If you haven’t lost your contacts from a hard reset, start copying them to something else right now. Microsoft has officially announced that your contacts, calendar, and other data has “almost certainly has been lost as a result of a server failure at Microsoft/Danger”.

Sidekick customers, during this service disruption, please DO NOT remove your battery, reset your Sidekick, or allow it to lose power.

Updated: 10/10/2009 12:35 PM PDT

T-MOBILE AND MICROSOFT/DANGER STATUS UPDATE ON SIDEKICK DATA DISRUPTION

Dear valued T-Mobile Sidekick customers:

T-Mobile and the Sidekick data services provider, Danger, a subsidiary of Microsoft, are reaching out to express our apologies regarding the recent Sidekick data service disruption.

We appreciate your patience as Microsoft/Danger continues to work on maintaining platform stability, and restoring all services for our Sidekick customers.

Regrettably, 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. However, the likelihood of a successful outcome is extremely low. As such, we wanted to share this news with you and offer some tips and suggestions to help you rebuild your personal content. You can find these tips in our Sidekick Contacts FAQ. We encourage you to visit the Forums on a regular basis to access the latest updates as well as FAQs regarding this service disruption.

In addition, we plan to communicate with you on Monday (Oct. 12) the status of the remaining issues caused by the service disruption, including the data recovery efforts and the Download Catalog restoration which we are continuing to resolve. We also will communicate any additional tips or suggestions that may help in restoring your content.

We recognize the magnitude of this inconvenience. Our primary efforts have been focused on restoring our customers’ personal content. We also are considering additional measures for those of you who have lost your content to help reinforce how valuable you are as a T-Mobile customer.

We continue to advise customers to NOT reset their device by removing the battery or letting their battery drain completely, as any personal content that currently resides on your device will be lost.

Once again, T-Mobile and Microsoft/Danger regret any and all inconvenience this matter has caused.

I am speechless.

Original post

Looks like in the near future you’ll be able to walk into RadioShack and pick up a new T-Mobile phone. They’ve announced a “retail agreement” where in RadioShack will be selling T-Mobile phones at over 4000 stores in the US and Puerto Rico starting later this summer. Guess the “radio” in RadioShack now means 3G radios? The full press release is below:

RadioShack and T-Mobile USA Announce Retail Agreement

RadioShack to Offer T-Mobile Products and Services in Stores Beginning This Summer

FORT WORTH, Texas and BELLEVUE, Wash. — July 23, 2009 — RadioShack Corporation (NYSE: RSH) and T-Mobile USA, Inc. today announced a retail agreement to offer T-Mobile® products and services in more than 4,000 RadioShack stores across the U.S. and Puerto Rico beginning later this summer.

The relationship expands RadioShack’s postpaid wireless offerings, and enables RadioShack to offer its customers a selection of T-Mobile’s most innovative, in-demand handsets – including the highly anticipated T-Mobile® myTouch™ 3G with Google™. For T-Mobile, the agreement nearly doubles the number of national retail partner stores offering its postpaid products and services nationwide, and makes RadioShack T-Mobile’s largest national retail partner. Terms of the agreement were not disclosed.

“RadioShack is focused on growing our mobility category and is committed to providing our customers with a broad selection of the best wireless products and services in the industry,” said Peter Whitsett, executive vice president and general merchandising manager at RadioShack. “The ability to offer a full line of T-Mobile devices, including the hottest exclusive T-Mobile handsets, reinforces RadioShack’s leadership in wireless.”

Doug Chartier, senior vice president of sales at T-Mobile USA, said, “Through our milestone partnership with RadioShack, T-Mobile’s presence in national retail stores expands nearly twofold, giving millions more people the opportunity to readily access our products and take advantage of the tremendous value T-Mobile provides its customers. By combining T-Mobile’s innovative devices and great value with RadioShack’s knowledgeable sales representatives, we expect customers to have an excellent in-store experience.”

With 4,450 company-operated locations, RadioShack offers one of the largest selections of wireless phones. RadioShack’s knowledgeable sales associates are committed to helping customers choose the best technology solution to meet their needs and the company was named one of the top customer service retailers in the nation in the fourth annual National Retail Federation Foundation/American Express Customer Service Survey.

