446 days

Wilson Rothman

Sidekick service to be shut off May 31

Remember when the coolest phone was the Sidekick, especially one spangled with rhinestones and carried (along with a very tiny dog) by Paris Hilton? That era may be long over — I mean, does anyone still care what phone Paris Hilton carries? — but it officially ends May 31. That's when T-Mobile shuts off Sidekick service.

Though T-Mobile hasn't stocked the last model, the Sidekick LX, since summer 2010, and apparently no longer sells enough to justify keeping up the payments for the service, which is handled by a third party, there are a few of them still out there. For those hanging on till the bitter end, T-Mobile will present several options.

First, starting now, T-Mobile is making anyone with a Sidekick eligible for an upgrade handset, regardless of where they are in their plan. Even if they bought an LX six or eight months ago, they don't have to worry about timing — they will get the same deal that new customers get on any handset — provided they sign a new 2-year agreement, obviously. 

(There's no word on additional rebates for those people who bought soon-to-be-non-working phones most recently, but if you're in this position, you should definitely ask.)

Second, if Sidekick customers choose to leave T-Mobile entirely, their early termination fee will be waived.

Third, there will be a new Android-powered Sidekick 4G available "this spring." Although it will not run on the Danger network that currently powers Sidekicks, T-Mobile is going to ensure some kind of upgrade path for current Sidekickers, and will be sharing more details on this in the coming weeks. (Danger is a subsidiary of Microsoft, which is a co-owner of msnbc.com.)

Regardless of their next handset, Sidekick owners will be able to export their personal data from Danger's servers via a tool on myT-Mobile.com, and can also download an app in the Sidekick Catalog that lets them dump data straight to their memory cards.

Good night, sweet Sidekick.