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| T-Mobile SideKick LX |
However, T-Mobile is apparently leaving the door open for future Sidekick devices. "While we work on the next chapter of our storied Sidekick franchise, T-Mobile will continue to provide our loyal Sidekick customers with product service and support. Stay tuned for exciting updates in the months ahead, which we expect will provide customers with a new and fresh experience," a T-Mobile spokesperson said in an e-mailed statement.
The only thing that's surprising is that the Sidekick still has life. The device, regarded as the first true smartphone, was supposed to live on in Microsoft's social networking-oriented Kin phones, but the software giant abandoned that effort this week due to poor sales and a frosty reception from consumers.
The Sidekick's fate was essentially sealed last October when Microsoft's Danger subsidiary, which runs the Sidekick service, suffered a major database outage that led to some users losing contacts and other personal data stored on their devices.
Microsoft said the outage only affected a "minority" of T-Mobile's approximately one million Sidekick subscribers, but the carrier had to suspend Sidekick sales for more than a month while Microsoft worked to stabilize the service platform. Microsoft was also targeted in class action suits from angry Sidekick customers.
But even without the outage, Microsoft's commitment to future development of the Sidekick has been in doubt for some time. Many T-Mobile customers saw Microsoft's February 2008 acquisition of Danger as a death knell for their beloved Sidekick, and in the wake of the outage neither Microsoft nor T-Mobile would confirm plans to develop future models.
T-Mobile in April 2009 unveiled the Sidekick LX, which was the first Sidekick to run on T-Mobile's 3G data network.
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