Garmin Nuvifone: iPhone wannabee or breakthrough product?

Stan Beer
Friday, 01 February 2008 08:37

Your IT - Mobility

The airwaves are buzzing with news of yet another iPhone challenger, the Garmin Nuvifone, a touchscreen handheld that attempts to bring together the best of GPS navigation and phone functions, with web browsing and entertainment thrown in. The Nuvifone is not slated for release until Q3 but everything about it from its 3.5 inch touch screen menu based display to the  way users place calls smacks of iPhone copy. That said, the Nuviphone does promise to deliver a number of things not available on the iPhone - yet.

Leaving aside the fact that nobody knows how the Nuvifone will stack up against the iPhone for usability as a web browser, voice phone quality and as a music player - all huge questions - the Nuviphone will be 3.5G (HSDPA) and does bring to the table Garmin's expertise in building portable GPS devices.

It is particularly in the area of integrated GPS navigation that Nuvifone is attempting to appeal to consumers. In the US and increasingly in Europe and countries like Australia, in-vehicle navigation systems proliferate and Garmin is pushing the navigation line hard: "When powered on, the 3.5-inch touchscreen display reveals three primary icons – “Call,” “Search,” and “View Map”." Note there is no music player icon, no browse the net icon but there is a map icon.

“The nüvifone is an all-in-one device offering unmatched integration of utility and function in a single mobile device,” said Cliff Pemble, Garmin’s president and COO. “This is the breakthrough product that cell phone and GPS users around the world have been longing for – a single device that does it all.” By "does it all" Pemble is really saying it combines a phone with GPS.

And as far as a combination cellphone and GPS device goes, the Nuviphone does offer some interesting possibilities. As Garmin says:

"The nüvifone is the ultimate multi-tasker. Calls are easily initiated by tapping the “Call” button and selecting a name from the contact list or by using the on-screen keypad. When the user is trying to juggle talking on their phone while entering their vehicle to start a trip, the nüvifone makes the transition simple. When the nüvifone is docked onto the vehicle mount, it automatically turns on the GPS, activates the navigation menu, and enables hands-free calling so that the user never misses a beat in the conversation and is able to begin routing to their destination with ease."