T-Mobile announces the next Google phone in its lineup: the myTouch 3G

T-Mobile announced today that it would be releasing a follow up to the G1 Android based HTC phone. The myTouch 3G with Google will be the carrier’s newest flagship phone and will go on sale in early August. The rebranded HTC Magic is the newest device to offer Android in the United States.

It will be a touch screen phone that will not have a physical keyboard like the G1 does. In the face of such strong competition, the myTouch 3G hopes to compete against the “power players” in the phone industry right now. The myTouch 3G has a screen similar to the iPhone and includes a lot of the same features. It has a 480 x 320 touch screen, 3G service where T-Mobile offers, EDGE for global roaming, WiFi, a 3.2 megapixel camera, and virtual keyboard software. Pre-orders for the phone will begin on July 8^th for $199 for existing customers with a 2 year contract. It will come in black, white, or merlot.

The competition that T-Mobile and the myTouch 3G are facing is pretty fierce. If you look at AT&T, it has the iPhone, and the 3G S just sold over a million handsets in the first weekend of its release. Although it doesn’t have a real revolutionary phone, Verizon Wireless, offers a huge network and great CDMA coverage. It also has the BlackBerry Storm, and while it hasn’t been the most welcomed touch screen phone on the market, it is the first touch screen BlackBerry device. Sprint, T-Mobile’s next closest competitor as far as subscriber numbers, just launched the Palm Pre.

A lot of gadget geeks have been really looking forward to other carriers having Android based phones. T-Mobile is a good carrier, but their coverage leaves a lot to be desired. A problem that I have with T-Mobile is its lack of 3G coverage. While Sprint, Verizon, and At&t all offer 3G coverage in my town, T-Mobile barely has EDGE coverage outside city limits. Unless you live in a major metropolitan area with 3G coverage, this phone is sort of limited in my opinion.

You can always check your T-Mobile coverage on the company’s website before you commit to a 2 year contract and a phone that may or may not work at your house.