T-Mobile myTouch 4G was released on November 3 and hit the markets as another Android powered high-end smartphone, which comes with quite powerful features to give users fully enjoyable performance. By many considered the fastest Android smartphone, and proving it in actual user experience comes with the second gen 1 GHZ Snapdragon processor and Android 2.2 as default.
HTC put a lot of Desire HD features into this phone to make “comeback” of highly popular myTouch series as successful as possible and making yet another competitor to iPhone 4.
Known as myTouch HD before actual release HTC and T-Mobile tried to emphasis its similarity with Desire HD, quality and in the promo video we can see the capabilities of the HTC myTouch 4G, the coolness of “Genius” button, as well as voice search features on Android 2.2 platform. You can also see that the device is also good in recording HD videos, video chatting and watching videos on TV screen.
T-Mobile myTouch 4G Specs
- Processor: 1Ghz Snapdragon
- Networks: GSM | HSDPA | HSUPA 850 | 900 | 1700 | 1800 | 1900 | 2100
- Form Factor: Bar | Touchscreen
- Dimensions: 122x56x11 mm
- Weight: 142g
- OS: Android 2.2 Froyo
- Display: 3.8″ capacitive touchscreen,16M Colors,960X800
- Camera: 5.0 MegaPixels , Geo-tagging, face smile detection
- Apps Platform: JVM, Andorid 2.2
- Memory: 4GB
- Memory Card: MicroSD/TransFlash | microSDHC, up to 32 GB
- Bluetooth: V 2.1 A2DP + EDR
- Wi-Fi: 802.11b/g/n, DLNA
- Wireless Data: GPRS | EDGE | 14.4 Mbps HSDPA | 5.76 Mbps HSUPA
- Mobile TV: TV-out
Hardware
The T-Mobile myTouch 4G is the latest addition to the carrier’s lineup. The device is classified as high end gadget for mass market and comes with a lot of perfect features making the phone complete in any functionality aspect.
The myTouch 4G measures 121.9×55.9×10.9 mm and weighs 141.8 g. Though it’s quite thin handset, but it feels heavy in the hand. It is available in four colors: white, black, plum or red. The phone has a custom skin which design is between the HTC Sense and the myTouch Slide. As in both custom UIs you can customize your phone via widgets, apps and wallpapers here as well. Though the myTouch 4G is designed like other smartphones from myTouch family, but it is heavier. Unlike the other models from this line this one has got some stainless steel parts which, around the phone’s edges, give more solid view to it.
As we told the phone is equipped with a second-gen 1GHz Snapdragon processor allowing users to jump from one screen to another easily, 768Mb of RAM, supports video chat, but according to users’ responses it doesn‘t work well, it is also good in making calls providing great voice quality.
myTouch 4G Design
The handset has a stylish and solid design packed as a candybar with rounded edges, with 3.8 inch touchscreen, four physical buttons for better experience and an optical track-pad. Besides its attractive and slick design it is made of some fine materials being to give its also some elegance and solidness. So on the back of the handset you can see an aluminum cover with a subtle dotted pattern though other parts and the buttons are made of plastic. The phone is available in four colors: white, black, plum or red. Below are some pictures of palm myTouch 4G.
The phone is packed with a Super LCD capacitive display from Sony with a resolution of 480×800 and supports 16m colors. But if these data didn’t impress you, use it on direct sun light or in any angle and you’ll be surprised by the image clarity.
There is a volume rocker and a Micro-USB port on the left side of the phone, there is a sole camera button on the right side. The power button and a 3.5 mm headphone jack are on the top, and the VGA secondary camera for video calling is on front of the handset. Finally the main 5MP camera and flash are on the back.
The battery cover is made of metal which has a gunmetal grey color, and when you prefer a gadget of any color rather than black, it looks quite nice.
Display
On front of the phone is a 3.8 inch WVGA touchscreen with resolution of 480×800 pixels and like other HTC phones it uses both T-Mobile’s customized UI and HTC Sense as well: widgets and Leap screen are integrated well too, showing the thumbnail versions of your most used apps. The customized UI’s cooperate with the phone friendly and there is no problem even after software updates.
The display itself is quite clear and sharp, though the color don’t look as rich as they do it on the Samsung Vibrant’s Super AMOLED screen. The touchscreen is responsive and the phone responses to the actions of our fingers and the apps launch as soon as we tapped.
