After a prolonged development cycle, the Garmin nüvifone G60 handset will FINALLY see the light of day here in the U.S. thanks to AT&T. The companies announced today that the Garmin nüvifone G60 will be available to AT&T customers starting on October 4th.

In case you forgot about the G60 (and really.. who hasn’t now?), here are the features/specs:

• Linux OS
• Same core features as a high-end Garmin nüvi GPS device
• Comes preloaded with maps and millions of points of interest for North America
• Comes with dashboard and windshield mount
• Turn by turn voice promoted directions
• Automatically recalculates routes
• Built-in GPS receiver with Garmin HotFix technology and assisted GPS
• “Where Am I?” feature provides users their exact latitude and longitude coordinates, nearest address, intersection, hospital, police station, and gas station with one touch of the screen. nüvifone will also automatically mark the position in which it was last removed from the windshield mount
• Full HTML browser
• 3G and Wi-Fi connectivity
• Location Link – parses addresses on the web with latitude and longitude information
• Touch-screen virtual keyboard with predictive text
• 3.0 megapixel camera with auto-focus
• Geotagging images with latitude and longitude information
• Free access to AT&T Yellow Pages, flight status, and converter
• Premium Connected Services gives customers access to real time traffic information, fuel prices, White Pages, weather etc

The Garmin nüvifone G60 will be available at AT&T retail stores or online at www.wireless.att.com starting on October 4th for a price of $299 (after a new two year agreement and after a $100 dollar mail-in rebate). nüvifone Premium Connected Services will cost ya $5.99 a month after a 30 day trial.

[Check it out]

Technorati Tags: AT&T, Garmin nüvifone G60

Garmin introduces their latest handheld GPS navigators – the Dakota 10 and the Dakota 20 – both of which offer a high-sensitivity GPS receiver, worldwide basemap and a color touchscreen display in a compact waterproof form factor with up to 20 hours of battery life.

Features of the Garmin Dakota 10 include the following:

• Palm sized navigator
• Sunlight readable 2.6 inch color touchscreen display with 160 x 240 resolution
• High sensitivity GPS with HotFix satellite prediction
• Worldwide basemap
• Durable and waterproof
• Supports up to 2000 caches for information such as location, terrain, difficulty, hints, and description
• 850 MB of memory
• Measures 2.2″ x 3.9″ x 1.3″ and weighs 6.75 oz

Features of the Garmin Dakota 20 include the following:

• Palm sized navigator
• Sunlight readable 2.6 inch color touchscreen display with 160 x 240 resolution
• High sensitivity GPS with HotFix satellite prediction
• Barometric altimeter
• 3-axis electronic compass
• microSD card slot
• Worldwide basemap
• Durable and waterproof
• Supports up to 2000 caches for information such as location, terrain, difficulty, hints, and description
• 850 MB of memory
• Share your waypoints, tracks, routes, and geocaches wirelessly with other compatible Dakota, Foretrex, Oregon, and Colorado users
• Measures 2.2″ x 3.9″ x 1.3″ and weighs 6.75 oz

The Dakota 10 is available for $299.99 while the Dakota 20 is available for $349.99

Technorati Tags: Garmin Dakota 10, Garmin Dakota 20

Hey ViewSonic – are you sure you want to enter the smartphone space? I mean.. just take a look at Garmin & ASUS. The two companies had announced a joint partnership earlier this year (called Garmin-ASUS) with the intent of introducing two smartphone devices during the first half of this year – the nuvifone G60 Linux-based handset and the nuvifone M20 Windows Mobile-based handset. Well, it’s nearing the middle of May and still no sign of these handsets.. and it appears, the wait will be even longer than expected.

Garmin President and COO Cliff Pemble announced to investors last week that the G60 would be delayed until the second half of this year. Now given that the M20 was to follow the G60, there’s no word on how this delay will ultimately effect the rollout of the M20.

Now of course there could be any number of reasons for this delay but it is a word of warning to other companies out there contemplating the entry into this space. Yes, there’s money to be made but given the current state of the global economy and the stiff competition out there, one has to wonder if it’s wise for a new player to enter this space.

