14 DAY TRIAL // Garmin, the company popular for its GPS devices, is on its way to deliver us a new phone, the Nuvifone. As for now, the handset isn't ready, yet the maker has recently released a series of screenshots, which are meant to show that the device is doing very well, and which display the navigation app, Google Local, the Web browser, the Calendar and E-Mail.
The Nuvifone is expected to be showcased at CES 2009 in Las Vegas next week, and the pictures come a little ahead of the event. As the released images confirm, this fresh phone should offer iPhone-like contact and calendar options, while also enabling users to geotag their personal photos and videos, which have been captured using the camera of the phone.
The Garmin handset features a 3.5-inch touchscreen, which would be the same size as that of the Apple’s iPhone. The interface also resembles that of the iPhone a lot, as it features about the same buttons, icons and window dimensions. The touchscreen interface includes preloaded maps, 6 million points-of-interest, and turn-by-turn voice prompted directions to your destination, making the handset a premium portable navigation unit.
The phone allows you to pinpoint your exact location or the location of your car through a simple touch of the screen. Besides the navigation features, the Nuvifone also comes with high-speed cellular and Wi-Fi connectivity, while also being able to deliver a great mobile search experience through “PC like” web pages. In addition, all the features that can be found in a standard phone are present here as well, including voice calls, voicemail, and messaging functions like text and instant messaging and email.
The operating system of the phone was rumored at some point to be Google’s Android OS, yet Garmin strongly denied it, adding that the phone would use a modified Linux OS. According to the news on the web, the company has also entered the Open Handset Alliance and is reported to be working on a new Android phone, different from the Nuvifone.
The device looks great, and those recently released pictures confirm that. Hopefully, Garmin will not miss the Las Vegas event and the phone will become something more than just some screenshots.
