Mytouch3g
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HTC Hero vs. T-Mobile myTouch 3G... fight!
Two long lost siblings, at last reunited. But can there ever be unity? We don't think so. At every turn, the HTC Hero seems to trounce the myTouch 3G -- it's really hardly a contest. The myTouch is certainly lighter, and in many ways "feels" smaller because of it, but the size differences really are negligible. They're still both great phones, but the Hero really feels like a million bucks, while the myTouch feels a bit like a toy. Unfortunately, only one of them just went up for pre-order on T-Mobile, and it's not the one we want to marry.
T-Mobile pushing apps hard with myTouch 3G; Sherpa pictured, detailed
Though the myTouch 3G is really just an HTC Magic at its core, T-Mobile seems to be doing everything it can to gussy it up with as much crapware bloatware value-add software that it can. All kidding aside, this really isn't crapware -- the carrier is apparently quite serious about calling out best-in-class apps in the Android Market, going so far as to create a separate "app pack" application that'll drill down stuff it wants to highlight. T-Mobile tells us this might even include T-Mobile's own visual voicemail application, which is currently in development, but whether that's available at launch or not, nothing in the app pack won't be findable in the regular Android Market, so there's no reason to worry.The crown jewel in the myTouch 3G's arsenal will be Sherpa, an entertainment discovery app that learns your preferences in food, stores, and attractions over time based on your ratings and bubbles them to the top so they're easier for you to find. Naturally, it's location-based so that you can find things around you; it'll be interesting to see how well this works in practice, but at a glance, we're excited to give it a shot so that we can finally stop eating In-N-Out seven nights a week (not to say there's anything wrong with that).
T-Mobile rolling out plethora of myTouch accessories
As much heat as the "myTouch" name has taken, we're starting to understand why T-Mobile went with it -- the myTouch 3G is a very customizable device. At device launch, we're counting no fewer than 17 trinkets to go along with your phone -- not including color variations -- ranging from the ultra-mundane (a USB cable in your choice of black or white, for example) to the awesome (a snap-on battery extender that'll add 50 percent more juice) to the crazy (a myTouch logo commuter mug). Buyers will also be able to get custom-designed shells through Skinit and have access to a fitness belt, meaning you now have absolutely no excuse not to get on the trail and run that ten miles with that trusty Magic firmly attached to your arm. Well, except the fact that The Hills is on. Right after The Hills, though, we swear.
myTouch 3G hands-on (with video!)
We just got a look at the myTouch 3G, and while it's great to see T-Mobile's next Android phone all official and everything, there are certainly few surprises for those of us already familiar with the HTC Magic / Google Ion. We found ourselves, despite the best knowledge otherwise, still looking fruitlessly for a 3.5mm headphone jack -- it was silly that the G1 didn't ship with it, but this year it's downright shameful. At least the included adapter is nice. Please, HTC Hero, come and save us from this madness. Fresh off our play time with the Hero, we found the stock Android 1.5 keyboard to be quite a bit of a step back. It's certainly usable, but we found ourselves missing the spacebar quite a lot, and the responsiveness just wasn't at HTC's level, though prediction was pretty good. The included zippered case is nice, though we don't know what we'd use it for, and the unboxing experience is generally pleasant and uneventful. In a lot of ways, the phone seems like a last generation product, but it's obviously the only one of its kind available in the States at the moment, so we suppose T-Mobile would beg to differ. Every single cover we've seen so far looks completely horrible, and while it's nice to have "options," we'd think twice before putting a pic of our dog on the back of one of these. Perhaps the best news making the rounds is that T-Mobile is thinking about putting a Visual Voicemail app in the forthcoming app pack, though it wasn't pre-loaded on any of the handset we checked out, and apparently the app pack is more of a curated Market than a single app combo download. Peep an enthralling video of the hardware after the break.
