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Microsoft has begun the process of restoring data to Sidekick owners who have been without it since a massive outage began at the beginning of the month, the software giant said Tuesday.

In a statement, Microsoft said it has posted a tool to T-Mobile’s Web site that allows Sidekick owners to restore their address book.

Although it initially feared that much data might be lost, Microsoft said last week that it expected to be able to recover most, if not all, of the information. However, the company also said that the process of bringing back the data will go beyond this week.

Here is the full statement:

The Danger/Microsoft team continues to work around the clock and has completed its latest round of rigorous tests. We are now ready to make the first phase of the content restoration process available to you, starting with personal contacts.

This data restoration effort is only necessary for the minority of customers who lost data from their Sidekick devices.

Beginning today, log into the My T-Mobile website, where there will be a recovery tool to restore contacts you may have lost during the recent service outage. This tool will enable you to view the contacts you had on your device as of October 1. With a few clicks and a confirmation, you will be able to restore these contacts to your Sidekick. If you have recreated some of the same contacts on your Sidekick since October 1, you can choose to keep both sets of contacts, merge them, or just keep the set of contacts now on your device. You may also edit any partial or complete duplicates on your Sidekick after restoration.  Read more... (325 words, estimated 1:18 mins reading time)

Let’s get this out of the way at the top: No, Sony’s Aino phone, which touts limited PS3 Remote Play functionality, can’t access any of the PSN or PSP games you may have hoped it would. However, a recent Playstation.Blog post revealed the crosstalk capabilities imbued within the mobile device (which hit store shelves today) — while it may lack ludo-logical punch, it’s packing some impressive multimedia tools.

After registering your Aino with your PS3, you’ll be able to use your phone to access the XMB, browse the internet, watch any non-DRM’d media on your console, send and receive PSN messages, shop in the PlayStation Store and watch TV shows using the PlayTV service. Best of all, you can use your phone to turn your PS3 on and off, which should prove handy when you attempt to convince your roommate that your entertainment center is haunted.