ORLANDO - T-Mobile isn't giving up. On Sunday, AT&T announced plans to buy T-Mobile and eventually shut down the carrier's 3G/4G network. But T-Mobile is plowing on, with a slick new dual-core phone and a powerful, Google Android Honeycomb-based tablet that can record 3D video. I got some time with both devices, and I liked them.
The LG G2x is T-Mobile's version of the very first dual-core mobile phone, the LG Optimus 2X. Like many high-end Android phones, it's a black slab with a 4-inch, 800-by-480 screen and, in this case, an 8-megapixel camera on the back. It has a few interesting, subtle things going for it. For one thing, it's a relatively clean build of Android. It's only Froyo, not Gingerbread, because LG and Nvidia have to work to get Gingerbread running on the dual-core chip, but this phone will get updated quite soon, according to T-Mobile. That's nice.
Notice I say "relatively clean." There's some preloaded software here, whether it's to spotlight T-Mobile services (like the carrier's app packs) or to spotlight the Nvidia Tegra 2 processor (like some games). T-Mobile said it wants to work closely with Android developers, though, which I took as code to say that this phone will be hackable enough to put it in a pure state.
The G2x also actually mirrors its interface out its HDMI port, which could be very exciting. Most phones with TV out ports restrict them to only a few apps, either out of lazy programming or because content owners are terrified about letting you play Netflix from your phone onto your TV. The G2x doesn't play Netflix - no Android phone does - but T-Mobile told me it will stream games, Web pages, and its full UI over onto a TV. Tragically, content-owner restrictions are still possible here - T-Mobile's streaming "T-Mobile TV" service is forbidden from showing on TVs.
The LG G-Slate is an 8.9-inch tablet that runs Google Android Honeycomb, with an Nvidia Tegra 2 dual-core processor. On the back, it has two 5-megapixel cameras to record 720p HD 3D video.
I'm still skeptical of this whole 3D thing. Yes, I know saying something like that will make me sound like Dvorak in 10 years, but the technology in general doesn't feel quite there yet. The G-Slate records 3D video, sure, but to play it back on the tablet you need red-and-blue glasses, the most headachey possible form of 3D.
Fortunately, the 3D devices I've seen so far have been pretty good in 2D. The G-Slate is no exception; like Samsung's Galaxy Tab 8.9, it has a certain thinness and elegance that feels like a second-generation unit as opposed to the clearly first-generation Motorola Xoom.
I tried a few apps, and the G-Slate is a terrific gaming machine. I'd expect no less from an Nvidia Tegra 2-based unit, but I wasn't quite prepared for the combination of a terrific graphics chip and a larger screen in things like an airplane-battle game.
Sadly, neither device is 4G. Both are HSPA+ 14.4, a sort of intermediate level between 3G and 4G. Confusingly, T-Mobile calls both devices 4G, but they've also said that networks slower than HSPA+ 21 aren't 4G. I'm going to stick on the "not 4G" side of this debate and say that I got download speeds around 3-4Mbps in quick speed tests of the two devices.
The G-Slate will cost $549 with a two-year contract, or $749 prepaid. The G2x doesn't have a price yet but I suspect it'll cost $199 with a two-year contract. Both devices are coming soon.