T-Mobile's myTouch 3G launch event: pre-orders now available
We're here at T-Mobile's myTouch 3G launch event -- quite a bit subdued compared to the G1 launch, but still a T-Mobile extravaganza all the same. In the meantime, you might be happy to learn that the phone is now available for pre-order, with a guaranteed August 5th delivery date if they order before the 28th. Notes from the launch talk with Denny Marie Post and Cole Brodman: myTouch is about "self expression." Like when you did drawings with crayons for your mom: sure, it sucked, but it was the self expression that mattered. Apparently. Cole is talking up the Google love and the Android ecosystem. A "strong Google partnership." Cole says we'll have "more Android devices out this year." Denny sees it as a more desirable device and potentially more attractive to new adopters of smartphones. "Boundless possibilities" for individualization. They're showing a few videos, which seem to be app-centric as far as individualization goes. "If it could sweat for me, it would." A few apps being highlighted: Wikitude, Sherpa, a few exercise apps, imeem, YouTube uploads, Qik (my buddy's iPhone can't do that), Twitter, a ringtone editor. A few Google services mixed in, naturally. They're both showing off their own devices and how they've personalized them. Denny is a big fan of Zombie Run, which she plays with her 15-year-old son at the mall. Best mom ever? T-Mobile, in partnership with Google, will help put a "lens" on the Marketplace to help users find the good apps. Going to offer an "app pack" to highlight a particularly useful selection of apps. One of the highlighted application partners will be Sherpa. Also working on improved payment options: will include a direct bill option to post app purchases directly to your T-Mobile bill. Shipping the phone with a zippered case and a cloth screen-polishing sleeve (like we've seen already). Matching service plan warranty with device warranty, and working on retail experience / consumer training, including in-store appointments. No current plans to bring HTC Hero to the US. And that's it! We're heading down now for a hands-on -- stay tuned!
T-Mobile myTouch 3G gets unboxed, user guide outed
Can't wait until July to check out every nook and cranny of T-Mobile's version of the Ion / Magic? A couple of tipsters, including one anonymously, have lent us a hand in that department with pictures of an apparent myTouch 3G unboxing, as well as an entire user guide dating back to May 19th. We're still rummaging through it ourselves, but so far we're not seeing anything we didn't already know or see for ourselves with the phone's many other releases. Completionists can hit up the 113-page manual in the gallery below.[Thanks, Derek]
T-Mobile myTouch 3G announced, starts shipping late July
The good news is that T-Mobile USA has finally gotten around to announce its second Android handset, the myTouch 3G; the bad news, though, is that you can't have it just yet. The carrier-customized version of the HTC Magic that has already shipped in parts of Europe, Asia, and Canada features a 3.2-inch 480 x 320 touchscreen, AWS 3G for use on T-Mobile's high-speed network paired with quadband EDGE for global roaming, WiFi, a 3.2 megapixel camera, Exchange support, and -- of course -- Android 1.5 with all the virtual keyboardin' you can handle. Better than the G1? Other than the larger internal memory common to all Magics, that's strictly a matter of personal taste -- but don't worry, you'll have a while to sort it out, because T-Mobile won't even start taking preorders from current customers until July 8 for $199.99 on a two-year contract. Those orders will start shipping in late July, with full national availability following on in early August in your choice of black, white, or "merlot."
T-Mobile Netherlands' next Android phone is the G1 Touch?
You know what's a better name than myTouch 3G? Well, just about anything -- but we especially like the name that T-Mobile Netherlands has allegedly chosen for its next Android phone, the simple, elegant "G1 Touch." We don't know what phone this'll be, necessarily -- the G1 trademark is owned by T-Mobile, so technically, we suppose this could even be a non-HTC device -- but odds are this is the local market's version of the HTC Magic that's now been launched on a number of carriers around the world. We can all agree this is a pretty good name, yeah?
T-Mobile confirms next Android phone will be announced next week
Call it an announcement of an announcement, if you will -- not quite as detailed as we'd like, but it's one small morsel of information on the long road to the US' second Android handset. Perhaps in response to the Wall Street Journal's suggestion that T-Mobile would be releasing details on its next Android phone next week, a company spokesperson has said just that: "Next week, T-Mobile will share more details about its next Android-powered phone, the follow-on device to the T-Mobile G1 with Google." No mention is made of what that phone will be, but the odds-on favorite has to be the myTouch 3G, seeing how it's already launched in the form of the Google Ion -- it just needs a T-Mobile logo, some packaging, maybe a gently tweaked firmware, and it's ready to rock.
WSJ: T-Mobile's myTouch 3G coming this summer
Looks like our hopeless optimism might win again. Android lovers who didn't get their hands on the Google Ion (a.k.a. HTC Magic) already can look forward to a summer launch of T-Mobile's version, myTouch 3G. According to the Wall Street Journal citing, the ever-resourceful "people familiar with the matter" group, all the details will be announced next week. Of course, the definition of "summer" can be stretched pretty far, we dare say even into September, but regardless of that technically, it seems promising the G1 successor is just over the horizon. Excited? We are.
