For about 2 weeks, sidekick users have been really frustrated about losing almost all their data.  After few moves from T-Mobile trying to make their customers happy, now Microsoft seams have recovered some data, not all of it. Here  is what they say.

Dear T-Mobile Sidekick customers,

On behalf of Microsoft, I want to apologize for the recent problems with the Sidekick service and give you an update on the steps we have taken to resolve these problems.

We are pleased to report that we have recovered most, if not all, customer data for those  Sidekick customers whose data was affected by the recent outage.  We plan to begin restoring users’ personal data as soon as possible, starting with personal contacts, after we have validated the data and our restoration plan. We will then continue to work around the clock to restore data to all affected users, including calendar, notes, tasks, photographs and high scores, as quickly as possible.

We now believe that data loss affected a minority of Sidekick users.  If your Sidekick account was among those affected, please continue to log into these forums for the latest updates about when data restoration will begin, and any steps you may need to take. We will work with T-Mobile to post the next update on data restoration timing no later than Saturday.

We have determined that the outage was caused by a system failure that created data loss in the core database and the back-up. We rebuilt the system component by component, recovering data along the way.  This careful process has taken a significant amount of time, but was necessary to preserve the integrity of the data.

We will continue working closely with T-Mobile to restore user data as quickly as possible.  We are eager to deliver the level of reliable service that our incredibly loyal customers have become accustomed to, and we are taking immediate steps to help ensure this does not happen again.  Specifically, we have made changes to improve the overall stability of the Sidekick Service and initiated a more resilient backup process to ensure that the integrity of our database backups is maintained.

Once again, we apologize for this situation and the inconvenience that it has created.  Please know that we are working all-out to resolve this situation and restore the reliability of the service.

Sincerely,
Roz Ho
Corporate Vice President
Premium Mobile Experiences, Microsoft Corporation

Well.. T-Mobile does not want to lose any customer, specially the cool ones that use Sidekicks. That is why T-Mobile is offering, besides the free month of internet, a 100 bucks gift card to spend it. Here is the official statement.

Dear valued T-Mobile Sidekick customers:

We are thankful for your continued patience as Microsoft/Danger continues to work on preserving platform stability and restoring all services for our Sidekick customers. We have made significant progress this past weekend, restoring services to virtually every customer. Microsoft/Danger has teams of experts in place who are working around-the-clock to ensure this stability is maintained.

Regarding those of you who have lost personal content, T-Mobile and Microsoft/Danger continue to do all we can to recover and return any lost information. Recent efforts indicate the prospects of recovering some lost content may now be possible. We will continue to keep you updated on this front; we know how important this is to you.

In the event certain customers have experienced a significant and permanent loss of personal content, T-Mobile will be sending these customers a $100 customer appreciation card. This will be in addition to the free month of data service that already went to Sidekick data customers. This card can be used towards T-Mobile products and services, or a customer’s T-Mobile bill. For those who fall into this category, details will be sent out in the next 14 days – there is no action needed on the part of these customers. We however remain hopeful that for the majority of our customers, personal content can be recovered.

Sidekick customers can continue to visit T-Mobile Sidekick Forums (http://www.t-mobile.com/sidekick) on a regular basis to access the latest updates, as well as FAQs regarding this service disruption. The Forums also offers tips and suggestions for rebuilding content on your device.

UPDATE : T-Mobile has gotten service restored, but some data has been forever lost. All customers will get a free month of service, and some will be offered “additional” compensation to “reinforce how valuable [they] are as a T-Mobile customer.”

Here’s T-Mobile’s official statement:

Virtually all data services have been restored. Also, T-Mobile voice and text services were not impacted.

A subset of Sidekick customers appear to have lost data. We do not have an exact number, but we believe it is a minority of customers. We recognize the magnitude of this inconvenience. Our primary efforts have been focused on restoring our customers’ personal content.

Sidekick sales are temporarily on hold as Microsoft/Danger continues to work on maintaining platform stability. At this point, virtually all data services are operational.

All impacted Sidekick users will receive credit for one month of Sidekick data service. We recognize the magnitude of this inconvenience. Our primary efforts have been focused on restoring our customers’ personal content. We also are considering additional measures for those who have lost your content to help reinforce how valuable you are as a T-Mobile customer.

