WSJ: New T-Mobile Android phone to be unveiled next week

The Wall Street Journal confirms what many had suspected: That T-Mobile and HTC will soon take the wraps off a slimmer, sleeker successor to its Google Android-powered G1 smartphone.

Citing the usual "people familiar with the matter," the Journal says the new, HTC-made handset will be dubbed the "myTouch 3G," and that it's "essentially the same design as the HTC Magic"—a slimmer, curvier version of last year's G1 (minus the slide-out keypad) that's now available in Europe and Canada.

The story says that the myTouch 3G (box art and leaked photos of which have been circulating for weeks now) will get its close up next week—and it just so happens that HTC is holding a press conference next Wednesday in Manhattan to "celebrate" a "global announcement." Oh, really?

Just to recap: The original G1, which marked the first Google Android-powered smartphone in the U.S., was unveiled last September and arrived in T-Mobile stores a month later.

At the time, the touchscreen G1 (read my full review here) made for the iPhone's toughest competitor, what with its responsive, easy-to-use touch interface and tight integration with Google Search, Gmail, Google Maps, and the like.

But while the heavy, bulky G1 is a bit of an ugly duckling, the HTC myTouch 3G—er, the Magic, at least for now—looks a bit more like a swan, boasting a trimmer profile, sleek curves, and no slide-out keypad. The Magic also boasts an improved 3.2-megapixel camera.

Meanwhile, don't forget that the original Android OS has since been upgraded to version 1.5, adding such features as video recording, a virtual QWERTY keypad (kinda handy, especially for Android phones without physical QWERTY keyboards), and stereo Bluetooth.

In any case, we'll find out if the myTouch 3G rumors are true next Wednesday, come the HTC press conference. Stay tuned.

Related:
T-Mobile’s Second Android Phone Expected Soon [Wall Street Journal]