T-Mobile myTouch 3G spotted in the wild, G1 starting to feel unloved
Haven't managed to get your hands on an Ion just yet? Hang tight, because a branded myTouch 3G has found its way into the wilds today, which we take to mean that a launch can't be that far off. Actually, it can -- who are we kidding -- but the hopeless optimist in us wants to believe that this is about to happen. The poster over on Android Forums says that this particular device was handed out by someone at Google, not T-Mobile; there's no telling what that really means to us, other than the fact that this is most definitely a "Google experience" Android device just like its older G1 brother (as the "with Google" badge on the back would also suggest). Exchange users, yeah, sorry about that.[Via TmoNews]
T-Mobile roadmap shows Dell netbooks, BlackBerry Gemini, and more
Leaked carrier roadmap documents of unknown age and origin aren't necessarily the most accurate things in the world, but they are one very awesome, important thing: leaked. Pictured above is a fragment of one such spreadsheet that we've had the good fortune of receiving for T-Mobile USA -- obviously it's a little bit on the small slide, but no sweat, we'll walk you through what it's saying. Again, we wouldn't take these dates as the gospel truth, but we'd venture to say they're a good rough guide for what to expect out of these guys for the next few months. Move along for the full list![Thanks, anonymous tipster]
T-Mobile myTouch 3G box art comes out to play
It's no big secret that T-Mobile was going to get a version of the HTC Magic at some point, but this box art confirms a couple very important things for us. First, it's going to be called the myTouch 3G -- not the Magic, Sapphire, or G2 -- and the imagery conjured on the packaging is a good deal more exciting than that found on the G1. Second, it'll be available in three colors, just like its older, QWERTY-equipped brother -- but unlike the G1, the wildcard third color will be a dark red marketed as "merlot." Of course, white and black will also be available, and we've got the proofs for all three in the gallery below, so have a look while you wait for launch; our documents here say that T-Mobile expects to bring this sucker into retail stores on August 5 -- but given the carrier's "early summer" statement for its next Android device, we're cautiously optimistic that date has been pushed up.[Thanks, anonymous tipster]
T-Mobile USA: next Android set coming "early summer"
By our calendars, "early summer" is pretty much now -- so we're excited to hear that T-Mobile USA has officially announced its plans to release its next Android-powered device in that timeframe. The carrier isn't saying what that phone is, but if we were the betting type, our money would be on a carrier-branded version of the HTC Magic / Google Ion -- possibly to be called the myTouch 3G -- especially since it's been rumored for eons and we now have unlocked AWS versions of the phone out and about. Stay tuned as we find out more.
T-Mobile's Magic / Sapphire / myTouch / G2 getting 5 megapixel cam?
It's pretty unusual for a manufacturer to take a global model and swap out a component as significant as a camera for one carrier, but it looks like that might just happen with T-Mobile USA's myTouch -- or G2, or Magic, or Sapphire, or whatever the heck it ends up being called. Boy Genius Report's leaked picture of the back of the carrier-branded handset prominently says "5.0," and since it's safe to assume it's not packing a 5.0-liter V8, this is probably referring to sensor res. That would be a marked upgrade from the 3.2 megapixels launching on the Magic everywhere else -- and interestingly, this kinda falls in line with T-Mobile USA's seemingly active effort to launch high-megapixel devices across the lineup over the past several months. This is more solid evidence than a spec sheet -- since spec sheets have a tendency to be filled with fallacies and typos -- but we'll hold off on saying this is a lock until the phone launches.
Sketchy roadmap has T-Mobile G2 for summer, G1 v2 and Samsung Houdini for fall?
Mysterious roadmaps chock-full of pretty pictures of fanciful handsets from the future have a tendency to appear every once in a while; on the surface, we have no particular reason to believe this one over any other, but we'd like to. According to TmoToday's supposed leak, the HTC-sourced G2 / Magic is expected this summer -- which seems like an incongruous statement considering that we're now expecting it to launch as the myTouch 3G. That would have us believing that the doc is either fake or out of date, and if it's the latter, that makes the other two scoops here still relevant and interesting: first up, a second version of the G1 is said to be launching in the fall (looking a heck of a lot like an Ocean 2, if you ask us). Next, we're seeing a Samsung "Houdini" in the same time frame that could definitely represent the US launch of the AWS-enabled i7500 -- especially since we've been expecting a Sammy Android set on T-Mobile anyhow. Whether this is all real or dead fake, it's definitely plausible, and we're figuring it probably comes pretty close to representing the carrier's Android plans for '09. Bring it on, guys.