Users of T-Mobile Sidekick phones have been without data service for as much as two weeks and counting. But what T-Mobile is offering now to Sidekicks users?.. free phones? get out off your contract without penalty?  a bonus?..

Trying to fix the problem with all your lost information T-Mobile said :

T-Mobile and Danger/Microsoft are urgently working to restore impacted services to Sidekick, and deliver them to you as quickly as possible. Following is a status update for our valued customers:

* We expect data services to begin gradually returning in the next couple of hours (Saturday evening)

* Web browsing capabilities should be first accessible first; additional functions such as IM, social networking applications and email will then follow.

While we anticipate a significant portion of data services to be restored by Monday, some richer data services may lag. We sincerely apologize for the inconvenience, and appreciate your patience as we work hard with Danger/Microsoft to resolve this issue. We will continue to keep you updated as we have news to share. Thank you.”

Later on T-Mobile said:

“Sidekick customers, during this service disruption, please DO NOT remove your battery, reset your Sidekick, or allow it to lose power”

Today, T-Mobile’s trying again to placate its angry Sidekick customers — whose service has still, as of this writing, not been reinstated — by offering the option of a $20 discount for a T-Mobile G1 smartphone or a contract release.

T-Mobile is getting is getting desperate of not loosing around 800 000 sidekick customers. Besides getting 20 dollars discount for a new T-Mobile G1, you can get one month of unlimited internet . In the last case, you are allowed to cancel your contract without paying the penalty.

Hope T-Mobile and now Microsoft resolve this  huge problem.

Gizmodo has gotten its hands on two images allegedly of the Pink smartphones that we’ve been hearing about few days ago. As you can see, there are 2 models, one its the turtle ( the small slider phone) and the other ones, The Pure.

The hardware design has a definite a younger touch : Turtle looks like a chunky child’s version of a Palm Pre, while Pure seems like a standard slider, and both are clearly plastic, with an overall sense of roundedness.

As Gizmodo says, “Project Pink is Microsoft’s new phone for regular people,” and “Pink will be primarily aimed at the same market as the Sidekick.“  After Microsoft bought Danger, there were rumors about new Sidekick /WM hybrids phones will come soon, maybe next year, and because, T-Mobile has the exclusive of selling Danger phones (Sidekicks), probably, one of the Pink project phones would come to T-Mobile USA, maybe the Pure?.

Stay tuned for more information about the new Microsoft phone, The Pink Project.

Gizmodo

Today T-Mobile announced that the Facebook and Twitter applications are available for the Sidekick LX, Sidekick 2008 and Sidekick Slide. The Facebook app is free, but the Twitter app incurs a $2 monthly charge. Both apps are still free for the Sidekick LX 2009.

Both apps are now available.

T-Mobile Forums

A little more about the Sidekick LX 2009 version :

Design
Manufactured by Sharp, the T-Mobile Sidekick LX 2009 is currently the thinnest Sidekick, measuring 5.1 inches wide by 2.3 inches high by 0.6 inch thick and weighing 6 ounces. Despite the slimmer design, according to T-Mobile, it has put the device through rigorous testing and found that it’s four times more durable than previous versions. It definitely felt solid in hand; plus, the smartphone features a soft-touch finish to give it a nonslippery texture instead of slick, plasticky feel. There are also grooves on the back where you can rest your index fingers when holding the device. It doesn’t seem like much, but it’s a nice little touch that makes for a better ergonomic experience.

The smartphone will come in two colors: carbon or orchid. Also, if you’re not a fan of the colors, you will be able to create custom shells for the Sidekick LX, much like the T-Mobile Sidekick 2008, and T-Mobile’s even added the option of laser etching the case.

(Credit: T-Mobile)

In addition to being the thinnest Sidekick, the Sidekick LX 2009 also boasts the largest and sharpest screen to date. Based on Sharp’s Aquos technology, the WVGA display measures 3.2 inches with an 854×480-pixel resolution and swivels open to reveal the full QWERTY keyboard. The screen was indeed sharp and bright, and we’ve always been a fan of the Sidekick’s keyboard. There’s good spacing between the buttons and the quality feels better on the Sidekick LX. Other highlights include a 3.5mm headphone jack, a microSD expansion slot (phone ships with a 1GB microSD card), and mood/notification LEDs along the top edge of the screen.

