The T-Mobile Google Android era began with the popular G1 smartphone, and has now evolved to the MyTouch 3G smartphone device.
The MyTouch 3G officially launches in the United States on Aug. 5, and reviews are beginning to trickle in about the new device. The phone will compete with the Apple iPhone 3GS, among other smartphones, and will cost $200 with a two-year T-Mobile phone contract.
The MyTouch 3G utilizes a 3.2-inch touch screen, 3G network access, WiFi, and easy access to Google Apps services. Unlike the G1, the MyTouch 3G doesn't have a physical keyboard. This slimmed down phone weighs 4.1 ounces, a drastic decrease from the 5.6-ounce G1's.
USA Today writer Edward Baig shared his thoughts about the phone, noting both the pros and cons about the device. "The 3.2-inch touch-screen display, while nice, doesn't let you perform such stunts as pinching or spreading your fingers to zoom in and out of a Web page or photo, as on an iPhone or Palm Pre. MyTouch has an expandable memory slot, which those other phones don't have. But the 4-gigabyte memory card it comes with pales next to the 8 GB of internal memory on the Pre or 16 GB on the lowest-capacity iPhone 3G S."
Oddly enough, the MyTouch 3G doesn't have a 3.5 mm jack, even though HTC is shipping the phone with ear buds that plug into a 3.5 mm jack (an adapter is included). I prefer having a real keyboard to type on, but there have been comments from people who've tested the phone that say the digital keyboard on the MyTouch 3G is extremely reliable.
Google is expecting 18 Android smartphones to be released across the world by the end of 2009. The company has received broad support from developers, who enjoy having an open platform to work with.
Have you tested any of the Google Android-powered devices? If so, what did you think?
