Engadget

GM to add 'enhancements' to Chevy Volt's battery coolant system, will call back 8,000 cars

Amar Toor — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 12:25:00 EST

In the wake of an NHSTA "formal safety investigation," GM today announced plans to add enhancements to the Chevy Volt's battery coolant system, in the hopes of preventing any post-crash electrical fires. As a result, some 8,000 Volt drivers will have to bring their cars back to their dealerships, as part of a move that's one notch below a formal recall. GM made the decision following federal investigation that saw three batteries erupt in flames after side-impact crash tests. Regulators blamed the irregularity on a coolant leak though thus far, no similar incidents have been reported among any Volt owners. The manufacturer plans to remedy the situation by adding extra support to protect the battery during side collisions, adding an extra sensor to keep an eye on coolant levels, and by incorporating an extra bracket atop the coolant reservoir to guard against potential overflows. Vehicles with these enhancements, GM said, passed the tests without any leakage or battery pack damage. Head past the break for the full PR.

Update: Chevrolet has just reached out to us to clarify that adding these enhancements is voluntary, and not mandatory for Volt owners: "These modifications are part of a voluntary customer satisfaction effort. While we will encourage customers to return to a dealership to have their Volt's modified, it is voluntary for them as well."

Continue reading GM to add 'enhancements' to Chevy Volt's battery coolant system, will call back 8,000 cars

GM to add 'enhancements' to Chevy Volt's battery coolant system, will call back 8,000 cars originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 05 Jan 2012 12:25:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Danger's iconic Hiptop fades away / the Sidekick is here to stay

Sean Hollister — Tue, 31 May 2011 17:42:00 EST

At the turn of the millennium, three men formed Danger Incorporated, which went on to create a smartphone perfectly positioned for its time. Those men eventually wound up at Google... after one of them founded Android. But what became of the T-Mobile Sidekick, their stylish swiveling phone? After an illustrious life filled with fame, fortune and failure, the Hiptop met its end today. Today, Microsoft and T-Mobile will shut down the Danger servers for good, leaving existing handsets without the push email and cloud services that once made them indispensable to the teens, tweens and businesspeople who used them day in and day out -- leaving the Android-powered Sidekick 4G to fan the remaining embers of the brand. Join us after the break for a video celebration of Danger's pop culture phenomenon, and head on over to Geekwire for a brief history of the iconic device. Now, if you'll excuse us, we've got a little water in our eye.

Continue reading Danger's iconic Hiptop fades away / the Sidekick is here to stay

Danger's iconic Hiptop fades away / the Sidekick is here to stay originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 31 May 2011 17:42:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Cellphones are dangerous / not dangerous: the WHO changes its mind

Sean Hollister — Tue, 31 May 2011 13:59:00 EST

To say that experts generally don't agree about whether cellphone radiation can fry your brain is an understatement of massive proportions, but amazingly enough, the World Health Organization has come to a pseudo-conclusion. A group of 31 scientists from 14 countries working in the org's International Agency for Research on Cancer says that -- based on a survey of the literature -- those electromagnetic fields are as likely to be potentially carcinogenic as 266 other worrisome substances, including DDT pesticide and the exhaust from your automobile. Mind you, the WHO isn't saying that cellphones cause cancer, as today's decision is merely the latest call for more research, but the fact that respected scientists even claim that a correlation should be considered will probably be enough to stir the pot.

Continue reading Cellphones are dangerous / not dangerous: the WHO changes its mind

Cellphones are dangerous / not dangerous: the WHO changes its mind originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 31 May 2011 13:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Danger co-founders reunite with Andy Rubin at Google to focus on Android hardware

Donald Melanson — Wed, 11 May 2011 20:34:00 EST

In the year 2000, former Apple, WebTV and Philips employees Andy Rubin, Joe Britt, and Matt Hershenson founded a little company called Danger Incorporated, which you may know from such hits as the original Sidekick and a $500 million sale to Microsoft. One of those three co-founders, Andy Rubin, has since become a very public face at Google, and it turns out he's recently gotten back together with his former compatriots to do more than just reminisce about the old days. As Fortune reports, both Britt and Hershenson quietly joined Google "within the last twelve months" to run a new Android Hardware wing of the company. So far, much of their work has apparently focused on accessories and, while there's reportedly no plans for any actual Google-branded accessories anytime soon, Britt reportedly said that he would like to see the company produce some Android peripherals of its own "in the long term." Of course, Danger also produced its own software back in the day and, as you're probably aware, the key architect of it, Matias Duarte, is now at Google as well.

