(Credit:
Screenshot by Ina Fried/CNET)
Wireless carrier T-Mobile USA has, at least temporarily, stopped selling all models of the Sidekick in the wake of a massive hardware failure that resulted in many customers losing their e-mail, contacts, and other data.
As of Sunday, all models of the Sidekick were listed as "temporarily out of stock" on T-Mobile's Web site. T-Mobile retail store workers also said on Monday that they have been instructed to halt new sales of the device as the company continues to investigate the recent problems that have plagued the handheld.
To recap, Sidekick customers started experiencing problems connecting to the data network more than a week ago. Microsoft, whose Danger subsidiary powers the Sidekick service, said it was investigating the problems.
On Saturday, Microsoft and T-Mobile posted an updated notice saying all data that was not currently on customers devices was likely lost permanently.
Microsoft and T-Mobile have not said how many of the roughly 800,000 Sidekick customers have lost data. Microsoft said a server failure impacted the main and back-up databases. One theory is that the problems cropped up as Hitachi was doing work on the storage network that manages the Sidekick data.
T-Mobile has promised an update for customers sometime Monday. For now, the carrier has advised customers not to reset their devices, remove the battery, or let them run out of power, as doing so could result in losing whatever data they do have.
Microsoft acquired Danger last year, saying it hoped to use its service architecture more broadly in its mobile strategy. The software maker has been working on a project code-named Pink that was to be essentially the future of the Sidekick. The company had not planned for any more versions of the current Java OS-based Sidekick.
Update, 12:30 p.m. PT: T-Mobile confirmed that "Sidekick sales are temporarily on hold." A company representative told CNET News in an e-mail that the company doesn't have an exact number of customers who lost data but that "we believe it is a minority of customers."
Although there are reports that customers are being let out of their wireless contracts and being offered discounts on other T-Mobile phones, the company is officially offering only one month of Sidekick data service. "We are also considering additional measures for those who have lost their content to help reinforce how valuable they are as T-Mobile customers," the representative said.
As for why there weren't better backup mechanisms in place, T-Mobile referred that question to Microsoft.
Update, 2 p.m. PT: Even though T-Mobile has said it has temporarily halted sales of the Sidekick, retailers in New York were still selling the device Monday. At three different locations on the Upper West Side of Manhattan, sales representatives said the Sidekicks were still available, but they were warning any potential customers that mobile Web and e-mail services might not work until the server problem is resolved. They said the phone and the accompanying text-messaging service have not been affected, so customers buying a new Sidekick would be able to make calls, as well as send and receive SMS messages.
In an e-mail to retail sales managers dated October 10, T-Mobile instructed managers on how to deal with Sidekick customers. The message informed them that some personal information backed up by the Microsoft/Danger servers had been lost. This information included pictures, contacts, e-mails, text messages, calendar entries, and to-do lists.
"Our teams continue to work around the clock in hopes of discovering a means for a network recovery solution. However, the likelihood of a successful outcome is extremely low," the e-mail stated.
Sales representatives were told to direct customers with questions to T-Mobile Forums on its Web site for details and to get updated information.
As part of its "action steps," sales reps were also directed to tell customers not to reset their devices by removing the battery or letting their battery drain completely.
Sidekick's LX, the newest model
(Credit: CBSInteractive)After suffering through a weeklong outage, T-Mobile Sidekick users got even worse news on Saturday, when the company advised them that any data not on their phone was likely gone forever due to a hardware failure.
Since then, Sidekick owners have been sharing their stories with me via e-mail. Here are some of those tales. Feel free to add your own in the comments section or e-mail me (ina dot fried at cnet dot com)
Bram Weiser, a sign language interpreter and computer specialist in New York, wrote on Monday:
Since the outage occurred on October 1st, I've not been able to receive (or, I presume, send) email to/from my Sidekick. (All along, though, I've had phone and text message capability.)On Monday, October 5th, roughly 100 emails seemed to suddenly appear, leading me to think that the outage was FINALLY over, days(!) after it started. However, while I got notification of those new emails (e.g., italicized, boldface sender & subject line information), the actual bodies of those emails was painfully slow in arriving, if they were ever going to do so.
