SAN FRANCISCO - T-Mobile on Wednesday announced the low-cost LG Optimus T smartphone, part of a wave of entry-level Android phones coming to all the major U.S. carriers over the holidays. The carrier also gave us a few minutes with the myTouch, its new high-end smartphone.
The Optimus T is the eighth relatively low-cost Android smartphone to be announced at the CTIA Wireless trade show this week. Previously, Motorola dropped three phones for AT&T and one for Verizon Wireless, and LG, Samsung, and Kyocera all announced models for Sprint.
T-Mobile's new Optimus is, like Sprint's Optimus S model, a relatively unprepossessing but apparently well-executed phone. It's relatively small, made of soft-touch plastic, and fits well in the hand. It runs the latest version of Android, 2.2, on a 600-MHz processor, and scrolling on the 320-by-480 screen felt prompt. While this isn't a speed demon, it looks like it will handle basic messaging and Web browsing just fine.
LG tweaked the Android interface just a tiny bit - there's a text-messaging icon near the bottom of the home screen, and some custom widgets - but the Optimus T comes with the full array of Google services, including the company's new Voice Actions voice commands.
There's a 3.2-megapixel camera on the back, and a 2GB MicroSD card in a slot behind the back. The Optimus T will come in burgundy and gray. T-Mobile didn't announce a price, but Sprint's very similar Optimus S will sell for $49 with a two-year contract.
T-Mobile also gave me a few minutes with the myTouch, though T-Mobile reps didn't let me turn it on. In contrast to the Optimus T, the myTouch felt expensive and heavy. The back is a metal plate, and the plastic bezel is made of a dense, cool-feeling material.
In many ways, the myTouch is a sibling to the new T-Mobile G2, which also feels expensive and solid and has some metal components. The G2 has a sliding keyboard, but the myTouch has a bigger screen and faster 1-GHz processor.
This won't be the last we hear from T-Mobile over the next few days. The carrier also invited us to an event adjacent to Microsoft's Windows Phone 7 launch on Monday in New York City; we'll be there to see what they have to show.