Jim Alling, Chief Operations Officer at T-Mobile USA wrote the following memo on the T-Mobile support forum inform customers of the the credit and to once again apologize for the disruption in service:

“Dear valued T-Mobile Sidekick customers:

I realize that for many of you, your T-Mobile Sidekick is how you stay in touch with your friends, family and others. I sincerely apologize for the impact the current disruption of data services may be having on you. I assure you that T-Mobile is working very closely with Danger/Microsoft to resolve the issue as quickly as possible. T-Mobile-supported services, such as voice calls and SMS/MMS, have not been affected and continue to be operational. Danger/Microsoft has been working, and will continue working through the week, to restore data functionality and other features.

I understand that this data service disruption is very frustrating to our valued Sidekick customers. For many years, the Sidekick has been, and continues to be, a cornerstone device for T-Mobile. And we believe Sidekick customers are among the most loyal customers anywhere. Recognizing that, and to address any inconvenience Sidekick data customers are experiencing, T-Mobile will automatically credit one month of data service to customers who subscribe to T-Mobile Sidekick data plans. There is nothing you need to do to get this credit – T-Mobile will post the credit to these accounts in the coming days.

We will continue to post the latest information and FAQs to these Forums. I appreciate you being a loyal T-Mobile customer, and appreciate your patience as everyone works hard to resolve the current issues. Thank you.

Sincerely,

Jim Alling, Chief Operations Officer, T-Mobile USA”

Many users including famous celebrity blogger, Perez Hilton are reporting that they are receiving bill credits from $35 to 3 months free data from calling T-Mobile customer service to complain about the lack of data service. If you need support you can also visit the T-Mobile support forum or just stay tuned to PhoneNews.com.

Update 1: – T-Mobile is reporting that data access will begin to come back online tonight but that it will take until at least Monday for all services to be fully restored per the update on the T-Mobile Support Forums.

“T-Mobile and Danger/Microsoft are urgently working to restore impacted services to Sidekick, and deliver them to you as quickly as possible.  Following is a status update for our valued customers:

• We expect data services to begin gradually returning in the next couple of hours (Saturday evening)

• Web browsing capabilities should be first accessible first; additional functions such as IM, social networking applications and email will then follow.

While we anticipate a significant portion of data services to be restored by Monday, some richer data services may lag.  We sincerely apologize for the inconvenience, and appreciate your patience as we work hard with Danger/Microsoft to resolve this issue.  We will continue to keep you updated as we have news to share.  Thank you.”

Update 2: As on Sunday evening, Sidekick data usage has not been fully resolved.  T-Mobile’s latest update as of Sunday at 12:42pm is as follow:

“T-Mobile and Danger/Microsoft continue to urgently work to restore impacted services to Sidekick, and deliver them to our customers as quickly as possible. Following is a status update for our valued customers:

• Web browsing was restored Saturday afternoon, and the teams have been working through the night since the disruption started to enable additional functions such as IM, social networking applications and email as quickly as possible.

While we anticipate a significant portion of data services to be restored by Monday, some richer data services may lag.  We sincerely apologize for the inconvenience, and appreciate your patience as we work hard with Danger/Microsoft to resolve this issue.  We will continue to keep you updated as we have news to share.  Thank you.”

Update 3:

T-Mobile is now starting to restore Sidekick services.

“We are now starting to restore Sidekick services, when available you may need to log back in.  We will text you your user name and password over the next couple of hours, in case you need it.  If you have forgotten your password you can also have it sent to you by visiting www.mytmobile.com and selecting “Forgot your password?”
Update 4:

T-Mobile is advising customers not to do a hard reset.  A hard resetcan cause address book and calendar applications to be lost.

“IM services and access to social networking applications are now being restored along with Web browsing. The Address Book, Calendar, and other features are available as well, however, we advise customers to not ‘hard reset’ their device by removing the battery as it may cause information they enter into the Address Book and Calendar applications to be lost. We expect e-mail service and back-up of user data to be restored today. Some richer data services, such as new purchases from the Catalog, may take longer to enable.”

The T-Mobile LX (2009) features a 3.2 inch WVGA display, microSDHC expansion slot, media player, integrated social networking, YouTube support via dedicated client, 3.2 megapixel camera with autofocus, flash and video recorder, GPS support via T-Mobile Navigator, and speakerphone.

The new Sidekick LX will mark the first time a Sidekick device will feature quadband GSM/EDGE support as well as both AWS 3G (1700) and international 3G access (850/2100) with Microsoft Exchange support being offered on the device via an application in the Software Catalog on top of GPS enabled Live Search and Geotagging support for photos.

