Android 2.2 coming to the full myTouch 3G range

TmoNews has it on good authority that the entire line of myTouch 3G devices -- the original, the 3.5mm jack update, and the Slide -- will get upgraded with Android 2.2, as evidenced by a fascinating shot of a pamphlet the site has posted. Users of the older devices will also get the same Genius Button functionality that was just rolled out on the Slide, along with the updated Faves app and full Microsoft Exchange support, breathing new life into a phone that first saw life as the Magic well over a year ago. We don't have a timeframe for the updates other than that they're "coming soon," so we'll keep an eye out.

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T-Mobile myTouch 3G Slide coming June 2 for $180

So T-Mobile's myTouch 3G Slide -- the QWERTY-enabled version of the venerable myTouch 3G -- has been priced and dated, and we're happy to see that "expected to be available in June" has turned out to mean the very beginning of the month; June 2, to be exact, in your choice of red, white, or black. What makes us less happy, though, is the notion of paying $179.99 after a $50 mail-in rebate for an Android device that now has the unenviable job of lying in the massive shadow created by the brilliant EVO 4G. Granted, the two phones are for very different carriers, but that doesn't really excuse T-Mobile from offering up a phone with a lower-class processor, 40 percent of the screen resolution, and three megapixels lopped off the camera for just $30 less upfront, does it? Time for some serious price correction across the smartphone landscape, wethinks.

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T-Mobile myTouch 3G Slide official: Android 2.1, QWERTY, coming in June (we go hands-on)

Hey, CLIQ, better check that rear-view mirror, because you've got an interesting competitor coming right up on your tail. T-Mobile is launching another midrange Android QWERTY slider -- some might argue the G1's true successor -- christened the myTouch 3G Slide (not quite the "myTouch Slide" we've been hearing for a few months) with a 3.4-inch HVGA display, 5 megapixel camera, and a pretty heavily-customized skin based on Android 2.1. How custom are we talking, exactly? Well, it's not quite like anything we've seen on a production Android device before, featuring a host of custom apps including the "Faves Gallery," a social aggregator for your most dearly beloved contacts; "myModes," a profile manager that can change the phone's themes and settings based on time or location; the Swype keyboard in place of Google's option; and the so-called "Genius Button," which seeks to extend Android's already decent voice command and text-to-speech systems by allowing you to do just about anything on the phone using your voice, hear messages read back to you, and so on. In the myTouch 3G tradition, the Slide will come in a selection of colors when it launches in June -- black, white, or red -- for a to-be-announced price. Check out T-Mobile's full press release along with our impressions of the device after the break

We had a chance to play around with the handset a bit, and there's quite a bit about it that's an improvement over previous T-Mobile Android offerings. For starters, the keyboard is actually quite good, and without having that annoying G1 chin to block your moves, typing seemed pretty natural. The UI is a bit like a mashup of Sense and stock Android, with a little featurephone thrown in for good measure -- it's clear the carrier wanted to make this welcoming to beginners, and it's mostly succeeded. One addition we liked was that your recent applications are now docked in the notification window, which makes getting back to business a little easier. There are also a handful of Sense widgets here (yay), and despite the lower resolution screen (boo), it did feel like a roomier experience than the previous myTouch. One other plus worth noting: the Genius Button and corresponding voice recognition (powered by Dragon Dictation) was some of the best we've played with, nailing complex text message dictation (including the word Engadget) on the first try. Honestly, it put Google's stock voice recognition to shame. On the downside, we're not sold on the styling of this phone -- it's a bit plasticky and over-styled -- and we suspect that the lack of a more modern CPU (the Slide has an older generation Qualcomm chip) is going to spell trouble just around the corner. Still, we're holding final judgment till we have a review unit in hand.

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T-Mobile myTouch 3G Fender Limited Edition sells out, next batch not due for a while

As much gentle ribbing as the Fender rebranding of T-Mobile's myTouch 3G has gotten, someone's obviously buying the blasted things because the carrier's been wiped clean of them -- all 17,250 units, according to TmoNews. Sure enough, a quick check of T-Mobile's site confirms that the device is listed as "temporarily out of stock," but the problem is that "temporarily" might be a hell of a wait -- it's being claimed that we won't see a fresh batch of these until April. Why the huge gap? It seems T-Mobile had to go back to HTC and place a second order for the phone, possibly a sign that even the carrier is shocked at the success of a year-old, warmed-over device with some fake wood and a corporate tie-in. Amazing what a little rock 'n roll can do, isn't it?

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T-Mobile myTouch 3G granted ultra-minor firmware update, too

The CLIQ isn't having all the Android over-the-air update fun today -- and unlike Motorola's little debacle, this upgrade looks like it's here to stay. The myTouch 3G has started receiving what appears to be the tiniest of cute little updates -- so tiny, in fact, that it fixes just one bug: a dodgy missed call indicator that wasn't showing up consistently. The bottom line is that you can't expect Android 2.0 or 2.1 here -- you'll still be at 1.6, and if you're intentionally not answering your phone, you may have actually preferred the bug anyhow. Let us know how your updates go, folks.

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