You probably heard that Paris Hilton's own T-Mobile Sidekick 2 was hacked. The contents of her notes, address book, and photos are being posted and discussed everywhere.

I thought I would explain a little about T-Mobile's service as it relates to the Sidekick (1 and 2).

Unlike most other smart phones in use out there, the Sidekick uses a web-based desktop manager. That is, Palm OS and Pocket PC phones can sync to your computer using a direct cable connection. But the Sidekick does all syncing over the cellular network back to the T-Mobile website. The web interface for the Sidekick is hosted at www.tmobile.com where "My T-Mobile" users log in using their cellular phone number and a password.

I bet the hacker(s) had or found Paris Hilton's cell number and guessed or hacked the password. Knowing the password gave the hacker full access to data stored on the Sidekick via the website. The hacker then saved the web pages to a computer and uploaded the HTML files to the internet, unleashing a torrent of celebrity cellphone numbers and another spate of Paris Hilton news.

Of course, it could also be related to the big T-Mobile hack that happened last year. If the hacker had access then, he could have leaked her information and possibly the password. Oh, by the way, since the Sidekick does not have Bluetooth, it's not a Bluesnarf attack.

Either way, Sidekick users should now be well aware that everything stored on the Sidekick is also stored on the T-Mobile website. Choose a good password.