History of T-Mobile Sidekick in Timeline

September 06, 2001

The original Hiptop was made official on September 6, 2001, and was released on October 1, 2002, sold by T-Mobile in the United States, initial price was $200 and then $40 per month. A later revision of the Hiptop upgraded its screen from a monochrome LCD to a 65,000 color LCD. This version was released on June 6, 2003 by T-Mobile for a price of $299.99.

October 01, 2002

Danger, Inc. was cofounded by Andy Rubin, who would become the author of Android. The original Hiptop was released on October 1, 2002, manufactured by Flextronics. Described at the time as a "PDA phone", it was notable for combining a cell phone with a full HTML supporting web browser, integrated AOL Instant Messenger, a keyboard and a navigation scroll wheel, running on the GSM and GPRS cell network of T-Mobile. The second generation Hiptop/Sidekick debuted in 2004, manufactured by Sharp, with a slimmer design and the addition of a VGA camera. This was followed by the third generation in 2006 which replaced the scroll wheel with a trackball and added a music player, Bluetooth, and faster EDGE data. The line diversified in 2007 with the Sidekick iD, billed as a budget-friendly model with cut features, as well as the Sidekick Slide, a model manufactured by Motorola and with a slide design instead of a swiveling screen. The fourth generation top model was the Sidekick LX, increasing the display size to 3.0 inches, and this was followed by the Sidekick 2008 and the final model, Sidekick LX 2009, with numerous hardware upgrades including 3G connectivity and social networking software integration - this one was later also sold as the Mobiflip or the Sharp Jump, with modified software and not using Danger's data services.

March 2003

The Hiptop/T-Mobile Sidekick's importance to the deaf was further solidified in March 2003 when it became the first cellular phone capable of placing unassisted TDD and Relay Operator calls through the phone's web browser using a system developed by Jon B. Sharpe at Lormar Logic Company. Lormar Logic enhanced the TDD/Relay Operator system in August 2003 by developing a means for the deaf to place calls through AOL Instant Messenger.

August 2003

SunCom and Edge Wireless used to sell the device in some parts of the United States. Fido was the exclusive Hiptop carrier in Canada and released it in August 2003. In Germany, the Hiptop service was also offered from 2003 by E-Plus which included a flat rate tariff. The Hiptop was also sold in Singapore by Starhub in 2004.

2004

The T-Mobile Sidekick became a popular choice for known American celebrities which played a great part in increasing its public popularity and recognizability. Skateboarder Tony Hawk was quoted as saying "I can’t live without my Sidekick,", "I take it everywhere with me", in 2004. In February 2005, the device and Danger attracted much media attention after a Sidekick used by Paris Hilton was hacked.

August 09, 2004

Announced on August 9, 2004, and released on September 22, 2004 by T-Mobile US, the Hiptop 2 (stylized hiptop ) was the first to be manufactured by Sharp. Compared to the first generation, the new model moved the D-Pad (directional-pad), previously found on the inside, to the left hand side of the device, while shoulder dials, volume and power buttons were on the outside edges. The Hiptop2 also features an integrated VGA camera and a speakerphone at the rear of the unit. Also was the addition of page-up/page-down buttons on the top and bottom of its scroll wheel.

March 08, 2005

In Canada, the Danger Hiptop2 launched on March 8, 2005. The Hiptop2 launched in Germany on March 10, 2005. It was later launched in Austria in October 2005 and Great Britain in November 2005. On October 9, 2006, the Australian Hiptop2 was released through Telstra. The Australian version is practically the same as the Sidekick II in the U.S. but re-constructed for the Australian audience – it has MSN Messenger built-in as the default messenger and Yahoo! Messenger which is downloadable from the catalog (the US version has Yahoo and AOL Instant Messenger).

June 2006

Announced in June 2006 and released July 10, 2006 in the US, with a later release in Europe, the Hiptop 3 (stylized hiptop ) manufactured by Sharp was 20% physically smaller than its predecessor. The industrial design was changed as well as a new color scheme to a dark gray shell with silver trim and gloss black buttons. The scroll wheel was replaced by a multicolor LED-lit six-direction trackball replacing the D-pad as the indicator light. The keyboard was also changed to a rigid plastic keyboard differing from the rubber keyboard of previous models known to peel away from the unit.