[Image: Entrepreneurship.org]

Danger co-founders reunite with Andy Rubin at Google to focus on Android hardware originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 11 May 2011 20:34:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sidekick 4G review

Sean Hollister — Fri, 29 Apr 2011 15:00:00 EST

It's been nearly two years since we last reviewed a T-Mobile Sidekick, and it would be a vast understatement to say things have changed. Then, they were designed by Danger and manufactured by Sharp, and were the messaging phone of choice. Today, following fiasco and failure, the Sidekick empire is in ruins. But good ideas and their originators live on, and several of Danger's brightest wound up in Mountain View, California. Danger's Andy Rubin founded Android, design director Mattias Duarte built Honeycomb (after helping craft the Helio Ocean and webOS for Palm) and now, the Sidekick itself has joined its founders in the house that Google built. In many ways, the Sidekick 4G is a return to form, but in an ecosystem filled with similar Android devices, can it stand out from the crowd?

Gallery: T-Mobile Sidekick 4G unboxing and hands-on

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Sidekick 4G review originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 29 Apr 2011 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sharp Jump sidekicks its way onto Cincinnati Bell

Chris Ziegler — Mon, 14 Mar 2011 17:08:00 EST

Canada's Mobilicity relaunched the Sidekick LX as the Mobiflip out of nowhere late last year -- and the odd trend's picking up stream, it seems. Next is Cincinnati Bell, rechristening Sharp's latest (and most likely last) Hiptop model the "Jump." Now, seeing how Microsoft and Danger are shutting down the Hiptop back end on May 31st, we can only assume that both the Jump and the Mobiflip are both specially modified to bypass the cloud, much the same way Verizon tweaked and relaunched the Kins to turn them into low-end texting machines without the benefit of the Kin Studio. It's an odd move, but we suppose Sharp had some inventory to clear out -- and $39.99 on contract ain't bad for a WVGA device with a full QWERTY keyboard, we suppose.

[Thanks, Adam]

Sharp Jump sidekicks its way onto Cincinnati Bell originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 14 Mar 2011 17:08:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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T-Mobile offers Sidekick owners half off Samsung phones or waived ETFs

Donald Melanson — Thu, 03 Mar 2011 13:48:00 EST

Well, we knew T-Mobile was promising an "easy transition" for Sidekick owners once Danger's long-running cloud service was shut down later this spring, and we now finally have the details on exactly what that transition will entail. According to a letter sent to Sidekick owners and obtained by TmoNews, the carrier will be offering either fifty percent off "select" Samsung phones purchased on a new two-year contract, or a waived early termination fee between March 31st and May 31st for those that prefer to just pack up and go elsewhere. Hit up the source link below to read the complete letter if you haven't already received one yourself.

T-Mobile offers Sidekick owners half off Samsung phones or waived ETFs originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 03 Mar 2011 13:48:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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RIP, Danger, 2002 - 2011: Microsoft axing service on May 31st, T-Mobile promises an 'easy transition'

Chris Ziegler — Tue, 01 Mar 2011 00:01:00 EST

Oh, come on, you saw this coming: Kin represented what was supposed to be Danger's rebirth under Microsoft's half-billion-dollar umbrella -- and when that failed, there wasn't really a future for these guys in the cards. We've received a statement today from T-Mobile breaking the news that Danger's cloud services will be decommissioned after May 31st, and the problem with Sidekicks is that they're more or less paperweights without a connection to Danger's servers... so if you're still using one, you're definitely going to need a new phone. For T-Mobile's part, they're saying that they'll "provide offers... to help make an easy transition" from old phone to new, and they'll be sharing those offers in the coming weeks. If anything, we wouldn't be surprised if the carrier was simply waiting for its all-new, Samsung-made, Android-powered Sidekick to be ready in the hopes that they'll be able to keep folks in the Sidekick fold even though Danger's gone. They're also providing web-based tools and Sidekick apps to get data off the devices, so you can't say they're not doing all the right things in light of the situation. Smart of Microsoft to make sure the statement comes from T-Mobile, too, since it means the carrier can get out ahead of the panic before it starts. See the full statement after the break.

