T-Mobile Selling Sidekick Again

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Less than a month after the resolution of the terrible Sidekick data disaster of 2009, T-Mobile is back to selling the troubled mobile once more (via PhoneNews). The 2008 Sidekick goes for $49.99 with an Even More plan, while the 2009 Sidekick LX will set you back $149.99 with the same plan. Pretty pricey for a 3G messaging phone.

Despite last month's horrific debacle, the Sidekick still appears to be as popular as ever. All Sidekick models are currently listed as 'out of stock'. Is T-Mo's site having inventory troubles, or are that many people still in love with the Sidekick as a mobile phone?

Posted on Tue, 17 Nov 2009 11:46:04 CST | by Robert Evans

MIT Develops Witty Robot Sidekick (For Your Car)

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Finally. Since I was a kid I've longed for a super-smart robot sidekick to be my best friend and come with me on my adventures. MIT's Affective Intelligent Driving Agent isn't quite that awesome, but it's a big step in the right direction. The AIDA is being built as a smart driving assistant that will make people safer and help them to find more efficient routes.

Essentially an adorable little robot that sits on your dashboard and talks to you, the AIDA is being built to recognize human facial expressions and emotional queues. Basically, they're creating a robot that knows to shut up and back off when you start to get angry at it. If some stupid dashboard droid started criticizing MY driving in the middle of agonizing gridlock traffic, I'd be sorely tempted to bludgeon it to death with my laptop bag.

Posted on Fri, 30 Oct 2009 11:11:19 CDT | by Robert Evans

Microsoft Starts To Restore Sidekick Data

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The terrible saga of the Sidekick disaster is finally at an end. Electronista reports that Microsoft and T-Mo have started to restore Sidekick data today. There is a guide for owners posted online as well. If you lost data that existed on October 1st, MS and T-Mobile now say you'll be able to get it back.

That's very good news, and could help to stem the tide of lawsuits already brewing amongst the irate Sidekick user community. There's no denying that Microsoft screwed up big time here. They failed to take care of the servers like they were contractually obligated to do, and they had no or minimal back-ups.

Posted on Tue, 20 Oct 2009 10:10:32 CDT | by Robert Evans

Sidekick Outage Cost Microsoft $700k Per Day?

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The Sidekick data loss debacle stands tall as one of the most extreme IT failures by a major corporation in recent memory. Thankfully the data has been recovered, but that still doesn't mean this story has a happy ending. It now looks like Microsoft could be out a big chunk of change as a result of this whole error. If TechCrunch is correct, we're talking something in the neighborhood of $700,000 a day.

A 'reliable' source has informed TechCrunch that Danger's contract with T-Mobile stipulated that the company would pay damages if they allowed a service downtime of more than 99.5%. When Microsoft bought Danger, they gained that responsibility. We don't know the exact details of the contract, but TechCrunch's source says that, back when the Sidekick user base was 800,000 people, the penalty was 700 grand per day.

Posted on Fri, 16 Oct 2009 05:00:00 CDT | by Robert Evans

Data Recovery for Sidekick Users Successful Says Microsoft

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Microsoft issued an official statement regarding the T-Mobile Sidekick Data Loss disaster. The statement is signed by VP Premium Mobile Experience Roz Ho and says that Microsoft recovered most, if not all, customer data for those Sidekick customers whose data was affected by the recent outage.

Microsoft plans to begin restoring personal data as soon as possible, starting with personal contacts, after the company has validated the data and restoration plan. Read more

Posted on Thu, 15 Oct 2009 09:28:06 CDT | by Luigi Lugmayr

Sidekick Owners: Get A Free Peek Pronto

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Are you one of the legions of Sidekick owners who lost all of your data in the Great Sidekick Crash of 2009? If so Peek, manufacturers of the email and social media handheld device the Pronto, have a deal for you. If you lost all of your Sidekick info in the crash, they will provide you with a brand new Pronto handheld, absolutely free.

Their blog entry (via Engadget) says it all. Send in a picture of you, your Sidekick, and a bill or some other form of hard proof, along with your address. If everything checks out, Peek will mail you a Pronto. All you have to pay is $20/mo for unlimited email and texting.

Posted on Wed, 14 Oct 2009 12:37:22 CDT | by Robert Evans

Was The Sidekick Data Disaster Due To Sabotage?

