We stopped by to check out the latest fruits of the Garmin-ASUS partnership today at Mobile World Congress, in the shape of the new nuvifone M20 and the latest iteration of the nuvifone G60. The latter, although we’ve seen it several times before, still manages to impress: that’s primarily thanks to the user-interface, which is GPS-focused enough to truly feel like a real PND/smartphone hybrid.
More hands-on shots of the G60 and M20 – plus hands-on feedback – after the cut
While the two facts we'd really like to know about the freshly-christened Garmin-ASUS nuvifone G60 - price and release date - are still a mystery, the pair of manufacturers are at least spilling a few more specification details before the handset goes on show at MWC next week. As well as the 3.55-inch touchscreen and 3G HSDPA connectivity, we now hear the G60 will have a 3-megapixel camera with autofocus and geotagging, as with the nuvifone M20, together with internet-connected GPS navigation including turn-by-turn directions, preloaded maps for North America or Eastern and Western Europe, and automatic route recalculation.
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As promised, the first new devices out of the Garmin-ASUS partnership are beginning to show their hand. First up is the Garmin-ASUS nuvifone M20, a 2.8-inch touchscreen Windows Mobile 6.1 Pro device with dualband HSDPA, triband GSM and WiFi b/g. In keeping with the pairing’s obsession with location-based services (LBS), GPS and navigation get top billing: it comes preloaded with maps and points of interest (POIs) – hotels, restaurants, stores, fuel stations and more – for North America, Eastern and Western Europe, together with turn-by-turn voice prompts and auto route-recalculation.
Apple's recent patent award for multitouch and gesture-based interfaces used in its iPhone and iPod touch ranges has flung patent law and prior art contests back into the headlines; now there's word that a so-called global community working to "legitimize the validity of patents", Article One Partners, have given a $50,000 prize fund to two researchers that turned up evidence potentially letting Garmin off the hook in a patent dispute of their own. Article One have now launched seven more patent studies, each with cash jackpots, one of which addresses Apple's touchscreen IP.
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Toshiba helped us kick off the week with the announcement of their new TG01 Windows Mobile smartphone: on paper it sounds perfect, with a high-res touchscreen, super-skinny body and all the wireless connectivity you could feasibly ask for, as well as being the first device to deliver NVIDIA’s 1GHz Snapdragon chipset. Check out our hands-on photos and video demos, as well as Toshiba’s own GUI demo, and then try and explain to me why I still can’t get as excited about the TG01 as I think I ought to be.
Garmin and ASUS have announced a partnership deal to produce a co-branded range of GPS-enabled cellphones, of which the first will be the nuvifone we've been waiting for since the beginning of the year. Now renamed the nuvifone G60, the touchscreen handset will be the first in a new range, the Garmin-ASUS nuvifone series, each with significant focus on location-based services.
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Garmin have announced their latest GPS-enabled exercise trainer, the FR60 Fitness Watch. Thanks to the ANT+ wireless fitness equipment standard, the FR60 can track time, calories burned, heart rate and other data from linked fitness equipment, then - with the supplied ANT+ USB stick - wirelessly transfer that information to your PC when it comes into range.
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Kenwood have announced [via] a set of new in-dash touchscreen navigation and media players, all but one of which include Parrot Bluetooth functionality for using the system as a hands-free kit. The range kicks off with the eXcelon DNX9140, Kenwood's new flagship, with a DVD player, 6.95-inch WVGA display, integrated Garmin navigation, and voice control. It's also capable of 5.1 surround sound, via an onboard decoder, and can link to and control your iPod, iPhone or mass storage device.
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Garmin have announced two new portable navigation devices intended for hikers and climbers. The eTrex Vista H and eTrex Legend H both feature a fast satellite receiver, capable of establishing a positioning lock even when under tree cover or in canyons, together with a fast USB interface for transferring waypoints and topological maps. They also each have 24MB of internal storage.
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Garmin has been nothing but a tease when posting all of these Nuvifone gallery pictures. Though these photos are not actual pictures of the handset, they give you a bit clearer picture of what it will be like in hand. The most exciting pictures we came across are the screenshots of various features.
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It’s the final Week in Review of 2008, and unsurprisingly it’s been a relatively quiet week what with the holiday festivities taking priority. Hopefully you’ve not spent your entire shopping budget on gifts, however, as there are still quite a few interesting gadgets on the horizon. Notebooks small and large again seized the headlines, with various Sony websites dripping out news regarding the company’s upcoming VAIO netbook. First a January 9th announcement was promised, then the netbook form-factor confirmed, and finally we’ve got spec details. At the other end of the scale, more details of Lenovo’s ThinkPad W700ds appeared, while the mobile workstation itself showed up in photos and on video.
Garmin have responded to the same Digitimes report yesterday that suggested the company was planning a new range of Android-based devices in the second half of 2009. The primary point of disagreement is in Digitimes' "sales figures and product rollout schedules"; quoting Garmin's Asia Pacific marketing director Tony An, the publication claimed that 2008 total sales would amount to 18 million units. Now Garmin appear to be distancing themselves from those predictions, perhaps paving the way for lower performance figures.
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