Continue reading RIP, Danger, 2002 - 2011: Microsoft axing service on May 31st, T-Mobile promises an 'easy transition'

RIP, Danger, 2002 - 2011: Microsoft axing service on May 31st, T-Mobile promises an 'easy transition' originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 01 Mar 2011 00:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Cellphones are dangerous / not dangerous: handsets alter brain activity -- scientists don't know what that means

Michael Gorman — Wed, 23 Feb 2011 17:38:00 EST

Cellphones are bad, mmkay? Or at least that is what many want us to believe, what with all these warning labels and studies telling us that mobile users will end up with brain cancer and kidney damage. Not to mention the dangers of phone addiction -- horror of horrors -- for our youth. Now, the National Institutes of Health have shown that radiation from your phone's antenna ~~turns you into a supergenius~~ increases brain activity. Using positron emission tomography (PET) scans on 47 individuals with a muted phone on each ear (to prevent aural brain stimulation), the study found a seven percent increase in brain activity in the area closest to the phones' antennas when receiving a call. The catch -- scientists don't know "whether this is detrimental or if it could even be beneficial," so don't go trading your Cell-Mate in for a Bluetooth headset just yet.

Cellphones are dangerous / not dangerous: handsets alter brain activity -- scientists don't know what that means originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 23 Feb 2011 17:38:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sharp Mobiflip channels Sidekick LX's vibes for Mobilicity

Chris Ziegler — Wed, 22 Dec 2010 13:57:00 EST

Thought the launch of the Kin ONEm and TWOm was strange? Here's another oddity with a Microsoft tie-in: Canadian startup Mobilicity has just announced the "Mobiflip," a phone that the carrier's own press release calls out as being "similar to the Sidekick LX." It's unclear whether what's left of Danger will be supporting the device -- the Sidekick line basically pioneered mobile cloud computing, after all -- but what we see of the interface certainly rings true to the Sidekicks of days gone by. It runs CAD $99.99 ($98) contract-free, which is a whole heck of a lot cheaper than its American doppelganger launched for -- $250 on contract, if you recall. Yowza! Follow the break for the press release.

Continue reading Sharp Mobiflip channels Sidekick LX's vibes for Mobilicity

Sharp Mobiflip channels Sidekick LX's vibes for Mobilicity originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 22 Dec 2010 13:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Israel to activate SMS-CB missile alert system next year

Darren Murph — Mon, 08 Nov 2010 10:20:00 EST

This one's been talked about since the middle of last year (at least), but it looks as if the time for contemplating is over and done with. It's bruited that the Israel Defense Forces will be moving forward on a plan to light up a new cellular system that will blast out SMS-CB alerts to citizens if and when a missile is fired in the direction of Israel. Just over $7 million will be invested, with the application itself being jointly designed by eVigilo and Ericsson. If all goes well, it'll be operational in June of 2011, and it's just one aspect of the country's effort to consolidate all emergency alerts into one centralized system. We're told that the blasts would be sent in a variety of languages, and there's even potential to send 'em to TVs, radios, websites and "billboards." And unlike various other SMS emergency alert systems that have been implemented, these would actually differ based on how the threat was forecasted to affect different geographic regions. Something tells us eVigilo's going to become a multinational company in no time.

Update: eVigilo pinged us with a few extra details surrounding the service. For starters, it'll be using SMS-CB (read: not standard SMS) in order to circumvent core networks that tend to collapse during emergencies. This will enable the messages to bypass any congestion and hit all users at around the same time. The alerts would be delivered geographically, not to a specific number of users, with tests proving that "millions" could be reached within 20 seconds over 3G. Besides broadcast over mobile networks, the company will also connect to the national TV network using DVB and offer also DAB reaching digital radio subscribers. Additional capabilities will be given through multicast over IP (Billboards, Variable Message Signs and social networks).

Israel to activate SMS-CB missile alert system next year originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 08 Nov 2010 10:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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'Toasted skin syndrome' caused by extreme laptop heat say researchers

Joshua Topolsky — Mon, 04 Oct 2010 16:10:00 EST

In a new study from the medical journal Pediatrics, researchers confirm what you've known all along: laptop heat is the greatest threat to mankind's continued survival on this planet. In the report, researchers collected and analyzed various tales of woe from youngsters who'd been treated for exposure to extreme laptop heat, and discovered that prolonged periods of use can lead to a condition horrifically dubbed "toasted skin syndrome." The effects of gaming (or, uh, studying) too hard can leave skin in a mottled, sponge-like state, can cause permanent skin darkening, and generally makes you less attractive to the opposite sex -- from a lap perspective. When viewed under a microscope, the damage is similar to that of long-term sun exposure, and though unlikely in the case of laptop heat, prolonged skin irritation is linked to increased rates of some forms of skin cancer. Researchers suggest placing a carrying case or "heat shield" between you and your computer if you've got to keep it in your lap. At Engadget, the entire team has been issued Kevlar short-shorts -- we suggest you take similar precautions.

