Garmin-Asus nuvifone M10 now available across India

Garmin and Asus announced the launch of nuvifone M10 in India. The M10 is a full-touchscreen powered by the latest version of Windows Mobile, namely Windows Mobile 6.5.3.In India the nuvifone M10 comes with preinstalled map data (provided by Nokia’s wholly-owned subsidiary Navteq) for 62 of tthe country’s largest cities and offers turn-by-turn voice guided navigation with junction view and lane

Review: Garmin Nuvi 755T GPS

When I started this blog 3 years ago, one of my first articles that got a bit of traffic was my take on the iDrive from a 2007 BMW 335i. I have finally decided to pickup a portable GPS unit and the tried and true Garmin Nuvi looked good. Keep in mind that I've had, in the past, purchased different Garmin GPS and gave them out to relatives as presents. This is the first time I am acquiring one for personal use.

Preface:
Since I am not a professional GPS reviewer (there are so many good websites for that), I will keep this review purely based on my user feedback. I was debating between three different Garmin models with free traffic support: Nuvi 265T, 755T and 1350T. In short, I went with the 755t as it was pitched as top of the line model from 2008 which offered slightly more features and GPS Magazine's solid review/recommendation. Garmin's GPS line up is quite big but not as complex as it appears, the way I see it is that each model typically has one incremental feature over the previous or lower tier version. So simply go up to the unit with the features you'd like.

Review: The Good
I am very pleased with the 755t with its large and intuitive 4.3" LCD touchscreen interface. The display is sharp and bright and I find the single speaker ample for directions. The 4.3" screensize is actually comparable to many OEM screen size and its ability to adjust color for night and day makes it rival some of the best OEM GPS integrations. Text to Speech is really good on this unit and route recalcuation is quite fast but at times I find satelite acquisition as well as detection of my location (if I didn't follow its direction) a bit slow. Free FM Traffic and Lane Assist were two huge factors that convinced me to buy this unit. Traffic information is pretty good in the NY/Tristate area but only works if you keep the unit plugged into the auto/DC charger since the FM receiver is part of the cable; in exchange for free traffic alerts, you do have to put up with some sponsored text ads. The text ads are non-obtrusive and do not hesitate in buying this if you are in the market... its pretty good deal considering you get valuable traffic information for FREE! The Lane Assist feature should be amazing but for whatever reason, I have not seen one shown up just yet; I know its only available in limited freeway intersections but I am a bit upset that around the Jersey turnpike I have not been able to see one (leaving me wondering if its worth it or did I not configure a setting correctly). Other noteworthy items are: 4 hr. battery life, power cable connects to the dock making it easy to remove and attach and 4GB memory (2GB available) allowing for MP3 or photos to be stored on board (which I have been customizing POI logos for my frequent visits adds a bit of personalization). Garmin also has nuMap guarantee which removes any doubt about buying a model that is one year or older so long as you register your GPS within first 60 days of getting a satellite sync (it even supports Mac in addition to PC to upgrade maps, I tried it and it works great!)

Review: Area for Improvement
Since I park inside a large garage, the 755T is usually turned on inside the garage thus prompting lack of Satelite; the problem is once I get to the street, it takes around 1-2 min. to get satellite signal. I guess that is already fast but this is where I find the OEM GPS one ups the portable units. Same thing can be said for when I enter a tunnel, my iDrive GPS can use the speed I am traveling to keep a emulated GPS signal until I exit said tunnel whereas the nuvi 755T would have to reacquire satellite read. Occasionally, I'll notice the map redrawing can be a little slow for a map tile or two (such as when you just finished merging to an on ramp), again I am just comparing to my experience with BMW's OEM iDrive and noting the difference in performance. The 755T has a lower profile design with black front facia but its trim around the top and sides are silver which can add a little bit of reflection into the windshield; I think the entire unit should be painted in a matte black finish and I plan to apply some black tape to cover up the silver trim thus minimize reflections. The lack of bluetooth (which I know is not 755T's fault) was a shocker for me as I was reviewing many Garmin GPS offerings that I got to a point where I thought it had come with bluetooth. Their product matrix is so intense that I was literally numbed from processing so many features (US/Euro/Canada Maps, screensize, text to speech, traffic, MSN direct, lane asst., MP3, photo, internal memory, etc...).

Overall: I am very pleased with the 755T as a portable GPS. Garmin does an amazing job providing drivers with confidence such as zooming in the map as you get closer to a turn and zooming back out once completed. The learning curve is very low and I think it comes very close to an OEM system with 1/10 the price. Given that it was their premium lineup a year ago, if you buy one today, you can save significantly.

