought it and then changed its name back to AT&T), there was another Sidekick competitor called the ogo.

The ogo was actually not a phone.  Despite having a phone number, it was purely a messaging device.  It could not make phone calls, but was pretty good at sending text messages, checking email, instant messaging, and surfing the web.  Imagine it like a proto-Peek, with more features.

Unfortunately, after Cingular snapped up AT&T Wireless, the ogo was dropped unceremoniously from the lineup and forgotten by the general population.  The new Quickfire, which thankfully looks much better than the ogo cosmetically, is its successor in spirit.  It is a good option if you are looking for a 3G feature phone with a keyboard.  It can currently be had for $99, which puts it in direct competition with the T-mobile Sidekick 2008.

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