T-Mobile to Launch New Google Phone

T-Mobile USA plans to launch in early August the myTouch 3G, the follow-up to the T-Mobile G1, the first phone powered by Google's (GOOG Quote) Android software.

T-Mobile, which is owned by Deutsche Telekom (DT Quote), said the myTouch 3G adds new features that build on its predecessor. The phone offers a touch-screen display with virtual keyboard, as opposed to the physical keyboard of the T-Mobile G1.

"T-Mobile myTouch 3G puts you first, so you can create a mobile experience that is truly your own," said Denny Marie Post, chief marketing officer, T-Mobile USA, in a statement. "There's no cookie-cutter approach to myTouch. Inside and out, there are boundless possibilities for personalization so you can put your personal touch on the phone and make it uniquely yours."

The G1, since it went on sale in October, has sales of more than 1 million.

The myTouch looks much like an iPhone from Apple (AAPL Quote) and has many of the same features, including a similarly sized screen. It will cost $199 with a two-year contract. It will ship with software that allows it to connect to corporate e-mail servers. Such software became available for download to the G1 some months after it launched.

Cole Brodman, T-Mobile USA's chief technology officer, said the new phone should appeal to a much wider audience than the G1.

"We believe a lot of this market will come from people who are moving into the smart phone space for the first time," Brodman said. G1 buyers "were much more of a tech-enthusiast, early adopter-type crowd."