T-Mobile's Next Android

T-Mobile USA recently announced their second Android based phone, the myTouch 3G with Google. This follow-on product to last year's T-Mobile G1 greatly improves on the somewhat kludgy design of the G1, which I held off from buying.

The T-Mobile myTouch 3G will be available in early August. However, existing customers (like me) can pre-order the myTouch 3G starting July 8th. And from what I've seen and read about this phone, I'm definitely placing my order on the 8th.

The myTouch 3G differs from the G1 in many ways. It's sleek, shiny and lacks the physical keyboard of its predecessor. This means text entry is done solely with the on-screen keyboard introduced in the Android 1.5 release. The absence of a physical keyboard also makes this handset thinner and lighter than the G1, which is a much appreciated change.

Now I know a lot of people prefer a physical keyboard, and the lack of one is often cited as the biggest deterrent to buying an iPhone. But since I don't send many text messages (SMS, IM, tweets, email, etc.), the added weight and size of a physical keyboard provides little value for me.

Like the G1, the myTouch 3G runs on T-Mobile's 3G network, which they have been furiously deploying throughout the US. The myTouch 3G has a 3.2 inch touch screen with 320x480 HVGA resolution and virtual keyboard in either landscape or portrait mode. There are hard buttons for home, menu, back, search, call start and call end, plus a recessed track ball. In addition to white, the myTouch 3G comes in black and merlot (dark red).

The myTouch 3G is actually T-Mobile's branded version of the HTC Magic, which was released in Europe by Vodaphone earlier this year (Europe seems to get new phone models sooner than the US). Although very similar to the Magic, the myTouch 3G differs in a few areas.

According to T-Mobile and others who have been up close and personal with the phone, its specs include:

• 3.2 megapixel camera for photos and video.
  
• 192 MB internal memory plus an external 4 GB microSD™ memory card.
• Bluetooth 2.0 with Enhanced Data Rate and A2DP for wireless stereo headsets.
  
• Wi-Fi support for IEEE 802.11 b/g.
  
• Web browser, music player, video playback, email, and MMS.
  
• One click upload to YouTube videos and Picasa photos.
  
• Google integration for search, maps, and Gmail with contacts/calendar sync.
• Microsoft Exchange support.
• G-sensor and Digital Compass.
• Geodelic Sherpa™ app recommendation engine for location relevant information.
  
• Rechargeable 1340 mAh Lithium-ion battery.
  
• 4.45 x 2.19 x 0.54 inches, 4.09 ounces with battery.
  

Perhaps the most intriguing aspect of the myTouch 3G is Google's open source Android OS. Developed by the Open Handset Alliance and based on the open Linux Kernel, Android was designed from the ground up to be a free, fully open platform that allows developers access to all of the phone's core functionality. Unlike the tightly controlled proprietary OSes like Symbian, iPhone, Blackberry and Windows Mobile, Android doesn't differentiate between third-party apps and the phone's core applications.

There are thousands of apps available in the Android Market that you can use to customize the phone to you exact needs. The unofficial price is $199 with a 2-year contract, which puts it on par with the iPhone 3G S and the Palm Pre.

From what I can tell so far, the myTouch 3G is a great smartphone that improves on the disappointing G1. I can hardly wait to get one to see just how well it performs. I'm pretty sure I won't be disappointed.

By Harry Hiles, HBH Technology LLC — 7 Jul 2009

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