So, I just wanted to make a post about the status of the 2008 Halloween Hunt… there is none this year. Why you may ask? A few reasons. Allow me to explain.

First off (And this is a big one), the code that powers the halloween hunt is more trouble than it’s worth. Things are so not efficient. It takes HOURS to set everything up, insert items into the list, create team emails (That task alone takes 4 hours), adjust teams, etc. It’s a hassle. Approving posts takes days, and is hard to do with multiple people. (This was tried last year and just caused more problems) The original plan was to recreate the whole site, and make everything light years better. Unfortunately this didn’t happen. (The reasons for this will follow too.)

Second off, I have no time. I’m busy working on paying projects. There’s no money in the Halloween Hunt. It’s not sponsored by anyone, no one pays me to do it. It’s all out of my pocket, which is looking pretty empty these days, as my paying projects haven’t yet paid off. I keep the site ad free to save bandwidth on the device and make it load faster and frankly, I hate ads. If I got paid hourly for the work that goes into the hunt, I’d be a very rich individual. Let’s just say when there is a hunt, the whole month of October gets devoted to it, and it’s still not enough to do everything.

Now, up until a hour or so ago I was highly considering still doing a hunt… although scaled back. (It’s tradition… it has to go on, right?) However, the actions of some individual or individuals has led me to say, “F**k it.” An individual sent me a link to an urban dictionary post containing the following;

exiva

a larger than average male (we are not sure on the fact that he is a male… will get back to you on that one). He loves Danger Inc. with his heart, and will suck their c**ks to get their attention. Unfortunately, (s)he is a failure at life and his/her apps suck c**k (not Danger c**k though)

God damnit, that dude(tte) is trying to submit his lame ass app and is being an exiva by sucking danger c**k.

Now, why would I waste my time and put off my projects and squeeze in time to do something entirely for free for someone who decides to post that? I wouldn’t. I don’t care anymore. The hunt was something I had volunteered to do… out of courtesy to the community. But if people go ahead and post this crap, why waste my time? Is it fair to kill off the hunt for the actions of one or two individuals? No. But, again, I don’t care. It’s [now] my hunt, and I’ll do whatever I so choose with it. Should MikePop or divinity choose to continue the hunt, more power to them. I will not be putting it on this year.

I had considered posting a name of the individual who I think did this, but I’ve chosen not to. It’s not worth it.

Oh, also, Volcom? I don’t care about your prizes. Seriously, they might end up in the trash tomorrow. Call Danger and whine to them about it.

So, Happy Halloween everyone and thank you Hiptop3 for the space to post this. Maybe I’ll be back next year with the hunt… Who knows.

-exiva

Six years ago today (Oct. 1st, 2002), the first black and white Sidekick was released to the public. It was groundbreaking, and a completely new approach to the cell phone market. Happy Birthday Sidekick! For more important dates in Sidekick history, check out our Sidekick Timeline

I know this isn’t about a new Sidekick, but I know there are a lot of people out there that have been following the rumored “Google phone” that runs on their Android platform for a long time. T-Mobile officially announced the “T-Mobile G1” today. It shares a lot of features with the Sidekick and actually looks a lot like a Sidekick from a distance. The software underneath is totally different, and we’ll soon see how well the Android OS fares. For more information on the specs and details, check out the coverage on TmoNews.

Just like last year we’ve uncovered some new domains registered by T-Mobile. Both SidekickMX.com and SidekickFX.com (as well as the .net, .org, etc) have been registered by T-Mobile. These domains were originally registered on February 2nd, 2008 but show that the information was updated on June 5th, 2008. Neither of the domains are actually pointed at a live website though. This could of course mean absolutely nothing. They could just have been other names that T-Mobile was considering for the Sidekick 2008/Gekko, or could they be new devices? We haven’t found any additional information to confirm one way or another yet, but thought we’d at least share the info and let anyone out there do a little detective work if they wanted.

