Introduction:
Fresh out of the oven and still cooling down in time to be absorbed by customers, T-Mobile has been on the roll with the recent acquisition of the T-Mobile G2 which is going toe-to-toe with the Samsung Vibrantfor the supreme title of best handset on T-Mobile's lineup. Strengthening their high-end selection of Android powered smartphones, the T-Mobile myTouch 4G is aiming to complete the trifecta of high-end offerings available to customers this holiday season. Being one of the few devices on the market to be sprinkled with the love for HSPA+ connectivity, it quickly follows up as being one of the very few handsets on T-Mobile's lineup to sport a front-facing camera for video calls. Set to the customary price of $199.99 with a contract, the T-Mobile myTouch 4G will really need to step up to the plate if it intends on keeping up with the likes of the Samsung Vibrant and T-Mobile G2 as the biggest handset with the most bang.
The package contains:
From an initial cursory look, the T-Mobile myTouch 4G clearly borrows some design styles found on themyTouch 3G Slide and Nexus One. With the front portion of the handset, it's an exact facsimile to the styling from the myTouch 3G Slide with its layout of the physical buttons and optical track-pad. Similarly, the rear of the handset has the distinct look of the Nexus One seeing that its metallic rear cover and the placement of its camera are in direct contrast to the venerable smartphone. It might not exhibit the most eye appealing industrial design out there, but in true HTC fashion, it's constructed out of some fine materials to let you know that it exudes premium quality. However, it's hardly the most consistent looking handset since it meshes a variety of items like its white glossy plastic, chrome bezel, and the two-tone metallic finish in the rear. Fortunately, its reasonably streamlined (0.43” thick) showcasing manages to add to its appeal, but you do notice the top heavy (5 oz) nature of the device – much like the Nexus One.
To our delight, the T-Mobile myTouch 4G will put a smile on most faces with its 3.8” Super LCD capacitive display from Sony as it looks refreshingly crisp with its WVGA resolution (480 x 800) and support for 65k colors. Even though it might look quaint on paper, it's more than equipped in producing some deep and rich looking colors while maintaining a high level of sharpness due mostly to its high resolution. Needless to say that you'll be instantly mesmerized by its radiance, but we are more impressed by its usability in direct sunlight with its great viewing angles. Finally, the sturdy glass like material enables it to radiate a sense of durability, while its slick feel allows for the most accurate and responsive measures of touch.
As we've mentioned already, the physical buttons directly below the touchscreen are laid out on a similar manner to what's been seen on the myTouch 3G Slide. They include the home, menu, back, Genius buttons which are all ample in size and offer a subtle response when pressed. Following the trend of course is its choice of utilizing an optical track-pad as an alternative means of navigation – while still producing a tactile response when pressed down for a selection. As much as it works well, it would've been nice to see it light up as well, like the G2, for any notifications – but instead, we're greeted to a tiny LED lighting up at top left corner of the display.
Looking to the left edge, you'll be greeted to a somewhat recessed volume rocker which is still fairly manageable to feel out, the microUSB port, and three pins which would seem to allow it to connect to a dock. On the opposite side, you'll only find the two-level dedicated shutter key which is sufficient in size. In addition to the the 3.5mm headset jack found on the top edge, we also find the recessed power button which lacks any distinguishable characteristics to feel it out with our fingers.
Taking a quick look at the rear, the 5-megapixel auto-focus camera slightly juts out from the rest of the surface which does make you think about the lens possibly scratching as it lays flat on its back – just like the Nexus One. In close proximity, you'll also find the LED flash and circular cutouts for the speakerphone embedded into the metallic surface. With a quick yanking motion, the rear plate pops off from place and provides access to the spring assisted microSD card slot, battery (1,400 mAh), and SIM card slot.
Interface:
Speed is undoubtedly the name of the game with the handset as it boasts a wicked fast second generation 1GHz Qualcomm MSM8255 processor that's capable of offering one of the utmost responsive experiences we've seen. From moving through the homescreen panels to launching applications, there is no stutter getting in the way of its goal with the T-Mobile myTouch 4G. In fact, we're easily blown away with how much faster it accomplishes even the most basic of functions like scrolling, opening up the app tray, and even playing some demanding 3D games. Without question, those who pick up the handset will surely be impressed by its high level of performance as it quickly ascends to the top of the rankings among all other Android devices out there.
