Garmin-Asus recently publicized that the Nuvifone G60 will hit the markets in Taiwan from July 22 and also in Singapore and Malaysia by the end of next month. The Nuvifone M20 will go on sale in Taiwan, Hong Kong, Singapore, Thailand and Malaysia from August.
The Nuvifone series offers a perfect blend of navigation and location based services(LBS). The LBS-centric touchscreen phone packages mobile web-browser and personal navigator. The touchscreen display features three primary icons ‘Call’, ‘Search’ and ‘View Map’. Users just need to scroll through the icons by swiping their fingers across the display. The built-in accelerometer facilitates them to view the screen in either Portrait or Landscape orientation.
“We can’t wait for our customers to start using a nüvifone. Our lives are all about location. The nüvifone is designed around that premise and that’s what differentiates it from the myriad of other phones on the market,” mentioned Cliff Pemble, Garmin’s president and COO.
Both these handsets feature a 3 megapixel camera with auto-focus and geo-tagging capabilities. The G60 operates on Linux OS while the M20 is driven by Windows Mobile 6.1 Professional (upgradeable to WM 6.5). These handsets employ a real GPS receiver with hotfix, in addition to A-GPS, so that customers always have directions at their fingertips even while not in coverage area.
“Whether it’s talking and navigating simultaneously, geo-tagging a photograph or navigating to an address on the web, the nüvifone seamlessly links navigation with other commonly performed activities,” stated Benson Lin, Asus Vice President and General Manager of Handheld Business Group.
The Nuvifone series incorporates several pre-loaded Points Of Interest (POIs) including hotels, restaurants and street addresses, just like Garmin’s Nuvi product line. These handsets incorporate a full HTML browser and users can surf the web on their phone via Wi-Fi or 3G networks.
The G60 and M20 would be made available in Europe and the US in the second half of 2009. More details about pricing, availability and carriers will be announced in the coming months.