The Danger Hiptop launched in 2002, developed by Danger, Inc., and sold in the United States by T-Mobile as the Sidekick. It was one of the first devices built around always-on mobile data, a swivelling colour screen, and a full QWERTY keyboard, becoming a cult favourite for messaging before the iPhone era. Its startup sound survived through recordings, ringtones, and retro tech videos shared online, where it is now used as shorthand for early 2000s mobile culture and the Sidekick generation.
About this sound
The Danger Hiptop startup sound from the early T-Mobile Sidekick phone, a nostalgic boot-up chime people use for retro tech and phone throwback edits.
This is the power-on sound played by the Danger Hiptop, the handheld device sold as the T-Mobile Sidekick in the early 2000s. It opens with a short electronic sweep and settles into a bright, futuristic chime sequence that lasts about seven seconds, signalling the device waking up and connecting. The tone feels optimistic and distinctly early mobile internet era, before smartphones had standardised sounds. Hearing it instantly signals a reboot, a login, or a piece of tech coming back to life, which is why it lands so well as a nostalgic punchline in edits.