The T-Mobile offers seven different color themes that change everything, though may be you won’t like any of them.
Camera
Unlike many other smartphones, the myTouch 4G boasts a front facing camera, and the main 5MP camera with LED flash is on the back of the smartphone.
The dedicated button is on the side of the HTC myTouch 4G, so when you press and hold it for a while it will launch the camera which takes about 1.5 seconds to fully open. This camera isn’t the same unit HTC uses for other phones, this is something new. There are four controls on the right side of the display: Video camera, Flash, Color Effect (sepia, B&W, etc.), and Photo Gallery. There is also a little icon in the lower left side of the screen, which allows user to switch between the main and the secondary cameras.
You can also adjust the shooting mode, exposure, saturation, sharpness, add effects for best shooting. If you have already opened the camera and see something interesting on the screen, tap it and the camera will automatically focus on it. Don’t worry the phone will focus too fast and you won’t have to wait long.
With this 5MP camera you can capture clean, clear and well focused images, but there are some problems with outdoor photos where colors look rich and lush.
The myTouch 4G’s camera has another advantage: it can take close-up photos. To try it yourself focus in a subject which is two inch from the len, and shot, the pictures will quite amazing.
The myTouch 4G offers videos at 720p, and the test video you can watch below:
Battery
The smartphone is equipped with standard 1400 mAh battery provideing up to 10 hours of talk time and up to 432 in stand-by mode. As the phone comes with many useful features, so it needs more power, and you have to use your phone carefuly to save your battery life.
But here are some tips and tricks to disable some of the phone’s features to improve battery life:
1. Use Black/Dark Wallpaper & Background, which needs less energy
2. .Turn off Wireless Network Positioning/GPS and use it when you need it
3. Keep Bluetooth off and turn it on when you have to use it
4. Adjust the screen brightness as low as you can
5. Set the Screen Timeout at a Maximum of 1 Minute
6. Use Widgets Wisely
7. Turn Off Always-On Mobile Data
Software
The T-Mobile myTouch 4G runs the latest (so far) version of Android OS and it is going to be one of the advanced smartphones in the myTouch series. Android 2.2 brings many awesome features like Google’s own Calendar app which is similar to the HTC’s one.
The phone comes with the Swype keyboard installed, but if you don’t like it, you can turn it off and use regular onscreen keyboard or alternatively, you can use Nuance Dragon Dictation voice command system to dictate your messages. The all voice command applications are launched via Genius button which is on the bottom of the screen, where with it are laid traditional Android shortcut keys – Home, Back and Menu. Genius isn’t only for Nuance-powered voice command application, but also it is for Web search. We can say this button is replacing the Search button and last’s functions come to it.
Android 2.2 new platform offers users a Home screen tips widget to configure it with shortcuts and make use multiple home screens. You can find the Phone, application Launcher and browser now have dedicated shortcuts and you can access them from any of the 5 home screen panels.
Froyo comes with Exchange Support improving security due to the addition of numeric pin or alpha-numeric password options, remotely resetting the device to factory defaults by the administrator in case when the phones is lost or stolen. Besides these options there are also the support of Exchange Calendars in Calendar app, or you only have to know your username and password to set up and sync your Exchange account.
The HTC myTouch 4G can easily turn into a portable WiFi hotpsot which can can be shared with up to 8 devices. From other features of Android 2.2 I can mention that multi-lingual users can add multiple languages to the keyboard and switch between multiple Latin-based input languages by swiping across the space bar.
To improve the performance Android 2.2 developers used V8 engine enabling faster browsing JavaScript -heavy pages, 2x-5x performance speedup for CPU-heavy code, with the help of Kernel Memory Management Boost technology switching between apps now is faster.
Google’ Android 2.2 Froyo platform technologies:
Media framework
- New media framework (Stagefright) that supports local file playback and HTTP progressive streaming
- Continued support for OpenCore in Android 2.2
Bluetooth
- Voice dialing over Bluetooth
- Ability to share contacts with other phones
- Support for Bluetooth enabled car and desk docks
- Improved compatibility matrix with car kits and headsets
2.6.32 kernel upgrade
- HIGHMEM support for RAM >256MB
- SDIO scheduling and BT improvements.
Beginning with the Froyo release, all Android based phones owners can download the open beta version of Flash 10.1 as well as AIR support from the Android Market. This will help to wead out weak written Android apps. The platform offers Android Cloud to Device Messaging (C2DM) Framework, which provides another Google service to enable limited push functionality to Android handsets.
