News

AIM deal on hiptop "sidekick" but no colour launch date yet

Ever since Danger showed off its pre-launch colour "hiptop" communicator at the 3GSM congress last month, American users of the old monochrome device have been clamouring to know when they can get the new model. The CTIA conference has opened, but only with news of trivia like a deal with AOL on instant messaging.

The only possible sign of the coming of the colour model is an agreement with phone network operator Triton PCS "to sell innovative wireless products based on Danger's hiptop Wireless Solution." Triton PCS is a member of the AT&T Wireless Network and will be the second carrier in the US to offer Danger's hiptop-enabled devices to consumers.

Triton owns the SunCom brand and intends to market the device as the SunCom hiptop mobile device. Danger and Triton PCS expect to bring the SunCom hiptop mobile device to market later this year, in conjunction with Triton PCS's GSM/GPRS network rollout. The product sounds very like the colour sidekick; it will be "a wireless all-in-one device that combines a fully featured mobile phone with a variety of data communication applications including: an HTML Web browser, email, instant messaging, personal information management features, games and a digital camera accessory." The digital camera accesssory was unique to the colour model when shown in Cannes last month.

Of more significance, perhaps, is the announcement of the beta version of its Software Development Kit (SDK) for the hiptop Development Platform. The hiptop SDK can be used by software developers to create applications for hiptop-enabled devices including the popular T-Mobile Sidekick, which is the first such device marketed in the United States.

The beta version of the SDK will be available to approved developers from today.

The agreement with America Online is to provide AOL members with wireless access to AOL Mail via Danger's hiptop mobile device. Nothing obviously new here; the hiptop Wireless Solution already supports the AOL Instant Messenger service and all that appears to be happening is that AOL members will have access without specifically signing up to the Danger service. But they still have to buy a hiptop.

Observers may see this as a sign that Hand Northhaft, Danger CEO, has so far failed to make a big enough dent in the stocks of monochrome devices. Until his carriers have sold out of those, he's going to be keeping the new colour device behind his back. Presumably, he's hoping that a million AOL users will buy up the obsolete models.

Initial support for AOL Mail will be through the hiptop's web browser application, and is expected to be available "later this spring."

A "built-in" version of AOL Mail for even quicker and easier access is expected to be available on hiptop devices this summer. That will almost certainly involve the colour model.

Full details at http://www.danger.com.