'Toasted skin syndrome' caused by extreme laptop heat say researchers originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 04 Oct 2010 16:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Power line inspecting robot isn't afraid of getting juiced

Laura June — Fri, 20 Aug 2010 08:57:00 EST

Inspecting power lines isn't the safest job we can imagine having, so we're pretty happy to see that robots -- which don't have the same... feelings we do about getting injured -- can be hacked to do the job. Hydro-Quebec's LineScout can get past most power line obstacles by partially detaching itself from the line and then grabbing a hold of it again once said obstacle has been cleared. It can also easily get from one section of the line to the next relatively quickly, and of course, the best part of this bot's ability is that it can pull all this off while the lines are powered. Check out the video below to see the bot in action.

Continue reading Power line inspecting robot isn't afraid of getting juiced

Power line inspecting robot isn't afraid of getting juiced originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 20 Aug 2010 08:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Kin listed as at least $240 million writeoff in Microsoft earnings report

Ross Miller — Thu, 22 Jul 2010 20:50:00 EST

Here's a tidbit in today's Microsoft quarterly earnings that we previously overlooked: a $240 million cost of revenue "primarily... resulting from the discontinuation of the Kin phone, offset in part by decreased Xbox 360 console costs." In other words, the company took at least a quarter billion hit due to manufacturing, distribution, and support costs of the Kin (according to Microsoft's definition of "cost of revenue"). We don't know how much Xbox 360 offset, unfortunately, but we can add this figure to the $500 million Danger acquisition and the full marketing cost for the product (which we also don't know, but anecdotally, it was on par with other major campaigns) to reach... well, at least $800 million in regret for the folks in Redmond.

Kin listed as at least $240 million writeoff in Microsoft earnings report originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 22 Jul 2010 20:50:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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T-Mobile kills off current Sidekicks, Kin says 'welcome to the club'

Chris Ziegler — Thu, 01 Jul 2010 15:49:00 EST

It's truly remarkable to see almost every trace of a successful, well-established Valley start-up's work wiped out in the span of 24 hours, but here we are: T-Mobile's discontinuing the Sidekick line as of tomorrow, July 2, which effectively means that the Sidekick LX 2009 will no longer be available. As a refresher, the latest Sidekick LX was the last product holistically engineered by Danger as it got shoehorned into Microsoft -- square peg in a round hole, as it were -- before repurposing the team to work on the just-killed Kin line. In a way, it's a miracle that the LX ever went back on sale following the nightmarish data issues they'd gone through last year, so we suppose it's a silver lining that they made it this far -- but still, it's sad to see Danger's years of design effectively vaporized without a trace like this. For what it's worth, T-Mobile says that it's working "on the next chapter of [its] storied Sidekick franchise" and to "stay tuned" for a "fresh" experience, but since T-Mobile owns the Sidekick brand (not Danger / Microsoft), we've got every reason to believe these new products will be based on Android considering the carrier's huge investment in its myTouch line. Adios, Sidekick -- we'll do one last screen flip in your honor.

T-Mobile kills off current Sidekicks, Kin says 'welcome to the club' originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 01 Jul 2010 15:49:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Zune software references rumored Project Pink devices, a video upload service?

Ross Miller — Thu, 28 Jan 2010 23:20:00 EST

We weren't sure things could get any more interesting with Microsoft's mobile rumor mill, but along comes Zune Boards with some tantalizing findings in the latest Zune software update. First up is the eEndpointFamily files, which lists all the compatible hardware -- ZuneHD, for example. Also found, however, were entries for "PmxPure" and "PmxTurtle." PMX, if you recall, seems to be a reference to Microsoft's Premium Mobile eXperiences group, the remnants of the Danger acquisition who have been whispered to be working on Project Pink. As for Pure and Turtle, let's go back all the way to September 2009, when we first heard those names as the initial Pink duo -- there were some supposed renders, too. If that's not enough, two PMX table entries pointed to a snippet of text stating that "Studio members" can "View and manage pictures and videos taken with your phone at the Studio," followed by a link that for now redirects to Zune.net. Could the mysterious Project Pink and the oft-rumored "Zune phone" be one in the same, with some "Studio" service for uploading media to the cloud? Is this all some red herring perpetuated by some amused Microsoft staffers? We don't know, but it's mean to tug at our heart strings like that, Microsoft, and worse that it makes Mobile World Congress even more painful to wait for. #tmdp

Zune software references rumored Project Pink devices, a video upload service? originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 28 Jan 2010 23:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Windows Mobile 7 roadmap elucidated, starts with MWC 2010 demo