I THOUGHT I saw an advisory at tmobile.com not to try a "hard" reset as an attempt to retrieve data and/or "kickstart" (my word) my Sidekick, so I steered clear of that. So, thinking I saw it written that way (note: I later realized it didn't say "hard," but puzzlingly advised against ANY reset at all), I tried powering my Sidekick on and off, albeit to no avail, and then tried a "soft" reset in good faith by clicking the pinhole on the body of the device. In more "normal" circumstances (read: just about any other time in the years that I've owned a Sidekick and paid for service through T-Mobile), this would usually bring the device back to life with its information intact, because, as we now know, it would download it from the T-Mobile (read: Microsoft/Danger) servers after connecting to the network. Not this time, though...
After doing all of that, and letting my Sidekick power up again, I, as did many thousands of other users, suddenly lost saved emails, device settings in ALL applications, bookmarks for the Web Browser, my entire Address Book (188 or so entries, although three recent entries did reappear later), and all of the nearly 1,000 entries (past, present and future) for my Calendar. To date, all of these remain lost, though I CAN surf the Internet on my own, as well as define settings, add contacts to my Address Book, send/receive instant messages and, I presume, add Calendar entries on my own as well, though I've not tried much of that yet as I await the safe return of my data.
You're absolutely right when you ask how, for instance, a company like Microsoft/Danger (Microsoft!) didn't have sufficient backups of its servers in place, be they daily, weekly or whatever. This is beyond belief in this day and age!
People need to know about this and not give Microsoft a free pass. For us to be without important data that we paid for the privilege of entrusting to Microsoft/Danger for safekeeping only to have this happen 1-1/2 weeks ago, and continuing to this day, to potentially lose it all permanently(!), and (for now at least) to get a credit of only(!) one month's data service (honestly, is that REALLY satisfactory to anyone?!) boggles the mind.
Jeff McGaha, an electrical engineer in Indianapolis wrote that his wife has a Sidekick, was without access to the data network for four to five days, and has now lost all of her contacts:
She's dropping the Sidekick now, something she was on the fence about for a long time. T-Mobile is lucky we're staying with them. They can thank Google and Motorola for that. The Cliq is going to see bigger sales because of this sidekick outage. Long live Android.... Read more
(Credit:
Corinne Schulze/CNET)
As promised back in May, T-Mobile is bringing Microsoft Exchange support to the T-Mobile Sidekick LX 2009. Starting Tuesday afternoon, Sidekick LX owners will be able to download the Sidekick Sync app from the handheld's Download Catalog and get real-time push e-mail, attachment viewing, and full sync capabilities. In addition, you'll also be able to sync your contacts and Exchange calendar to the Sidekick. Developed by Remoba, Sidekick Sync costs $4.99 per month and requires you have a Sidekick data plan.
Just a friendly little reminder that the T-Mobile Sidekick LX 2009 is now available for purchase at T-Mobile stores nationwide and online. The new Sidekick is available in orchid or carbon and is priced at $249.99 with a two-year contract, though previous Sidekick owners get a $50 price cut. New features include a brilliant display, 3G, GPS, and Facebook and Twitter integration.
While still best for the younger crowd, we'd have to say the Sidekick LX is maturing quite nicely. For more information about the device, check out our full review of the T-Mobile Sidekick LX 2009.
Kent is back from vacation and ready to face an avalanche of Palm Pre rumors. Now that we have another possible release date (June 7), we get word of two additional Palm devices featuring the Pre OS. Some BlackBerry news is also afoot and we have a couple of new Samsung phones for Verizon Wireless and MetroPCS. In reviews, Bonnie put the new 3G-enabled Sidekick LX through its paces and Nicole tests the LG Wine and the Sidekick CDM-8950. And of course, we take your questions.
Listen now: Download today's podcast
Rumor of the week
Mini Palm Pre, Pre Centro in the works?
News
Palm Pre coming to Canada's Bell Mobility
Nokia E52 keeps going and going
BlackBerry Storm 2 confirmed by RIM CEO
BlackBerry Curve 8900 headed to AT&T
Talk or type with the Motorola Clutch i465
Samsung Smooth for Verizon
Samsung Tint goes to MetroPCS
Reviews
T-Mobile Sidekick LX 2009
Nokia E71x
LG Wine
Verizon Wireless CDM-8950
Upcoming reviews
Verizon Wireless USB760 Modem
Duet D888
Samsung Tint
Samsung WEP460 Bluetooth headset
It's just the three of us today, but that's when we have the best shows. Before we get into stories, please be sure to check out the preshow some time at the404.cnet.com or watchbol.com. During the weekdays, around 11 a.m. EST, Jeff, Justin, and Wilson spend about 20 minutes goofing off, and it becomes a riot.