[Check it out]

Technorati Tags: Garmin-Asus nüvifone G60

Garmin announced two new rugged, outdoor-oriented handheld GPS devices last week – the Oregon 550 (above) and 550t (below). Common features of both GPS devices include a rugged design, a 3.2 megapixel digital camera with 4x digital zoom, touch-screen navigation display, high-sensitivity GPS, barometric altimeter, 3-axis electronic compass, and a microSD card slot.  Additional features include:

• Capture and geotag digital images
• 850MB of internal memory
• Store pictures online at my.Garmin.com
• 3 inch diagonal sunlight readable color touchscreen display
• Durable and waterproof
• Barometric altimeter tracks changes in pressure to pinpoint your precise altitude
• WAAS-enabled GPS receiver and HotFix satellite prediction
• Share your waypoints, tracks, routes, and geocaches wirelessly with other Oregon and Colorado users
• Measures 2.3 x 4.5 x 1.4 inches
• 240 x 400 resolution display
• 2 AA NiMH batteries
• 16 hour battery life

So what’s the difference between the 550 and 550t you say? Well the 550 comes preloaded with a worldwide built-in basemap with shaded relief while the 550t adds built-in U.S. topographic data for the continental U.S.

The Oregon 550 will be available for $499.99 while the Oregon 550t will be available for $599.99

[Check out the Oregon 550]

[Check out the Oregon 550t]

Technorati Tags: Garmin, Garmin Oregon 550, Garmin Oregon 550t

Garmin announces two new lines of personal navigation devices at CeBIT – the nüvi 1200 and nüvi 1300 series of navigators. The nüvi 1200 series consists of three new models – the nüvi 1200, 1250, and 1260T while the nüvi  1300 series consists of five new models – the nüvi 1300, 1350, 1350T, 1370T, and 1390T.

Common features found on all the new nüvi models include the followng:

• Ultra-thin form factor approximately 25 % slimmer than previous nüvi models
• Pedestrian navigation capability via optional CityXplorer maps
• Text to speech technology
• Voice prompted turns
• Speaks street names
• ecoRoute – green feature that calculates the most fuel efficient route to take
• Rechargeable lithum ion battery
• Travel tools such as JPEG picture viewer, world travel clock with time zones, currency converter, measurement converter, calculator etc
• Download pics from Garmin Connect Photos and navigate to pictures

All models of the nüvi 1300 models feature a 4.3 inch touch-screen display (480 x 272 resolution) while all models of the nüvi 1200 series feature a 3.5 inch touch-screen display. And now, here are the unique features of each model:

nüvi 1200:

• Has coverage for the lower 48 states, Hawaii, and Puerto Rico
• Available in Q2 for $199.99

nüvi 1250:

• Preloaded with coverage of North America
• Available in Q2 for $249.99

nüvi 1260T

• Preloaded with coverage of North America
• Bluetooth hands-free support for pairing with a Bluetooth enabled handset
• Lifetime traffic alerts from NAVTEQ traffic
• Available in Q2 for $299.99

nüvi 1300:

• Coverage of the lower 48 states, Hawaii, and Puerto Rico
• 4.3 inch wide-screen display 480 x 272 resolution
• microSD card slot
• Measures 4.8 x 2.9 x 0.6 inches
• Available in Q2 for $249.99

nüvi 1350:

• Lane Assist which highlights preferred lane for navigation
• Preloaded with coverage of North America
• microSD card slot
• FM traffic compatible
• Measures 4.8 x 2.9 x 0.6 inches
• Available in Q2 for a price of $299.99

nüvi 1350T

• Lane Assist which highlights preferred lane for navigation
• Preloaded with coverage of North America
• Lifetime traffic alerts from NAVTEQ Traffic

nüvi 1370T:

• Maps for North America and Europe
• Lane Assist which highlights preferred lane for navigation
• Lifetime traffic alerts from NAVTEQ Traffic
• Traffic receiver provides alerts in coverage area without a need for a subscription fee
• microSD slot
• Bluetooth hands-free connectivity
• Compatible with Garmin Garage
• Measures 4.8 x 2.9 x 0.6 inches
• Available in Q2 for a price of $449.99

nüvi 1390T:

• Maps for North America and Europe
• Lane Assist which highlights preferred lane for navigation
• Junction View allowing drivers to see realistic images of upcoming junctions where available
• Lifetime traffic alerts from NAVTEQ Traffic
• Traffic receiver provides alerts in coverage area without a need for a subscription fee
• Bluetooth hands-free connectivity
• Measures 4.8 x 2.9 x 0.6 inches
• microSD slot
• Available in Q2 for a price of $399.99

Phew.. I’m done.

