The second Android phone for the carrier

Jun 22, 2009 06:44 GMT  ·  By

Wireless carrier T-Mobile USA, Inc. officially announced today the introduction of its second mobile phone powered by Google's Android operating system, the T-Mobile myTouch 3G (HTC Magic). The fresh handheld comes as the follower of the T-Mobile G1, the first Android-based device in the world, and sports a sleek look and contoured feel, while also including a wide range of new features. The new phone comes in a slim design and delivers a touch-screen display and a virtual keyboard.

T-Mobile myTouch 3G puts you first, so you can create a mobile experience that is truly your own,” said Denny Marie Post, chief marketing officer, T-Mobile USA. “There’s no cookie-cutter approach to myTouch. Inside and out, there are boundless possibilities for personalization so you can put your personal touch on the phone and make it uniquely yours.”

The T-Mobile myTouch 3G includes a 3.2-inch HVGA touch-screen display, a virtual keyboard that works both in portrait and landscape mode, a 3.2-megapixel photo snapper with video recording functionality, has multitasking capabilities, a microSD memory card slot, Wi-Fi connectivity, email (Exchange, Gmail and other POP3 and IMAP e-mail services) and messaging (MMS, texting, IM - Google Talk, AOL, Yahoo! Messenger and Windows Live Messenger) capabilities, as well as support for other Google services, including Google Search by voice, Google Maps with Street View, YouTube and Picasa.

At the same time, the handset also offers support for a wide range of other applications, while being meant to enhance the browsing experience of any user. It allows users to share pictures and videos either via email or sites like YouTube and Picasa, and also enables them to personalize their experience through customizable menus, wallpapers, icons and more, as well as through a wide range of applications available via the Android Market. In addition, the device comes in three color schemes, black, white and merlot.

“The G1 was highly successful and captured the imagination of thousands of developers as the first Android-powered phone,” said Andy Rubin, vice president, mobile platforms at Google. “With myTouch, T-Mobile is poised to capture the imagination of consumers everywhere, and by expanding the availability and appeal of Android-based devices, they’re giving developers a bigger market for the next wave of killer Android applications.”

The wireless carrier also announced that the new handset would be available for pre-order for its customers come July 8. The price tag of the T-Mobile myTouch 3G has been set at $199.99 upon the signing of a two-year contract agreement with the company. The handheld should start shipping in July for those who have pre-ordered it, while the national availability will begin in August. More details can be found here.