Sidekick Gets the Shaft from T-Mobile

Leslie Meredith, Senior Writer TechNewsDaily

01 July 2010 06:30 PM ET

It’s a week of phone cuts. First Microsoft announced it would no longer offer its Kin 1 and Kin 2 phones launched just six weeks ago, and today T-Mobile announced that, as of tomorrow, its Sidekick phones will no longer be available for sale.

In a statement, a spokesperson for the company said, “As T-Mobile looks to further innovate and raise the bar for the next generation of the T-Mobile Sidekick, as of July 2, the Sidekick LX and Sidekick 2008 will no longer be available through T-Mobile, including retail stores, care, telesales and online.”

But for Sidekick enthusiasts, the story may not end tomorrow. T-Mobile went on to say that while it is working on the next chapter of the Sidekick franchise, T-Mobile will continue to provide 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," T-Mobile concluded.

Sidekick, aka the Danger Hiphop, was one of the first phones to be truly “smart” with an integrated Web browser, instant messaging capability, e-mail, and phone. Launched in 2002, the original Sidekick gained its “cool” reputation after being featured in the Jay-Z rap video, “Excuse Me Miss.” The phone became the “it” phone of the decade, used by celebrities including Lindsey Lohan, Paris Hilton and Sandra Bullock.

The future of the Sidekick is unknown, but rumors floated by mobile blog TmoNews and others indicate that the whispered “Project Emerald” could become the Sidekick Twist, an Android based smartphone with a 4.3-inch AMOLED display manufactured by HTC.