Vlad Savov — Wed, 27 Jan 2010 02:17:00 EST

You know, January is all but expired now. Gone are the heady (or is that headless?) days of CES 2010, and we're nearly past the rumor euphoria of the decade, so what do we have to look forward to? According to CNET's sources, WinMo 7. This year. Sure, we heard as much from DigiTimes, but it's always good to put a more legitimate source to what is quite the juicy forecast. Confirmation that Microsoft is planning to finalize all code by this summer also meshes with an earlier leak of an LG Windows Mobile 7 handset set for a September release, while the latest Pink phone rumors are also reiterated. At any rate, it all kicks off in Barcelona come February 15, with Microsoft also circling its MIX 2010 web development conference a month later as the time it'll start dishing the dirt on how to code for the new OS. So there we have it, new consumer phones and a long overdue WinMo overhaul all coming to you within the next few months.

Windows Mobile 7 roadmap elucidated, starts with MWC 2010 demo originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 27 Jan 2010 02:17:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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San Francisco considers displaying phone radiation levels next to price tag

Ross Miller — Thu, 24 Dec 2009 02:49:00 EST

If the San Francisco Department of the Environment gets its way, starting as soon as next month Bay Area residents might start noticing the radiation levels of cellphones displayed prominently next to their respective price at retail outlets. This is, of course, despite no definitive research that the handsets cause harm and the FCC's insistence that the devices sold to consumers are safe. The proposal is being endorsed by Mayor Gavin Newsom, who as it's noted is not about to stop using his iPhone anytime soon. Not to worry, Maine, you'll still keep the top spot for most ridiculous cellphone warning label.

San Francisco considers displaying phone radiation levels next to price tag originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 24 Dec 2009 02:49:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Dell Mini 9 suffers meltdown, scorches owner's floor

Vlad Savov — Wed, 23 Dec 2009 06:52:00 EST

While this isn't quite bad enough to merit a "dude, your Dell is on fire" part deux, it's a pretty frightful example of the hazard modern batteries (of any kind) represent. A Consumerist reader reports that her year-old Dell Mini 9 recently popped, "hissed and sizzled" as it filled her room with smoke and tarnished her fine wooden flooring. Judging from the fallout pictures (available after the break), we'd say the culprit for this Mini fire (oh!) was the battery pack, which again reminds us how badly we need to improve our energy storage technologies. Dell has been quick to remedy the situation with an upgraded laptop being sent over to the young lady and the melted machine packed off to the labs for inspection, though there's no mention of compensation for the owner's scarred floor and mind.

Continue reading Dell Mini 9 suffers meltdown, scorches owner's floor

Dell Mini 9 suffers meltdown, scorches owner's floor originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 23 Dec 2009 06:52:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sidekick LX 2009 basks in the warm glow of a minor firmware update

Chris Ziegler — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 09:08:00 EST

In the event that Sidekickgate didn't scare you right out of using anything involving Danger, you've got a bit of good news this week -- if you've got an LX 2009 model, anyhow -- on news that a new firmware has been pushed out over-the-air. Details are thin, but it looks like the biggies here are support for backing up contacts to T-Mobile's Mobile Backup service (independently of the normal sync that happens to Danger's servers) and a host of bug fixes, which are always a pleasant thing for improving the user experience in the field. It's hard to say how many LX 2009s are still in active use and how many more are realistically gonna be sold, but yeah -- if we had to guess, the writing's on the wall for Sidekick as we know it, so at this point, cherish every FOTA like it's your last.

Sidekick LX 2009 basks in the warm glow of a minor firmware update originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 10 Dec 2009 09:08:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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T-Mobile cautiously resumes Sidekick sales at lower prices

Chris Ziegler — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 05:08:00 EST

After a protracted "let's be absolutely certain we're in the clear" period, T-Mobile has gone ahead and lifted its self-imposed moratorium on Sidekick sales following that little meltdown you may have heard about. Oh, and there's a bonus, too: they're a little cheaper this time around. The Sidekick 2008 has dropped to $49.99 on contract while the top-of-the-line LX 2009 has shed $25 down to $149.99 on contract, so if you were looking for an excuse to live dangerously with your precious address book, this might be as good of a reason as any. Then again, what are the odds of lightning striking twice?