Whois for sidekickmx.com
Whois for sidekickfx.com

T-Mobile is putting on a live concert from Nelly streamed straight to MySpace. To check it out, go to https://www.myspace.com/sidekick on Sept 4th at 9:30pm EST (6:30pm PST)

We’re all about the community that’s formed around the Sidekick over the years. It’s amazing at the number of groups that the Sidekick has given rise to. Whether it’s chatting on forums (PBD forums or Hiptop3.com forums), posting on a community blog (Hiptop Nation or PBD Blogs), sharing Sidekick Themes (sk08, skLX, skSlide, or sk3), doing the annual Halloween HiptopHunt, or just saying hi to someone with a Sidekick on the bus.

Now we have one more site that strengthens this community, SidekickProfiles.com. It’s brand spanking new, but it looks like it has a lot of promise. It’s basically like MySpace, but for Sidekick users. The layout is specifically designed for the Sidekick browser and loads fast and perfectly every time. It has a lot of the same basic features of MySpace and should be a great way to connect with other Sidekick users. You can setup your own profile with pictures and customized layouts. You can also add friends, leave comments, message people, etc. I recommend you check it out! I did

For all of those of you out there that are still wrapping their Sidekick 2008 in saran wrap to keep from scratching the screen, your wait is over. InvisibleSHIELDs for the Sidekick 2008 went up on their site today. Head over to the Sidekick 2008 Screen Protector page on Sidekick Shopper to get the 15% discount for Sidekick users and get yours now. They’ll even hook you up with free shipping! They’re a bit pricey, but when you think about how much you spent on your Sidekick Gekko and how much $$$ you’ll want to get when you sell it to buy the Sidekick 2009, it’s worth not having scratches all over the screen.

UPDATE: Here are some pics sent over of a Sidekick 2008 with the full body invisibleSHIELD applied to protect the shell.

[Show as slideshow]

Want to watch YouTube on your Sidekick? Well you’re out of luck for streaming, but you can convert the videos from YouTube to a Sidekick friendly format on your PC. Dave writes in to our comments about how to convert YouTube videos for watching on the Sidekick:

Guys please listen up closely 😉 and read carefully.

Ok, I did a little research and figured out how to Download the videos off youtube and convert them to mp4 so they can be added to your phone.

Follow closely these steps and read carefully, its fairly simple.

1. Download Free Youtube to Ipod Converter
Link: https://www.dvdvideosoft.com/download/FreeYouTubeToiPodConverter.exe

2. Open the converter and Add a Youtube link to it. For Example…This random video I chose!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H4UuTiK4a7o&fmt=18

(Now notice, that in the end of the link theres a “&fmt=18″. That is very important and It must be there, If it isn’t then add it onto the link”

Simply place that in the Input URL.

3. Select the Output.
Click Devices, Choose MP4 Mobile Phones, and select The Standard Quality. Then just simply edit where you want the video to be downloaded to and the name you want it to have and just download it.

4. Plug in your phone through the USB connector to your pc, and open the Music Folder. Simply click and drag the video in there.

5. Unplug your USB, and check your Music Player library, and there should be a video in the videos tab. Just click and viola.

Your welcome in advance

Thanks Dave!

youngplatinummusic recorded a video with a trick that will help you get the OTA if you’re patient and willing to try something over and over. We recommend doing this late at night when the network isn’t being used as much. You’ll have a better chance of getting your OTA quick and easy if it works. Let us know your results in the comments.

Step 1. Restart your device
Step 2. Do not sign into any apps or send any data……press menu+ o for good luck lol
Step 3. Watch your G7 for 3 minutes if the white swoosh isnt pulsating fast through the 7 then u need to restart (you can even go to network settings press menu + m if ur bytes recieved start counting fast ur good)
Step 4. Restart your sidekick as many times until your g7 continues to pulsate with white streak FAST & NONSTOP…10 minutes later it should still be moving even when ur not logged into messenger or texting or emailing….once u realize its doing the trick…lay ur sidekick down and in about 30 minutes ur OTA will be here…

Everyone who has used the Sidekick Shells website has been impressed by how easy it is to use. We’re still waiting to see how all these custom shells come out. If you got one, take a picture of it (and include yourself proudly holding it) and send it in to admin [at] hiptop3.com. We’re going to start a gallery of readers and their pimped out kicks!