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The tale of the Sidekick data loss is one fraught with woe, both for T-Mobile and Sidekick users themselves. Initially, knee-jerk user reactions blamed T-Mo for the debacle, but it's starting to look increasingly like the carrier had nothing to do with the crash.

When Microsoft acquired Danger, they also acquired the responsibility to care for their servers which held the Sidekick data. Though T-Mo still acted as the carrier for the Sidekick, data storage was left up to Microsoft. AppleInsider alleges that it was Microsoft's internal failures that led to the crash. In fact, they state, it might even have been an intentional act of sabotage that lead to the data loss in the first place.

Posted on Tue, 13 Oct 2009 11:42:10 CDT | by Robert Evans

Lost Sidekick Data May Be Recoverable Says T-Mobile

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T-Mobile has updated their Sidekick customers about the Data loss and service disruption that occurred last week.
T-Mobile is giving Sidekick owners some hope that their data will be recovered. T-Mobile says that recent efforts indicate the prospects of recovering some lost content may now be possible. I'm not sure what this means, but it's possible they are using low level disk data recovery software to restore the wiped out data. T-Mobile will continue to keep Sidekick owners updated on this front. Read more

Posted on Tue, 13 Oct 2009 00:05:00 CDT | by Luigi Lugmayr

Unhappy T-Mobile Sidekick Owners Get Android Phones?

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The T-Mobile Sidekick data loss disaster is still going on and T-Mobile has not officially updated us on the situation yet. The last statement is from Friday and supposedly a new update on the loss of private data on Sidekick phones is due today.
Hiptop3 reports about Sidekick users getting discounted upgrades to a T-Mobile G1 or MyTouch 3G to stay with T-Mobile.
Others managed to get out of their contract early without penalty. Others report that they were not offered anything. Read more

Posted on Mon, 12 Oct 2009 13:24:01 CDT | by Luigi Lugmayr

T-Mobile Sidekick Data Loss Disaster Hits

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T-Mobile Sidekick users are in great danger (pun intended) of losing all the personal data on their Sidekick phones if they haven't already lost it.
On Friday T-Mobile posted an official statement apologizing for the recent Sidekick data service disruption. On top of that Microsoft and Danger said in the statement that personal information stored on your Sidekick - such as contacts, calendar entries, to-do lists or photos - that is no longer on your Sidekick has almost certainly been lost as a result of a server failure at Microsoft/Danger.
Today Microsoft and T-Mobile plan to issue another statement about the status of the remaining issues caused by the service disruption including data recovery efforts. Read more

Posted on Mon, 12 Oct 2009 01:30:09 CDT | by Luigi Lugmayr

T-Mobile Sidekick 2008 is Free and still Popular

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T-Mobile unveiled the new Sidekick LX featuring for the first time 3G on Sidekick. If you do not need 3G for web browsing then the T-Mobile Sidekick 2008 is still a valid option. The Sidekick 2008 still ranks as the 6th most popular phone on LetsTalk. That the Sidekick 2008 is free with new service plan on LetsTalk sure helps.

The T-Mobile Sidekick 2008 is a slim, sleek, stylish device measuring 4.7 x 2.3 x 0.7 inches (HxWxD) and weighing around 4.5 oz. The 1030 mAh Lithium Ion battery provides up to 5 Hours talk time and power for up to 4 days in the standby mode. The buyers also get an extra battery with charger. The phone also includes an external 512 mb MicroSD card for adding multimedia files and pictures. You can save up to 2,000 contacts with its large phonebook capacity and can store up to 1,000 entries through its built-in calendar. Read more

Posted on Thu, 23 Apr 2009 11:00:00 CDT | by Luigi Lugmayr

T-Mobile Announces 3G Sidekick LX

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T-Mobile has announced its first 3G enabled Sidekick called the Sidekick LX. The device has 3G connectivity for keeping in touch via social networks and surfing the net. A social networking bundle is included with the phone with applications for Facebook, MySpace, and Twitter included.