T-Mobile is dedicated to providing the best experience in wireless, and has achieved the “Highest Ranked Wireless Customer Service Performance” in J.D. Power and Associates 2009 Wireless Customer Care Performance StudySM – Volume 1,* which ranked T-Mobile higher than all of its competitors for overall customer care performance. T-Mobile continues to expand its retail footprint, bringing this award-winning customer experience and the company’s wide array of innovative products, such as the iconic T-Mobile Sidekick® and groundbreaking Android™-powered devices, to more people nationwide. T-Mobile currently has more than 1,900 company-owned retail locations and distribution agreements with a number of large national retailers.

For more information on RadioShack, please visit http://www.RadioShack.com. For more information on T-Mobile products and services, please visit http://www.T-Mobile.com

Tour Also Launches ‘T-Mobile Sidekick Live the Rock Life Sweepstakes’ Offering Music Fans a Chance to Win the Ultimate Rock Star Experience

BELLEVUE, Wash., July 16 /PRNewswire/ — T-Mobile USA, Inc. announced today the details of the exclusive partnership with punk band, blink-182, by supporting the group’s first concert tour in five years. The nearly sold-out T-Mobile(R) Sidekick(TM) Presents blink-182 Summer 2009 Tour will go coast-to-coast bringing an energetic rock show to the masses and unique meet and greet experiences for dedicated fans with a national sweepstakes opportunity, T-Mobile Sidekick Live the Rock Life with blink-182.

As the title sponsor for blink-182’s reunion concert tour, kicking off on July 23 in Las Vegas and culminating October 3 at The Borgata in Atlantic City, T-Mobile will give Sidekick fans the chance to text to win seat upgrades, attend meet and greets with the band, as well as enter the sweepstakes for a chance to win the grand prize – all without leaving their spot in the pit to check out the band.

“We love that T-Mobile recognizes that the fans are a huge part of the music for us,” said Mark Hoppus, bassist and singer for blink-182. “They are a great partner to help make the tour happen and we’re going to go out there every night and give our fans exactly what they came for, an amazing concert experience.”

Along the way through the tour, Hoppus, Travis Barker and Tom Delonge will keep fans on their toes with Twitter scavenger hunts, a virtual guessing game for fans to win tickets to shows, band merchandise and T-Mobile Sidekick LX devices. The scavenger hunt and trivia Q&A will lead fans on searches through concert venues, local landmarks and T-Mobile retail stores via clues given by the band members on their personal Twitter accounts using their T-Mobile Sidekicks.

In addition to the headlining blink-182 set, the tour will also feature a full line-up of supporting acts on select dates including Fall Out Boy, Weezer, Panic! At The Disco, The All-American Rejects, Taking Back Sunday, Chester French and Asher Roth.

For more information on blink-182’s concert tour or how to obtain tickets, please visit www.blink182.com/tour. For more information on the T-Mobile Sidekick family of devices, please visit www.sidekick.com. Follow us on Twitter at @ TMOBILE_USA, @markhoppus, @trvsbrkr, and @tomdelonge.

Sweepstakes – T-Mobile Sidekick Live the Rock Life with blink-182

For fans who have always wondered what is was like to be a rock star, the T-Mobile Sidekick Live the Rock Life with blink-182 national sweepstakes promotion will offer one lucky winner and their five friends the chance to experience it firsthand. The grand prize package features a VIP trip to Los Angeles for the entire group with first class airfare and luxury accommodations at a private estate and an exclusive meet and greet with the band. To truly live in luxury, the winner will also receive $20,000 spending cash, $1,820 shopping spree at Barker’s Los Angeles store (The Fast Life), a ride on the official blink-182 tour bus, and the exclusive opportunity to be onstage with blink-182 at the band’s Los Angeles concert.

“T-Mobile Sidekick users have a real affinity to music, and our partnership with blink-182 is giving them an exclusive music experience that only T-Mobile can provide,” said Mike Belcher, vice president of brand communications and experience marketing. “This sweepstakes is giving one lucky fan the opportunity to live out their rock star dreams – and best of all, they’ll be able to share their one-of-a-kind experience with five of their friends.”

