Thursday, August 6, 2009

T-Mobile Launches HTC myTouch 3G, Along with Skydivers

myTouch 3G is now available on the T-Mobile network, making it the carrier’s second smartphone to feature the Google Android operating system. To emphasize the attention-grabbing device’s options for individuality, T-Mobile arranged an attention-grabbing stunt of its own.

The HTC myTouch 3G officially became available on the T-Mobile network Aug. 5. The smartphone — T-Mobile’s answer to AT&T’s exclusive hold on the Apple iPhone and Sprint’s claim to the Palm Pre — features the Google Android operating system.

It’s the second smartphone on the T-Mobile network to feature the Android OS, which continues to grow in popularity and attract developer interest. The first was the G1, also made by HTC, and which T-Mobile has sold more than 1 million of since the device’s October debut.

The myTouch 3G offers a 3.2-inch HVGA touch-screen and — like the iPhone, but unlike the G1 — relies on an on-screen qwerty keyboard instead of a physical slide-out one.

The myTouch measures 4.5 by 2.2 by 0.5 inches, has a 3.2-megapixel camera with options for sharing images with a single click, a 4GB microSD card slot, a trackball for additional navigation help and features integrated tools for Google Search, Google Map and Gmail.

A full spec sheet is strangely difficult to come by, with T-Mobile instead emphasizing all the ways users can personalize the device, both with apps on the inside and decorative “shells” around the exterior.

To emphasize all this individuality, in fact, T-Mobile hired 100 skydivers, “each dressed as unique personalities to reflect the individuality of the myTouch experience,” said the carrier in a statement, which will parachute over San Francisco at noon Pacific time on Aug. 5.

“myTouch 3G can be personalized to wholly reflect your individuality, pride and passion, making it ‘100 percent you,’” said T-Mobile’s Denny Marie Post in a statement.

“We’ll help this [idea] come to life from the get-go at our retail stores, where unique sample personas will be displayed to illustrate some of the many customization options.”

The myTouch 3G is available at T-Mobile retail stores, and eventually also Radio Shack locations, in white, black and merlot for $199 with a two-year service contract.

In other news, should you want to protect your customized myTouch 3G shell, a company called BodyGuardz also announced Aug. 5 that it added the myTouch to the list of devices for which it offers transparent protective films.

According to BodyGuardz, the films contain an antibacterial mold inhibitor and an anti-corrosion compound. According to a statement from the company, the films are made from the “same indestructible film typically used to shield the fronts of automobiles from abrasive elements and environmental impact.”

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