Even though it sports the same exact modified version of the Sense UI found with the myTouch 3G Slide, it's graced with all the blessing of Android 2.2 Froyo to give us the most up-to-date experience. Meaning, it'll offer things like tethering capabilities, native social networking integration, Microsoft Exchange server, and support for Adobe Flash Player 10.1. Visually, we're not too fond of the overall look of this modified version of Sense, but some can learn to appreciate it. On top of being able to choose static or live wallpapers, the handset sports myModes which are basically preset customized themes which can be time activated to best suit your personal schedule. For example, you can set it to run the “Home” myMode to turn off email notifications so you focus on your family. Conversely, there is a “KidZone” myMode which disables access to messaging, the dialer, and much more so you can let kids play with the phone. Commonly found on other Sense enabled handsets, you can perform a pinching gesture or press the homescreen twice to get into helicopter view so you can visually see all your active homescreen panels all at the same time.
Social networking happy individuals will take a liking for the Friend Stream app and widget which essentially aggregates your Facebook and Twitter accounts. The one stop centralized hub will display the latest status messages and tweets from friends, allow you to post your very own status message, and will even allow you to upload a photo to your Facebook and Twitter accounts simultaneously. For those who heavily rely on these two specific services, Friend Stream will not only keep them up-to-date with the latest happenings, but it'll also lessen the time needed in going through two separate applications.
Seeing that the Genius Button is something that's synonymous with the myTouch line of Android smartphones, it'll enable you to accomplish a variety of tasks with the aid of your voice. In particular, you can call someone, send an email or text message, search the web, and even find a business that's local to your specific area. Powered by Nuance, its specialized system enables it to translate spoken words into text most of the time – in fact, we find the experience to be quite satisfactory.
In trying to drastically separate itself from the usual pack of handsets, the myTouch 4G is one of the very few handsets on T-Mobile's lineup to offer a front-facing camera. With super speedy HSPA+ connectivity in tow, Qik's Video Chat app is on board to offer the sincere option of seeing your callers in the flesh. However, the notion of it being offered is tainted solely due to its poor performance as it's accompanied with some major lag issues that hamper its usability. Not only did we have to battle the unresponsive nature of the service, but the speaker made voices sound extremely muted and difficult to comprehend.
Fresh out of the oven and still cooling down in time to be absorbed by customers, T-Mobile has been on the roll with the recent acquisition of the T-Mobile G2 which is going toe-to-toe with the Samsung Vibrantfor the supreme title of best handset on T-Mobile's lineup. Strengthening their high-end selection of Android powered smartphones, the T-Mobile myTouch 4G is aiming to complete the trifecta of high-end offerings available to customers this holiday season. Being one of the few devices on the market to be sprinkled with the love for HSPA+ connectivity, it quickly follows up as being one of the very few handsets on T-Mobile's lineup to sport a front-facing camera for video calls. Set to the customary price of $199.99 with a contract, the T-Mobile myTouch 4G will really need to step up to the plate if it intends on keeping up with the likes of the Samsung Vibrant and T-Mobile G2 as the biggest handset with the most bang.
The package contains:
- T-Mobile myTouch 4G
- 8GB microSD card
- microUSB cable
- Wall Charger
- 3.5mm Stereo Headset
- Start Guide
From an initial cursory look, the T-Mobile myTouch 4G clearly borrows some design styles found on themyTouch 3G Slide and Nexus One. With the front portion of the handset, it's an exact facsimile to the styling from the myTouch 3G Slide with its layout of the physical buttons and optical track-pad. Similarly, the rear of the handset has the distinct look of the Nexus One seeing that its metallic rear cover and the placement of its camera are in direct contrast to the venerable smartphone. It might not exhibit the most eye appealing industrial design out there, but in true HTC fashion, it's constructed out of some fine materials to let you know that it exudes premium quality. However, it's hardly the most consistent looking handset since it meshes a variety of items like its white glossy plastic, chrome bezel, and the two-tone metallic finish in the rear. Fortunately, its reasonably streamlined (0.43” thick) showcasing manages to add to its appeal, but you do notice the top heavy (5 oz) nature of the device – much like the Nexus One.
To our delight, the T-Mobile myTouch 4G will put a smile on most faces with its 3.8” Super LCD capacitive display from Sony as it looks refreshingly crisp with its WVGA resolution (480 x 800) and support for 65k colors. Even though it might look quaint on paper, it's more than equipped in producing some deep and rich looking colors while maintaining a high level of sharpness due mostly to its high resolution. Needless to say that you'll be instantly mesmerized by its radiance, but we are more impressed by its usability in direct sunlight with its great viewing angles. Finally, the sturdy glass like material enables it to radiate a sense of durability, while its slick feel allows for the most accurate and responsive measures of touch.
