So T-Mobile's myTouch 3G Slide -- the QWERTY-enabled version of the venerable
myTouch 3G -- has been priced and dated, and we're happy to see that "expected to be available in June" has turned out to mean the very beginning of the month; June 2, to be exact, in your choice of red, white, or black. What makes us
less happy, though, is the notion of paying $179.99 after a $50 mail-in rebate for an Android device that now has the unenviable job of lying in the massive shadow created by the brilliant
EVO 4G. Granted, the two phones are for very different carriers, but that doesn't really excuse T-Mobile from offering up a phone with a lower-class processor, 40 percent of the screen resolution, and three megapixels lopped off the camera for just $30 less upfront, does it? Time for some serious price correction across the smartphone landscape, wethinks.
posted May 20th 2010 11:41AM
Looks nice. Just not a fan of the keyboard font.
@N900 Wow, the font. We reaching for criticisms now.
$180 is steep (as is $149 for the MyTouch 3G and $99 for the G1). I'm sure in the not too distant future the prices will go down.
My predictions:
1) GI will sell for $49
2) MyTouch 3G will sell for $99
3) MyTouch 3G slide will sell for $149
And for my other unrealistic prediction:
Froyo 2.2 for all!
@N900
and I'm not a fan of the keyboard structure. Merging the top letter row with the number row is kind of awkward.
@N900 :( to bad it doesn't have better specs, looks like me and my rooted over clocked g1 are still going to be friends until something better comes out.
@daftrok
Keep in mind the G1 was $180 when released, but quickly dropped to $99.99 when it came to Walmart. This phone will drop in price just as fast. They released they can gouge early adopters for the first month without consequence.
@SiXiam
/released
*realized
Nice looking keyboard...
Android take over. Its happing ppl. Still nexus one is the best
@hoodcrist
But its not a qwerty.
Sorry tmobile but your losing me on the 4th and that phone is certainly not going to keep me. lol
@bp968
galaxy x will be coming tho, and that's probably worth waiting for. The mytouch slide isn't as bad as people think too... The software is something new to try too. Awesome voice recognition.
@bp968 Don't lose faith. T-Mobile will come out with something. Heard of "Project Emerald?" Sounds promising. Just root your G1 or whatever you have and you'll be cool til the new phone comes out this summer.
@bladerunner0427
Been waiting for a while now with 2 crappy, fails all the time, blackberrys. Wife wants a new (android) phone yesterday. So we are jumping to sprint for now. I've been with tmobile 8 years though so I suspect I'll return at some point. Especially if they get a decent 4/5G setup in the next few years. I'll miss the GSM portability of the phones.
Not great, but decent. Still, those price corrections are all to be done by carriers. We would be much better off with unlocked phones.
@JFH
Unlocked phones are useless unless you can actually take them to a new carrier. All 4 carriers use different 3G networks, so interoperability is impossible.
@bobomo
Unless, you have a phone that can do multiple bands. That could work on ATT & TMobile. Also, the real benefit of unlocked phone is not only being able to switch, but being released from the dicatorship of minor subsidies in exchange for insane rates on minutes etc. In Europe, buying an unlocked phone, will allow you to get much cheaper rates, as the carriers do not have to subsidize, and try hard to get you onboard. For instance, if I were to buy an unlocked N8 for 370 when it comes out, I could get unlimited minutes, text messages and 3G, for about 35 Euro's. It is incredibly much smarter to buy unlocked. The fact that American's do not buy unlocked phones, actually enables the carriers to ask those ridiculous rates.
@JFH I agree. We bought the Nexus One for full price and our rates are great and we can cancel service anytime we need to.
First. And I've seen this phone in person, its beautiful and the keyboard is sick, truly a sidekick like keyboard. I own a Nexus One btw. My little brother is getting this when it comes out because he needs a keyboard, he just sold his HD2 yesterday for $400, holy crap that phone is pure EPIC garbage. I have one too, he got it for free while T-Mobile was having their buy one get one free sale so I got one for free too, its in my drawer collecting dust, don't even use it cause its literally garbage and unuseable. Ill probably end up keeping it for fun, holding out hope that the good folks at XDA eventually get Eclair/Froyo on it soon.
"Time for some serious price correction across the smartphone landscape, wethinks."
meagrees... but hey, T-mobile over took Sprint in # of subscribers so maybe they know what they're doing...
but maybe not
@mhunterjr I don't watch much television so I may be misguided here (how odd does that sound..), but it just seems to me that Sprint didn't invest a terrible amount into marketing the EVO 4G. The main carrier in my area is Sprint, and nobody around knows about the phone yet. And I'm also basing this off of observation of when I've actually watched the tele and seen every other phone out there advertised. Sales will tell I suppose, and hopefully when it releases they have something at least minutely aggressive for advertising it. I hope I'm wrong, and I hope Sprint gets a little somethin' for this so I can get the 4G I'm paying for others to use, sooner, because I'm still buying this phone.