April 13, 2007

The Sidekick iD is a smaller version of the Sidekick 3, unveiled on April 13, 2007. The Sidekick iD was aimed at younger, less affluent customers, with a price of $99 (on a two-year contract) which was half of the Sidekick 3. To reduce the cost of the Sidekick iD, the creators, (Sharp), removed some of the features of the Sidekick 3, including the 1.3-megapixel camera, the Bluetooth capability, and its media player. However it did retain the Sidekick-patented swivel screen, the hidden keyboard, and the trackball. A unique new physical feature were removable colored "bumpers", allowing the appearance of the Sidekick to be easily changed and were available in various colors.

September 26, 2007

The T-Mobile Sidekick LX (model no. PV-250) was announced on September 26, 2007 and released on October 17, 2007. It was sold in two different colors: Midnight Blue and Espresso Brown. In addition to the two color selections, the LX includes a wider, higher-resolution screen, blue LED mood lights on all four corners which coordinate to the user's settings, downloadable music and backgrounds, a lighter weight, MMS messaging, and a Micro SD card slot with a 128 MB card included, and an updated operating system.

November 05, 2007

Manufactured by Motorola (model no. Q700), the Sidekick Slide was released on November 7, 2007 on T-Mobile US. Unlike the Sidekick LX, the Slide also received releases elsewhere: it was released under the name Hiptop Slide (stylized hiptop slide) through Telstra in Australia on November 5, 2007, and was later released in the UK and Germany by T-Mobile. Unlike other Hiptops/Sidekicks, this model has a non-swivel, slider form factor for revealing the keyboard. On May 16, 2008, a new version of the Sidekick Slide was released, named the Sidekick Slide Scarlet, coming in a red colored body.

November 16, 2007

T-Mobile USA suspended sales of the Sidekick Slide on November 16, 2007, after Motorola confirmed that some devices inadvertently powered off when the slide door on the front side of the phone was opened or closed. On November 21, 2007, Motorola stated the failures were triggered by poor battery contacts; sliding the screen out to type on the keyboard sometimes loosened the contact and forced the device to shut off momentarily. On December 6, 2007, the Sidekick Slide was once again available for purchase.

2008

The Hiptop/Sidekick became popular especially among young consumers, unlike similar devices during its early years, namely Palm and BlackBerry, which found more business success. Danger, Inc. was purchased by Microsoft for $500 million in 2008, who used the technology to build the ill-fated Microsoft Kin. Danger's cloud services were shut down on May 31, 2011, ending the Hiptop/Sidekick data services after almost nine years in operation. The Sidekick was revived later that year in the form of a 4G device running Android 2.2 Froyo, manufactured by Samsung, using a similar form factor to the originals. The Sidekick became incredibly popular in the U.S., at its peak receiving much attention in American pop culture and now considered to be iconic. Some models were also marketed, to lesser success, in Canada (by Fido/Rogers), Australia (by Telstra), Singapore and a number of European countries.

July 16, 2008

On July 16, 2008, T-Mobile released a limited edition Tony Hawk Edition Sidekick LX, which includes video recording.

July 30, 2008

Announced on July 30, 2008, the new model officially named solely as T-Mobile Sidekick (but often referred to as "Sidekick 2008" to distinguish) was the first Sidekick to be introduced following the acquisition of Danger by Microsoft. The Sidekick 2008 has improved features such as a high resolution 2-megapixel camera and video functionality for AIM. It also went back to the swivel Qwerty design, including changeable face/backplates.

August 08, 2008

The Sidekick Slide was officially discontinued on August 8, 2008.

January 2009

As of January 2009, Danger OS had a 3% share in US smartphone traffic, behind iPhone OS, BlackBerry OS, Windows Mobile and Palm OS.

April 17, 2009

The 2009 edition of the Sidekick LX (model no. PV-300), often referred to as "Sidekick LX 2009" (known during the development phase as the "Sidekick Blade") was unveiled on April 17, 2009 and released on May 13, 2009, sold in "Orchid" and "Carbon" skins. The new handset supports 3G and HSDPA, and makes various changes to the hardware, including a 3.2 inch F-WVGA display with 854×480 resolution, and a 3.2-megapixel camera with autofocus and flash.

