HTC myTouch 3G / Magic
Phone Scoop Review
Aug 6, 2009 by Eric M. Zeman
T-Mobile and HTC have teamed up to offer the second Android phone in the U.S., the myTouch 3G with Google. It is leaps and bounds better than the G1, but still has a number of limitations. read review ›
User Reviews
Average Ratings
love MYtouch (with 3.5mm jack)
came to this phone from the G1 and i am loving it, the on-screen keyboard took a bit of getting use to but after having the phone for 3-wks i am a pro! i can even text and drive...i would NOT recommend that though!
cons: the keyboard is an issue but a SMALL issue, so otherwise no complaint
pros: screen, camera, the media player with the stereo headset (OMG), EVERTHING! i just love this phone and i cant imagine what could be better! the g1 was nice but the mytouch is perfection!
Awesome machine
I was sso excited when I saw this phone. And the android OS is the best of the best. Ever expanding app library. Only thing that took getting used to was the keyboard. Other than that, awesome machine. With a power manager app, this phone's unbeatable.
myTouch 3G 1.2
Great phone! It's a big step up if you want to get something with a headphone jack included and better battery life vs. G1.
Pros:
-Great Screen
-Feels great in hand
-3.5 mm headphone jack with optimized music player
-Great looking device
-Android Market
-Better Battery
-Swype keyboard preloaded
-Includes a 8GB SD card
Cons:
-No Camera button
-Swype (depending on whether or not you like it, I don't)
I recommend this for users who need a headphone jack included if you have G1. I also recommend it for fun factor.
What's Not to Like?
My first venture into the Android OS. TMob is right when is says "100% you". Very customizable, lots of apps, etc. Am coming from Blackberry...which is great, but a bit too business-like.
I have MyTouch AND MyTouch Fender edition. Both have good (or better) qualities!
Pros...Screen...very bright, apps, customization, call quality, speed (I am not in 3G area, but have used it in 3G).
Cons...Keyboard is a bit tricky, am concerned about "what's next". Like computers used to be...out of date by the time you get used to it. Screen loves fingerprints. Battery life is o.k., but would like better.
Overall, there are phones that probably do more and do more somewhat better or different. Decide what you need, not what you don't!
myTouch is myNew fave!
I've officially owned my myTouch for 1 week now...and I LOVE IT! I upgraded from the Samsung Highlight (also a GREAT phone), and talk about an amazing difference.
I really wanted an iPhone, but didn't want to change service providers (LOVE T-MOBILE), so when I learned about the myTouch, I knew at some point it would be mine.
For those looking for an iPhone, you'll want to purchase an iPhone. But if you're looking for a phone with similar features then the myTouch is the phone for you.
Pros:
-Screen is FABULOUS
-Apps...there are SO many of them and a lot of them are FREE!
-Reception is great, at least here in the greater Cleveland area
-Build; the phone is built to last, not to be afraid of dropping
-Sherpa; I agree with Whoopi; not what I would have called it, but hey...I LOVE IT!
-Color choices. I bought the white one, but all of them are nice
Cons:
-No dedicated camera button...EXCUSE ME??
-Keyboard takes a lot of getting used to...even coming form a touch screen phone, it's taken me the better part of the week that I've had the phone to adjust to the keyboard. You can download a better one though.
You MUST purchase some type of protective case the day that you buy your phone, (I learned the hard with my Highlight). It comes with 1 screen protector, but you should probably invest in more...I sure am!
All in all, with any device you'll need to try it for yourself to see if you truly like it.
I love my new myTouch! Well done HTC, Google & T-Mobile!
Love the phone!
MyTouch is a nice improvement over the G1 by performance and style. Itâs smaller in size and easier to handle. Sound quality is ok, could use stereo sound. Resolution is outstanding; the brightness could blind you even during daylight!
PROS:
Small not bulky
Resolution is phenomenal!
Easy to function!
Memory is upgradeable up to 32GB!
CONS:
NO flash player like the HERO has.
NO camera flash to bring out the good picture quality!
Battery life drains quickly.
The cons can BE FIXED! With a little extra money spent of course. You can definitely upgrade the batter from 1340MHZ to 1500MHZ for around 50 dollars online. Google it and youâll find one. Phone running slow? Well you can fix that to by downloading TasKiller from ReChild (5 bucks but itâs worth it or you can find some free versions) and set it to auto kill. It kills all the unnecessary unused apps which will improve the phones performance. Also another good idea to give your phone a nice boost is by getting a 8GB (or more) class 6 micro SD card. The higher the class, the faster your phone performs. This is what Iâm using on my phone now. It would be nice if it all came out of the box without any of those problems but if this is the phone you think youâre going to keep for a long time, then spend a little money on maximizing your phoneâs performance.
Overall, this phone is worth it and Iâm thinking of keeping this phone for a long time and I usually change phones twice a year. I bought MyTouch around June and has not disappointed me one bit. One thing Iâm hoping is for Android to come out with a flash player app! Hopefully thatâll be sometime soon! Have a good day!
