T-Mobile just announced the new MyTouch 4G Slide, the carrier's latest in the myTouch line. As you'd expect from the Slide name, the handset features a slide-out landscape keyboard, but the internals are essentially the same as the HTC Sensation, with a 1.2GHz dual-core Qualcomm Snapdragon powering the show. Rather unfortunately, the display has been downgraded to a WVGA 3.7-inch Super LCD display unit, but the 8-megapixel camera has been significantly enhanced with an f/2.2 lens, a backside-illuminated CMOS sensor, 1080p video recording, HDR and panorama modes, and a continuous-record shutter that effectively provide zero shutter lag.

T-Mobile's also doing its usual myTouch skin job, which the carrier says is aimed to fill the needs of the majority of consumers -- it's basically a stripped down version of HTC Sense that's been tailored to the mass market. You'll find most of Sense 3.0 here, but a few notable features like the active lock screens are missing, and the homescreens have been modified slightly to make them easier to navigate. You might think of the myTouch skin as being somewhere in the middle of stock Android and Sense, which slots the Slide 4G neatly in between the G2x and the Sensation -- T-Mo now offers three high-powered dual-core devices that range in skinnery from nearly-stock Android to the over-the-top Sense experience.

We got a chance to play with the Slide briefly, and it's quite nice -- we saw both a black version and a khaki version that's particularly handsome. We didn't do much testing, but we can report that performance seems smooth and the keyboard feels nice, although we'd trade it for a qHD display in a heartbeat. (That's not to say a hardware keyboard and WVGA is a bad compromise, but we're suckers for pixel density around here.) The camera is as impressive as promised, with a nice panorama mode and a seriously quick shutter release that actually works by constantly buffering full-res images and recording a photo at the exact moment you press the button. And check out the internal pictures in the gallery below -- that lens is no joke. We'll have a more detailed set of impressions when we get our review unit, but until then check out our hands-on pics below.

New T-Mobile myTouch 4G Slide Delivers Most

Advanced Camera of Any Smartphone

Latest myTouch device offers premium smartphone features paired with high-end digital camera capabilities for capturing and sharing life’s special moments

BELLEVUE, Wash. — June 28, 2011 — T-Mobile USA, Inc. today announced the myTouch 4G Slide, the latest 4G smartphone to join T-Mobile’s exclusive line of myTouch products. The myTouch 4G Slide features the most advanced camera of any smartphone with zero shutter lag, backside illuminated sensor and additional premium digital camera features that offer consumers a viable replacement for their digital point-and-shoot cameras. The myTouch 4G Slide is expected to be available in July.

T-Mobile’s high-speed 4G network continues to expand and is now available in more than 190 markets, reaching more than 200 million people nationwide. With the T-Mobile myTouch 4G Slide, T-Mobile customers in these areas can now take advantage of 4G speeds as they instantly capture and then share special moments at the speed of life.

"Knowing that the best camera is the one you’ve got with you, we set out to create a new best-in-class smartphone that allows our customers to leave their cameras at home," said Andrew Sherrard, senior vice president, marketing, T-Mobile USA. "Our newest myTouch device takes capturing and sharing memories to a new level by combining high-quality smartphone hardware with features that customers would expect from a top-of-the-line digital camera."

Ideal for capturing that perfect moment with photos that rival high-end dedicated digital cameras, the myTouch 4G Slide comes with an 8-megapixel camera with a dual LED flash and a host of advanced digital camera features, including the following:

· Improved low-light Performance: with a backside illuminated sensor and a wide aperture lens (f/2.2)

· Zero shutter lag: innovative software features allow for an instantaneous shot at that precise moment

· SweepShot™: for capturing panoramic shots by sweeping across an entire scene in a single motion

· ClearShot™ HDR: for capturing objects in bright settings so your photos are not affected by high-contrast lighting

· BurstShot™: for capturing multiple photos in a quick burst so you don’t miss the perfect photo

Running on America’s Largest 4G Network^™, the myTouch 4G Slide allows customers to instantly capture, and then share, quality photos and videos with a dedicated camera button and one-touch access to post to Facebook, Picasa or Flickr ― all at 4G speeds. A true camera and camcorder replacement, the myTouch 4G Slide features a full HD 1080p camcorder with audio recording and ability to edit videos directly from the device.

Manufactured by HTC exclusively for T-Mobile, the new myTouch 4G Slide features a beautiful 3.7-inch WVGA super LCD touch-screen display, with Swype, and a slide-out full-QWERTY keyboard, offering customers the freedom to choose how they want to input text. Powered by Android™ 2.3 (Gingerbread) and HTC Sense 3.0, the myTouch 4G Slide provides an intuitive and powerful smartphone experience. With support for T-Mobile’s lightning-fast 4G network paired with a 1.2GHz dual-core Qualcomm Snapdragon™ processor, myTouch 4G Slide customers will experience quick access to their favorite websites, videos, applications and much more.

The myTouch 4G Slide makes staying connected with loved ones more convenient than ever with T-Mobile Video Chat powered by Qik^™ for face-to-face video chat on the go and Group Text^™ by Bobsled^™, which offers an innovative way to send and receive text messages with groups of friends. The new advanced Genius Button^™ offers one shot voice commands, powered by Dragon Dictation from Nuance, that simplify the smartphone experience by enabling users to call, text, find a business or search the Web, all with the press of a button. With the myTouch 4G Slide’s Hands Free mode, customers can stay connected while on the road with the option for all notifications to be read out loud — simply tell the phone to text or dial to continue the conversation.

The myTouch 4G Slide offers preloaded entertainment applications, including T-Mobile TV, Netflix and YouTube for real-time mobile video streaming. The myTouch 4G Slide’s entertainment experience also can be shared with the whole family with T-Mobile KidZone, a built-in feature that allows parents to restrict what applications their kids can access on the device without worrying about them making a call or accessing inappropriate material.