April 30, 2009

On February 28, 2011, Engadget reported Microsoft would discontinue Danger's cloud service on May 31, 2011. After that date, Sidekicks no longer had access to any data services, though voice service still functioned. The service had already shut down earlier, April 30, 2009, in Canada.

October 02, 2009

On October 2, 2009, Microsoft (the owner of Danger, Inc.) lost the ability to access user data for T-Mobile US Sidekick subscribers temporarily. Subscriber data loss included contacts, notes, calendars and photos. Some data was restored within 14 days of the outage, but most of the data was restored between October 8 and the end of November. Early reports stating T-Mobile and Microsoft had lost all customer data as a result of a server failure at Microsoft proved to be untrue.

November 16, 2009

As a result of the outage, T-Mobile suspended sales of all Sidekicks and Sidekick Data Plans until the outage was resolved. Sales and new activations resumed on November 16, 2009.

July 02, 2010

Both the Sidekick LX 2009 and Sidekick 2008 were discontinued on July 2, 2010.

July 02, 2010

T-Mobile announced on July 2, 2010, that the Sidekick LX 09 and Sidekick 2008 would no longer be available through T-Mobile. Later, Danger notified its development community via their Danger Developer Zone forums that it would no longer accept submissions for its application store, called the Catalog, on September 21, 2010. The development of applications for the Sidekick platform was also halted on September 21, 2010. This was followed by the closure of the Danger Developer Zone forums and related archives September 30, 2010.

July 02, 2010

While the T-Mobile Sidekick LX 2009 was no longer sold from July 2, 2010 onwards, a modified version of the device was released in December 2010 in Canada, by carrier Mobilicity, under the name "Mobiflip" (model no. PV300G), while in the US, regional carrier Cincinnati Bell began selling the "Sharp Jump" (model no. PV300GC) in March 2011. Both devices have a modified version of the Danger OS installed, although any mention of Danger has been removed. This modified OS is independent of any backend service: the original Danger web browser, instant messaging and email apps are replaced respectively with Opera Mini, a universal (XMPP compatible) IM client, and without any email clients installed, and there is no Catalog service available.

2011

Sidekick user data is stored at Danger facilities, under the ownership of Microsoft. Unsubstantiated reports suggest Microsoft vendor Hitachi, Danger's storage area network (SAN) provider may have had a part in the temporary data loss. Lawsuits against Microsoft claim that Microsoft had inadequate backups or an insufficient disaster recovery plan. A litigation against Microsoft and others was settled in 2011.

April 13, 2011

On April 13, 2011, T-Mobile revived the Sidekick brand for a new 4G HSPA+-compatible Android smartphone developed by Samsung, known as the Sidekick 4G, based on the Galaxy S. It incorporates features from the original series, including the keyboard, 3.2-megapixel camera (minus LED flash), and the four-button layout, and adds a new Android-powered interface incorporating elements from the Hiptop's operating system. It should not be confused for a Danger device, to which these have no relation other than the T-Mobile exclusive "Sidekick" branding.

May 31, 2011

In Australia, the Telstra Hiptop service was continued for existing customers after May 31, 2011, when the T-Mobile USA Sidekick service was shut down. Then, it was announced that the Hiptop service for Telstra customers was to be discontinued on October 4, 2011. Selected affected customers received a free Samsung Galaxy 555 to replace their Hiptop devices.

Late 2026

When the Hiptop/T-Mobile Sidekick was initially released in late 2002, it was the only cellular phone to factory integrate an instant messaging client, specifically AOL Instant Messenger. This text-based communications medium, along with on-device email and a full QWERTY keyboard, made it popular with the deaf community, providing a telecommunications tool for use both inside and outside the home. Almost immediately it began replacing the dominant wireless devices used by the deaf at that time, namely Motorola's Talkabout T900, PageWriter, and Timeport, as well as the early RIM and BlackBerry e-mail pagers manufactured by Research In Motion.