Technorati Tags: Garmin nuvi 1200, nuvi 1300, GPS, Personal Navigation Devices

In addition to the newly announced nüvifone M20, Garmin-Asus provided additional details to their previously announced nüvifone G60 handset. Unlike the M20 which is a Windows Mobile 6.1 OS based handset, the G60 runs a Linux OS and is “designed for the active on-the-go user who wants an easy-to-use device” to answer simple questions such as “where am I?”, “where am I going?”, or “how do I get home?”

Here’s the rundown of features and specs for the nüvifone G60:

• Quad-band GSM / GPRS / Edge 850/900/1800/1900
• 850/1900/2100 HSDPA 3.6 Mbps
• Linux OS
• Three primary icons on the display – Call, Search, and View Map
• Secondary icons appear on the side of the home screen and can be customized by user preferences
• Built-in accelerometer
• Location Based Services support with location information added to apps such as email, SMS, photo sharing, social networking etc
• Operates like a Garmin nüvi device with preloaded maps of North America or Eastern and Western Europe and millions of POI
• Connected Services support
• Ciao! social networking app
• Supports POP3 and IMAP4 email such as Yahoo, Hotmail, and Gmail.
• Soft keyboard
• 3.0 megapixel camera with auto-focus – automatically geotags images
• Allows individuals to place calls and identify their exact GPS location while making phone calls
• 802.11 b/g Wi-Fi
• 3.55 inch 65K color support, anti-glare resistive touch-screen with 272 x 480 resolution
• 4GB on board memory, 128MB RAM
• microSD slot with SDHC support
• MP3 playback support
• Document viewing support for Word, Excel, Powerpoint, PDF, and JPG
• Measures 112 x 58.1 x 14.6 mm and weighs 137 grams

Still no word on pricing or an exact availability date other than the first half of this year.

[Check it out]

Technorati Tags: Garmin-Asus nüvifone G60, Linux Smartphone, Garmin device

Nearly two weeks after formally announcing their new alliance, Garmin-Asus have announced their latest smartphone product offering – the new nüvifone M20 – “an all-in-one, mobile web-browser, and premium navigation system with a Windows Mobile operating system.” The company will unveil the new M20 at the upcoming Mobile World Congress in Barcelona.

The nüvifone M20 is a dual-band 3.5G/tri-band GSM Windows Mobile 6.1 smartphone with Wi-Fi connectivity, web browser, push email support, document viewing capabilities, multimedia support, Bluetooth wireless, and Garmin satellite navigation.

Other features and specs include the following:

• Full QWERTY soft keyboard
• HSDPA wireless support
• 802.11 b/g Wi-Fi
• Location Based Services with navigation functions linked to frequently used applications such as calendar, contacts, email, Internet apps, etc
• Comes pre-loaded with maps and points of interest (POI) for North America, Eastern and Western Europe, and other regions
• Provides turn by turn voice prompted directions and automatically recalculates if a turn is missed
• Connected Services support – suite of online apps and data from Garmin-Asus which adds “location intelligence” to navigation, phone, and browser functions. Expandable list of apps includes content like real-time traffic, white pages, weather, flight status, local events, and movie times
• Support for Ciao! – a social networking service that keeps users up to date with their friends whereabouts and status
• 2.8 inch TFT VGA (640 x 480) touch lens display with 65K colors
• Built-in microphone and speakers
• Built-in 4GB/8GB My Storage
• ActiveSync for Outlook, Microsoft Office, and multimedia synchronization
• 3.0 megapixel camera with automatic geotagging capabilities
• Bluetooth 2.0 + EDR
• Supports MP3, AAC, AAC+, WMA, WAV, and AMR-NB
• Video playback support for MPEG4/H.264/H.263/WMV @ 30fps VGA
• Video recording in MPEG4/H.263 @ 15fps QVGA; Streaming Audio/Video
• Opera browser
• Qualcomm 7200A 528MHz processor
• 920 mAh Lithium replaceable battery
• 3 hour talk time with 3G enabled; 2.8 hours with 2G enabled
• Built-in accelerometer
• Measures 95.3 x 52.5 x 12.8 mm
• Weighs 99 grams with the battery

The Garmin-Asus M20 will be available during the first half of this year.Stay tuned for an exact availability date and pricing.

[Check it out]

Technorati Tags: Garmin-Asus nüvifone M20 smartphone, Windows Mobile Smartphones

Ever wish you could have Garmin navigation technology included with your mobile handset? Well soon you’ll be able to! Garmin and ASUS formally announced a strategic alliance today to build a line of “location-centric” mobile phones. The upcoming line, known as the Garmin-ASUS nüvifone series, will be rolling out this year headlined by the G60 model which will be announced at the upcoming Mobile World Congress show in Barcelona.

