I was really looking forward to this phone, esp. the screen (battery life+quality) and flash, but the lack of information has been very off-putting. I even got a CLIQ on Wed., exactly 14 days from the original expected launch, anticipating trading it for the Behold II.

Bottom line, if this is the same 528MHz proc as every other T-Mobile Android device, then it’s just not very compelling. And the CLIQ has grown on me, thanks to things like a hard switch for silent mode and the minimal main button arrangement.

It’s surprising all the hype T-Mobile has bestowed on the MT3G, a supposedly “cool” product that doesn’t even have a proper headphone jack (one of the reasons I took back the G1 after the horrid battery life). Yet even more surprising is the lack of promotion for the Behold II, an officially announced phone with (confirmed) superior features.

So let’s just be honest:

CLIQ
- improved G1 (in fact, most of what it SHOULD have been, aside from perhaps the arguably better G1 keyboard)
- for QWERTY people and die-hard rooters
- afraid to grow up (looking in mirror)

Behold II
- improved MyTouch3G (again, most of what it should have been)
- for non-QWERTY folks, for people who acknowledge the MT3G is a toy/piece of junk
- you’re into cubes

OK, yes, there’s the matter of MOTOBLUR and TouchWiz. They’re SO not geek chic. And, sure, Donut is a notable improvement over Cupcake. But in day to day use, I can’t think of anything I’m missing. More importantly, it doesn’t “feel” like anything’s missing.

I realize the MT3G LE/Fender Edition MyTouch is coming… someday. But, really, what’s the point now?

[...] Behold 2 Walkthrough [...]

I also just came from scouting our local Wal-Mart and they have a small TMo Even More setup with a guy in full gear trying to get people to switch. Unfortunately, he was not doing a good job. I stood around and watched 2 families walk away. One walked away and said “Verizon is a better deal”. I saw that the second family was about to “Stick with Virgin Mobile” and I stepped in….the lady wanted a phone similar to the blackberry that ATT offers (the Bold)…the guy was soooooooo slow to announcing the fact that not only Tmo offers the phone but that the 9700 is coming out in a week. I “helped” him out. I explained the trackpad and other features and gave reasons to switch to TMo. He DIDNT even tell them about the Even More plus plan!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! He is a Walmart droid (looking to make a sale at walmart and not for TMo in general) with the standard line “Walmart doesn’t offer the Plus plan (after I brought to light that the plan exists and would save them money and the no contract benefits and so forth). I had to back off a little because I started to feel like I was taking over his Job. By the end of the convo, the customers were going to try to switch and get the Plus plan online, a Cliq and a 9700. I tried to encourage the guy in the end by saying “You did a lot better than others that I have seen”. He said “Do you work for TMo?” I said “No, I just keep up with the market and blogs…” I felt like I was in a western…..walking out in the sunset..

The Touchwiz ui it’s convienant because it’s the same four shortcuts at the bottom of the screen as the Behold, Memoir, and Highlight. Giving you more space for apps you want on the home screens.

The center button is actually a button and not a trackball like it was originally stated which was a disappoinment but didn’t stop me from playing with our store demo the whole lunch break. All in all it’s a very solid device, and I’m sure once rooted it would be on the same level as the Hero. Definitly going to get rid of my Cliq.

And with all the videos I really wish they would show the music player. Its amazing has flip cover art and by far the best music player on any Android phone to date. Its going to be the best Android phone to have till the X10 comes out but that won’t be for a while.