HTC Magic / Sapphire gets re-named, booze-colored for T-Mobile launch?

Of all the names being bandied about for the T-Mobile launch of HTC's Sapphire, we have to say that "myTouch" was our least favorite nom de guerre. However, it has apparently won the market-testing deathmatch -- at least that's the case according to the above reasonably official looking image of a T-Mobile inventory screen acquired by TmoNews. Perhaps more interesting is the presence of three colors, the predictable black and white met by a classy-sounding merlot that will surely be the talk of your next soiree at the wine bar. Just try to steer clear of the "touch" puns and jokes, yeah?

[troyvanwinkle88 @ May 4th 2009 8:59AM]

Looks to me like that is going to be a LOT of fun!

[Oli D @ May 4th 2009 9:25AM]

i has your passwords

[shravan @ May 4th 2009 8:07PM]

You mean its going to be a lot of fun to touch ?

[steveos80 @ May 4th 2009 9:04AM]

I want to drink it up!

[shibathedog @ May 4th 2009 12:04PM]

I DRINK YOUR MILKSHAKE!!!!!

[Alex @ May 4th 2009 9:05AM]

More interested to see the TP2 in the list.

[Someone on the Internet @ May 4th 2009 9:45AM]

Agreed, but thats been know for a while; there were shots of a TM branded TP2 leaked a little while ago.

[sweet greggo @ May 4th 2009 12:42PM]

MUCH more interested in seeing TP2. I wish we could get an idea of when Sprint will pick it up.

[Prince Ali @ May 4th 2009 9:12AM]

release date?

[Jonathan @ May 4th 2009 2:20PM]

Exactly, that's my biggest annoyance with Google, Android and it's carriers. I want to be in on Android but it's so secretive. Sprint's handset is somewhere from Q3 to Q4, and any other phone other than Samsung's for Sprint is not known. The Magic/myTouch 3g is just somewhere, no T-Mobile date.

If I knew how long I needed to wait and had some details, I just might actually skip the Pre and get the Samsung Android device. All this secrecy sucks because for all I know I can wait for that hugely generic "somewhere in Q3/Q4" release date on Sprint and then they'll delay it further.

T-Mobile, just release this thing in black next month and I'll jump ship for you. I'll be spontaneous. Go go go!

[Tarnation @ May 4th 2009 9:13AM]

I wish these carriers and manufacturers would adopt some naming schemes that make sense. In what way does a mobile phone look like a sapphire? I understand you are trying to make it sound exotic, but it gets confusing as hell.

[scape @ May 4th 2009 9:45AM]

yay, mytouch, completely original naming scheme!!! woot!

[TareX @ May 4th 2009 9:23AM]

Good. At least they realized a phone inferior in software and hardware (except for the 5mp cam) shouldn't be the official G1 successor.

[Theli @ May 4th 2009 10:22AM]

How is it inferior in software?

[TareX @ May 4th 2009 10:25AM]

Software inferiority:
Third party apps that rely on a physical keyboard (>60%)

NB - Both G1 and the Sapphire got the cupcake (Android 1.5) update.

[Jonathan @ May 4th 2009 2:15PM]

Will it still be able to use apps that used the keyboard for input? I thought the point of Android was that it was seamless across devices.

[TareX @ May 4th 2009 2:21PM]

That's up to the app's developer to write an app that works for both.

[Kfabalus @ May 4th 2009 9:24AM]

I'd tap that?

[JAY @ May 4th 2009 9:32AM]

Touch Pro 2 was a lil more interesting on that list

[dean collins @ May 4th 2009 9:39AM]

yep, if cingular dont get the touch pro 2 fairly soon i could be shopping for a new mobile carrier for at least 2 unlimited voice and data accounts.

[Devon @ May 4th 2009 9:42AM]

G2. How hard was this to name. "G1"+1= "G2.

[Phoenix @ May 4th 2009 10:01AM]

since this phone isn't a direct successor to the G1 (i.e. no hardware keyboard) naming it like that makes no sense

[Theli @ May 4th 2009 10:24AM]

It's possible that the G2 will have a QWERTY slide-out keyboard, just like the G1. Perhaps that will be the defining characteristic of the product line.

[Jonathan @ May 4th 2009 2:16PM]

I don't think the G2 needs a keyboard to be called the G2 necessarily, though if they've decided the G# will be the keyboard line then that is a requirement the Magic doesn't meet. If they haven't really decided that G#s need keyboards, I'd say they didn't name it the G2 because they don't want the G1 to seem outdated so soon to customers.

[Hellios @ May 4th 2009 9:46AM]

Well the Merlot wine-red color is definitely better than poo brown, but I'm still not a fan of it, even after N95 won my heart a couple of years ago.

[PoisonWolf @ May 4th 2009 10:07AM]

They really should have just called it the TouchMe-1 or something.

[hfm @ May 4th 2009 10:31AM]

Not sure Merlot is in the booze classification... I was looking for a Jack n' Coke or Goldschlager color... what a let-down...

[Victor Stuber @ May 4th 2009 10:45AM]

would you like to feel my touch?

[Kelmon @ May 4th 2009 11:22AM]

Well, in my experience Merlot is a guaranteed hangover wine so I hope this doesn't say something about the device itself. I love the wine but hate the morning after...

[David @ May 4th 2009 12:35PM]

There are no "hangover" varietals of wine. You're consuming too much.

[Kelmon @ May 5th 2009 2:54AM]

Disagree. While I would agree with the statement that drinking too much alcohol will give you a hangover, if you get them (annoyingly, a couple of people I know don't get them at all), I do believe that different types of wines are more or less likely to give you a hangover. Merlot, as already noted, is guaranteed hangover material for me but yet I don't get them from wines made from Zifandel grapes.

[Muk @ May 4th 2009 12:11PM]

I'd suggest they call it the "G1 Touch"

since it's pretty much the same phone, just all touch, (no physical keyboard)