T-Mobile has released a new version of the myTouch 3G. It now offers more memory, twice as much storage, and a more standard headphone jack, but the price for this Android OS-based smartphones stays the same.

The new version — which goes under the same name as its predecessor — is bundled with an 8 GB microSD memory card, while its predecessor came with a 4 GB one. It also has more RAM than the original: 288 MB.

Instead of using the mini-USB slot for its headphones, the updated myTouch 3G has a standard 3.5 mm headset jack.

In addition, T-Mobile has added some software, most notably Swype, a system designed to make it easier for users to enter text on the touchscreen.

Aside from these changes, though, this new version is essentially identical to its predecessor.

An overview of the T-Mobile myTouch 3G
This model has tablet shape with a 3.2-inch HVGA Touchscreen and a trackball on its front.  For text input, it depends on a virtual keyboard, which can change orientation automatically from portrait to landscape mode, depending on how it is held.

With the name “myTouch 3G” it’s no surprise that this phone supports T-Mobile’s high-speed network; it also has Wi-Fi and Bluetooth.

The Android OS was created by Google, and has strong ties to this company’s online services for email, calendar, navigation, and more.

Other consumer-friendly features in the myTouch 3G include a multimedia player, built-in 3.2-megapixel camera, and more. To make full use of these features, the myTouch 3G comes with a GPS receiver and an 8 GB microSD memory card for storing music, videos, and images.

It is available in three colors: black, white and red.

Pricing & Availability
The T-Mobile myTouch 3G sell for $150. Naturally, getting this price requires a two-year service contract.

Although this carrier says it is launching the new version today, it is currently listed as “Coming Soon” on its website.

For more information or to place an order, go to T-Mobile’s website.

[via BrightHand]

Either 2.0 or 2.0.1 are being polished at the moment, it seems

Early adopters of Google’s Android operating system, namely the owners of a T-mobile G1 handset, might have a new reason to rejoice, it seems. According to the latest news around the Internet, there are great chances that the Android 2.0 operating system will make an appearance on their mobile phones, and there are also great chances that they will receive the Android 2.0.1 flavor of the platform.

This is a rumor that might stand up in the end. As many of you might already know, the G1 was said at a certain point in the past to be only eligible for an update to the Android 1.5 (Cupcake) iteration, while the Android 1.6 (Donut) flavor was said to be too big to fit on G1’s internal memory. However, Android 1.6 went just fine with G1, and there are great chances that 2.0 (Eclair) will also fit the handset’s flash memory.

According to the guys over at AndroidSPIN, there is no doubt that the T-Mobile G1 will enjoy an update to Android 2.0 or 2.0.1in the near future. There are no details available on the source of the rumor, yet they say that an OTA update is currently being polished for the device (for what it’s worth T-Mobile has been rumored before to be working on 2.0 updates for its Android devices).

“It has been confirmed that T-Mobile is releasing an Eclair update for the T-Mobile G1. The update will be at least Android 2.0 but more likely Android 2.0.1 as both versions have already been prepared as OTA updates. An anonymous source of ours has confirmed that both the Android 2.0 and the Android 2.0.1 are in the hands of some very fortunate people. Nothing can be released just yet due to Non Disclosure reasons,” AndroidSPIN notes.

The T-Mobile G1 was the first Android device on the market, and a wide range of updates were delivered to it, bringing forth numerous enhancements, but it is rather uncertain whether its owners will be receiving other updates too in the future. In case Android 2.0 is indeed on its way to the G1, it will receive a warm welcome from the handset’s users, that’s for sure.

[via Softpedia]

Google’s Android OS is featured on three of the five devices making up T-Mobile’s holiday lineup. Previously introduced but not yet available, they’re the Cliq, the Behold II and a special Fender version of the myTouch. The Tap and Nokia 3711 round out the list.

T-Mobile has unveiled its holiday lineup—never mind those two pesky major holidays still to come—and it includes the Google Android–equipped myTouch 3G Fender Limited Edition, Samsung Behold II and Motorola Cliq, as well as the T-Mobile Tap and Nokia 3711.

As fans of “The Ellen Show” will discover, on Oct. 7 T-Mobile will additionally debut a BlackBerry Curve 8520 in white. (Cue winter wonderland references.)