Filed under: Cellphones

T-Mobile cautiously resumes Sidekick sales at lower prices originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 17 Nov 2009 05:08:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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T-Mobile cautiously resumes Sidekick sales at lower prices

Chris Ziegler — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 05:08:00 EST

Filed under: Handsets, T-Mobile, Danger, EDGE, EV-DO, HSDPA, UMTS

T-Mobile cautiously resumes Sidekick sales at lower prices originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 17 Nov 2009 05:08:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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MacBook Pro battery flies off the handle, busts wide open

Darren Murph — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 12:23:00 EST

Here's the thing: that horrifically swollen, completely destroyed battery you're peering at above isn't as rare a sight as it should be. If you'll recall, we've personally covered at least four MacBook Pro battery explosions, and we've also seen a similar amount of volatility over on the PC side. The story behind this one is as follows: a 17-inch (non-unibody) MBP owner was using his machine on a desk (thankfully), when suddenly an odd noise began to increase in volume; following that, the entire machine "jumped up" slightly and turned off, and this battery is to blame. Oh, and if this all-too-commonplace occurrence happens to you next, let's hope you aren't actually using your laptop on your, um, lap.

Gallery: MacBook Pro battery flies off the handle, busts wide open

Filed under: Laptops, Peripherals

MacBook Pro battery flies off the handle, busts wide open originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 11 Nov 2009 12:23:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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T-Mobile posts Sidekick contact recovery instructions

Vlad Savov — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 06:24:00 EST

That Microsoft / T-Mobile tag team has been doing a pretty decent job of cleaning up the disaster area left by the Sidekick data loss, and now the first item on the recovery menu is ready for collection. Sidekick users can hit up the My T-Mobile webpage to download their contacts and then restore them either to their Sidekick or whatever device they've replaced it with. Extensive how-to instructions are available at the read link, which also furnishes us with the reassurance that "Microsoft/Danger continues its efforts to recover pictures, calendar entries and to-do lists, which may be available in the future."

[Thanks, Abe G.]

Filed under: T-Mobile, Danger

T-Mobile posts Sidekick contact recovery instructions originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 20 Oct 2009 06:24:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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T-Mobile posts Sidekick contact recovery instructions

Vlad Savov — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 06:24:00 EST

Filed under: Cellphones

T-Mobile posts Sidekick contact recovery instructions originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 20 Oct 2009 06:24:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Microsoft to restore remaining Sidekick contacts this week, other stuff 'shortly thereafter'

Chris Ziegler — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 03:58:00 EST

Sidekick users tend to be an active, fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants bunch, so it's gotta hurt like the dickens when they don't have access to their schedules and little black books -- but hey, at least it's still recoverable, right? Microsoft has just posted a quick update to keep everyone abreast on the progress of its Sidekick data recovery, and it sounds like they'll be able to have remaining missing contacts back in action this week with the rest of the data -- to-dos, notes, photos, and the like -- following on "shortly thereafter." Anyone who didn't lose information in the debacle should be unaffected by the recovery process, but for those who did, these backup tapes couldn't possibly load into Danger's feisty data center fast enough.

Filed under: Cellphones

Microsoft to restore remaining Sidekick contacts this week, other stuff 'shortly thereafter' originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 19 Oct 2009 03:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Microsoft to restore remaining Sidekick contacts this week, other stuff 'shortly thereafter'

Chris Ziegler — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 03:58:00 EST

Filed under: T-Mobile, Danger

Microsoft to restore remaining Sidekick contacts this week, other stuff 'shortly thereafter' originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 19 Oct 2009 03:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Entelligence: Cloud's illusions I recall

Michael Gartenberg — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 17:15:00 EST

Entelligence is a column by technology strategist and author Michael Gartenberg, a man whose desire for a delicious cup of coffee and a quality New York bagel is dwarfed only by his passion for tech. In these articles, he'll explore where our industry is and where it's going -- on both micro and macro levels -- with the unique wit and insight only he can provide.

It's been the story of the week. T-Mobile Sidekick customers were told that all of their data might be lost and warned not to turn off their devices to prevent losing what's already on them. It's about the worst case nightmare scenario for any vendor and it underscored the weakness and vulnerability of cloud-based computing with no other means of backup and storage.

The Sidekick story is complicated, and there's much rumor and speculation as to what went wrong and how. To be clear, Sidekick is a T-Mobile branded-and-sold device and service, but the Sidekick technology comes from Danger, a former startup now owned by Microsoft, which T-Mobile pays to keep Sidekick going. Trust me, there's going to be lots of finger pointing and perhaps a few class-action lawsuits before this all comes to an end. While finger pointing is fun, it's not the issue. (And, as grandpa used to say, when you point your finger at someone else, three fingers point back at you.) Some argued with me last night that cloud computing is perfectly safe, it's the company deploying that you need to look to. OK. I accept that. Only thing is that Danger's been doing this pretty well since 2002 and at no point did I ever see a single warning from anyone that dealing with T-Mobile, Danger or Microsoft might be a bad idea when it comes to personal data solely living in the cloud.

