CNET - Today, T-Mobile finally
put the rumors to rest and officially unveiled the T-Mobile MyTouch 4G Slide. Expected in July for $199.99 with contract, it's the latest addition to the carrier's line of consumer-friendly
Android smartphones, and it's more than just the next-gen version of the
MyTouch 3G Slide; T-Mobile is touting the MyTouch 4G Slide as having the most advanced camera of any smartphone out there.
Designed in collaboration with HTC, the smartphone has an 8-megapixel camera with dual LED flash and 1080p HD video capture, which isn't out of the ordinary. What is special, however, are some of the new premium features. This includes a wide aperture lens and a backside-illuminated sensor (BSI). The latter technology is also present on the
iPhone 4, and as CNET digital imaging editor Josh Goldman
explains here, BSI improves speed and dynamic range and enables better picture quality in low-light conditions. Low-light performance has always been a trouble spot for most camera phones, so we appreciate any kind of help in this area.
T-Mobile also boasts that the MyTouch 4G Slide has zero shutter lag and comes with a dedicated camera button that can activate the camera even when the phone is locked. The camera's software offers an array of editing options and shooting modes, including SweepShot for panoramic pictures, BurstShot for capturing a sequence of photos, and ClearShot HDR.
HDR, which stands for high dynamic range, is a tool that helps capture a more detailed and accurate picture in challenging lighting conditions. With HDR, the camera takes multiple shots of a scene--one overexposed, one underexposed, and one with normal exposure--and combines them into a single image to bring out details that would otherwise be lost in the dark shadows or bright light. Though HDR isn't new and there are multiple third-party apps and post-production software programs available to achieve the same effect, the beauty of it on the MyTouch 4G Slide is that HDR is integrated into the camera app.
Of course, the camera is just one aspect of the smartphone, and it has plenty more to offer. The MyTouch 4G Slide will ship running Android 2.3 Gingerbread with the new HTC Sense 3.0 user experience, though we're told some aspects of Sense will be toned down. It will come preloaded with a few extra apps and services, including the Netflix Android app and the Qik client, so you can make video calls using the front-facing VGA camera.
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