T-Mobile, Microsoft both now say that Sidekick owners could get data returned

After giving out pessimistic statements over the last 48 hours, telling those Sidekick owners who had lost personal data on their cellphone not to expect the data to return, there is now a 180 degree change from Microsoft. A Microsoft spokeswoman, Brandy Bishop, said engineers “have been working 24 hours a day” to restore the data, and now Microsoft engineers are optimistic that much of it can berecovered, said David Beigie, vice president for communications atT-Mobile. A subsidiary of the Redmond based software firm, Danger, produces the phone which links to a service offered by Microsoft that keeps a back-up of owners files. On October 2nd, Microsoft's servers failed which prevented Sidekick owners from sending or receiving E-mail or from surfing the web. Most every feature outside of  voice calls and texting were shut down. Service was restored, but when Sidekick owners powered up their device, personal data like contacts and numbers were gone.

The Microsoft servers keep Sidekick users' data because when the device is turned off, the battery is pulled or the unit reset, the memory on the device is cleared. The servers copy the data so that the info can be restored to the phone when it is turned back on. With the servers not working correctly, owners of the phone are told not to turn off or reset their machine or cut the power to it. If the servers are not working, any info left on the phone may not be saved when the power to the handset goes off. But the good news is that T-Mobile and Microsoft now have given a little more than a glimmer of hope to Sidekick users that all of that data-once thought to be permanently lost-will be back right at the fingertips of Sidekick owners. If data is returned, we are not sure how this will affect the $100 credit and one free month of service that T-Mobile was giving to users of the device. It also isn't known when or if the carrier will resume offering the handset for sale. As we reported, T-Mobile has currently pulled the Sidekick from its line-up.

T-Mobile Sidekick LX 2009 Specifictions | Review

source: NYTimes