T-Mobile myTouch Slide Android Phone, Red (T-Mobile) Review

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(More customer reviews)After using this phone for almost a week now, I'm soo excited. This is one piece of device that is the best I've ever owned apart from my iPod Touch which I had for over a year. I needed an upgrade from my previous flip-phone that I had for a couple of years. Some of the reasons why I wanted a new phone are that I needed a phone with a good camera, applications to jot down appointments/notes, text messages with a full keyboard, a good sized screen for internet use, and something similar and as fast as my iPod touch. And let to you, this phone has and does all these features just fine. Let me start off with the Pros and Cons:
Pros -
- Customize interface to your liking
- 3.4" screen with trackpad
- Android 2.1 (latest)
- EXCELLENT 5MP camera (with LED flash)
- A full QWERTY keyboard
- Great video
- Many great applications
- Fast internet 3G/wifi
- 8GB memory
- EXCELLENT call quality
- Good speaker
- GPS system
- A total of 7 home/leap screens
- 600MHz processor
- Swype activated
- Genius button (voice commands)
- 3.5mm headphone jack
- Bluetooth 2.1 with stereo bluetooth support
- Slick, clean, beautiful design (solid build quality)
- Cool weather animations **
- Use as a USB Storage
- And much more...
Cons -
- A little expense at $179.99 (through T-Mobile)
- No phone case or screen protector
- Battery is ok but not bad
I came across this phone which came out on June 2 and I had done my research even before it came out. Wasn't too crazy about at first but when I went to the T-Mobile store few weeks ago just to look at it, I loved it. First off, I was surprised at how small it was compared to looking at it on video and picture reviews online (these things usually happen anyway). I liked that fact that it was surprisingly fast, I did not experience any lags or slow downs AT ALL and still don't. Also, the display is big, bright at 3.4 inches, and colors are vivid. I wanted a phone just like my iPod Touch mainly in its speed and the screen being in a decent size and actually got something better then what I expected.
There are too many features to cover but I'll do the important ones that everyone wants to know:
BUILD QUALITY: The phone is made out of a hard plastic with a high gloss finish which makes it look and feel expensive; although, it does attract finger prints. There are metal/aluminum elements such as the myTouch logo, the surfaces around the camera and flash lens on the back, and the camera button on the side of the phone. The phone on a whole, including buttons feel very solid.
SPEAKERPHONE: The speakerphone on this device is not the best I've heard compared to Blackberrys, being the best, but it is acceptable.
CALL QUALITY: Call quality is EXCELLENT. Loud, clear, no static, you name it, it's excellent.
KEYBOARD AND TOUCHPAD: Now, this is my first phone with a full keyboard but from using the Motorola CLIQ's keyboard in the T-Mobile store I preferred the myTouch 3g Slide's. The buttons/keys are nice and spaced out, and firm and very easy to press. A touchpad/trackpad is also included (located on the bottom of the screen) that can be used to navigate through the phone in addition to the touch screen. You can press on it for "Enter/Ok" gestures.
CAMERA: I was afraid that the camera quality wasn't going to be good because the fact that I'd experienced poor quality images off the HTC HD2. But the camera on this baby blows the HTC HD2's out the water. The picture quality is another EXCELLENT. I had a regular 5MP Canon Camera that took great pictures and I can easily compare this to that. I am really impressed. CNET has this phones camera quality as subpar, when really, it's excellent. Go try it out for yourself at your nearest T-Mobile store and you'll see.
BATTERY LIFE: Battery life is good but not best. From using apple products, you get used to long lasting battery life. But this phone does a good job for what it is. It is a phone with a big screen, so if you plan on using this phone with heavy usage - browsing the internet, making a lot of calls, playing games, etc., you need a charger with you on the road. However, this phone can last you all day if you're just a simple user, such as myself, just making several calls, browsing the internet and texting. It all just comes down to what and how you'll be using this phone. Another thing is that you can control the screen's brightness in three levels. I usually have mine on the lowest which reduces the battery life considerably well. The only problem is that when you're outdoors when the sun is bright, you may want to increase the screens brightness, but if you're indoors then it's fine. This would definitely be a great alternative to help you save battery life.
INTERFACES: The interface on this phone basically lets you customize your own phone to your liking. You have many apps on the phone and you can place them anywhere on your screen(s), whether you want them as little icons or as a big viewable icon with animations such as the clock, whether, pictures, message inboxes, etc. and they all look very cool. Icons can even be placed in sections on one screen. In addition, you have the option to add a total of 7 Home/Leap screens and all can be viewed simultaneously. Pretty cool!
INTERNET 3G/WI-FI: Browsing the internet on this phone is awesome, whether it's 3g or wi-fi, it does an excellent job. Its very sooth, smoother than my iPod Touch which is surprising and it's very fast browsing from page to page. Rotating the screen to change viewing position is at ease, no lags or cracks. I'm on the internet daily on this phone and can't get over how fast it is.
APPS: In this phone you have many apps that are included such as genius, GPS, MP3 Store, Peep, PDF Viewer, Quickoffice, and much more. They have the "Market Place" app, where you can purchase any apps and even "Free" apps in any category you desire. Apps are very easy to download. If you're familiar with apple products, such as iPhone or iPod Touch, you'll know exactly how to use this.
SPEED/PROCESSOR: The speed on this phone is awesome at 600MHz. It may not have the full 1GHz processor but I guarantee you that this phone will impress you. Their no lags, no slow downs, or freezes like you'll experience on other phones such as the Motorola CLIQ. This phone is fast just like my iPod Touch.
NEGATIVES: You would think HTC would include either a case or a screen protector for an expensive phone like they do for their other products. So now I have to waste more money for a case and screen protector. Another thing is the price, it's $[...] after rebate and that's if you buy it through T-Mobile which is a little expensive if you ask me, but you can get a better deal else where.
ANOTHER GREAT FEATURE: When you press to answer a call and as you place your ear/faces next to the phone, the screen will automatically shut off to avoid misguided touch on the touch screen interface. In addition, the phone will turn on when ear/faces is away from the phone. Pretty cool!
Overall, I think this is an awesome phone, probably is T-Mobile's best; and I would definitely recommend this to anyone who's a Student, Business Professional, or anyone who wants a phone with an excellent camera.
I will update this review as I experience more.

