By Allen Tsai | Thu Jul 01, 2010 5:02 pm |
T-Mobile today said it is stopping sales of Microsoft's Sidekick brand of messaging phones, amid increasingly crippling assaults from more sophisticated devices from Apple and Google.
The Bellevue, Wash.-based carrier said that as of today, it will be halting sales of the Sidekick LX and Sidekick 2008. It plans to replace the line with new low-end Android phones, such as the MyTouch 3G Slide from rival HTC."While we work on the next chapter of our storied Sidekick franchise, T-Mobile will continue to provide our loyal Sidekick customers with product service and support," T-Mobile said in a statement. "Stay tuned for exciting updates in the months ahead, which we expect will provide customers with a new and fresh experience." While T-Mobile didn't give a reason for killing the product, people familiar with the matter said that the Sidekick phones, which pioneered messaging and chatting for teenagers and young adults, were having difficulties competing against more robust devices with extra applications for download from rivals such as Apple and Google. In addition, the Sidekick brand was tarnished when Microsoft's server took a hit and caused millions of customers to lose their personal data. T-Mobile's announcement is the second blow to Microsoft this week. Yesterday, Verizon said it was also scrapping its Kin phones due to poor sales. Still, the beleaguered software giant hopes to stage a turnaround when it releases its Windows Mobile 7 later this fall. In May, Microsoft said it was reorganizing the division responsible for its mobile operating system to better focus resources on the upcoming software.
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