Continue reading Entelligence: Cloud's illusions I recall

Filed under: Cellphones, Misc. Gadgets

Entelligence: Cloud's illusions I recall originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 15 Oct 2009 17:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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First Sidekick class-action lawsuits predictably get underway

Nilay Patel — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 13:26:00 EST

Our usual rule is to ignore attention-seeking class-action lawsuits until they make it past the critical step of being certified by a judge, but we think it's pretty wild that the Sidekick debacle has already resulted in two separate suits in two different states. That's a turnaround time of just a few days, really -- and now that Microsoft is saying it can restore most of the lost data, it'll be interesting to see if these cases can push on past the early stages. Both the California and Washington state cases allege that T-Mobile misled customers into thinking their data was secure, but for some reason we're particularly amused at the California case filed by a mother whose aspiring model and singer-songwriter daughter lost "photos and song lyrics" she'd entrusted to her Sidekick -- honestly, what judge can't relate to her situation?

Filed under: Cellphones

First Sidekick class-action lawsuits predictably get underway originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 15 Oct 2009 13:26:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Peek offers disgruntled Sidekick owners a free Pronto, internet high-five

Darren Murph — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 12:33:00 EST

As Microsoft and Apple have so precisely demonstrated, there's nothing like a face full of egg to make the competition fire up the sucker punch machine. Take Peek, for example, who is now offering angered Sidekick users (you know, the ones that probably lost all of their data recently) a gratis Pronto for their trouble. All that's required is an image of you, a frowny face, your wiped Sidekick and a T-Mobile bill -- once that's sent over to Peek's dedicated inbox, you'll soon receive your Pronto in the mail. 'Course, it's up to you to foot the $20 monthly bill for keeping the thing active, but hey, free's free. Kind of.

Filed under: Handsets, Others, T-Mobile, Danger

Peek offers disgruntled Sidekick owners a free Pronto, internet high-five originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 14 Oct 2009 12:33:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Peek offers disgruntled Sidekick owners a free Pronto, internet high-five

Darren Murph — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 12:33:00 EST

Filed under: Cellphones, Handhelds

Peek offers disgruntled Sidekick owners a free Pronto, internet high-five originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 14 Oct 2009 12:33:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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T-Mobile offers Sidekick users olive branch, $100 (update: not for everyone)

Nilay Patel — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 21:13:00 EST

We'd heard T-Mo was thinking about doing more for Sidekick customers who've had their data wiped by Microsoft / Danger / Hitachi's botched server upgrade, and we just got a statement confirming that any affected customers will be getting a $100 gift card for their troubles in addition to that free month of service. T-Mobile also says that recovery of "some" lost content may be possible, but we're not holding out hope -- and if we'd just been shafted like this, we're not sure we'd want to buy even more stuff from Team Magenta. Full statement after the break.

Update: It looks like T-Mobile's having some success recovering data on certain accounts after all, and we're hearing that the carrier's official policy here is that only folks who still don't have their data recovered after two weeks will be eligible for the $100 -- everyone else will have to make do with the free month of data alone. It's a bummer, but if you read the verbiage on the statement closely, you'll notice that they give themselves the wiggle room they need to pull this off. Thanks, David C.!

Continue reading T-Mobile offers Sidekick users olive branch, $100 (update: not for everyone)

Filed under: Handsets, Danger

T-Mobile offers Sidekick users olive branch, $100 (update: not for everyone) originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 12 Oct 2009 21:13:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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T-Mobile offers Sidekick users olive branch, $100 (update: not for everyone)

Nilay Patel — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 21:13:00 EST

Continue reading T-Mobile offers Sidekick users olive branch, $100 (update: not for everyone)

Filed under: Cellphones

T-Mobile offers Sidekick users olive branch, $100 (update: not for everyone) originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 12 Oct 2009 21:13:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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T-Mobile 'considering additional measures' to compensate Sidekick owners

Chris Ziegler — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 15:58:00 EST

The official line is still that T-Mobile customers affected by Sidekick amnesia will be given a months' credit on their data plan, but that may not be the end of it (and considering the magnitude of the issue for affected folks, we'd certainly hope not). At this point, they're leaving the door open to more by saying that they're "considering additional measures" to help soothe the souls of those who lost contacts, notes, schedules, apps, and everything else, but exactly what those "measures" are remains to be seen. Free phones? Free service? A gift certificate to a day spa? The full (albeit brief) remarks can be found after the break.

