Garmin-Asus, the smartphone partnership launched last week between GPS firm Garmin and Asustek Computer, announced new details about its Nuvifone series of phones.
The partnership said its flagship device, the G60, which it will be unveiling officially at Mobile World Congress next week in Barcelona, will feature a 3.55-inch display, HSDPA and WiFi. It will have many location-based services (LBS) functions, including pre-loaded maps of North America and Eastern or Western Europe, with turn-by-turn directions and millions of points of interest. The device, along with all other Nuvifone series phones, will also feature Ciao!, an LBS application that allows users to link numerous location-centric social networks.
Garmin-Asus also said that they will launch a smartphone based on Windows Mobile 6.1 called the M20. The phone will feature quad-band EDGE and tri-band HSDPA, WiFi, Garmin satellite navigation and a full QWERTY keyboard. Pricing and availability for both devices will follow in the first half of 2009.
The original Nuvifone, which Garmin announced last January but then said in July it was delaying until 2009, received FCC approval in December. The device was being tested on 1900 MHz and 850 MHz bands, but there was no word on whether it will be paired with a specific U.S. carrier.
For more:
- see this release
- see this release
- see this Nuvifone pic
- see this G60 pic
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