Android platform’s old versions have several issues related with the Android media API, and Froyo comes as a complete version, for example an Audio Focus API now is a part of OS’s features to manage audio playing etiquette amongst competing applications. The SoundPool API is updated and includes a callback for when an item has completed loading, or users can pause/resume all streams.
Besides Google’s and HTC’s apps there are also some features like “My Account” and “My Pack” busted by T-Mobile.
The phone has an TV-out, so T-Mobile TV is a livestreaming and on-demand TV application paying only $9.99 you can watch sport, news cable channels or on-demand shows from ABC, NBC and other stations.
The main features of the phone is presented below:
Swype is installed in the phone as default, and though you can refuse it, but I’ll advice you to spend some time using this kind of keyboard and after several days you’ll find how useful it is. The Swype is not supported by the phone occasionally, as the myTouch 4G supports Exchange. This Gmail application is really very, very good thing coming with support of POP an IMAP email.
By the way, the device supports Gtalk and also includes Yahoo Messenger. Though there is nor AIM neither Windows Messenger Live apps, but you can easily find them in Android Market, which work quite well too.
The myTouch 4G comes with HTC’s Friend Stream software which channels your Facebook and Twitter status into one place, and when you update your status it can also be linked to Flickr. If after my words you have thought this phone is oriented to social networking apps, I’m going to disappoint you, as there is no Facebook, MySpace, Twitter or Foursquare app pre-installed, and you have to go to Android Market for them. The Friend Stream app is the only soical networking app.
The myTouch 4G has got one of the most graceful music player, which is just called “Music” but offers whole “Media Room”. Going to there you can access all your music and video, but this is not the all, the room is integrated with FM and Slacker Radio with the same media interface, and you can move into them easily from main media player. Of course, you have to get earphones when turn into radio and activate your Slacker account when you want to use it. One more thing, when the music is playing, you can swipe through the songs in the current playlist.
The HTC myTouch 4G is enough good in connectivity aspects, so it provides Bluetooth 2.1 with A2DP, Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, DLNA WLAN and also contains EDGE. With its WiFi feature you can connect to a wireless access point at speeds of up to 11 Mbps. The T-Mobile myTouch 4G has got HSDPA, 14.4 Mbps and HSUPA, 5.76 Mbps 3G and processes GPRS. This device supports A-GPS, and as GPS is a satellite location system which determines the exact position of a place. A-GPS is more useful for navigating city streets or unfamiliar regions.
HTC Likes and HTC Scenes integration
The HTC myTouch 4G is an Android powered smartphone with 3.8 inch capacitive touchscreen giving you access to the whole Android Market. Why I mention these two features, as some apps don’t run on older versions of Android OS and on low-res screens. The Market is simple in use, which offers three sections – Applications, Games and Downloads. The app section is divided into subsections like Communication, Entertainment, so you can filter the apps which about you want to learn. Here you can find apps of all kinds, but some of them are the most important ones like File Manager, Navigation apps, Document readers, etc.
HTC Likes comes in other way to introduce us the Android Market, which has tabs for Featured and popular apps presented as 3D cards. It looks like a “personal room” in whole Market, as you can see what apps and games your friends have commented and join them.
Here are many useful widgets which you can chose directly from your phone and use them, or you can select the homescreen you like and it will be automatically set on your phone.
HTC Hub is a new addition to apps which is an online store with downloadable wallpapers, skins, ringtones and much more helping to customize your HTC myTouch 4G and make it a really personal handset.
HTC Likes, HTC Hub and HTC Sense (which does the same things but via PC) will help you to access to your content and a new quicker version of Google Maps.
With HTC Likes you don’t have to stay in standard Android homescreen, as you can get 7 options which can be customized to whatever you want. You just have to flick through the 7 different screens and on each new screen you can customize it as much as you need adding shortcuts and apps.
Unlike HTC Likes, HTC Scenes lets you customize your myTouch 4G according to what you have to do on a particular day or time. So with these services your T-Mobile myTouch 4G will be the only in his type, as you will have made it so.
HTC myTouch 4G accessories
The phone is quite good itself, but you can improve its usage via the accessories. I am going to introduce you the most awesome accessories of HTC myTouch 4G, which truly will be good additions to it.
