HTC myTouch 3G Fender Limited Edition - Red (Unlocked) Smartphone

This a review for T-Mobile's myTouch 3G Slide by HTC.

It is a nice middle of the line Android phone. You cannot compare the screen estate or raw crunching power to the top of the line Androids, but neither are you paying the premium price with this.

Nice things about it are that T-Mobile has promised to update it to the latest 2.2 version this year, although the 2.1 isn't bad either. And the HTC's Sense UI is actually very responsive. The keyboard is very nice keyboard too, a great improvement from the old G1's keyboard, but not quite at G2's level. The screen is bright and easy to read in the sunlight too. Although it does get greasy quite easily. I don't know how they manage to resist that in the iPhones, but they do it better. Albeit being a capasitive touch screen, its still not in par with the iPhone's, but well above any resistive screens I've tried. The camera is 5 Mpix autofocus with LED-light. It tends to overexpose a bit, which can be compensated manually though. The camera also shoots video at VGA resolution, 30 fps. It has the mandatory three buttons and a genius-button at the front, as well as a touch sensitive navigation butoon also, which I find mostly annoying. Naturally it has the volume-rocker and a dedicated camera button. Latter of which the iPhone is still missing. Unlike early myTouch's this does have a regular 3.5 mm audio jack again, and you charge/connect to computer it through a microUSB.

Like all Androids you have to be carefull what apps you install, as most of them seem to be done by pimple-faced teens who have no knowledge in proper program design. And as such these apps will hung your Android phone usually sooner than later, or simply just make it act funny. But with good quality apps designed and produced by professional crew, the phone is solid and responsive with the Android 2.1.

One gripe I do have about it though is the poor battery management. You have to keep on switching the Wifi, Bluetooth, GPS, 3G and syncing on and off manually to make it through a busy work day. This is something the iPhone has done so much better for years! I do hope that 2.2 will bring some sense into this too.

All in all I can recommend this phone as a reasonably priced Android phone. It does everything a high-end phone does at fraction of the cost. And best of all being a late model, it's supported by T-Mobile.

This is the 2nd "Dash" phone I've had. I usually choose it because it costs less than a Blackberry or Droid. In my opinion its not on the Droid's level but pretty close to the Blackberry Curve. It is a good 3G smart phone, screen is bright and clear and its wifi and video capability is very good. Screen is smaller than others (some) but very good quality and sharpness. It uses Windows Mobile, so it operates similar to a Windows PC-I think making it more easily usable for 1st time users. It features a massive amount of control-from wallpaper and fonts to the duration of display and back light timeouts. So far the battery life of this one is much better than the previous generation of the HTC Dash but might be an issue for this model after some age. My previous Dash had less than an 8 hour standby life-even w/o being used at all! This happened after about 6 months of ownership. Much less than my G/F's Blackberry or similar Motorolla battery. The only other critical thing I have to say about this model it the keypad is a bit harder to use because the buttons, even though larger than other phones, are more flat (rather than peaked/pointed) and makes hitting 2 keys by mistake more likely. They are almost flat and nearly touch adjacent keys. Its something I'll probably get used to over time. If this battery holds up better than previous models- I'd highly recommend this phone for anyone wanting a high level of performance for their money. At about 1/2 or 1/3 the cost of the latest and greatest smart phones (depending on if you get a deal with contract extension), I think its a great value. NOTE-T-Mobile WILL NOT sell you this phone w/o a data plan. This phone works perfect even w/o out it. So rather than getting roped into another 2 more years at a more expensive plan, I bought my Dash here on Ebay for under $100 (T-Mobile wants $80+2 year data plan (almost $200 w/o plan) so if you wanna keep a less expensive plan with your carrier but want more capability from your phone; this is the way to do it! With wi-fi so available in stores/restaurants, in your car is the biggest place where absent data plan is noticed. Oh and by the way-it features GPS and Google maps the work w/o the data plan.

So overall, it is one of the best "bang for your buck smart phones out there-so if you want a lot of functions and are on a budget, I recommend this phone for you. I think you will be happy with this one!!

Probably the best phone I've ever had. I've used other smart phones based upon Windows Mobile as well as the Iphone.

The Android OS is extremely customizable and responsive. I don't have to wait for apps to load. An additional benefit for me as a programmer is that I can easily write my own app and integrate it into the system. (try that on an iphone)

I love the ability to hit the speak now on the search button and instantly speak what I'm looking for (eg. "Directions to Applebees") and it turns my words into text (Speech to text technology) and there is my search.

For use as a GPS device, you can't beat GPS + Google Maps. Add in Street View, Satellite view and you have one powerful GPS device.

App Store: Not only is the apps I want there, but there are multiple versions giving you the ability to pick and choose. You can easily find reviews on applications as well as the star rating to help you determine which app is right for you.

Camera: Strong camera, but I still prefer using a regular digital camera. I have a 12MP camera, why would I use one on my phone? However, I did take a few pictures on the phone to see how good the camera is and to be honest, it's best I've seen for a phone.

Video Viewing: No stutter at all on both videos stored on the device or from youtube.

On Screen Keyboard: I've typically stuck with phones with a built in full querty keyboard. This is the first time I choose a on screen keyboard. Took me a day or two to get used to and I like it.

Bottom Line: If you like Smart Phones, this is a good phone for you. If you're a programmer, I'd suggest this phone as well. If you are tired of being "punished" on the AT&T network by paying more just for using an IPhone.. this is a great phone. Also over the IPhone, Android supports multiple running programs at the same time.

PROs: Everything
CONs: Buy the black model. I'm not too keen on this white one

I was looking for a new phone supporting AWS (UMTS Band IV, 1700Mhz) for Wind Mobile Canada.
As I already have experienced some Android phones and found this platform superior (despite being loyal user and fan of Windows Mobile for 5+ years) I chosen MyTouch 3G. Actually it is operator's version of HTC Magic.

It is definitely good phone, solid and reliable.
Maybe one can find some cheaper Chinese Android device like SciPhone, but legendary proven HTC design and quality are worth spending couple of dollars more.

So if you need decent Android phone and don't feel comfortable spend over $500 for Nexus One, have at look at this maybe not-that-fancy but still great and powerful cell phone.

Pros:
Android!
3.1 HVGA Screen (320x480)
Capacitive Touch
Bigger (vs T-mobile G1) battery time
Enough space on internal flash memory
Fast as lightning (over 7mbps on Wind 3G network)
GPS working even with no satellite view (using AGPS)
Any USB charger can be used
Great community support (custom ROMs, themes, apps etc)

Cons:
No 3.5 audio jack
No ambient light sensor
No hardware qwerty keyboard

Even though phones are sort of old news within a 6 month time spand, the HTC Dash is likeable, does the basics well, not too flashy, no touch screen and such. Since no cell phone company has all the airwaves covered it's good to have a secondary one on hand. Since this phone is unlocked one can use it on several competing networks. So essentially you make the call! This phone has wi-fi and 3g capabilities which allows the user some connection options. Even though 3g is horrendously bad, and blown way out of propotion as compared to wi-fi and 4g it's ok to use in a pinch. This is especially the case when the other options are not available. Older model phones are well suited to use on prepaid calling plans. Additionally, Windows 6.5 is buggy and according to T-mobile's tech support team the rom memory is insufficient to run it on the phone. This phone was returned to the seller because even after several master resets some functions still didn't work. The battery needed to be replaced and was running hot, also it was not keeping a charge for very long. Other possible unknown defects may have been present. Be cautious of no-return listings, one often gets ripped off. A not as described case was opened for a refund. Buy one from a seller who has a decent return policy.