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Updating the original myTouch 3G with a roomy slide-out QWERTY keyboard and the latest version of the Android operating system (version 2.1), the T-Mobile myTouch 3G Slide mobile phone also offers a variety of unique new features to help you connect more easily with friends and family. Enabled for T-Mobile's high-speed 3G network, the myTouch 3G Slide offers fast data delivery and an enhanced Web-browsing experience that lets you connect quickly to social networking sites.

Similar in design to the original, the myTouch 3G Slide has a 3.4-inch touchscreen display and a five-pane home screen (with the option to increase to seven panes) that provides plenty of screen real estate for apps and widgets. In addition to the virtual keyboard, the myTouch 3G Slide also includes a slide-out full QWERTY keyboard that makes typing longer messages a breeze.

With integrated Google technology, the myTouch 3G Slide brings one-touch access to the popular Google mobile services millions use every day, including Google Search by voice, Google Maps with Street View, Gtalk, YouTube, Picasa, and contacts/calendar synchronization. The myTouch 3G Slide also provides easy access to both personal and corporate e-mail, calendars, and contacts supported by Exchange Server and Gmail. And through Android Market, you'll get access to thousands of useful applications, widgets and fun games to download and install on your phone, with many more apps being added every day.

The myTouch 3G Slide offers GPS location services for turn-by-turn directions using Google Maps and Wi-Fi networking (802.11b/g) for accessing home and business networks as well as hotspots while on the go. Other features include a fast 600 Mhz processor, 5-megapixel camera/camcorder with LED flash, included 8 GB microSD memory card (with expansion support up to 32 GB), Bluetooth for both hands-free communication and stereo music streaming, a digital audio player, and up to 4 hours of talk time.

T-Mobile WOW Family Features
With the myTouch 3G Slide, T-Mobile introduces an innovative software suite of WOW Family Features, which includes the following:

Faves Gallery presents up to 20 of your favorite people and the different ways to communicate with them--calls, texts, e-mail, instant messaging, social networking updates--in a dedicated application accessible through a soft button and an easy-to-use widget complete with photos, contact information and one-touch ability to respond.
All of your Faves get special status on your myTouch 3G Slide; anytime they communicate with you or update their social network you get a notification in the notification pane. Even if you're not using your phone, a custom green light lets you know you've got a communication waiting from one of your Faves. And you can respond directly from the Faves Gallery, without launching e-mail or other applications, so you connect more quickly and more often with the important people in your life.
myModes helps you draw the line between work and home by creating different themes with home screen apps, widgets and wallpapers to empower people in the different roles they play each day. You can set myModes to switch at a designated time, by location, or manually with the option to create and store up to 10 customized modes.
Want to forget about work on the weekend? No need to hide your work phone or switch to another device; just put away your work tools, like e-mail and your calendar by switching modes, and bring forward all the things you love to do on Saturday.
With Genius Button voice commands (powered by Dragon Dictation from Nuance Communications), pressing the easy-to-access button on the front of the myTouch 3G Slide allows you to access a variety of voice commands. Press the button, speak the command, and control such features as making a call, composing and sending texts and e-mails, and searching the Web or your surroundings. It will even read text messages aloud, and lets you dictate responses naturally as if you were speaking directly to a person.


