From Danger to Android: The saga of the T-Mobile Sidekick (original) (raw)

October 2008: Server meltdown melts the Sidekick

A very different Hilton, celebrity blogger Perez, becomes the poster boy for a very different type of publicity for the Sidekick when an extended outage of the Danger servers cuts access to photos, contacts, calendar entries and other data services for Sidekick users.

After weeks of uncertainty, Danger is able to restore the service and the data for most Sidekick users. But the publicity hit is brutal for the Sidekick brand, and a lawsuit over the outage was settled earlier this year — offering a modest set of digital downloads and gift cards for Sidekick users who were affected.

Next: Microsoft launches the Kin, briefly

• The Beginning: Danger is formed by three Apple veterans

• Spring 2001: Danger’s mysterious plans start to draw attention

• September 2001: Danger unveils the Hiptop

• December 2001: Woz is on board

• October 2002: Hiptop debuts on T-Mobile as the Sidekick

• Fall 2004: Celebrities embrace a new Sidekick

• February 2005: Paris Hilton is hacked

• Fall 2005: Google acquires Android, sets stage for mobile push

• February 2008: Microsoft acquires Danger

• October 2008: Danger server meltdown melts the Sidekick

• April 2010: Microsoft launches the Kin, briefly

• February 2011: End of the Sidekick’s Danger era

• March 2011: Sidekick goes Android

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