Sorry, Sidekick users: it's probably time to say a good-bye for good to all your contacts

After a serious server crash last week at Danger, the data services provider for the T-Mobile Sidekick smart phone, many users lost all their personal data. The Microsoft subsidiary announced Saturday it’s likely losses will not be recovered. So even if you don’t own a Sidekick yourself, don’t be surprised when multiple new groups asking for your contact information crop up on Facebook this week.

In a letter to it’s customers, T-Mobile wrote:

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.

The number of Sidekick users who have been affected has not been released, but Twitter and user support forums are abuzz with stories from those who have lost valuable data. Celebrity blogger Perez Hilton, who lost his contacts on his Sidekick, has been especially vocal on Twitter, starting the hash #tmobilesucks and sending out tweets calling for class-action lawsuit by T-Mobile customers.

For now, T-Mobile has halted all sales of the Sidekick. The permanent impact that the massive failure will have on T-Mobile and Danger is unknown, but web chatter suggests many customers will not be going back to the Sidekick.

The Sidekick was one of the first mobile devices to provide online backup of data – these help to protect the customer in case they lose or damage their smart phone. Many other companies have followed suit by backing up information to the cloud. This crash and resulting loss of data will hopefully be a reminder to other companies to have reliable data backups.

Sidekick users have been advised by T-Mobile to not remove the batteries or let the batteries die, because of the risk that additional information could be lost.

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