GPS is built-in and support for Live Search is featured. The phone has a 3.2MP camera that can record video and upload them to social networking sites. The device comes in two colors - carbon and orchid. The phone has a 3.2-inch screen with a resolution of 854 x 480. Read more

Posted on Mon, 20 Apr 2009 06:14:37 CDT | by Shane McGlaun

Sidekick LX 2009 unveiled

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Today T-Mobile unveiled a new Sidekick LX featuring 3G connectivity.
The new Sidekick LX 2009 also provides improved video capabilities as well as GPS-enabled Live Search.
Other features of the new Sidekick LX include a 3.2 inch TFT display with 854x480px resolution, 3.2MP camera, 5.5 hours talk-time, and 8 days standby. Read more

Posted on Fri, 17 Apr 2009 05:00:00 CDT | by Luigi Lugmayr

Sidekick LX 2009 possibly leaked

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The next Sidekick LX texting phone from T-Mobile might have leaked through survey.
Surveys tend to not always show the final product though or offer a fictive future product.
In any case the new Sidekick LX 2009 would for the first time have 3G and GPS. It also would offer a dramatic screen with 3.2 inch in size and a cool 854 x 480px resolution. Read more

Posted on Thu, 29 Jan 2009 05:00:00 CST | by Luigi Lugmayr

T-Mobile Sidekick 2008 Review

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Our review partner Digital Trends tested the new T-Mobile Sidekick 2008 and published a review.
Quote from the review: "Before teenagers were snapping up iPhones and BlackBerrys left and right, T-Mobile's original Sidekick was the phone to own for fashion-savvy textaholics. Read more

Posted on Fri, 19 Sep 2008 06:00:00 CDT | by Luigi Lugmayr

I4U Review Round-up: Sidekick LX, iPhone Cases, Maxtor BlackAmor

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Despite the summer heat we tested again several interesting products last week.
Shane reviewed two cases for the new iPhone 3G. The Griffin Wave for iPhone Case scored an Editors' Choice Award. Verdict: The Griffin Wave for iPhone is a great case for your iPhone and a version is available with the same features for the new iPhone 3G. At $25 the Griffin Wave for iPhone is a great choice to protect your iPhone. Read the full review. Read more

Posted on Sun, 3 Aug 2008 13:00:00 CDT | by Luigi Lugmayr

Sidekick LX Tony Hawk Edition launched

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T-Mobile launched a special edition Sidekick LX featuring famous skater Tony Hawk.
T-Mobile brought Tony Hawk, celebrities and action sports athletes together to celebrate launch of T-Mobile Sidekick LX Tony Hawk Edition yesterday in Hollywood.

"I started using Sidekick when I got the first model that launched when I was at the Philadelphia X Games in 2002," said Tony Hawk. "This summer, I'm excited to be celebrating the release of my own signature Sidekick LX created in collaboration with T-Mobile." Read more

Posted on Sun, 3 Aug 2008 02:00:00 CDT | by Luigi Lugmayr

Sidekick LX Review

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T-Mobile just announced yesterday the new Sidekick (2008) with custom shells. Here is also one of the first Sidekick 2008 review. Our review partner tested the still available Sidekick LX.

Quote from the review: "The Sidekick LX is an upgrade to the Sidekick 3, with a vastly improved screen, slimmer profile, video support, and a standard headphone jack. Read more

Posted on Thu, 31 Jul 2008 08:00:00 CDT | by Luigi Lugmayr

New Sidekick announced with Custom Shells

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T-Mobile announced today the new Sidekick texting mobile phone. The updated Sidekick 2008 is providing customers with the opportunity to create shells for their Sidekick with the images, colors or designs they choose.

The new Sidekick will ship with two shells: black and metallic green. A variety of pre-designed shell patterns and colors also are readily available for customers to purchase at T-Mobile retail stores or online.
For true individualization, customers can design a completely unique shell unlike any other using a dedicated online Sidekick site. Read more

Posted on Wed, 30 Jul 2008 02:12:44 CDT | by Luigi Lugmayr

Sidekick 2008 Review

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T-Mobile distributed the new Sidekick 2008 messaging phone to several tech sites. Gizmodo already published a review of the new improved Sidekick phone.

Quote from the review: "It's more features for less money. Not only is the Sidekick 2008 $50 cheaper than the $199 you'd currently pay for the Sidekick LX, it comes with more stuff. Read more

Posted on Wed, 30 Jul 2008 01:27:07 CDT | by Luigi Lugmayr

New T-Mobile Sidekick LX and Sidekick Slide

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In June the first rumors of new Sidekick phones appeared. Now T-Mobile officially announces the Sidekick LX and the Sidekick Slide.

The Sidekick LX is the new top Sidekick model. A 3 inch screen with a high 400x240px resolution mark the highlights of the LX.
Other features of the new quad-band Sidekick LX include 1.3MP camera, Music player, Bluetooth and microSD card slot. Read more

Posted on Wed, 26 Sep 2007 02:21:25 CDT | by Luigi Lugmayr