T-Mobile’s myTouch 3G Slide–Keyboard Now Included May 4, 2010
Posted by Eli Blumenthal in : Cell Phones , 1 comment so far
Wanted a T-Mobile Android smartphone with a nice design and a keyboard but wasn’t feeling the almost 2 year-old G1 or the Motorola Cliq? Look no further: T-Mobile today has taken the wraps off their latest Android keyboard phone, the myTouch 3G Slide. As we mentioned in the title, think of this as a myTouch 3G with a keyboard, adding an important feature to a nice-looking phone with some pretty solid tech specs.
The 3.4 inch (up from the myTouch 3G’s 3.2 inch) touchscreen includes a full, slide-out QWERTY keyboard as well as the Swype keyboard, which enables touchscreen typing by dragging your finger across letters to form words, rather than just tapping each letter (according to Samsung, this type of texting even set a world record for quickest text on a touchscreen phone). It also boasts a 5 megapixel camera with flash and auto-focus, all running atop a customized Android 2.1. This is not an HTC Sense customization like on Verizon’s Droid Incredible (though the myTouch 3G and myTouch 3G Slide are both made by HTC), but rather a special T-Mobile version.
This T-Mobile customization is actually pretty interesting, offering three distinct social network focused apps called Faves Gallery, myModes, and Genius Button.
- Faves Gallery– This is kinda like HTC’s Friend Stream in HTC Sense (though here looking much cooler, as seen above), showing up to 20 of your favorite people and the different ways to communicate with them — calls, texts, e-mail, instant messaging, social network updates — all in an app easily accessible through that green button along the bottom of the screen. There also is a widget complete with photos, contact information and one-touch ability to respond to that friend. Also, anytime any of these “Faves” communicate with you or update their social network, you get a notification about it (and even if you’re phone is off, a custom green light will let you know you’ve got an update waiting from them).
- myModes– This gives you separate settings based on where and how your using your phone by creating different themes with home screen apps, widgets and wallpapers depending on what your doing (like when you’re in school and when you’re at home). myModes is customizable to switch at a designated time, by a location, or manually with the option to create and store up to 10 customized modes. For example, in a school mode you may have your phone set to vibrate and use different apps like Notes or Calculator, while at home your gonna want apps like games and a blaring ringtone. This basically will show what you want to show and hide the apps you don’t, allowing you to use your phone ideally without as many distractions. This is also like a feature seen on HTC Sense, called Scenes.
- Genius Button–This takes Android 2.1′s impressive voice commands even further. Not only can you use the voice commands make calls, compose and send texts and e-mails, or search the Web and your surroundings, but now it will even read text messages aloud, and lets you dictate replies naturally as if you were speaking directly to the person. Definitely very cool.
While still no Droid Incredible or Nexus One, the new myTouch 3G Slide looks to be a very solid Android phone for T-Mobile when it comes out sometime in June in your choice of either red, white or black colors (unfortunately T-Mobile hasn’t yet announced a price). So T-Mobile readers, you like?
Motorola Announces 3 New Android Phones for Verizon, T-Mobile and AT&T March 3, 2010
Posted by Eli Blumenthal in : Cell Phones , 1 comment so far
We briefly mentioned the new Motorola Devour for Verizon in our post on the new Skype-Verizon deal, but that wasn’t the only new Android phone Motorola was getting ready to unveil. Both T-Mobile and AT&T are set to get new Motorola phones of their own very soon as well in the Cliq XT and Backflip respectively.
So what’s new in these 3 phones? Read on to find out.
Inside Out: The Future of the Cell Phone February 21, 2010
Posted by Eli Blumenthal in : Cell Phones, Opinion , 3commentsFrom time to time, we’ll provide our thoughts as to where we think the industry is going, particularly as it relates to teens. We’re calling these posts, Inside Out, because we’ll be looking from where we sit into the outside world.
The future of the cell phone: the Windows Phone 7 Series, iPhone 3GS, BlackBerry Curve 8530, Palm Pre Plus and the Nexus One
Cell phones. We live by them. They’re by our sides 24/7, wherever we are. They are our ways of connecting with the world, through texts, IM’s, or just regular calls. Getting a new one is no longer just picking up a free phone, it’s a choice of style and design. Do we want a full keyboard, something that has a good camera and music player, a simple phone that doesn’t cost much, or something completely loaded with all of the latest features? The choices are endless, no matter what carrier you’re on– Verizon, AT&T, Sprint, or T-Mobile.