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Filed under: Cellphones, Wireless

T-Mobile 'considering additional measures' to compensate Sidekick owners originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 12 Oct 2009 15:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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T-Mobile 'considering additional measures' to compensate Sidekick owners

Chris Ziegler — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 15:58:00 EST

Continue reading T-Mobile 'considering additional measures' to compensate Sidekick owners

Filed under: T-Mobile, Danger

T-Mobile 'considering additional measures' to compensate Sidekick owners originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 12 Oct 2009 15:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sidekick failure rumors point fingers at outsourcing, lack of backups

Chris Ziegler — Sun, 11 Oct 2009 19:44:00 EST

Backing up your personal PC to external media might still be a novel concept for some, but any IT manager fresh out of school can tell you that regularly backing up mission-critical servers -- and storing those backups in multiple physical locations -- isn't merely important, it's practically non-negotiable, and it only becomes that much more critical before undertaking hardware maintenance. Alleged details on the events leading up to Danger's doomsday scenario are starting to come out of the woodwork, and it all paints a truly embarrassing picture: Microsoft, possibly trying to compensate for lost and / or laid-off Danger employees, outsources an upgrade of its Sidekick SAN to Hitachi, which -- for reasons unknown -- fails to make a backup before starting. Long story short, the upgrade runs into complications, data is lost, and without a backup to revert to, untold thousands of Sidekick users get shafted in an epic way rarely seen in an age of well-defined, well-understood IT strategies.

The coming weeks are going to be trying times for both Microsoft and T-Mobile, a sideline player in this carnage that ultimately still shoulders responsibility for taking users' cash month after month and keeping tabs on the robustness of its partners' workflows. We're betting that heads are going to roll at both of these companies, formal investigations are going to be waged, users are going to be compensated in big ways, lawsuits are going to be filed, and textbooks could very well be modified to make sure that lessons are learned for the next generation of college grads tasked with keeping clouds running. Why there weren't any backups -- even older ones -- that could've been used as a restore point is totally unclear, so we're hoping Microsoft has the stones to come clean for the benefit of an entire industry that wants to understand how to make sure this never happens again.

Filed under: Cellphones

Sidekick failure rumors point fingers at outsourcing, lack of backups originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 11 Oct 2009 19:44:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sidekick failure rumors point fingers at outsourcing, lack of backups

Chris Ziegler — Sun, 11 Oct 2009 19:44:00 EST

Filed under: T-Mobile, Danger

Sidekick failure rumors point fingers at outsourcing, lack of backups originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 11 Oct 2009 19:44:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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T-Mobile: we probably lost all your Sidekick data

Chris Ziegler — Sat, 10 Oct 2009 15:45:00 EST

Well, this is shaping up to be one of the biggest disasters in the history of cloud computing, and certainly the largest blow to Danger and the Sidekick platform: T-Mobile's now reporting that personal data stored on Sidekicks has "almost certainly has been lost as a result of a server failure at Microsoft/Danger." They're still looking for a way to recover it, but they're not giving users a lot of hope -- meanwhile, servers are still on the fritz and customers are being advised not to let their devices power down because anything that's still on there will be lost the next time the device is turned on. Another communique is promised from T-Mobile on Monday to give everyone a status update on the recovery efforts, but at this point, it's not looking good at all.

Update: Apparently T-Mobile has paused the sale of new Sidekicks, as all models are now listed as "temporarily out of stock" on the company's site. Additionally, a warning as been added to the post on T-Mobile's forum which reads: "Sidekick customers, during this service disruption, please DO NOT remove your battery, reset your Sidekick, or allow it to lose power." Scary stuff, Sidekickers.

T-Mobile: we probably lost all your Sidekick data originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 10 Oct 2009 15:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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T-Mobile: we probably lost all your Sidekick data

Chris Ziegler — Sat, 10 Oct 2009 15:45:00 EST

Filed under: Software, T-Mobile, Danger

T-Mobile: we probably lost all your Sidekick data originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 10 Oct 2009 15:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Danger's server woes leave Sidekicks in the lurch

Chris Ziegler — Sun, 04 Oct 2009 16:48:00 EST

Look, Danger, we know that you're hard at work on... ahem, "other things" right now, but can you please just take five and figure out what's wrong with your servers? Sidekicks rely very, very heavily on the ability to phone home for even basic tasks -- looking up contacts, browsing the web, you name it -- and it seems that Danger's data center has been on the fritz for a solid two days now with symptoms ranging from text message weirdness to dead address books and everything in between, up to and including a completely unusable experience. Frantic calls to T-Mobile are resulting in comped bills for some subscribers, so if you're affected, you might want to give 'em a ring.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

Filed under: Cellphones

Danger's server woes leave Sidekicks in the lurch originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 04 Oct 2009 16:48:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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