DailyTech - Attention Explorers: Garmin Debuts "iPhone-esque" GPS Nuvifone

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Gadgets Attention Explorers: Garmin Debuts "iPhone-esque" GPS Nuvifone
Jason Mick (Blog) - January 31, 2008 3:05 PM

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17 comment(s) - last by amanojaku.. on Feb 1 at 3:01 PM

The Nuvifone has just been officially announced by Garmin, after months of rumors, and is set to debut in Q3 2008. (Source: Engadget)

Geocachers of the world unite and take over!

Garmin easily touts the largest brand in the handheld GPS market. For hikers, travelers and urban explorers, Garmin's little units have been a big deal for a while now. Garmin looks to both please these old customers and grow new ones by making a foray into the cell phone market.

Despite the fact that many "smart phone" cell phones currently do have GPS chips and capabilities, Garmin is focusing its product on this specialty, and is confident it can "out-GPS" wannabe competitor's offerings. The result of its development is the Nüvifone.

The phone sports basic cell phone capabilities. It will have a camera capable of taking both still shots and video. It will have a full featured web browser. It will have a media player with MP3, MPEG4 and AAC support.

Much of the details are sketchy at best as to the "phone side" of the phone. Garmin is still in talks with service providers, so the network the phone will launch on is still anyone's guess. While it seems a safe bet that the phone will be 3G compatible, it is entirely possible it may go of the way of the iPhone and ride on AT&T's slower EDGE network -- though this seems increasingly less likely as the iPhone will be getting a 3G refresh mid-year. Price and distribution information also in unreleased.

Garmin has strongly trumpeted key features of the phone's strongest selling point -- its GPS capabilities. Videos and pictures you take will be geo-tagged with your coordinates, so that friends or would be stalkers who receive pictures from you can retrace your steps and see the same sites you did. The unit doubles as a car navigation unit, when you place it in a car mount. Better yet, when you take it off the mount it stores your vehicle's location. In crowded parking lots like a mall, this feature will help you never forget where you parked again.

More snazzy GPS goodies include access to Garmin Online, which delivers a wealth of real-time information, much of it targeted and local, such as weather, gas prices, and local news. Millions of geo-marked landmark and sightseeing photographs can be accessed through a partnership with Google and its Panaramio service.

The phone launches in Q3 of this year. It is likely to face strong competition from RIM sporting new Blackberries, HTC offering several smartphones, Palm and Apple.

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Convergence

By Marcus Yam on 1/31/2008 3:54:09 PM , Rating: 2

Everything is about convergence these days, but I really wonder if people will take to the idea of having one device that operates as two.

With all the music-capable phones out there, people still regularly carry around with them iPods or other MP3 players.

I no longer carry around an MP3 player, instead using only my SE Walkman phone, and I'd love nothing more than to have GPS on it as well. Seems like I am in the minority though.

RE: Convergence

By Griswold on 1/31/2008 4:17:31 PM , Rating: 1

quote:
Seems like I am in the minority though.

Not sure about that. Having a gadget for every purpose seems so late '90s to me. I always welcome devices that cram more functionality into the same size.

And this nüvifone could turn out to be a winner - if they deliver.

I just hope they wont use windows mobile and try to simulate an iphone UI with it. Come up with something new, make it easy to use and add a camera that makes good pictures (this seems to be the most common shortfall of many otherwise good devices lately, including the iphone) and I might just pick one up later this year, instead of an iphone.

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RE: Convergence

By thornburg on 2/1/2008 9:40:41 AM , Rating: 3

quote:
Come up with something new, make it easy to use and add a camera that makes good pictures (this seems to be the most common shortfall of many otherwise good devices lately, including the iphone) and I might just pick one up later this year, instead of an iphone.

Cell phones will never take pictures as nice as a camera. Optics are extremely important to getting nice pictures. The minute lenses in phones are nowhere near the quality of the much larger lenses in cameras. Maybe someday they will have mini-optics that work as well as today's cameras, but by then more normal-sized optics will have improved beyond today's levels.