Upon arriving in Los Angeles, the winner and their guests will have the chance to attend a sound check with blink-182 and take home their own complete set of autographed band gear including Barker’s drum kit, DeLonge’s guitar and Hoppus’ bass. The winner and their faves will be able to capture and share photos, videos and messages about all of the weekend’s events on their new 3G T-Mobile Sidekick LX devices.

From July 24 until September 27, fans can enter the sweepstakes by texting ROCKLIFE to 95495 or by visiting www.sidekick.com. No purchase is necessary to enter or win. For official rules, eligibility details, and additional information, please visit www.sidekick.com.

T-Mobile just recently announced a partnership with the Recording Academy. They’ve been pretty good friends in the past, what with the whole Grammy Tour and all. This is just making it even more official.

If you’re not up for reading the whole press release here are the bullets:

- Announced the 5 winners of the “T-Mobile Sidekick Takes You to the GRAMMY Awards Sweepstakes“. It wasn’t you.

- T-Mobile is sponsoring the Pre-Grammy Gala on Feb 7th in Beverly Hills, CA

- One lucky winner will be the official T-Mobile Sidekick Reporter with an entertainment news show at the exclusive red carpet event. Auditions for the Sidekick reporter are on Jan. 31 at participating T-Mobile retail stores in Los Angeles.

- T-Mobile is sponsoring the Grammy Tour again this year. More details on dates, artists, locations, and tickets to come. I can’t wait!

Here’s the full press release:

T-MOBILE USA ANNOUNCES PARTNERSHIP WITH THE RECORDING ACADEMY

T-Mobile and The Recording Academy to Bring Exclusive Music Experiences to Fans Across the Country

BELLEVUE, Wash., and LOS ANGELES – Jan. 28, 2009 – T-Mobile USA, Inc., today announced a new partnership with The Recording Academy® to launch an extensive, multifaceted marketing program in 2009 with T-Mobile and the T-Mobile® Sidekick®. Building on the success of last year’s program, the partnership offers T-Mobile Sidekick customers and music fans the opportunity to be a part of a series of remarkable music experiences throughout the year.

To kick off the partnership, T-Mobile launched a national consumer promotion called T-Mobile Sidekick Takes You to the GRAMMY Awards Sweepstakes, offering Sidekick customers a chance to win a prize package that is a music lover’s dream: a grand prize trip to Los Angeles to attend the 51st Annual GRAMMY Awards on Feb. 8, including two tickets to the official post-awards-show party and a T-Mobile Sidekick device. Five grand prize winners and their guests have been selected at random from entries received electronically and by mail: Ella Valdez of Seattle, WA, Jason Abrahams of Decatur, GA, Vanessa Alex of Long Beach, CA, Daniel Colon of Bronx, NY, and Meaghan Leigh Morin of Cumberland, RI.

T-Mobile also will help sponsor the annual Pre-GRAMMY Gala on Feb. 7 presented by Sony Music Worldwide Chief Creative Officer and three-time GRAMMY winner Clive Davis and The Recording Academy. A Davis tradition for 30 years, the star-studded celebration, attended by artists and VIPs in the music and entertainment industry, will take place at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills, Calif. In honor of the celebration, T-Mobile will offer one lucky winner the chance to be the official T-Mobile Sidekick Reporter with an entertainment news show at the exclusive red carpet event, interviewing and mingling with the music industry’s elite. Auditions for the Sidekick reporter will take place on Jan. 31 at participating T-Mobile retail stores in Los Angeles.

“We’re thrilled to bring our Sidekick customers another year of unique, exclusive programming in partnership with The Recording Academy,” said Mike Belcher, vice president of branded communications and experience marketing, T-Mobile USA. “Starting with events at the Grammys, the expanded partnership will create special music experiences throughout the year to show appreciation to our loyal Sidekick customers who have always been at the forefront of the entertainment scene.”

“We are delighted that T-Mobile is once again partnering with us,” said Evan Greene, chief marketing officer of The Recording Academy. “With our partnership, we will be able to create a wide range of unique events and experiences that will engage fans and celebrate excellence in music.”

T-Mobile and The Recording Academy also will bring back the exclusive concert series launched in 2008, the GRAMMY Celebration Concert Tour Presented by T-Mobile Sidekick. The tour consists of exclusive concerts featuring a lineup of GRAMMY-nominated and GRAMMY-winning artists from all genres of music. Details on the confirmed artists and concert dates will be announced at a later date, along with information on obtaining tickets and participating T-Mobile retail locations.

