Low-Cost Smartphones: My Touch and My Touch Q by Huawei for T-Mobile

Summary

In this article, we review the low-cost smartphones, the My Touch and My Touch Q, built by Huawei for T-Mobile. These phones are designed for first-time smartphone users and are priced at $100 on contract, with a $50 mail-in rebate. However, the hardware and software are outdated, which is reflected in the low price. We discuss the features, build quality, and suggest better options available in the market.

Introduction: My Touch and My Touch Q
Hardware and Software Features
Build Quality and Durability
Better Options Available
Outlook.com: A Competitor to Gmail
Compatibility of Web App with Touchscreens and Tablets
Redesign of Gadget Lab Website
Conclusion

Introduction: My Touch and My Touch Q

In this episode of the Gadget Lab Show, Michael Kellur and Nathan Olivares-Gile review two new low-cost smartphones, the My Touch and the My Touch Q, built by Huawei for T-Mobile. These phones are part of T-Mobile’s My Touch line, which is designed for people who have never had a smartphone before. The phones are priced at $100 on contract, with a $50 mail-in rebate. However, the hardware and software are outdated, which is reflected in the low price. The My Touch Q has a slide-out keyboard, which is not common on smartphones nowadays.

Hardware and Software Features

The Huawei device being discussed has a 1.4 GHz single-core processor, 4GB of storage with a microSD card slot for expansion, and 1GB of RAM. While it is decent for its price range, there are better options available such as the Galaxy Nexus, Atrix HD, and HTC One S. The phones already feel a year or two behind the time, with Gingerbread, which is two generations old for Android.

Build Quality and Durability

The build quality is good, but it may feel outdated in a year. The hosts suggest that people may not be ready to give up physical keyboards yet, but the phones already feel a year or two behind the time, with Gingerbread, which is two generations old for Android.

Better Options Available

The hosts suggest that there are better options available in the market such as the Galaxy Nexus, Atrix HD, and HTC One S. These phones have better hardware and software features and are priced similarly.

Outlook.com: A Competitor to Gmail

Outlook.com is Microsoft’s new web mail service and is designed to compete with Gmail. It has all the features of Gmail, including chat through Facebook, Skype, and Messenger, but it does not have access to Google Talk. It is tied closely to Microsoft’s other online services, such as document sharing through SkyDrive, and has a clean, metro design. It also allows for opening Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and photo slideshows in the web mail browser.

Compatibility of Web App with Touchscreens and Tablets

The speaker discusses the compatibility of a web app with touchscreens and tablets, noting that while it is still easier to use with a mouse, it is usable on a tablet. They mention that updates can easily be pushed out for the app and that more features are expected in the future.

Redesign of Gadget Lab Website

The speaker also mentions a recent redesign of Gadget Lab, a website, and encourages feedback.

Conclusion

In conclusion, while the My Touch and My Touch Q are decent options for first-time smartphone users, there are better options available in the market. The hardware and software are outdated, and the phones may feel outdated in a year. Additionally, Outlook.com is a new web mail service that competes with Gmail and has all the necessary features. Finally, the compatibility of a web app with touchscreens and tablets is discussed, and the redesign of Gadget Lab is mentioned.