If you're still lugging around a T-Mobile Sidekick -- and we know there has to be at least a few of you -- we've got some bad news. On May 31st, T-Mobile will officially be turning off access to Danger's servers. The company hasn't released a new Sidekick since 2009, and in mid-2010 stopped selling the devices altogether. The brand isn't completely dead, but T-Mobile is gearing up for a launch of new Android-based Sidekicks to replace the aging Danger models. The hiptops (as they were called before T-Mobile rebranded them) were ahead of their time. Not only were they one of the first consumer-friendly smartphones on the market, but they offered a host of cloud-based services that went largely unmatched until the launch of Android and WebOS.The shift to Android, with its focus on the cloud, makes a lot of sense -- not only from a features standpoint, but also because Danger founder and father of the Sidekick Andy Rubin is the creator of Android and Director of Mobile Platforms at Google. T-Mobile says it will be working hard to ease the transition for Sidekick customers. In addition to offering Web-based tools to backup and move your data, T-Mobile also promises to "provide offers" for new devices, as old Sidekicks are destined to become nothing more than glorified paperweights. A new 4G, Android-powered Sidekick built by Samsung should be landing this spring, presumably before the Danger servers go offline.
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