So, usually when we drive there is only one way to charge your myTouch 4G via car charger, but with the Cellet Universal Dual Y-Adaptor y Rocket Extension you can do this for two devices at a time instead of one. For example, if you want to use your GPS Navigation Systemand your HTC MyTouch 4G cell phone at once, you haven’t wait before one of them to be charged and stick the second device. If you like it, you can get it for $19.99 and start multiple charges.
But if you are one of those users that prefer stylish accessories, i can advice you get the Belkin USB Auto Charger F8Z445, which insterts into a 12v Power Outlet in any car, and fits into a USB plug.
When you driving in car or you are in such situations you need better signal, there is no better way to boost your T-Mobile myTouch 4G reception via Rear Car Window Antenna, which will enhance your phone reception by boosting both the transmitted and received signal effectively reducing the amount of dropped calls. This is a good choice for those who always drops calls while on the road. The accessory is available for $18.99.
There are always problems with carrying out the phone from pocket or from the bag, and if you want to do it without any damage the Cellet 4 in 1 Blue Swivel Clip is for you. The accessory provides provides safety to your mobile device with a universal pivot mount that has a strong adhesive. Besides its impressive design here are some other features of the Cellet 4 in 1 Blue Swivel Clip:
- 360 degree rotating clip
- Quick and easy removal
- Secures your device in place
- Durable design made to last
- Color:Blue
It is available for $5.99, which is quite afordable price for such stylish accessory.
For hands-free commuting Jabra offers its next sleek innovative device – Cruiser Bluetooth Speaker. The cruiser is a unique combination of elegance and technology. This revolutionary Bluetooth In-car Speakerphone is equipped with Dual Microphone technology, which improves call quality by eliminating the background noise and enhancing voice. As it can be very useful accessory for all HTC myTouch 4G owners, the whole specs list is below:
- Measures 5″ L x 2.4″W x .67″D
- Dual Microphone technology
- Up to 10 hours talk time
- Up to 13 days standby time
- Crystal clear sound
- Voice announcements
- Dual microphones for excellent audio
- Equipped with an FM Transmitter, A2DP and AVRCP
- Connects to 2 devices at the same time *contingent on phone
But here is some disappointing thing -it’s price, I guess it’s a little much, than I have expected, the device is available for $79.99.
If you have forgotten your charger, or it is too big to take with you, here is a useful accessory which will help to charge and sync the myTouch 4G at a time. Retractable – White Data Cable will allow you to access your data phone book, email and connect to the internet in order to keep information synced or download/transfer files. The main advantage of the Retractable – White Data Cable is its compact and nice design, and its price – only $8.
The HTC myTouch 4G is made not only for making calls and sending messages, though you can surfing through the web pages, but you can also listen music, play games, and much more. The set of Amplified Portable Speakers (White) to play music from the device and make the needed mood. The speakers collapse into a small cube in order for maximum portability, but it doesn’t interfere to boast great speaker quality. It is also surprising cheap – $19.99.
Another cool accessory for playing music is the Altec Lansing Orbit M Ultra Portable Speaker. Though it is generally designed for CD players, but it is quite compatible with the T-Mobile myTouch 4G. It is available for $34.99.
If you are tired of putting fingerprints on your MyTouch 4G, the Stylus Black Pen is the perfect solution for you. With this stylish accessory you can save your phone’s display. This pen avoid you pressing the wrong keys whenever you write an email, browse the internet or text message. The Stylus Pen is available for only $6.99, which also could be a good gift for your relatives.
Of course, there are many accessories that can be used with this phone, but in my own opinion, not the all of them deserved to be used with it. Above were the most stylish and powerful devices, so if you like some of them, get it and it will make the phone complete.
Availaability
The HTC myTouch 4G is currently available in the US via T-Mobile for $199.99 with a $50 mail-in rebate with 2 year agreement or The full Even More Plus (without any contract) price is $449.99. You can also get it at Best Buy, Costco, Radio Shack, Sam’s Club, and Target for the same price and with the same 2 year contract.
Conclusion
I have to mention again that this phone is too fast and sleek, and is very suitable in the hand. I guess you will like it, as I did, and if you can overlook the poor battery life, there won’t be much lacks. One of the T-Mobile myTouch 4G’s advantages is the high-level performance and I’m sure there aren’t many smartphones with such feature in the mobile market at a time. All above mentioned features speak about the fact this phone is one of the best offers of T-Mobile phones.
You can find more reviews of myTouch 4G @ TestFreaks