But recently there’s been a major shift in the cell phone market, led by new phones like the iPhone, Pre, BlackBerry, Droid and Nexus One. This is the rise of the smartphone (as those phones are called), phones that no longer just do texts but also email, internet, Facebook and Twitter. These phones are growing rapidly and more and more of us are switching to them when we look for new phones. Let’s take a look at why that is and where this is all leading.
Nexus One Coming To AT&T and Sprint? February 3, 2010
Posted by Zev Rosenbaum in : Cell Phones , 3comments
The Nexus One Google smartphone (for more info see here) got a lot of buzz when it was released last month for T-Mobile. Now, you can also buy an unlocked Nexus One, but you only get EDGE or 2.5G, not 3G when using it on say, AT&T instead of T-Mobile. However, CNET and other sites are now reporting that Nexus Ones have been ordered with 3G for WCDMA bands that will allow for 3G on AT&T (which has 3G in many more places than T-Mobile).
Not only that, but CNET also reports that Google has said that there will be versions of the Nexus One coming out in the spring for Verizon (which Google and Verizon mentioned at the Nexus One launch) and possibly Sprint as well.
So are you pumped for the Nexus One coming to a network near you? Or are you satisfied with your current phone? Let us know in the comments.
Google Officially Announces the Nexus One– All the Info You Need to Know January 5, 2010
Posted by Eli Blumenthal in : Cell Phones , add a comment
Well, after loads of teasing over the last month or so, Google today finally came out and officially announced their own phone– the Nexus One. As it turns out a lot of those inital rumors were in fact spot on, but that’s not to say Google didn’t have some new surprises to show off today.
More Details on the Nexus One Leak Out January 1, 2010
Posted by Eli Blumenthal in : Cell Phones, Google, Rumors , add a comment
A clear shot of the Nexus One, and Google’s site for the phone.
Remember the Nexus One, you know Google’s true “Google Phone“? A whole bunch of new info just came out on this highly anticipated phone, and while it doesn’t answer all the questions about the phone (no full confirmation on specs), it does seem to answer a fair share of them.
The most significant revelation is in terms of which networks will be carrying this phone and the available plans. Unlike previous rumors, Gizmodo and other sites are reporting that while the phone will be sold unlocked without a contract from Google’s site directly for a steep $530, it will have T-Mobile 3G (and only T-Mobile and Europe 3G, not AT&T), and will give the option to purchase the phone at a dramatically subsidized $180 on 2 year contract with T-Mobile. However, only one plan appears to be currently available: $79.99 for 500 minutes, and unlimited text, and web. So if you’re on a family plan, your gonna need to buy the phone for the $530 unlocked price, which is something we honestly cannot believe is the only option, especially if Google and T-Mobile actually want to move a lot of phones.
But that’s not all. If you buy the phone on contract and decide to cancel your service within 120 days of service, you will either have to return the phone to Google, or you’ll need to pay the remaining the $350.
On the hardware front, the leaked info also talks about a home-and-car kit (you know, perfect for using this as your car’s GPS with Android’s Google Maps Navigation), and the originally leaked pix of the phone also appear to be the real deal. As for name and release, word is that Google will be calling this the Nexus One, and all the official details should be made really soon, as Google has scheduled an Android-related press conference for Tuesday of next week.
Technically this is all still rumors, but don’t worry– whatever Google’s got planned and unveils next week, we’ll make sure your kept up to date.
Pix and info from Gizmodo and Engadget
Ask TeenTechBlog: What Does “Unlocked” and “Jailbroken” Mean? December 2, 2009
Posted by Eli Blumenthal in : Apple, Ask TeenTechBlog, Cell Phones , 7commentsAsk TeenTechBlog is where we try to answer your questions on technology– from computer problems, to cell phone questions and everything in between.
What does it mean to “unlock” your iPhone?
Here’s a question we’ve been getting a lot lately: “if I unlock my iPhone will it work for Verizon/Sprint? It should, right, because it’s unlocked?” Sorry anxious reader, just because your iPhone is unlocked doesn’t mean it will work for you on Verizon and Sprint.
Let me explain.
New AT&T and T-Mobile Phones for the Holidays November 19, 2009
Posted by Eli Blumenthal in : Cell Phones, Google , 1 comment so far
So Verizon has announced their loaded holiday phone lineup a few days ago, but what about AT&T and T-Mobile? For sure they got some new phones ready to spend some holiday cheer with right? Of course they do, and we’re talking some really nice ones– like new BlackBerrys, and even a new Samsung Behold 2 and LG Shine 2. What you waiting for, hit the link and get to it!