T-Mobile MyTouch 4G Slide hands-on (photos)

T-Mobile is set to add another MyTouch model to its lineup this summer. Check out CNET's hands-on photos of the T-Mobile MyTouch 4G Slide to see what makes it so special.

Bonnie Cha

Bonnie Cha was a former chief correspondent for CNET Crave, covering every kind of tech toy imaginable (with a special obsession for robots and Star Wars-related stuff). When she's not scoping out stories, you can find her checking out live music or surfing in the chilly waters of Northern California.

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Bonnie Cha

June 27, 2011 9:01 p.m. PT

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T-Mobile MyTouch 4G Slide

The T-Mobile MyTouch 4G Slide is the latest addition to the carrier's line of consumer-friendly Android smartphones. For this model, T-Mobile and HTC worked together to improve the camera, knowing that a lot of people use their phones these days to capture pictures and video. T-Mobile is going so far as to say that the MyTouch 4G Slide has the "most advanced camera on a smartphone," but we'll have to wait till we get it in for review to see if it lives up to that claim.

In addition to the camera, the MyTouch 4G Slide's feature set includes Android 2.3 Gingerbread, a dual-core processor, and a slide-out QWERTY keyboard. Pricing and release date were not announced at this time, though the handset is expected to ship later this summer.

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What makes it advanced?

The MyTouch 4G Slide comes equipped with an 8-megapixel camera with dual-LED flash, which is nothing new. However, it also comes with more-advanced features like backside illumination, which should provide better low-light performance; HDR; and a zero-lag shutter. The camera can also record 1080p HD video.

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In-camera options

There are a number of built-in settings and tools to help you get the most out of your camera, including autofocus, autoenhance, geotagging, and built-in effects. The smartphone also comes preloaded with editing tools that can be used after a photo or video is taken.

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Different shooting modes

The MyTouch 4G Slide offers various shooting modes, including a panoramic mode called SweepShot. With this setting, you can simply press the camera button and take a sweeping shot of your surroundings, and the camera will create a panoramic photo.

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SweepShot photo example

Unlike some on other camera phones with a similar feature, the image looks like one seamless picture instead of multiple shots stitched together.

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ClearShot HDR

Similarly to the iPhone, the MyTouch 4G Slide's camera has an HDR option. With HDR, which stands for high dynamic range, the camera takes multiple photos of the same scene at different exposures and then combines them into a single shot that is properly exposed. The result should be a more accurate image.

As a side note, to make clear what each setting does, T-Mobile and HTC include a brief description at the bottom of the screen explaining what each mode does and when it should be used.

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BurstShot

BurstShot captures five consecutive shots in a row, which is useful for documenting action sequences.

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Dedicated camera button

To make sure you don't miss that perfect moment, there's a dedicated camera button on the right side of the phone that will activate the camera even if the phone is locked.

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Slider design

When closed, the smartphone closely resembles the MyTouch 4G in size and feel, which is pretty impressive considering that the MyTouch 4G Slide has a full QWERTY keyboard. In terms of features, the smartphone is similar to the HTC Sensation 4G with its 1.2GHz dual-core processor, Gingerbread software, and HTC Sense 3.0. The MyTouch 4G Slide does, however, have a smaller 3.7-inch WVGA Super LCD.

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Keyboard

The keyboard itself is pretty easy to use. The keys are slightly flat, but the rectangular buttons are a good size and well-spaced. We also appreciate the dedicated ".www/.com" key and home screen and menu shortcuts.

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Extra apps

In addition to running Android 2.3 Gingerbread and HTC Sense 3.0, the handset will come preloaded with some extra apps and services, including the Netflix Android app.

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Genius button

Like previous MyTouch models, the smartphone has a Genius button (bottom right) that activates the voice-to-text capabilities. You can then initiate calls, write text messages, conduct Web searches, and more.

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Left side

On the left spine, you'll find a volume rocker and a Micro-USB port.

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Top view

The top of the phone features a power button and a 3.5mm headphone jack. The smartphone does not have a dedicated HDMI port, but it can do video-out through the headphone jack.