T-Mobile's MyTouch 3G takes Google phone to the next level

— -- Style counts almost as much as substance when it comes to smartphones. But somebody forgot to remind T-Mobile before last fall's launch of the G1.

This first "Google phone" — it runs Google's Android mobile operating system — was a capable handset with a hidden, slide-out keyboard that complemented a touch display. It was also chunky and homely.

On Aug. 5, T-Mobile follows up the G1 with the far-more-attractive MyTouch 3G. The keyboard was sacrificed for a much slimmer design, so it's a no-go for folks who prefer physical keys. But T-Mobile addresses other shortcomings, starting with handling work e-mail through Microsoft Exchange. (It still doesn't work with an Exchange calendar, contacts or task list.) Bluetooth stereo is also now supported.

Google says at least 18 Android phones will appear globally by year's end.

This time around, T-Mobile and handset maker HTC of Taiwan are paying close attention to the aesthetics, down to the slick packaging and the hard case with a zipper it comes in. The phone is available in white, black or merlot. You can personalize it with wallpapers, widgets and, for $20, outer shells. It feels comfy in your hand and up to your ear.

MyTouch costs $200 with a two-year contract, $50 more than the G1, which remains in the lineup and mostly runs the same software. Monthly voice and data plans start at a very reasonable $55.

I generally like the MyTouch, despite drawbacks. T-Mobile's fast 3G network is in fewer places than rivals. The 3.2-inch touch-screen display, while nice, doesn't let you perform such stunts as pinching or spreading your fingers to zoom in and out of a Web page or photo, as on an iPhone or Palm Pre. MyTouch has an expandable memory slot, which those other phones don't have. But the 4-gigabyte memory card it comes with pales next to the 8 GB of internal memory on the Pre or 16 GB on the lowest-capacity iPhone 3G S.

And here's a head-scratcher. Though the phone comes with standard 3.5 mm ear buds, there's no 3.5 mm jack. Instead, you have to use a supplied adapter to connect the ear buds (or any standard headphones) through USB. The adapter (which has a microphone) is one more thing you have to carry and keep track of. You can buy music through an Amazon MP3 store application. A closer look:

•The basics.

MyTouch weighs 4.1 ounces, well below the 5.6 ounces of the G1. There's a decent 3.2-megapixel camera and a video camera. (Video recording came to the G1 with an Android update.) You can turn it to its side to change the orientation of the display.

Physical home, menu and other buttons are well situated below the screen. But when I watched YouTube videos by holding the phone to its side, I sometimes inadvertently pressed the volume switch.

When you sign in with your Google account, you'll have automatic access to your Gmail, Google Talk, Google calendar and contacts.

An onscreen self-correcting keyboard pops up as needed. As with the virtual iPhone keyboard, it takes getting used to. As you type, word choices appear above the keyboard — type, t, h, i, for example, and the phone suggests "this," "thin," think" and so on.

•Software.

The handsome Android "desktop" has icons for the Dialer, Contacts, Browser, Messaging, Maps, Android Market store and T-Mobile's MyFaves speed-dialing feature. A Google search box appears at the top of the screen, though you can also search by voice, which worked well in my tests. If you run out of real estate for icons, you can find space elsewhere by sliding your finger in either direction. And you can cleverly drag notification menus and icons up or down like window shades.

Google has more than 6,300 free and paid applications, dwarfed by Apple's 65,000-plus. The storefront isn't as friendly as Apple's either, but I was able to download a variety of apps without a hitch, including a New York City subway map, Facebook program, Shazam (music identifier) and USA TODAY.

T-Mobile plans to highlight "noteworthy" applications — through an "AppPack." Customers will receive a text link that will let them directly download these chosen apps: movies by Flixster, visual voice mail, Imeem, etc. I tried a location-based program called Sherpa that uses a clever carousel interface to identify nearby restaurants, shops, banks and more. It's supposed to get smarter the more you use it.

•Network.

Voice quality on phone calls (and the speakerphone) was excellent. But T-Mobile has catching up to do with its 3G network. The company says 165 cities are covered today, with an additional 75 coming by the end of September. Still, as I rode a bus from northern New Jersey into Manhattan, the phone reverted to T-Mobile's pokier Edge network at times.

•Battery.

MyTouch has a removable battery, a plus compared with the iPhone. T-Mobile claims up to 600 hours of standby and six hours of talk time, a substantial improvement over the G1. I made it through a full day without losing power.

In most ways, MyTouch is a better Google phone. Unless you need a keyboard.

E-mail: ebaig@usatoday.com