The newbies on the list are the T-Mobile Tap and the Nokia 3711. The latter is an affordably priced, clamshell feature phone. It supports T-Mobile’s 3G network and Web browsing via T-Mobile’s Web2go. There’s built-in GPS, a 2-megapixel camera with video capture, stereo Bluetooth, and support for e-mail and instant messaging. The 3711 runs the Series 40 operating system and will be available in a shade called “sable” in the coming weeks.

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The Tap is a touch-screen phone geared toward Web browsing, via T-Mobile’s web2goSM service, and enjoying multimedia apps. It features a 2-megapixel camera with video, stereo Bluetooth, GPS for use with services from TeleNav, and support for e-mail, SMS, MMS and IM. It will arrive later in the year in berry and midnight blue finishes.

Among the powerhouses in the lineup is the Android-running myTouch 3G Fender Limited Edition, a take on the myTouch that features a guitar-inspired wood-grain finish, a preinstalled 16GB microSD card and a 3.5mm headset jack for rocking out to the preloaded video and audio clips by “iconic musicians,” according to T-Mobile.  

It offers all the features and services of the myTouch—images and a side-by-side comparison with the Touch Pro 2, also from HTC, can be seen here—which, of course, includes access to Google’s Android Market. According to T-Mobile, the number of app offerings in the store is now in excess of 10,000. The 3G Fender will arrive “later this year,” according to T-Mobile, for a not-yet-disclosed price.

Also running Android is the Samsung Behold II, which was first introduced to the world Oct. 5. It features a 3.2-inch AMOLED touch screen; Samsung’s cube menu, with its quick access to six apps; and Samsung’s TouchWiz user interface, which offers a choice of three home screens and the ability to customize them with shortcuts and widgets. Included is 3G and Wi-Fi data connectivity, a 5-megapixel camera, and an interface to Amazon’s MP3 store.

It’s the first Android phone available jointly from Samsung and T-Mobile, and pricing and arrival information are still to come.

Completing the lineup, and also running Android, is the Motorola Cliq—to view a slideshow, click here—which Motorola introduced with much fanfare Sept. 10.

The Cliq features a 3.1-inch HVGA full touch-screen display and is the first Android phone with MotoBlur. This social networking functionality collects contact information from all aspects of the device—including calls, work and personal e-mail accounts, Facebook, photos and more—and syncs and streams them together.

Cliq will be available to T-Mobile customers on Oct. 19, in either winter white or titanium, for $199.99 with a two-year contract. The rest of the country can pick one up beginning Nov. 2.

“We’re thrilled with the assortment of devices this holiday season, particularly the numerous Android-powered phones with features that range from personalization to premiere music experiences to multimedia entertainment and social networking,” said Todd Warren, T-Mobile director of product marketing, in a statement.

T-Mobile has reported it is upgrading its 3G network across the majority of its coverage areas to the HSPA 7.2 standard, and that by the end of 2009 it expects to cover more than 200 million customers.

By Michelle Maisto

[via eWeek]

On Sunday, T-Mobile continued its commitment to the Open Handset Alliance and introduced its fourth Google Android device, the Samsung Behold II.

The Behold II is scheduled to launch later this year, though a specific release date and pricing were not announced at this time. It’s the first Android smartphone by Samsung to be released in the United States and joins the carrier’s other Google devices, which include T-Mobile G1, the T-Mobile MyTouch 3G, and the upcoming Motorola Cliq.

Just like HTC and Motorola, Samsung has put its own spin on the Android operating system by using its next-generation TouchWiz interface, which allows you customized three different home screens with various widgets and shortcuts. In addition, the Behold II features a “cube menu” that provides access to six multimedia features: music, photos, videos, the Web, YouTube, and Amazon MP3. You can interact with all of these features through the smartphone’s 3.2-inch AMOLED touch screen.

Other highlights of the Samsung Behold II include Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 2.1, GPS, a 5-megapixel camera, and up 16GB expandable memory via the microSD slot. Samsung stated that the smartphone follows on the success of its Samsung Behold and takes it to the next level with the addition of Android, bringing support for Google services and Exchange ActiveSync.

While a specific availability date wasn’t released, T-Mobile said the Behold II will arrive in time for the holidays. The carrier’s other upcoming Android smartphone, the Motorola Cliq, will be in stores starting November 2 for $199.99 with a two-year contract.

by Bonnie Cha

[via cnet]

T-Mobile has started sending out Android 1.6 to its customers in an over the air update. The rollout is staggered and occurring over several weeks. You can stare at your phone endlessly waiting for the download or you can manually download it yourself.

