Hands on with the myTouch 3G Fender Limited Edition

Last July I took a look at the T-Mobile myTouch 3G and a few weeks afterwards I purchased my own myTouch 3G. I then returned it for a T-Mobile Touch Pro2 because I just couldn't give up a physical QWERTY keyboard. I won't go into all of the details of this new myTouch 3G Fender Limited Edition because the device is just about the same as the myTouch 3G. I will point out the improvements made in this device, including hardware and software, along with my thoughts on its appeal on T-Mobile USA given that the Nexus One can be purchased for the same price. Check out the cool Fender sunburst color scheme on the device in my image gallery.

	Image Gallery:The T-Mobile myTouch 3G Fender Limited Edition is one sleek looking device.

The original myTouch 3G was focused on personalization aspects and this new version is still focused on customization for your personality. The Fender Limited Edition device is actually made in a limited quantity so T-Mobile may run out of these before everyone who wants one can buy it. The demographic for T-Mobile fits in with the cool Fender sunburst styling so it should do pretty well.

What specifications are different?

There are very few differences between the myTouch 3G and this new Fender Limited Edition. Check out my original myTouch 3G review for the full specifications list and here is what is different between the two:

• Launches with Google Android 1.6 with support for Google Maps Navigation beta
• 288 MB RAM (was 192 MB) so you can install more apps
• 16 GB microSD card (4GB was included before)
• 3.5mm headset jack (was a HTC extUSB port)

I expected to see a bump up in the processor speed, so with the 528 MHz processor this is more of a mid-level Android device. While these are relatively minor updates, they are nice to see. We heard rumors of this launching last Fall and it may be a bit too late now that the Nexus One is available with some screaming specs for the same price.

What is different in the software?

The myTouch 3G Fender Limited Edition comes out of the box with the Android 1.6 operating system. I believe you can update existing myTouch 3G devices from 1.5 to 1.6 as well. The big difference is the support for Google Maps Navigation beta.

With the heavy focus on media in the myTouch 3G Fender LE you will find 10 free full songs from four popular artists (Avril Lavigne, Brad Paisley, Eric Clapton, and Wyclef Jean). The music player has also been updated to give you a better user experience.

There are two music focused applications on the myTouch 3G Fender LE, Solo and Musical. Solo is musical instrument simulator where you can tap or slide across your myTouch display to make realistic instrument sounds. You only get access to one guitar by default, but you can download the free full version for to get access to various acoustic and electric guitars to play. The Musical application lets you select from tools (metronome, pitch pipe, and tuner) and instruments (piano, keyboard, and drums). There are variations on the instruments too, including the type, octave shift, octave layout and more so there is a ton of functions available for the music fan.

The rest of the device is typical Google Android with support for all the thousands of applications you have come to enjoy.

Pricing and availability

The myTouch 3G Fender Limited Edition is available to new subscribers for $179.99. The full price for existing subscribers or those who want to sign up for a no-contract Even More Plus plan is $449.99.

Closing initial thoughts

While the myTouch 3G Fender Limited Edition is a very attractive device I personally do not see the appeal when you can buy the Google Nexus One for the same $179 for new subscribers. The unlocked Nexus One is $529, but the specifications of that device blow away what we see here with a similar no keyboard form factor. This would have been a very nice device back in September or October last year, but is a few months late with all of the great new Google Android devices now available.