After a catastrophic server failure, T-Mobile and Danger, the Microsoft-owned subsidiary that makes the Sidekick, have announced that they were unable to recover the stored Sidekick data – meaning that some users will have lost all their personal data stored in the ‘cloud’.
A cautionary tale of the downside of cloud computing, Sidekick users stand to have lost all their contacts, calendar entries, to-do lists and photos that weren’t stored locally, with Microsoft/Danger describing the likelihood of recovering the data from their servers as “extremely low”.
Don’t touch that dial!
T-Mobile has advised Sidekick users to keep their devices powered up and don’t go anywhere near the reset button – or even think about removing the battery – as any data still on the phone will be lost.
T-Mobile said it will provide an update on the situation on Monday, but we imagine Sidekick users must be howling at the Moon at the loss of their precious data, with some no doubt hot-footing it to the nearest lawyer to lodge the inevitable $4 trillion lawsuit for damages, personal loss, upset feelings, increased blood pressure, spilt tea etc.
Here’s the grovelling press release which currently fills the Sidekick homepage:
T-Mobile Press Release on Sidekick Data Loss
T-MOBILE AND MICROSOFT/DANGER STATUS UPDATE ON SIDEKICK DATA DISRUPTION
Dear valued T-Mobile Sidekick customers:
T-Mobile and the Sidekick data services provider, Danger, a subsidiary of Microsoft, are reaching out to express our apologies regarding the recent Sidekick data service disruption.
We appreciate your patience as Microsoft/Danger continues to work on maintaining platform stability, and restoring all services for our Sidekick customers.
Regrettably, based on Microsoft/Danger’s latest recovery assessment of their systems, we must now inform you that personal information stored on your device – such as contacts, calendar entries, to-do lists or photos – that is no longer on your Sidekick almost certainly has been lost as a result of a server failure at Microsoft/Danger. That said, our teams continue to work around-the-clock in hopes of discovering some way to recover this information.
However, the likelihood of a successful outcome is extremely low. As such, we wanted to share this news with you and offer some tips and suggestions to help you rebuild your personal content. You can find these tips in our Sidekick Contacts FAQ. We encourage you to visit the Forums on a regular basis to access the latest updates as well as FAQs regarding this service disruption.
In addition, we plan to communicate with you on Monday (Oct. 12) the status of the remaining issues caused by the service disruption, including the data recovery efforts and the Download Catalog restoration which we are continuing to resolve. We also will communicate any additional tips or suggestions that may help in restoring your content.
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 of you who have lost your content to help reinforce how valuable you are as a T-Mobile customer.
We continue to advise customers to NOT reset their device by removing the battery or letting their battery drain completely, as any personal content that currently resides on your device will be lost.
Once again, T-Mobile and Microsoft/Danger regret any and all inconvenience this matter has caused.