As we've mentioned already, the physical buttons directly below the touchscreen are laid out on a similar manner to what's been seen on the myTouch 3G Slide. They include the home, menu, back, Genius buttons which are all ample in size and offer a subtle response when pressed. Following the trend of course is its choice of utilizing an optical track-pad as an alternative means of navigation – while still producing a tactile response when pressed down for a selection. As much as it works well, it would've been nice to see it light up as well, like the G2, for any notifications – but instead, we're greeted to a tiny LED lighting up at top left corner of the display.
Looking to the left edge, you'll be greeted to a somewhat recessed volume rocker which is still fairly manageable to feel out, the microUSB port, and three pins which would seem to allow it to connect to a dock. On the opposite side, you'll only find the two-level dedicated shutter key which is sufficient in size. In addition to the the 3.5mm headset jack found on the top edge, we also find the recessed power button which lacks any distinguishable characteristics to feel it out with our fingers.
Taking a quick look at the rear, the 5-megapixel auto-focus camera slightly juts out from the rest of the surface which does make you think about the lens possibly scratching as it lays flat on its back – just like the Nexus One. In close proximity, you'll also find the LED flash and circular cutouts for the speakerphone embedded into the metallic surface. With a quick yanking motion, the rear plate pops off from place and provides access to the spring assisted microSD card slot, battery (1,400 mAh), and SIM card slot.
Interface:
Speed is undoubtedly the name of the game with the handset as it boasts a wicked fast second generation 1GHz Qualcomm MSM8255 processor that's capable of offering one of the utmost responsive experiences we've seen. From moving through the homescreen panels to launching applications, there is no stutter getting in the way of its goal with the T-Mobile myTouch 4G. In fact, we're easily blown away with how much faster it accomplishes even the most basic of functions like scrolling, opening up the app tray, and even playing some demanding 3D games. Without question, those who pick up the handset will surely be impressed by its high level of performance as it quickly ascends to the top of the rankings among all other Android devices out there.
Even though it sports the same exact modified version of the Sense UI found with the myTouch 3G Slide, it's graced with all the blessing of Android 2.2 Froyo to give us the most up-to-date experience. Meaning, it'll offer things like tethering capabilities, native social networking integration, Microsoft Exchange server, and support for Adobe Flash Player 10.1. Visually, we're not too fond of the overall look of this modified version of Sense, but some can learn to appreciate it. On top of being able to choose static or live wallpapers, the handset sports myModes which are basically preset customized themes which can be time activated to best suit your personal schedule. For example, you can set it to run the “Home” myMode to turn off email notifications so you focus on your family. Conversely, there is a “KidZone” myMode which disables access to messaging, the dialer, and much more so you can let kids play with the phone. Commonly found on other Sense enabled handsets, you can perform a pinching gesture or press the homescreen twice to get into helicopter view so you can visually see all your active homescreen panels all at the same time.
Social networking happy individuals will take a liking for the Friend Stream app and widget which essentially aggregates your Facebook and Twitter accounts. The one stop centralized hub will display the latest status messages and tweets from friends, allow you to post your very own status message, and will even allow you to upload a photo to your Facebook and Twitter accounts simultaneously. For those who heavily rely on these two specific services, Friend Stream will not only keep them up-to-date with the latest happenings, but it'll also lessen the time needed in going through two separate applications.
Seeing that the Genius Button is something that's synonymous with the myTouch line of Android smartphones, it'll enable you to accomplish a variety of tasks with the aid of your voice. In particular, you can call someone, send an email or text message, search the web, and even find a business that's local to your specific area. Powered by Nuance, its specialized system enables it to translate spoken words into text most of the time – in fact, we find the experience to be quite satisfactory.
In trying to drastically separate itself from the usual pack of handsets, the myTouch 4G is one of the very few handsets on T-Mobile's lineup to offer a front-facing camera. With super speedy HSPA+ connectivity in tow, Qik's Video Chat app is on board to offer the sincere option of seeing your callers in the flesh. However, the notion of it being offered is tainted solely due to its poor performance as it's accompanied with some major lag issues that hamper its usability. Not only did we have to battle the unresponsive nature of the service, but the speaker made voices sound extremely muted and difficult to comprehend.
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