So until you are willing to have a phone with a zoom lens the same size as your Canon, it is going to take crappy pictures. In other words, you can add a phone to a camera and get good pictures, or you can add a camera to a phone and have a good phone.

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RE: Convergence

By PandaBear on 2/1/2008 2:28:42 PM , Rating: 2

True, but most people don't need that kind of quality with them all the time. I think a DSLR at home and a camera phone will be a good combo.

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RE: Convergence

By AmbroseAthan on 1/31/2008 4:24:33 PM , Rating: 2

I know my own issue with a completely combined device is the battery life. I personally like my phone to remain mainly in stand-by, lasting for a few days without it needing to be charged; you never know when you will forget your charger on a trip, etc etc.

Once the device becomes combined, if I end up watching a couple videos and listen to music for a while, the phone's battery life takes a nose dive. I don't mind my music suddenly being gone, but if I am stuck at the train station because someone forgot to pick me up, I am sure going to be annoyed they were not seperate devices. To me, my phone needs to always be ready when I need it, and I shouldn't needlessly be killing the battery.

This is why I am quite intrigued by the idea of the iPhone with just a data plan. I personally have an iTouch, and use it on WiFi in my house and around the city all the time; if I am able to do this with the 3G iPhone, it would be great for while travelling (I travel alot by train).

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RE: Convergence

By Marcus Yam on 1/31/2008 4:35:49 PM , Rating: 2

I guess a solution to that, however impractical it may be, is to have separate battery reserves for each individual function of the device.

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RE: Convergence

By feraltoad on 1/31/2008 5:06:08 PM , Rating: 2

I hit login to post and BOOM u beat me too it! Although, I was thinking that they should give the phone an emergency battery just a tiny one that would only run the device 20 mins of talk time if you did run down the battery be-bopping (that is the hip term you kids use right?). Oh, and then add solar cells, a hand crank generator, and a handle and wheesl to roll it around! Scrap that. I want a Steam iPhone! I can always find bits of trash to burn in the city, or the documents we shred in the bank where I work.

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RE: Convergence

By retrospooty on 1/31/2008 7:36:33 PM , Rating: 2

2 words... removeable battery.

This allows you to buy an extra, or several extra and swap out as needed. This technology exists in almost all smartphones with the exception of Apples product.

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RE: Convergence

By Visual on 2/1/2008 5:41:12 AM , Rating: 2

or even - standard AA or AAA 1.5V rechargeable batteries.
then you can buy and carry with you a dozen spare sets.

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RE: Convergence

By abscoder on 1/31/2008 6:43:01 PM , Rating: 2

I personally like keeping gadgets seperate. The convergence of features usually means the compromising of features. I want each device to be filet mignon, not a combination plate.

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RE: Convergence

By tjr508 on 2/1/2008 1:01:44 AM , Rating: 1

Some of us don't especially like to carry around three or four pieces or electronics/notes/wallets full of business cards. We don't all have purses.

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RE: Convergence

By Vanilla Thunder on 2/1/2008 10:54:25 AM , Rating: 2

Since I got my SE W810i, I haven't touched my mp3 player. In my opinion, the capabilities of most SE phones are overlooked. With an 8gb memory stick, I can carry more than enough music to suit my listening needs for weeks before I have to reload it with new stuff. I do have google maps, which is a sad excuse for GPS, but better than being lost. The less stuff I have to cram into my pockets, the happier I am. I love the idea of all in one tech gadgets.

Vanilla

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If they make a CDMA version...

By 67STANG on 1/31/2008 3:43:53 PM , Rating: 2

count me in...

I refuse to re-sign with AT&T who (for the 2 years I had them) overbilled me on at least 9 different occasions, not to mention getting through to accounting department reps was less desirable than being in an Abu Ghraib naked pyramid. Verizon isn't any better from what I've heard, but I've never had a billing mistake with them in 5 years...

Looks like it could prove to be good competition in the Iphone "niche" market, especially if it comes unlocked and is on price point.