(Credit:
T-Mobile)
Today's show is jam packed with stories. First, Pizza Hut is trying to hire an intern, who's only job is to Twitter for the company. We think they should have advertised this yesterday on 4/20. So-called "beer googles" don't really exist, according to scientists. We never believed they did either. We just think that it makes most guys say, "Why not?" Last story for the first half is the release of the new T-Mobile Sidekick LX. It's no longer a brick. Justin is still intent, though, on keeping his iPhone since Hulu announced it would release an app.
Second half of the show, we've got Tuna Tuesday again! This time from Amsterdam! Also, the press seems to hate "Sit Down, Shut Up." Jeff and Wilson aren't big fans of the pilot, either, from "Arrested Development" creator Mitchell Hurwitz. Further along, we find out there's a Lego Rock Band game and a DJ Hero game! Finally, vote for CNET TV for the People's Choice Award at the 2009 Webby Awards. Our jobs depend on it... not really, but it would be nice to play dress up.
Follow us on the Twitter at @the404, and send us your comments. We listen. We promise.
EPISODE 325
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T-Mobile Sidekick LX
(Credit: T-Mobile)During the past couple of weeks, we've seen pieces of the puzzle falling into place--leaked images and internal memos, FCC approval, a scheduled New York launch event. However, Thursday night, T-Mobile put all the speculation to rest and added the final and definitive piece to the puzzle. The end product? The new T-Mobile Sidekick LX.
Not to be confused with the original Sidekick LX, which it will eventually replace, the Sidekick LX 2009 offers a slimmed-down design and some great new features, including 3G, Flash video support, and Twitter integration.
Current Sidekick owners will get first dibs on the new device. Online presales start now for a price of $199 with a two-year contract. If ordered by April 30, customers will receive their Sidekicks on May 12; if ordered after April 30, the device will be delivered within 7 business days. For everyone else, the Sidekick LX will be available in stores nationwide and online on May 13, but final price had not yet been determined.
To come clean, we actually got a preview of the T-Mobile Sidekick LX at CTIA 2009, but we couldn't say anything because of nondisclosure agreements. However, now that the cat's out of the bag, we can talk about all the features and our first impressions.
... Read moreOn Sale Now: $174.99
View the latest prices for T-Mobile Sidekick LX - orchid
On Sale Now: $174.99
View the latest prices for T-Mobile Sidekick LX - carbon
Sidekick 2009 or Sidekick Blade
(Credit: Hiptop3.com)We really don't know too much else about this, but Hiptop3.com have apparently spotted the latest Sidekick 2009, otherwise known as the Sidekick Blade, out in the wild. It looks pretty similar to the previous Sidekicks, but promises to be much thinner and lighter (Which, if you know Sidekicks at all, is a very welcome change), and it will apparently run Danger OS 5.0. It is also the first Sidekick since Microsoft bought over Danger. Like we said, there's very little else we know about the phone, but if the pictures are leaked already, it won't surprise us if it comes out early this year.
So long T-Mobile Sidekick Slide.
(Credit: Corinne Schulze/CNET Networks)If you own a T-Mobile Sidekick Slide, you might want to hang onto it as a collector's item, since the messaging handheld is no more.
After hearing rumors of the Slide's discontinuation late last week, we talked to a T-Mobile rep Monday morning who officially confirmed that the carrier will no longer sell the Sidekick Slide.
Here's the official statement: "As with all of our products, they have a lifecycle. The T-Mobile Sidekick Slide has reached the end of its lifecycle. It is available in limited quantities at T-Mobile retail stores however the Slide is no longer being manufactured. T-Mobile will continue to support the product from a customer service perspective."
We pressed for a little more information as to why this decision was made, but were essentially given a "no comment" response. If you'll remember, the Sidekick Slide was the first model to be manufactured by Motorola instead of Danger/Sharp and had problems from the get-go.
Just a few weeks after its official release, the Slide was temporarily pulled after users reported that some devices were powering off after opening and closing the phone. Though that problem was resolved, it looks like it's lights out for good now. So long, Sidekick Slide, we hardly knew ye.
It's all the goods from the Crave blog. Brian Tong and Bonnie Cha give you a peek at the newest Sidekick; copy and paste on the iPhone is here...sort of; and listen to music with Brandon, Brenda, Dylan, and Kelly!
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T-Mobile Sidekick