T-Mobile’s takeover of Suncom is pretty much complete after about a year since the purchase was announced. They’ve announced that it is now “T-Mobile Service” in the areas that Suncom formerly provided cell service for. These areas include North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Georgia, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. They’ve also started rebranding the Suncom stores as T-Mobile stores, so you should see signs switching on the brick and mortar stores if you’re in one of these areas. Here’s the official press release from T-Mobile:

T-Mobile USA Launches Service in the Carolinas and Puerto Rico
And in Additional Former SunCom Markets

BELLEVUE, Wash.—Sept. 8, 2008—T-Mobile USA, Inc. today announced it has launched the T-Mobile brand and service in former SunCom markets throughout North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Georgia, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

“Today, millions of consumers now have a new and powerful choice in national wireless communications – and that choice is T-Mobile®,” said Sue Nokes, chief customer and operations officer, T-Mobile USA. “Our commitment to customers, existing and new, is that you will find a happy home with
T-Mobile. Our customer service is top-ranked. We’ve invested millions to build out local networks. And we have a proven track record of bringing dynamic new offerings to market that make it easy and convenient to keep important people close — no matter how near or far they are.”

These new T-Mobile customers (former SunCom customers) now can receive the benefits of T-Mobile’s nationwide network, improved regional coverage, top-quality customer service, and breakthrough communications products and services. This completes the transition of SunCom Wireless to T-Mobile. The acquisition, for an aggregate of approximately $2.4 billion in cash and assumed debt, was announced in September 2007 and completed in February 2008.

With the changeover to T-Mobile, customers can have access to rate plans comparable or greater in value to the ones they enjoyed with SunCom. The vast majority of customers also can enjoy the new benefits of T-Mobile service while keeping their current mobile phone and number, making the transition to T-Mobile easy and hassle-free.

Today, former SunCom retail locations have been re-launched as T-Mobile stores, allowing customers to shop close to home and at familiar locations that now feature a new selection of products and services from T-Mobile. Former SunCom customers will be getting detailed information on their transition to
T-Mobile later this month. Customers can also visit http://www.lobuenoseponemejor.com/ in Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands and www.verygoodday.info in the U.S. to learn more about the transition and find answers to a variety of commonly asked questions.

T-Mobile will continue to deliver innovative products and services that offer customers better ways to communicate with those most important to them. This includes services such as Unlimited HotSpot Calling and T-Mobile @Home® that provide great call quality and unlimited nationwide calling from home via Wi-Fi for a low, flat rate.* It also includes access to T-Mobile’s myFaves® service offering unlimited nationwide calling to five people.** T-Mobile offers a wide variety of exclusive handsets such as the T-Mobile Sidekick®, T-Mobile Shadow™, and T-Mobile Dash™, as well as in-demand phones such as MOTOROKR E8, Nokia 5610 XpressMusic, Samsung Katalyst and Sony Ericsson TM506, plus a wide variety of BlackBerry® devices.

With the transition, new T-Mobile customers now have access to T-Mobile’s coast-to-coast national network as well as regional coverage, which is greatly enhanced from SunCom’s former network. Since the acquisition, T-Mobile has invested more than $100 million in strengthening the network in the Carolinas and Puerto Rico to give customers a stronger signal in a wider area, as one example of the enhanced regional coverage. The transition also increases T-Mobile’s national network coverage so that the company now serves 99 of the top 100 markets nationally.

T-Mobile operates an all-digital network based exclusively on GSM technology, which is the most widely used digital standard worldwide. T-Mobile customers benefit from this global technology platform by having the choice to use their same phone and same phone number when traveling across the country and internationally. Consistent with its stick together® mission, T-Mobile provides customers with voice coverage in more than 220 countries worldwide, including through T-Mobile’s roaming partners.
T-Mobile HotSpot subscribers also can enjoy Wi-Fi wireless broadband service at more than 45,000 total locations, across 25 countries, throughout North America, Europe and Asia.

*Unlimited HotSpot Calling and T-Mobile @Home require capable devices and qualifying plans. Calls must originate on Wi-Fi network.

**MyFaves allows unlimited nationwide calling to five U.S. numbers; some exclusions apply.