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TeleNav GPS Navigator comes to T-Mobile's myTouch 3G
TeleNav has already launched its subscription turn-by-turn navigation service for the G1, so it stands to reason that official myTouch 3G support would be close behind -- and sure enough, the company has announced that its GPS Navigator app will be available for download to T-Mobile's second Android device starting tomorrow, August 5. The app features all of the goodies that TeleNav users have come to know and love, including traffic and incident monitoring with automatic rerouting, gas prices, business information, and a choice between 2D and 3D maps; additionally, you've got automatic day / night coloration, carpool lane and tollroad avoidance, and speech recognition for destination input -- a big plus when you're on the road and you need to keep distractions to a minimum. We've been playing with a cut of GPS Navigator on our myTouch recently, and it delivers a totally usable car navigation experience -- a perfect complement to the comprehensive pedestrian capabilities of Google Maps. Most of the warnings from our G1-based review of the application carry over here -- you need true GPS reception, not merely cellular triangulation, so your phone will need a view of the sky to have a shot at picking up satellites (this also means that getting a location lock is a more time-consuming process, though it typically didn't take longer than a few seconds to do its thing). We're not digging how the colored lines that convey traffic information on highways flash; we'd rather they just stayed a solid color, the way most GPS systems handle it. We also found that the menus are a little wonky -- bringing your finger in contact with a menu item and swiping up or down to scroll would occasionally trigger the first item you touched, which ends up being a fairly annoying bug in practice. All told, though, if you can justify the expense, your $10 a month is going to net you a genuinely reasonable way to consolidate all of your help-me-I'm-lost needs -- whether by foot or by car -- into a single device.
T-Mobile myTouch 3G preorders now shipping, arriving, being touched
If you've preordered one o' them fancy new myTouch 3Gs, check your mailbox, front porch, back door, administrative assistant, or dirty, thieving neighbor -- because it might be there. T-Mobile said that preorders would be shipping at the tail end of July, and sure enough, some folks are starting to get lucky; plebes without preorders will still need to wait until August 5, though, so, you know, either sit there and drool or shout nasty remarks about how you'd rather have a Hero in the meanwhile. [Thanks, sun]
T-Mobile's AppPack and Sherpa for Android leak out
The myTouch 3G is all well and good, but seeing how the Magic on which it's based has already launched virtually everywhere else in the world, the phone itself isn't really the big news -- it's more the strong commitment T-Mobile seems to be making to Android apps with the value-add pack it's prepping. So far, shots and hands-on time with T-Mobile's so called AppPack have been hard to come by, but xda-developers has just happened to "come across" a build that's now available to anyone who wants to install it. Problem is, the AppPack doesn't currently include Sherpa -- the location-based entertainment app T-Mobile has really been pushing hard -- apparently due to some last-minute problems T-Mob's having, so for that, we turn to another corner of xda-developers for an installable APK. It's expected that the carrier will be making the AppPack available to G1 owners, but just in case they had a last minute change of heart... well, let's just say that's not a concern anymore, if you know what we mean.[Via HTC Source, thanks DW and Matt D.]Read - AppPackRead - Sherpa
T-Mobile myTouch 3G unboxing
Our attention is still vaguely fixed on that Hero off in the distance, but let's focus for just a minute -- the myTouch 3G for T-Mobile is now in our well-guarded possession as it trudges toward a late July release for those lucky enough to pre-order. Other than a few silkscreened details, make no mistake -- the myTouch is literally an HTC Magic in basically all but name (we compare it with a Rogers-branded Magic in our gallery below so you can see what we mean), and all things considered, that's not necessarily a bad thing. Like all of its Magic contemporaries, the phone feels small and well-balanced in the hand; one unique detail, though, is the crazy packaging which consists of a semi-soft zippered nylon case enclosed by a paper sleeve. It's cool, different, and unlike a regular box, it's something you'll probably want to hold on to.This is the first time we've seen it in that "merlot" shade, and in person, this is a great-looking color that could play well with anybody -- man or woman, business or casual. It's a touch of highlight without going overboard (unlike, say, the actual Highlight). Software-wise, this is looking like a bone-stock Android 1.5 build so far (notice the keyboard, for example), which plays with T-Mobile's prior statements that its software value-add with these sets would primarily come through Market downloads. Stay tuned for our full review, but in the meantime, enjoy some visuals!
