Garmin Enters Mobile Phone Market With “nüvifone” February 1, 2008
Read more Gadgets , Gizmodo UK , Mobile Devices , Mobile phones , Smartphones , Wireless
GPS market leader, Garmin, has thrown its hat into the mobile phone arena with an interesting first product, the “nüvifone”.
The stylish looking device combines phone, mobile Web-browser and GPS into one touchscreen handheld. The company boasts that it’s the ‘ultimate multi-tasker’ and 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 up, users are greeted by a simple menu on the 3.5in touchscreen with three icons: Call, Search, and View Map. The phone automatically enters GPS mode when docked in a car and is made ready for hands-free calling. The system used is the same as Garmin’s popular Nuvi GPS product line.
“The nüvifone is an all-in-one device offering unmatched integration of utility and function in a single mobile device,” claimed 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 nüvifone is Garmin’s first device to include Google local search capability. It also includes the “Where am I?” feature for those nights when you get sloshed and lost in the wrong part of town and, offers access to Garmin Online for up-to-the minute info on real-time traffic, fuel prices, stock prices, sport scores, news reports, local events and weather forecasts.
It has a camera with video capability and will play back your tunes and MPEG4 videos. It’s due out in Q3 – no prices yet. Jump for another shot.-Martin Lynch
Editor and Contributor | Martin Lynch
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Comments
who needs an Iphone!
Uhm... I do.
Does this have OS X? No.
Does it have a true browser? No.
Is it as cool/pretty/user friendly as my iPhone? Not even close.
a glorified SonyEricsson P800.
Thanks but hell no thanks
Interesting device.
iphones suck! 3 year old technology with a touch screen bolted on.
I would much prefer to have this than an iphone, even the styling is more business like.
[quote]Is it as cool....as my iPhone? [/quote]
christ i nearly passed out at this, genius!!!
"... even the styling is more business like."
How can you tell? From the picture?
One important thing. iPhone available now. This, Q3?
it is the first phone to have true satnav in my opinion. the iphone is good but hasn't cornered the market only opened it up.
do you say the first "mega" phone is the best because it was the first and ignore all the others that come later? if that was true we would all be playing spectrums, riding horses, and using smoke signals.