Sidekick that won’t be sidelined
Danger's Sidekick II, which looks like a funky little hand-held computer, “is being introduced into all [our] stores in time for the seasonally important Christmas period,” mobile operator T-Mobile said on Wednesday as it announced UK third-quarter results. Many of its stores are expected to have the Sidekick – which competes against the Blackberry email device – from next week.

California-based Danger’s product can be used to access T-Mobile's web’n’walk service. This service makes it easy to connect to the internet on the move without having to look at only those websites that have been optimised for mobile.

At its web’n’walk launch earlier this year, T-Mobile tried to introduce the Sidekick in a low-key way alongside other mobile devices for web’n’walk, including a personal-organiser based mobile and a Nokia phone. But the Sidekick still hogged much of the interest.

T-Mobile said it gained 259,000 UK customers in the third quarter, taking its total – including Virgin Mobile customers which use its mobile network – to 16.3 million. It said blended average revenue per user (Arpu) is stable at £20, with non-voice revenue accounting for 19% of Arpu.

The company said it would invest £1.5bn in the UK, spread over 2006 and 2007, to increase its market share. It will more than double its retail stores to 300, creating 1,100 news jobs, a spokesman said.
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