We have discovered the file for the T-Mobile G1 which updates your phone to Android 1.6. This file is being hosted by Google so I don’t think anyone will complain about distributing it.

For the full list of Android 1.6 highlights, visit the official Google Android site.

If you have a T-Mobile myTouch 3G, please be patient while we wait for the download link to be discovered.

Method A – My G1 has the official T-Mobile version of Android 1.5

Read first: This method is for people running an official T-Mobile USA version of Android. You will be downloading the official update file from Google and manually installing it on your phone. The update file is the exact file that is being sent to phones over the air, but this method allows you to manually download it (instead of sitting there waiting).

Warning: Some developers have not updated their apps to be compatible with Android 1.6 yet. Check your favorite apps to make sure they have been updated and contact the developer if they have not.

Warning 2: If you have a home replacement app that does not support Android 1.6 you may get stuck in a force close loop. You can boot into safe mode and uninstall the offending app. Hold down Power+Menu when turning on the phone and keep holding down both buttons until the phone boots in safe mode. You can then go to Settings > Manage applications to uninstall the app.

1. Download T-Mobile Android 1.6 (DRC83) from Google. (Search Google for “signed-kila-DRC83-from-CRC1.c41b93c1.zip” if the link is removed)
2. Copy the downloaded file to your phone’s SD card. (Advanced users only: Use the command “adb push signed-kila-DRC83-from-CRC1.c41b93c1.zip /sdcard/update.zip”)
3. Rename the downloaded file to update.zip (Make sure you can see the file extension. Many users make the mistake of naming the file update.zip.zip)
4. Reboot your phone into recovery mode. Power off the phone first and then hold down the Home key while powering it back on.
5. The recovery mode is finished loading when you see the ! mark inside the triangle. Press Alt+L  to display the list of options.
6. Press Alt+S to flash the file update.zip.
7. Wait for the update to apply. Your phone may reboot during this process so be patient.
8. Press Home+Back if prompted to reboot your phone.

Verify: When the update is complete you can double-check your version of Android by going to Settings > About phone.

Method B – My G1 has a hacked version of Android currently installed

Read first: This method is for people running any hacked version of Android. Installing the official T-Mobile version of Android 1.6 will wipe your phone and you will lose root access. This is for people who wish to return to the latest default install of Android.

Warning: Some developers have not updated their apps to be compatible with Android 1.6 yet. Check your favorite apps to make sure they have been updated and contact the developer if they have not.

Step 1: Downgrade to RC29

• Download the file DREAIMG-RC29.zip (Search Google if this link is removed)
• Unzip the file DREAIMG.nbh and copy it to your SD card home directory.
• Power off your phone first and then hold down the camera button while powering it back on.
• When prompted, press the power button to begin the downgrade. Wait for it to finish and display the rainbow screen. Press Talk+Menu+Power to reboot your phone (or just pop your battery out once the downgrade has finished)

Step 2: Upgrade to Android 1.5 CRB43

• Download the file signed-kila-ota-148830.de6a94ca.zip (Search Google if this link is removed)
• Rename the file to update.zip and copy it to your SD card (Advanced users only: Use the command “adb push signed-kila-ota-148830.de6a94ca.zip /sdcard/update.zip”)
• Reboot your phone into recovery mode. Power off the phone first and then hold down the Home key while powering it back on.
• The recovery mode is finished loading when you see the ! mark inside the triangle. Press Alt+L  to display the list of options.
• Press Alt+S to flash the file update.zip.
• Wait for the update to apply. Your phone may reboot during this process so be patient.
• Press Home+Back if prompted to reboot your phone.

Step 3: Upgrade to Android 1.5 CRC1

• Download the file signed-kila-CRC1-from-CRB43-FIX.7ca4a1d7.zip (Search Google if link is removed)
• Repeat the steps from above to flash the update file.

Step 4: Upgrade to Android 1.6 DRC83

• Download the file signed-kila-DRC83-from-CRC1.c41b93c1.zip (Search Google if this link is removed)
• Repeat the steps from above to flash the update file.

Verify: When the update is complete you can double-check your version of Android by going to Settings > About phone.

[Thanks Justin for the link]

By Taylor Wimberly

[via Android and Me]

T-Mobile has demonstrated the first pay-as-you-go Android handset to go on sale in the UK.

The Pulse, which is manufactured by Huawei, was announced on Thursday. Huawei is best known in the UK for manufacturing mobile broadband dongles for operators such as T-Mobile, and the Pulse marks its entry into the British handset market.

