Garmin nüvifone
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| nüvifone | |
| Manufacturer | Garmin |
|---|---|
| Available | Q3 2008 (expected) |
| Screen | 3.5 in, color LCD |
| Input | touchscreen |
| Networks | Quad-band GSM GPRS/EDGE HSDPA |
| Connectivity | WiFi, Bluetooth[1] |
| Form factor | Candybar Smartphone |
| Media | MP3 and MPEG4/AAC |
The Garmin Nüvifone is an Internet-enabled mobile phone and personal navigation device manufactured by Garmin. It makes use of a touchscreen with virtual keyboards and buttons, similar to Apple's iPhone. The product was announced on January 30, 2008 and only a prototype (presumably not fully functional) was available at the time.
Compared with iPhone, Nüvifone is a 3G hybrid handset that can be docked into a vehicle mount. Once snapped onto the vehicle mount, it can automatically kick in the embedded GPS navigation and simultaneously enabling hands-free calls. It is featured with a geotagging built-in camera that can help recipients of the geotagged photos trace to where the photos were taken.[2]
According to the first press release by Garmin, it will be made available to market in the third quarter of 2008[3].
As InformationWeek pointed out, first Apple's iPhone came , then came Google's Android and Garmin's Nüvifone. It is expected that Nüvifone, if it goes as planned, may trigger a tipping point in establishing freedom from the legal ban on handset use at the wheel, and also from the narrow display screen and short battery life. Simply put, it may pave the way for fast-paced convergence into all-in-one mobile equipment mounted permanently in the center of vehicular dashtop.
