- How to make new stuff from your piles of obsolete tech
- Why your computer sucks
- 10 recession-proof IT skills
- Juniper execs share network vision
- 9-year-old plots his fifth Microsoft certification
Contacts, calendar entries, photographs and other personal information of Sidekick users has almost certainly been lost for good following a service disruption at Sidekick provider Danger, the Microsoft subsidiary said on Saturday.
The amount of data and number of users affected wasn't disclosed by Microsoft or T-Mobile, but the Sidekick support forums are buzzing with pleas from users looking for tips on how to restore their devices or get their data back.
Slideshow: 7 keys to the ultimate smartphone
On Saturday, Microsoft said any data that users had on their devices and is no longer there has almost certainly been permanently lost.
"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," T-Mobile said in a statement.
The problems have been going on since earlier this week and have been compounded by users who attempted to reset their devices to restore functionality. The reset clears the Sidekick of stored data -- data which is usually backed to the Danger servers but has now been lost from there.
"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," T-Mobile said.
T-Mobile and Microsoft said they would provide an update on data recovery efforts on Monday.
The service failure is an embarrassment for Microsoft and T-Mobile and again highlights the potential danger of entrusting trusting personal data to the cloud, a model that many service providers are pushing as a safe and more convenient way to handle data.
For a short history of outages in the cloud, from Sidekick to Gmail, go here.
Rss FeedRss Feed
The Leader in Network Knowledge
Partner Content
www.bmc.com
Gartner 2009 Magic Quadrant for Job Scheduling
Gartner has positioned BMC CONTROL-M in the Leaders Quadrant of their "2009 Magic Quadrant for Job Scheduling." The report assesses the ability to execute and completeness of vision of key vendors in the marketplace. Read a full copy today, courtesy of BMC Software.
Download whitepaper
Dell's SMART Approach to Workload Automation
Read a compelling case study by EMA, Inc. to learn how Dell uses BMC CONTROL-M to cut cost and increase productivity with workload automation.
Download whitepaper
Workload Automation Cost Savings 2 Minute Video
A major computer manufacturer uses BMC CONTROL-M and just four people to schedule and run over 85,000 jobs every month. By switching to BMC CONTROL-M, they more than quadrupled the workload without adding a single staff member. See how in this 2-minute video overview.
Go to video
Comments (10)
uncheckBy Anonymous on October 11, 2009, 6:14 pmsafe: unchecked convenient: unchecked Without your data, it's worthless. This just set cloud computing back 5+ years.
Reply | Read entire comment
Not reallyBy Anonymous on October 11, 2009, 8:54 pmThis just set improperly deployed/planned cloud computing 5+ years. Trusting MS with control over your data is a mistake in your PC, why would be different 'in the...
Reply | Read entire comment
It isnt my faultBy Anonymous on October 12, 2009, 6:59 amOnce again exposing the "it isnt my fault" mind set. M$ should have backups somewhere. The end user should have made a backup somewhere. In the grand scheme of the...
Reply | Read entire comment
The Bigger, the fatter, the sloppierBy Anonymous on October 12, 2009, 7:32 amAhhh Corporate America; The Bigger, the fatter, the sloppier. GM, AIG, Lehman, Microsoft...Nexxxxxt!
Reply | Read entire comment
Unrealistic ExpectationsBy Anon on October 12, 2009, 8:13 amThe proponents of "cloud" computing have been incessantly painting an undeservedly rosy picture of reliability, safety, convenience and ubiquity for their services,...
Reply | Read entire comment
Up in a "Cloud Computing" puff of smoke!By Anonymous on October 12, 2009, 9:38 amThere's no better example of the perils of remote application services. At any point, regardless of all the promises and analyst hype, if it ain't on your property...
Reply | Read entire comment
View all comments