Its first handset running under Google's platform

Feb 11, 2010 14:50 GMT  ·  By

Garmin-Asus unveiled today its first mobile phone powered by Google's Android operating system, the Garmin-Asus nüvifone A50. According to the company, the new handset hits the market with multiple location technologies and applications on board, while also benefiting from a nice range of personalization and enhanced features that are provided by the Android platform, not to mention turn-by-turn navigation capabilities from Garmin, as well as voice prompted directions that can be used either when driving a car or when walking.

At the same time, the company notes that the location features of the handset have been designed to fit virtually every function it comes with, including email, text messaging, and photos. “The A50 brings premium navigation features to the Android operating system, offering users a seamless location based experience along with access to the wealth of applications that the platform affords,” said Benson Lin, vice president and general manager of ASUS’ personal mobile devices business unit, handheld business group.

The specifications list of the new handset includes a 3.5-inch HVGA capacitive touchscreen display that also boasts a finger-friendly user interface, as well as a QWERTY soft keyboard, 4GB of internal storage, which can be expanded through the microSD card slot it includes, accelerometer, and support for a great deal of Google services, including Google Search by voice, Google Maps, Gmail, YouTube, calendar, contacts and Android Market.

Other features of the new Garmin-Asus nüvifone A50 include on-device sync with Microsoft Exchange server, a powerful multi-touch capable WebKit browser, a 3-megapixel photo snapper with auto focus and geotagging, as well as a nice range of navigation capabilities. “Location is relevant to everything you do,” said Cliff Pemble, Garmin’s president and COO. “The A50 integrates navigation and GPS functionality throughout the device, which gives customers the versatility and reliability they need as they navigate their day.”

The A50 comes with the same array of features present with the high-end Garmin nüvi navigation device, pedestrian or automotive navigation capabilities right out of the box, and support for cityXplorer maps with routes that include public transit options such as bus, tramway, metro and suburban rail systems. The handset should become available for purchase in Europe in the first half of the ongoing year, yet no specific details on its launch date or pricing have been unveiled so far.