The two companies have actually been working together for over a year with their first model being that new G60 model. It was originally known as the nüvifone handset but has since been rebranded as the Garmin-ASUS nüvifone G60. Newer nüvifone products will also continue the vision of the original G60 and offer Location-based Services capabilities such as turn by turn, voice prompted navigation typically found on high-end Garmin portable navigation devices, and pre-loaded maps with millions of points of interest.

Features of the nüvifone G60 handset include:

• Quad-band voice
• Tri-band data
• Wi-Fi 802.11b/g with WPA encryption
• Desktop web experience with full HTML browser
• Location based apps including real-time traffic information, gas prices, flight times, weather, etc
• Geo-tagged SMS, email, and photo sharing
• Ciao! Location-based Social Networking platform
• Large display with portrait and landscape view of each screen
• Virtual QWERTY keyboard with touch-screen
• Garmin navigation experience with voice prompted turn by turn directions that speaks street names
• Optimized for pedestrian or automobile use with included car mount
• One-step navigation from contacts, email, and local search results
• “Where am I?” safety feature displays your current address and nearest police, hospital, and fuel services in one click
• Pedestrian mode for in-hand navigation

Garmin-ASUS nüvifone models will be on display at the Garmin-ASUS booth at the MWC in Barcelona.. Wish I was going!

[Check it out]

Technorati Tags: Garmin-ASUS, nüvifone G60, nüvifone phones

Here we have Garmin’s newly announced nüvi 885T portable navigation device. Featuring lane assist with junction view, dynamic content from MSN direct, and speech recognition technologies, the nüvi 885T lets drivers keep their hands on the wheel while taking the “guesswork out of navigation.”

Garmin’s speech recognition technology takes front and center with the nüvi 885T. Instead of having to fumble with on-screen buttons while driving, you can program the device simply by speaking into the push-to-talk wireless remote attached to the steering wheel. This eliminates guesswork and helps keep the driver’s eyes right where they should be – on the roads.

The nüvi 885t also features lane assist with junction view which details upcoming maneuvers and specific driving directions – including road sign detail and arrows indicating the proper lane for navigation.

Other features include:

• “Where am I?” feature which provides exact longitude and latitude coordinates, closest hospitals, police stations, gas stations, and nearest addresses and intersections
• Associate favorite images with saved locations using Garmin Connect Photos
• Receive dynamic content from MSN Direct network such as flight status, advanced weather (Doppler weather maps, high/low/current temps, chances of precipitation, humidity, pressure, wind, and weather alerts), and three day weather forecasts
• Traffic conditions
• Fuel prices from over 85,000 gas stations
• Enhanced movie listings
• Local events
• News and stocks
• Send to GPS capability – plan trips and look up destinations on the computer and then wirelessly send data to nüvi 885T
• Bluetooth
• Integrated FM transmitter
• USB 2.0 support
• Front-firing speakers
• Removable lithium-ion battery
• 4.3 inch color touchscreen display (480 x 272)
• Preloaded with maps of the U.S., Canada, and Puerto Rico

The nüvi 885T comes with three months of free MSN Direct service. You can then subscribe to the service for $49.95 a year or pay a one time charge of $129.95.

The nüvi 885T will be available in the first quarter for $799.95.

Technorati Tags: Garmin nüvi 885T, GPS, CES 2009

Garmin enters the lucrative golfing market with the introduction of the new Approach G5 GPS device which will be a part of their outdoor recreation and fitness line. The Approach G5 is designed to improve a golfer’s game by providing precise distances to the center of the green as well as other key course features – which together will help eliminate guesswork and make club selection easier.

Other features include:

• Waterproof device
• Touchscreen 3 inch color display
• Offers two simple options – play and preview
• Play mode provides golfers detailed course maps with precise distance information from their current information to fairways, hazards, and greens
• Measure distances from your location simply by touching the position on the map/screen
• Continuously updates your position and distances to target
• Touch screen interface helps decide the best tactic in many situations
• Keep your score digitally
• Add additional courses via the Garmin website

You can also use the Approach G5 to preview thousands of courses in the U.S. – no need for you to actually be there yourself. The unit weighs only 6.8 oz and is powered by only two AA batteries.

The Approach G5 has an MSRP of $499.99.

[Check it out]

Technorati Tags: Garmin, Approach G5, Golf, CES 2009, GPS device