Features
In the past, we’ve been a little critical of T-Mobile for not adding enough features or enhancements to new models, but this isn’t so much the case with the T-Mobile Sidekick LX 2009. To start, you get 3G support for faster Web browsing. It also nicely complements the browser’s added Flash video support, so you can view sites like YouTube. Not only that, but you’ll also be able to upload and share videos, even to MySpace, with the built-in 3.2-megapixel camera.

As always, the Sidekick LX plays for a younger crowd, so there’s plenty of support for social networking applications. In addition to MySpace Mobile, the Sidekick LX now ships with Facebook and Twitter integration. Like previous versions, you get a dedicated T-mail e-mail address and support for POP3/IMAP accounts, but T-Mobile has also added Exchange ActiveSync support. While we don’t expect to see too many corporate types toting the Sidekick, we appreciate the added functionality.

The quad-band phone also has built-in GPS with Microsoft Live Search, Bluetooth 2.0 (A2DP supported), Quick Find universal search, and AIM, Windows Live, and Yahoo instant messaging clients. If anything, we would have liked to have seen some enhancements to the music player, which pretty much remains the same.

Outlook
Overall, we liked what we saw of the T-Mobile Sidekick LX. The 3G and Flash video support are huge and so is the Facebook and Twitter integration–should be a hit with its target audience. The phone won’t win any beauty contests (there’s something a little odd about it that I can’t quite pinpoint), but again, the thinner design, the soft-touch finish, and finger grooves add up to a nice user experience. We’re expecting to get a review unit before the national launch on May 13, so of course, we’ll have a full review, video, and hands-on photos then.

In the meantime, you can check out some beauty shots of the T-Mobile Sidekick LX 2009 below. Also, for all those wondering about the April 21 private launch event in New York, it will be dedicated to the Sidekick LX and only the Sidekick LX, nothing else (read: no T-Mobile G2 yet. Sorry.) CNET TV’s Natali del Conte will be at the event so check back later for video of the party and a closer look at the new Sidekick.

Thanks Cnet

The new Sidekick LX 2009 edition will not be available today April 16th. instead it will be available on May 13th unless you are a T-Mobile costumer in pre-sale starting today. Price? US$ 199.99 after mail in rebate.

Sign up here to get yours on May 13th if you are not a T-MO costumer, but register here to get yours now

Specifications:

Features:

• 3G-Enabled Social Networking Apps:

  You can network and interact with friends on-the-go with a suite of social networking applications such as MySpace, Facebook, Twitter and Photobucket. These applications have mobile-friendly navigation with push notifications for updates and messages. You’re always on, always connected. Click to see 3G coverage map.

• GPS: Live Search and Geotagging

  Search for local businesses or map them using the Live Search application. It provides you with an optimized and integrated local search and mapping experience with Assisted Directions. Geotagging includes exact mapping coordinates in your photos.

• Largest, sharpest Sidekick screen ever

  Amazing 3.2″ 65K TFT color display, high-resolution 854×480 pixel screen.

• Thinnest Sidekick ever.

• 3.2 MP camera with auto focus and flash

• Battery life:

  Talk time of 5.5 hours and standby time of 8 days.

Specifications:

• Dimensions:

  5.20 x 2.40 x 0.64 inches

• Weight:

  5.82 ounces

• External Display:

  3.2″ F-WVGA 854 x 480 pixels

• Frequency Bands:

  850/900/1800/1900 GSM/GPRS/EDGE

• 1700/2100/85/2100 UMTS

• M3 rated for hearing aids.

Get Ready for the New Sidekick LX

T-Mobile is preparing to launch the thinnest Sidekick ever, with blazing fast 3G connectivity for customers to connect with friends quickly and easily. The new Sidekick LX will come equipped with GPS enabled Live Search, a 3.2 megapixel camera, and free bundled social networking applications including Facebook, My Space, and Twitter. Customers will also be able to watch and download You Tube videos directly from the device. The new Sidekick LX comes equipped with the features that customers love including a full QWERTY keyboard and an enhanced swivel screen that is larger and sharper than any other Sidekick.

Additional information regarding launch dates, pricing and availablility will be available on the Retail Communication Home Page on April 17.

Action Steps
Check the Retail Communication Home Page on April 17 for additional information regarding the Sidekick LX launch