For the past couple of weeks I have had the T-Mobile myTouch 4G to play around with. I was impressed with this phone right out of the box. Also the box it came in was one of the better packaging options I have seen in a very long time. The “box” is actually a zip up case that has foam sections to hold things like the phone, the charger, earbuds and instruction booklet. There is a very efficient use of space to this design. I have not seen another phone yet that has this sort of functional packaging.
The phone itself is a sleek phone with a large touch screen 3.8″ actually. The one I had was white and silver and black. The back was partially white with a silver part that covered the bay for the battery and the SD and SIM cards. The front was black and pretty shiny. The other color options are white, black, plum or red. The phone has a 5MP camera on the back and a front facing camera on the front for video chatting (with or without wi-fi), taking arms length photo and more. The device is a decent competitor with the iPhone if you are more inclined to the Android platform.
I generally use my phone to stay in touch with my friends on social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter. There is a great feature called Friend Stream, this allows you to see the latest from your Facebook friends, you can update your status, respond to their posts and more. The web experience has also been pretty fast. There is Built in support for T-Mobile’s 4G, 3G and EDGE networks, as well as Wi-Fi. I used the Wi-Fi to download the game Asphalt 5. That was a sweet driving game with great use of the accelerometer. The game comes pre-loaded as a demo, other games are “Rock Band” and “Monopoly”.
Another feature that I use more with cell phones is the ability to check in at places using Whrrl, FourSquare or WeReward. Each of those platforms allows you to take photos. The front facing camera is great for photos with WeReward. The 5MP back camera is great for everything else. I also like that the camera has some fun built in filters so that you can spice up your photos and make them fun and quirky. The back camera also allows you to record HD videos at 720p.
I’ve noticed that everything on this phone is integrated with social media features, for instance the gallery is integrated with not only the images shot with the phone but also with Facebook and Flickr. That is a nice feature. I do like that the media that you load onto the phone can all be integrated in one place as well. The Media room integrates, music, videos, T-Mobile TV, FM Radio stations and Slacker Internet radio all in one. I tried the T-Mobile live and on demand TV. The idea is good but it just wasn’t fast enough to be great. We tried a few Disney shows for Eva and while they played decently they did have some starts and stops.
There is also a Genius Button that allows you to speak what you would like to do. I activated this feature and while I think that with time I’d be able to use it more, I found it slow. It is powered by Dragon Dictation and I know that needs to be trained a bit to your voice. I will say that it whipped through my list of contacts and was able to find the person I was looking for in order to send them a text message. But when it came to actually executing the text message that left me unimpressed.
There is a ton to this phone. So many features packed into a sleek lightweight design. I was not able to test them all but I did try many and overall I was impressed. The thing that I was least impressed with was battery life. The battery was usually shot after 8 hours of me not even using it. I played with the power settings and while it helped a little it still was not that impressive. The battery life on my year old DROID is much better. There may just be too much going on or I might not have gotten the major power hogs shut off.
Having this phone for two weeks was so helpful especially when I needed wi-fi. I was at Southern New England Media Makers and this past Sunday and made use of the wi-fi to make sure I was up to date with everyone. I used it for the last time on Tuesday night and was able to power both my iPad and laptop with a wi-fi signal. It was a total lifesaver.
Here are some photos and videos that I shot with the phone.
Funny Squished Furniture
Color inversion.
Shamrock Cupcakes
Front Facing Camera Video (Click for Video)
It is sideways but that is the HD video camera (Click for Video).
Here are some stats and features of the device.:
T-Mobile® myTouch® 4G – White
- Swype
Make messaging on your touch-screen device faster, easier, and more fun. With this innovative new keyboard, you simply slide your finger over the letters that make up the word you want to spell. - Messaging [Text, Picture & Social Networking]
Send a message or a photo to any wireless phone or e-mail address. Or stay connected using always-on social networking. - Mobile Video Chat
Chat face-to-face while on the go. - HD Camcorder
Record videos in 720p resolution. - Apps -Android Market
With direct access to the Android Market you have access to all kinds of fun and useful apps to turn your device into the ultimate mobile device. - 5 Megapixel Camera
With quality worth printing, now you can really enjoy those special moments captured on your device. You can also share them with family and friends by sending them to any e-mail address, T-Mobile camera phone, or MyAlbum. - Camera Flash
Use a built in-flash to get better pictures in less-than-ideal lighting situations. - Camera Zoom
Use the digital zoom to get a close-up picture without getting too close. - 8 GB Memory Card Included
Take advantage of an included memory card and fill it up with fun photos, videos, music, and more. - Video capture/playback
Capture and play back short video clips. - Front-facing Camera
Take advantage of video chat with a built-in front-facing webcam. - Faves Gallery
Faves Gallery™ is a shortcut to your closest family and friends—connect with them more easily, more quickly, and more often. - Media Room
Play your favorite music and videos with your integrated media player, or discover new content with direct access to T-Mobile TV, Slacker Radio, FM radio, and YouTube. - myModes
myModes puts the perfect tools at your fingertips to make you a rock star at work and a superstar at home. - 4G capable
Browse the Web, download content, and stream media faster on T-Mobile’s 4G network. - Touch Screen with On-Screen Keyboard
Everything your device can do is now literally at your fingertips. A high resolution touch screen gives you fast and fun access to your device’s display. - 1Ghz Processor
A lightning-fast 1Ghz processor delivers the speed you want, so you can experience powerful entertainment and more right on your device. - Visual Voicemail
With Visual Voicemail you can listen to your voicemail messages in any order, respond in one click and easily manage your inbox without ever dialing in to the network. - Personal and Work E-mail*
Send and receive messages from personal and work e-mail. - Stereo Bluetooth® Connectivity
Make hands-free wireless calls and listen to your music in style, and in stereo. With Bluetooth® stereo headphones, you can hear all your favorite music the way it was meant to be heard. - Speaker phone
Free up your hands for safety and convenience – speakerphone allows you to talk on your device without having to hold it - Wi-Fi and Mobile Calling*
Expand your mobile coverage. Send and receive calls and messages over any Wi-Fi network, whether at home or on the road with Wi-Fi and Mobile Calling—even in areas that have little or no network coverage. - Genius Button
Genius Button™ lets you call, send messages, search the Web, or find things nearby with a simple voice command. - Memory Card Slot (microSD)
Add more memory for multimedia files, data and more. Easily take the memory card out of your device to transfer files and data to another device. - GPS with Navigation Capability
Get your real-time location on maps, driving directions, and more. - Wi-Fi Data*
Surf the internet quickly and conveniently over Wi-Fi.
“*Our new HSPA+ network operates at today’s 4G speeds; not available everywhere. Device has theoretical capability of 14.4 Mbps.”
Disclosure: I was sent this phone to use and review for a two week period. After teh two weeks I sent the phone back. The opinions of the phone and its features are 100% mine based upon my experience and needs as a user.