Garmin Launches GPS Feature Phone

• Posted: Saturday, February 02, 2008
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• Author: pradhana
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• Filed under: Gadget, Handset

Garmin International Inc., a unit of Garmin Ltd. and the world's leading GPS manufacturer unveiled a GSM HSDPA smartphone, called the nuvifone, that runs on its own operating system with GPS at its core.

The phone includes Google local search, Garmin online services like traffic, fuel prices, hotel discounts, pedestrian navigation services, email, text, IM, camera and video camera functionality and an MP3 player. The company did not disclose the price or carrier partner for the phone, but said it would launch commercially in the third quarter.

"The real popularity of their products and brand make the prospects for this product better than their previous ones," NPD Group's Ross Rubin said in an interview. "We are starting to see more impressive user interfaces and navigation features on both smartphones and more expensive feature phones, so it's going to be challenging for Garmin to break into that field as a new brand." Rubin seemed most impressed by the nuvifone's ability to send geotagged photos to another unit so that drivers can use that information to create driving directions on the fly.

That said, "the media features don't seem especially strong right now," Rubin noted. "[Garmin] mentions an MP3 player, but they didn't say anything about video despite the high speed radio they have in there. Garmin might be waiting to see what services their carrier partners want to push over the air. Given that they are supporting HSPA, AT&T seems like the likely carrier to carry it in the third quarter."

"The nuvifone is an all-in-one device offering unmatched integration of utility and function in a single mobile device," said Cliff Pemble, Garmin's president and COO. "This is the breakthrough product that cell phone and GPS users around the world have been longing for -- a single device that does it all."

The nuvifone is an innovative mobile phone that has a wide range of advanced yet easy-to-use features. The all touchscreen device is the first of its kind to integrate premium 3.5G mobile phone capability with an internet browser, data connectivity, personal messaging, and personal navigation functions in one device. When powered on, the 3.5-inch touchscreen display reveals three primary icons --"Call," "Search," and "View Map" which allow the user to effortlessly master the n vifone's functions.

The nuvifone is Garmin's first device to include Google local search capability, which harnesses the vast point of interest information available from the world wide web. Nuvifone users can search for locations like "coffee shops" and Google will sort the results based on the user's current location and relevance. Information provided by Google includes a web-based rating so that users can select the most appropriate destination and route directly to it.

In addition, the nuvifone includes a web browser incorporating premium features and touchscreen operation for an optimum mobile browsing experience. The nuvifone also includes personal messaging functions, including email, text, and instant messaging. [FierceWireless]

Features include:

• Google local search
• Garmin Online services - traffic, weather, fuel prices, hotel discounts, etc.
• nuvi-like navigation on the road or in pedestrian mode
• Email, text, IM functions
• amera, video camera, MP3 and MPEG4/AAC

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