T-Mobile myTouch 3G's visual voicemail detailed on video
When we spoke to T-Mobile at the myTouch 3G launch last week, there was some doubt as to whether its Android-based visual voicemail app would be ready in time for the new model's launch -- but from a handful of videos TmoNews has managed to uncover, it's certainly looking ready for action. A series of three quick instructional videos guides users through the oh-so-simple tasks of listening to individual voicemails, saving them to a memory card (an interesting trick), and listening to them in any order you like; if you think those tasks sound too boring and obvious to really require video instruction, you're kinda right -- but we can see how users completely new to the concept of visual voicemail would benefit from the quick tutorial. At any rate, it's good to see that the software's looking good, it takes advantage of Android's standard notification mechanism, and we're hopeful it could be ready by the time the first units start hitting customers' hands at the tail end of the month.
Engadget Podcast 154 - 07.11.2009
The podcast is a little late this week, but for good reason -- special guest Michael Gartenberg joins Josh, Paul, and Nilay this week as they sort through the Google-dominated week in news. We've got Chrome OS, the myTouch 3G, some more HTC Hero hands-on time (as well as a Magic flashed with the Hero ROM), and the leaked Sony Ericsson Rachael on tap -- oh, and to top it all off, Sony backtracked huge and released its first true netbook, the VAIO W. It's a bit of a wild one, we won't lie -- buckle up. Hosts: Joshua Topolsky, Nilay Patel, Paul Miller Guest: Michael Gartenberg Producer: Trent Wolbe Song: No Rain Hear the podcast 00:01:22 - Google announces Chrome OS, coming to netbooks second half of 2010 00:26:37 - myTouch 3G hands-on (with video!) 00:39:35 - New HTC Hero ROM leaked, Flash 10 already chugging along on a few lucky G1s 00:56:25 - Sony Ericsson Rachael UI video leaks out, Kiki comes for the ride 01:04:55 - Android 1.5 gets official SDK for native development 01:12:58 - Sony announces VAIO W... netbook! Subscribe to the podcast [iTunes] Subscribe to the Podcast directly in iTunes (enhanced AAC). [RSS MP3] Add the Engadget Podcast feed (in MP3) to your RSS aggregator and have the show delivered automatically. [RSS AAC] Add the Engadget Podcast feed (in enhanced AAC) to your RSS aggregator. [Zune] Subscribe to the Podcast directly in the Zune Marketplace Download the podcast LISTEN (MP3) LISTEN (AAC) LISTEN (OGG) Contact the podcast 1-888-ENGADGET or podcast (at) engadget (dot) com. Twitter: @joshuatopolsky @futurepaul @reckless @engadget
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" (T-Mobile's big marketing play with this phone) 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."
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 to release "multiple" Android devices this year
It's no secret that T-Mobile has some grand Android-based plans after the million-selling success of the G1, and although we've heard sketchy reports of future devices to come, it sounds like things are starting to firm up: CTO Cole Brodman told GigaOm yesterday that the carrier is planning to launch "multiple" Android devices from "three partners" later this year. One of those is pretty obviously the HTC Magic / Sapphire / myTouch, but that's just the tip of the potential iceberg here -- we've got a feeling that the Samsung I7500 "Houdini" will be involved, the G1 v2 is certainly interesting, there's that mysterious Huawei set we saw at MWC, and hell, we've even got reports of netbooks, tablets, and home phones in the mix. That's a lot of directions Timmy-O can go, any predictions?
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.
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?
T-Mobile market testing terrible names for the HTC Magic / Sapphire
We're not sure why T-Mobile would be market-testing names other than "G2" for its upcoming HTC Sapphire, but it apparently is -- and if these leaked slides are to be believed, it's not doing so well on the ideas front. Seriously: "T-Mobile Genius 3G with Google" and "Prism 3G with Google" both trade in the well-known G-series branding for banal anonymity, and "myTouch 3G with Google" just sounds like a skin disease that's gone from bad to worse. Interestingly, "T-Mobile G3" is also on the list, which makes us wonder if there's a less-drastic G2 model in the works, but that's pure speculation on our part -- what we do know is that we'd take Vodafone's Magic branding over any of these other sad options in a heartbeat.