Sidekick fans may have been overjoyed at the news that a new, Android-powered Sidekick is being brought to market in the near future, but today we've got some bad news for the Hiptop lovers, too. T-Mobile has announced that, effective May 31st, Danger's services will be shut down, meaning that any Sidekicks still in use will basically become useless. To help customers prepare, T-Mo will be providing a Web-based tool to export contacts, photos, etc. from a handset. If you'd prefer to use an app on the phone, there will also be some software in the Sidekick catalog to move content to the device's memory card. Finally, T-Mobile has promised that they'll "provide offers" to current Sidekick owners to make an "easy transition" to a new device, with more information to be revealed in the coming weeks. Check out the full presser below.
Considering that there's a new Android Sidekick just around the bend, it's not terribly surprising that the services used by the older devices are getting the axe. It's good to see T-Mo working hard to get current Sidekickers ready to move to another device, especially with their promise to help them move to a new handset. No word on exactly what that offer will entail, but I wouldn't be surprised if it involved an upgrade to Samsung's new version of the Sidekick. We'll keep you updated as more info comes to light. Are any of you still sticking with your trusty SideKick today?
After May 31, 2011, the Danger Service (a subsidiary of Microsoft)
used by T-Mobile Sidekick customers for data services will no longer
be available on Sidekick devices.
T-Mobile will provide offers for our Sidekick customers before May 31,
2011, to help make an easy transition from their existing Sidekick
device to a new device. We will have more information to share about
these offers
with our customers in the weeks ahead.
To ensure the best possible transition for our loyal Sidekick
customers, an enhanced Web tool is available on myT-Mobile.com to
easily export their personal data, including contacts, photos,
calendar, notes, to-do lists,
and bookmarks, from the Danger service to a new device, computer, or a
designated e-mail account. An application is also available in the
Sidekick Catalog to make it easy to export personal data to the
Sidekick’s memory card. Many T-Mobile stores can transfer
data from that card to a new T-Mobile device if the customer brings in
the memory card and Sidekick.
