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Danger launches 'Color Hiptop' - at last!

It really is nothing more than a smartphone - but few GSM devices have attracted more attention from American users than the "Sidekick" - T-Mobile's name for the Hiptop from Danger. And now, at last, after three months impatience, they've got it! - it launches today.

This probably explains - better than any other theory - why T-Mobile didn't launch the SPV-derived Microsoft design, the "Tanager" - it didn't want to be launching two similar devices together. The Danger Inc design is probably everything that the Microsoft SmartPhone tries to be. It includes AOL Instant Messenger, a Web browser, email (AOL based again) cameraphone, games console, and SMS as well as phone functions.

Danger designs it - it doesn't market it. So it announced the new colour version as the "Color Hiptop" back at the 3GSM Congress in February, to attract distributors; and instantly, users of the old monochrome model wanted it.

NewsWireless.Net announced the new model as a "launch into Europe" but American customers were not fooled. We got literally dozens of letters from there as well as Europe asking: "When does it ship?"

Danger wouldn't say, because it couldn't. T-Mobile called that shot. And T-Mobile wasn't saying anything until it had got shot of the stocks it had of the old one ... which, alas, was suddenly hard to sell, because the new one had leaked out.

The answer is it ships today, through T-Mobile for $300. But no news, yet, of a European customer.

"The early success of the T-Mobile Sidekick really speaks to the device's innovative design and simple user interface -- it's the ultimate way to communicate whether it's by voice, email or AIM," said Nick Sears, vice president of consumer products for T-Mobile in the US. "Now with a colour screen and simple rate plans, there's never been a better time to get a T-Mobile Sidekick and see for yourself what the buzz is all about."

The phone network operator has hit the jackpot from a marketing point of view. Actual sales figures aren't available, but the hype has been immense since the T-Mobile Sidekick first hit the market eight months ago, with the marketing department able to claim that "the device has transcended the ranks of traditional wireless devices, becoming a pop culture icon as a 'must have' for athletes, celebrities and musicians."

Instead of the mandatory PR quote from some analyst, T-Mobile was able to roll out a baseball star: "It's everything at your fingertips in one device," said All-Star Shortstop, Derek Jeter. "No more excess gadgets and it's all in colour."

The T-Mobile Sidekick was named as the 2003 PC World "Product of the Year," is available by calling 1-800-TMOBILE and at CompUSA locations. The company expects the product to be available at T-Mobile company owned stores and authorized dealers later this month.