Key Features
Powered by the Android operating system with deep integration of Google services and access to thousands of apps to customize your phone via the Android Market.
Fast 3G connectivity via T-Mobile's HSDPA/UMTS network. (1700/2100 MHz bands, UMTS/HSDPA; see more about T-Mobile's 3G service below)
Quad-band GSM phone for good global voice connectivity. (850/900/1800/1900 MHz bands)
3.2-inch touchscreen display (480 x 320 pixels, 262K colors) with customizable, intuitive home screen.
Slide-out full QWERTY keyboard with built-in familiar layout lets you type messages easily without searching for the letter you want. Also includes virtual on-screen keyboard.
Built-in GPS with turn-by-turn directions provided by Google Maps and other third-party apps (for real-time directions). With Google Maps, you can instantly view maps and satellite imagery, as well as find local business. And Google Maps Street View enables you to explore cities at street-level virtually while on the go.
5-megapixel camera with video capture capabilities and LED flash
Bluetooth connectivity (version 2.1) includes profiles for communication headset, hands-free car kits, and the A2DP Bluetooth profile--enabling you to wirelessly stream your music to a pair of compatible Bluetooth stereo headphones or speaker dock.
Wi-Fi networking (802.11b/g) for accessing home and corporate networks as well as hotspots while on the go.
8 GB pre-loaded microSD memory card with support for optional cards up to 32 GB.
Multi-format digital audio player
YouTube app for streaming video over 3G and Wi-Fi connections.
Rich HTML e-mail application seamlessly syncs your e-mail, calendar and contacts from Gmail as well as most other POP3 or IMAP e-mail services. The Gmail application provides features such as conversation view, spam filtering, search, and labels that Gmail users enjoy on their computer while offering new features such as integration with the phone's contact list. And it multitasks, so you can read a Web page while also downloading your e-mail in the background.
Full HTML Web browser enables you to view more pages and enjoy better Web content delivered efficiently to your phone.
Instant messaging support for Google Talk, as well as AOL, Yahoo! Messenger and Windows Live Messenger. It also supports advanced text messaging features, enabling you to easily flag, delete or move groups of messages and keep track of group conversations through threaded text messaging.
Text (SMS) and picture/video (MMS) messaging
Google Calendar app syncs with the Web-based version, so any event that you add to your phone will show up on the Web-based Google Calendar (and vice versa).
Organizer tools including calendar, calculator, and tasks.
Airplane mode allows you to listen to music while the cellular connectivity is turned off.

Vital Statistics The myTouch 3G Slide weighs 5.9 ounces and measures 2.3 x 4.5 x 0.6 inches. Its 1300 mAh lithium-ion battery is rated at up to 4 hours of talk time, and up to 144 hours (6 days) of standby time. It runs on the 850/900/1800/1900 MHz GSM/GPRS/EDGE frequencies, as well as T-Mobile's 3G network (1700/2100 MHz).
What's in the Box myTouch 3G Slide handset, rechargeable battery, charger, USB cable, 8 GB microSD memory card, wired stereo headphones, quick start guide

T-Mobile Services
High-Speed Data Connectivity via T-Mobile's 3G Network
In addition to its quad-band GSM connectivity, this phone is also compatible with T-Mobile's UMTS/HSDPA 3G network, which operates on the 1700/2100 MHz AWS spectrum. This phone is designed to automatically connect to the best available network (3G or GSM/GPRS/EDGE) to provide faster data speeds when accessing the Web.

In areas where the 3G network is not available, you'll continue to receive service on the via T-Mobile's EDGE network (which stands for "Enhanced Data Rates for Global Evolution"). This high-speed, mobile data and Internet access technology is fast enough to support a wide range of advanced data services (with average data speeds between 75-135Kbps), including full picture and video messaging, high-speed color Internet access, and e-mail on the go.

While this phone is optimized for use with T-Mobile's high-speed 3G network, many of its functions will also work well on the moderate-speed EDGE network. If you plan to access the Internet extensively on your phone, 3G network coverage may serve you best.

Activities that work well on EDGE or 3G networks:

E-mail, instant messaging, and texting
Downloading ringtones, CallerTunes, wallpaper, light data files
Sending photographs via e-mail or picture messaging

Activities that work best on a 3G network:
Viewing content-heavy websites (lots of images or videos playing)
Viewing YouTube and other video files (they will play on EDGE, but require loading time)
Uploading large files (photos, videos, presentations) to sharing websites
Downloading large files from an e-mail or a website

T-Mobile's 3G network is currently available in more than 220 cities nationwide and covers more than 160 million people.

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