“The T-Mobile Pulse represents another Android milestone from T-Mobile,” said Nicola Shenton, who currently heads the operator’s handset business in the UK, in a statement. “We introduced the first Android handset, the T-Mobile G1, to the UK back in October 2008, launched our second handset, the G2 Touch, earlier this year and now we’re opening up Android-based smartphones to a whole new type of mobile user with the first handset on pay-as-you-go.”

“We predicted back in June that we expected one in five T-Mobile mobile internet users will have Android-powered devices by the end of the year, and the launch of the T-Mobile Pulse is a major step in making this a reality,” she added.

The pay-as-you-go T-Mobile Pulse will go on sale in the UK in October at ?180. Contract pricing is yet to be announced.

[via CNET]

Transmedia launches its Glide Engage microblogging and collaboration application for the T-Mobile G1 smartphone, based on Google’s Android mobile operating system. Transmedia CEO Donald Leka said Apple’s inconsistent iPhone App Store policies and the fact that Glide Engage will compete with Apple’s MobileMe and iTunes store mean Transmedia has to be careful about what it launches on the iPhone.

Transmedia CEO and Chairman Donald Leka isn’t buying the recent talk about the Apple iPhone being superior to the T-Mobile G1 based on Google’s Android mobile operating system. Leka uses both the iPhone and the G1 and said he finds the G1 superior for Web browsing.

Weighing that fact and Apple’s unpredictable iPhone App Store policies regarding competing applications, Transmedia Aug. 18 launched the first mobile version of its Glide Engage social networking and mobile collaboration application for the G1 smartphone. Glide Engage does a lot, but most notably it enables microblogging up to 1,400 characters, a stab at Twitter’s 140-character cap for messaging.

Transmedia’s choice of the G1 as the launch pad for Glide Engage is significant because it flies in the face of some developer anecdotes that the G1 is an inferior device to the iPhone. Although Apple has sold millions of iPhones, the device is supported by an App Store marred by inconsistent policies that have led to the expulsion of some applications.

In the most high-profile case, Apple allowed some third-party Google Voice call management applications to run on the iPhone, but yanked them from the App Store. Apple also rejected Google’s submission of a Google Voice application for the iPhone App Store.

Transmedia has supported the iPhone since its inception two years ago, letting iPhone users create Microsoft Word and PDF documents, edit photos and other tasks from the Glide Operating System. But business is business, and Leka believes the best business is to go with the G1 first.

Leka told eWEEK the Google Voice issue, currently under investigation by the Federal Communications Commission, the open-source nature of Android, and the G1’s nimble Web browsing were a few of the reasons he and his staff chose to release Glide Engage for the G1 first.

“The Android phone is just a great Web phone,” Leka told eWEEK. “I carry an Android phone and I carry an iPhone, but for Web browsing I just find the Android phone to be a better Web browsing phone.”

However, he admitted another reason that proves more pragmatic than philosophical. Glide Engage aims to compete with Apple’s MobileMe service, which pushes e-mail, contacts and calendar events over the air to all Apple devices, and potentially down the road with Apple’s iTunes store and social networking plans.

“We’re a small company, so we can’t release something that Apple arbitrarily rejects and then we’ve lost our development dollars,” Leka told eWEEK, adding that he wants to establish a foothold for Glide Engage in the mobile market before submitting an iPhone version for approval to Apple.

Glide Engage is a rights-based social networking and macro- or micro-blogging service. The fat character cap on the app’s microblogging feature means people can use it to share documents, images and other files.

In describing this capability, Leka also claimed Glide Engage is a bit like “bringing Google Wave to the Android platform before Google does it,” because it lets users start with a post, then add editable links to documents and photos. Users can also easily upgrade their microblogging collaboration to a video conference on the fly.

Glide Engage is also integrated with the Glide OS’s productivity and collaboration application suite and file storage solution, allowing users to create and share documents, spreadsheets and presentations.

Glide Engage, which features 10 gigabytes of free storage, can be downloaded here for the G1, but will eventually be rolled out for RIM’s Blackberry, the Palm Pre, Symbian and Windows Mobile. That doesn’t mean the app will never grace the iPhone.

Leka said a version of the Glide Engage application for the iPhone is nearly complete and will be submitted to Apple for approval.

The mobile version of Glide Engage comes a week after Transmedia rolled out the desktop version, which can be downloaded here.

[via eWeek]