The phone is now available for $299.99 after $150 instant discount before an additional $50 mail-in rebate, bringing the total to $249.99.

Encyclopedia: T-Mobile Sidekick LX (2009)

Buy a Sidekick LX (2009) from T-Mobile
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The messaging and multimedia device will be sold for $249.99 after rebates, with the former $199.99 pricepoint reserved for current customers that pre-ordered the device as an upgrade.

As reported previously, the T-Mobile LX (2009) features a 3.2 inch WVGA display, quadband GSM/EDGE support, both AWS 3G (1700) and international 3G access (850/2100), microSDHC expansion slot, media player, integrated social networking, YouTube support via dedicated client, 3.2 megapixel camera with autofocus, flash and video recorder, GPS support via T-Mobile Navigator, and speakerphone.

Encyclopedia: Sidekick LX (2009)

The T-Mobile LX (2009) features all of the previously rumored specifications such as a 3.2 inch WVGA display (a first for an American wireless phone), microSDHC expansion slot, media player, integrated social networking, YouTube support via dedicated client, 3.2 megapixel camera with autofocus, flash and video recorder, GPS support via T-Mobile Navigator, and speakerphone.

The new Sidekick LX will mark the first time a Sidekick device will feature quadband GSM/EDGE support as well as both AWS 3G (1700) and international 3G access (850/2100). The new LX will also mark the first product from Danger released under the Microsoft umbrella as Exchange support will be offered on the device via an application in the Software Catalog on top of GPS enabled Live Search and Geotagging support for photos.

The phone is now available to order for current customers as an upgrade for $199.99 after a new 2 year agreement and mail-in rebate along with pre-launch shipping, while new and prepaid customers will have to wait until May 13th for the retail launch.

Encyclopedia: T-Mobile Sidekick LX (2009)

The above named Sidekick LX 2009 is meant to be a significant upgrade from the prior model with a 3.2 inch WVGA (854×480) resolution widescreen display, dual-band GSM/EDGE, 3.2 megapixel camera with video recorder and autofocus, microSDHC expansion slot, speakerphone, and Bluetooth with stereo audio support.

The device would also be the first Sidekick model with 3G data access, GPS, and also feature integration with Microsoft Outlook/Exchange, the Live suite of services, and Live Search and Maps support thanks to the purchase of Danger by Microsoft last year leading to the integration of the aforementioned services.

The device will retain the venerable messaging and email experience found in the Sidekick line while adding a social networking application suite that allows for publishing and uploads to MySpace, Twitter, Facebook, and PhotoBucket along with an improved browser that allows for direct viewing of YouTube Mobile.

No release details, if any are known at this time.

The new Sidekick features a 2.6 inch WQVGA display, microSDHC expansion slot, Bluetooth 2.0 with stereo audio support, speakerphone, media player, myFaves support, and a 2.0 megapixel camera with video recorder.  T-Mobile has also designed the device to use interchangeable “shells” which can be purchased directly from the carrier for $14.99 or customized with user-created designs at the same rate.

The device is now available online from T-Mobile for $149.99 after a new 2 year agreement or $299.99 full retail, making this a more attractive option for those wanting the LX featureset without the higher cost.

Beginning tomorrow, T-Mobile will begin a promotional campaign to spread awareness regarding the new model by posting the model on its dedicated SideKick page as well as listing a placeholder page on its general T-Mobile online sales page ahead of its release on top of media appearances.

The device will also feature updated firmware that will include video recording and sharing capability, which the carrier will call “Play and Share”, stereo audio Bluetooth support, and increased personalization options including an expanded theme selection.

The updated firmware found in the limited edition will also be sent out to all Sidekick LX users sometime this summer with no specific dates available for the staggered launch.

The new group will be called the Premium Mobile Experiences (PMX) group operating directly below both the Mobile Communications Business (MCB) and Entertainment and Devices Division of the comany, and will focus on developing “cool, new, fun mobile experiences to consumers. We want people to smile every time they look at their phone.” in the words of PMX leader Roz Ho.

Danger co-founders Matt Hershenson and Joe Britt will report directly to Ho, with Ho reporting to MCB Senior Vice-President Andy Lees, while the rest of the Danger workforce will continue to work from their current offices in California.

The financial details of the finalized transaction were not disclosed.

Microsoft did not clarify the future of Danger’s operating system, but did say that the company’s operations will be absorbed into the company’s mobile unit.  It is not clear if Microsoft intends to migrate Sidekick to the Windows Mobile Standard platform, or, continue using the Sidekick operating system in a separate line of devices.