Oh shoot. Well. Not much to say about this one other than another nice option. The keyboard looks intriguing to me. Spacing seems nice.
@jmcburna I have to agree. it certainly doesn't seem like sprint has started much of a marketing campaign for the Evo. I see ads on tech sites and thats about it. I hope this doesn't amount to the Palm Pre launch all over again.
I'm not as opposed to the "Evo tax" as most others are because it beats the alternative (raise data prices across the board), it has other benefits (true uncapped data), and its limited to people who will be using the most data (uploading HD pics and movies is gonna be demanding)
I hope the tax, along with the popularity of Sprint 4G phones, speeds up the roll out of WiMax, but we all know we need a marketing push in order for this to happen
@mhunterjr
I have an HD2 and on t-mobile I get 20GB data per week before capping which is extremely reasonable and 4 people share the same unlimited data/texting/minutes plan for a pretty low price.
@shamusl whats the price, i'm trying to see if I can find the same offer...
well this news confirms it. Goodbye T hello 4G
im paying 63 bucks for unlimited talk and no Data. jumping 20 bucks for a better phone and 4G isnt too bad
How?
I pay 69.99 for 1000min/unlimited text and web.
Add insurance its about $75 - $80 per month
@1amk3v0
thats the key 1000 min. i use more than 1000 mins some months. so i would be going over if i did that. i have the loyalty plan but that is 50 and another 8 in text (24.99 family plan text)
Given the the price of plans and what the competition is offereing, this is kind of inexcusable. I was really looking forward to this phone too. Like considering switching carriers because of it. Though given that the Cliq is still $150 (and so is the original MyTouch) I guess a price cheaper then $180 wasn't really viable in their current lineup, which is a shame.
@kenny goo
Whats more annoying is this device will be free on a £20pm plan in the UK. Some market correction is exactly whats needed here, customers will vote with their wallets and it will soon drop in price.
@marik1234
was it the phone or the OS that sucked?
@LockesKidney
OS all the way. Phone itself is a beauty and has a great form factor and godly camera. But having WinMo basically makes it unuseable. Had to go Back to my Nexus ASAP. Can't wait till Froyo for my Nexus.
also looking at the phone makes me think of my sisters Samsung Comeback
http://www.samsung.com/us/system/consumer/product/2009/06/09/sgh_t559ppatmb/flipqwertykeyboard.jpg
If this was on Verizon I would be all over it... I love the form factor and the physical keyboard. I just don't get why no one wants to come out with a top-of-the-line Android phone with this kind of form-factor.
I just don't get what the problem is.
Use the specs of the EVO or Incredible and the hardware keyboard of this myTouch slider or Ally - even if they have to make it $50 more expensive, I think many people would be willing to pay $250 for just such a phone.
@Hazdaz
I would pay $100 extra for a Nexus One slider.
It's not different enough from my moto cliq to make me switch. I kinda like motoblur too ... A bigger screen is what would make me give up my moto cliq.
iTouch, uTouch, weTouch? myTouch!!! yes! that's it!
(1st grader in charge of product naming)
Wait... so $179.99 AFTER a $50 mail in rebate. I have to pay $230 for this phone up front? Yeah, that doesn't make a lot of sense considering I can get the Droid or Droid Incredible for $199 at Verizon, both more powerful phones. And isn't the Nexus One only $179 for new customers?
They'll have the N1 in-store soon enough, I bet.
Yea T-Mobile is getting the Nexus One in stores soon.
That's odd. On another site, the price for a 2 year contract was posted to be $149. $399 off contract. Oh well don't care still getting it.
I saw it somewhere else claiming the set price to be $149 for 2 years $399 no contract. Oh well, don't care, still buying it.
It's as if Tmo tries real hard to get the detritus from HTC! I am so frustrated with their lackluster Android phones, I want to go to Verizon.
@ashwinmudigonda I'm completely amazed by T-Mobile's continued inability to offer a Droid/N1-class (WVGA, SnapDragon, etc.) phone, after being the first Android device carrier. This Project Emerald thing better put something like that in my hands within a few weeks, or I'm pulling the plug and getting a real phone through Verizon.
Think I'll just wait for the HTC Sidekick 1.2 ghz proc with front facing camera.
@twill713
1 ghz proc not 1.2
codenamed project Emerald
4.3 inch Super AMOLED screen
16 gb onboard storage
micro sd expandable
The market for the Evo and the Slide are completely different. The Slide is for the consumer whose top priority is having a physical keyboard. and is probably a happy T-mobile customer already (using a G1 or Sidekick).
The EVO is for geeks who don't mind sacrificing battery life and device heft for a bigger screen and extra features.
They are targeting different markets, so that would explain the prices.
HAH!
Who in their right mind would buy this?
Hilarious they're releasing it just TWO days before the Evo. They just had to sneak that in there, because they know once the Evo is out, interest in this low-specced phone will disappear.
That price is RIDICULOUS.