Excellent Phone
As soon as I got it, I conditioned the battery like you're supposed to ensure maximum day-to-day battery life and my battery lasts me a full day. I wake up with it plugged in, mess with it all day and plug it in at night when it's telling me it's going to die. I'm a "power" user and am very impressed with this battery...for now.
I love the interface and to me, it is miles beyond any other phone as far as usability and functionality. I absolutely LOVE the pull-down notification menu. I have not seen that before and I guarantee, other companies will follow.
The phone is quick. Everything works perfectly for me including custom mp3 ringers for each contact and event (text, alert, alarm, etc). It takes pictures nicely and I absolutely love the the wallpaper situation. I've made hundreds of my own, perfectly fitting wallpapers since I have purchased this phone.
It is a fully functional office toy. You can do your work and play on this phone. I love the fact that It updates itself and that the market is so robust with thousands of free apps. I sound like a freaking ad!
They keyboard that came with the phone did not appeal to me however, I have circumvented that into happiness using a third party keyboard which works PERFECTLY however, I will not get too into that.
This phone is NOT for people with limited knowledge of IT systems. I mean sure they can use it but they will not be able to use it to it's full potential.
Coming from an iPhone3G, I am no stranger to how good a phone can be so getting rid of it was a hard decision. I just could no support a company that chooses negativity to bolster it's sales. I'm better than that. I'm glad I got this phone. It compares just nicely to my iPhone. In some ways it's not as good and in others, it's a lot better.
It's just more "zen" to me. It "feels" better. I no longer feel like I'm part of some elite society. This phone makes me feel more down-to-earth and it is no longer what a phone can do but how it makes you feel. Right?
Just some info.
Ive seen a few people on here give this phone a bad review because of the keyboard. Also because they say you cant get data off the SD card. If the keyboard isnt working for you download "touchpal" from the market. It work a lot better. And for getting into the SD card download "OI file manager". Also to people who say the phone lags, the only time mine has ever laged is when I used openhome. If you want a good free app to replace your home screen try pandahome it works great and zero lag. Please stop giving the phone bad reviews just because you dont know how to use it. Go to the market take the time to look at the apps. Theres an app for almost anything you want to do with the phone. And most are free.
Fun To Use & Functional
I am a gadget junkie, and ever since I bought the old Cingular Treo 600, I've been a smartphone addict. I love having all my contacts, calendars and other PIM data in one place, all the time. The iPhone came along and changed everything. Having the iPod piece along with PIM was huge. Being a Gmail user, I always pined for a device that could sync all things Google on a mobile device. So I've been naturally drawn to Android, and was an early G1 adopter. However, with the horrible battery life and lack of sync with iTunes, it was no more than a great first effort. When the MyTouch 3G was announced, I was really psyched, and was the first one to get one opening day. Although I like the improvements over the G1, it's not completely there yet. I think the iPhone spoiled me in some ways.
PROS:
- Amazing sync of data with all Google (calendar, contacts, push Gmail)
- Reception good here in DC area
- Able to use 16GB MicroSD card (now equal my iPhone 3G's capacity)
- Phone clarity top notch on both ends
- Google Voice an option
- Real HTML browser
- Apps are great
- Build quality is solid (no creaking like with G1)
- Picture quality is decent
- MMS (video, audio, etc)
- Media player works well for music (allows shuffle and playlists)
- DoubleTwist allows sync with iTunes library!
- Battery life better than G1 with same size battery (and you can buy high capacity batteries)
- Very customizable (ringtones, config, screens)
CONS:
- One of the highest SAR ratings in the US
- Browser good (based on WebKit) but not quite as good or snappy as mobile Safari
- Some video (such as windows media) unwatchable on the device
- Stock keyboard is maddening (although better keyboards can be downloaded)
- Only three home screens (Hero has more)
Overall, I'm going to keep it. It allows for media, web browsing, Gmail, and good T-Mobile 3G coverage around here.
Pretty Good phone
Pros:
Smallest cell phone I've ever owned and also the lightest.
Some very nice applications.
Very bright display.
Does not waste battery power by lighting up the screen when you get a text.
Voice browsing with Google.
Virtual keyboard is good for one thumb texting but takes some getting used to.
Cons:
Comes with a "sack" not a holder.
Instructions are on the thin side. It took me the better part of 5 minutes to open the back, for fear of breaking the just purchased phone.
Highly touted "Sherpa" has been experiencing connection issues over the past week or so.
Android market is not as broad as iPhones yet.
Rated as one of the highest radiation emitting phones.
Virtual keyboard is slow when switching orientation. Sometimes it's unresponsive and takes several attempts to produce text. You have to press HARD at times.
Unlock pattern takes some getting used to. Still not convinced it's better than using a numbered locking system. In fact you can see the unlock pattern left behind in screen grease.