Get your Garmin nuvifone for $99 at Amazon

Source: Engadget

Amazon is probably one of my favorite location to find smartphone deals (locked or unlocked). Here we have Garmin's GPS nuvifone down to $99 with a new contract. If you've been holding out for a GPS phone, here is your chance.

Is the $99 worthy of this phone, you'll have to be the judge on that one.

Garmin nuvifone is here

Or atleast the nuvifone email is here. I received this few minutes ago. The nuvifone G60 is available exclusively from AT&T and will be sold for $299 with a 2-yr contract and after a mail rebate. In short, the phone is a touchscreen GSM quad band, 3G and WiFi capable. Mr. Obvious will tell you it is a GPS phone famously dubbed after Garmin's popular nuvi GPS handheld.

Smartphones as GPS Navigation Still LONG Way to Go

Whenever friends or family ask me to recommend a good smartphone w/ GPS for navigation, my general response has been "don't use your smartphone as a full-on GPS". I know this sounds a bit against the usual mantra of "smartphones are meant to do everything" but there is just no way a smartphone can replace dedicated full time devices (ie. GPS, Computer, Camera, etc...). Please don't get me wrong, I am definitely for using my smartphone for everything possible, for the most part, as fillers. On serious tasks, I still pull out the dedicated devices.

When it comes to driving, I prefer to have a dedicated GPS unit. Considering what iPhone's App store charges for voice guided navigation (usually $10/mo or $100 for lifetime), you can afford to buy a dedicated GPS unit for your automobile. Of course one could argue that a low end GPS w/o subscription doesn't offer real time traffic, but I'll take the better GPS experience from dedicated unit anyday and can still answer calls and look up traffic info from my smartphone. You'll find this USA Today review helpful in explaining why I would pass on using my iPhone as a GPS navigation solution. Another good reference is from Autoblog on why iPhone 3G GPS navigation is inadquate.

So what is GPS good for on a smartphone you ask? Well, for one, it is great to have it to know exactly where you are on foot and/or provide basic driving instructions in the event if you do not have a GPS unit. GPS combined with internet/search function makes it easy to look up for a store or restaurant nearby. There is also the Geo-tagging function with GPS when used with your smartphone camera. My argument is simple, you probably won't take your smartphone as a dedicated camera at a wedding or ceremony (thats what your dedicated point-n-shoot or DSLR is for) so why would you think you can get by with your GPS navigation with only a smartphone?

Laptop Mag got a hold of Nuvifone Prototype

Head on over to laptop magazine's blog on a hands-on preview of a prototype unit of the upcoming Nuvifone by Garmin. From the first take, everything looks very promising with a very easy to use UI. Personally, I don't know how I feel about the Nuvifone, it always feel like more of a GPS than a phone... which makes me wonder how will other multimedia or communication services be like. But if this thing is founded on its rock-solid heritage, I can see this phone being one of the best phone+GPS solution.

Garmin Nuvifone to be $500 at AT&T?

Engadget reports a story that the Garmin Nuvifone may end up costing you $500 through AT&T with a 2-year contract. In my opinion, this will make Garmin Nuvifone lose its competitive edge. Considering that there are plenty of phones available with GPS; this phone really does not offer much beyond whats already available. Its largest pull is the fact that Garmin has built a reputation on ease of use GPS and a loyal fan base. At $500, however, people will likely think twice as the sticker is in the premium phone range. If they would cleverly position this device at $200-300 range, it would give the market a good run for its money. Just my humble opinion.

Garmin Nuvi 200 for $149

My father and mother in-laws live throughout Southeast Asia. Their main residence is in the capital of Malaysia, KL. On the weekends, they love taking their beloved Mini Cooper S on road trips to Singapore or up to Peneng. As the mobile go-to guy in the family, they've come to me for their GPS solution. You see, companies like Tom Tom and Garmin are not investing money to develope maps and POIs in smaller markets. So even if a car in Malaysia is equipped with GPS Navigation, there would be no DVD maps to run it with.

Thanks to the fine folks at Malsingmaps.com and their contributing members for coming up with their own customized Garmin maps w/ POIs for most of the GPS devices on the market today, I was able to setup a Garmin C320 for my in-laws to enjoy. They've since really enjoyed having a full working GPS to use throughout that region and be the envy of their friends. Lately, they've been complaining about not being able to get a fix on the GPS location so I am now checking out what is available economically from Garmin for purchase as a replacement.

I came across the Garmin Nuvi 200 from Amazon.com. I remembered this being in the $350 range when it first came out on the market about 1 year ago. But the price I found today is $150 shipped (no tax for me, NY resident). This is a great price for a nice little 3.5" Garmin GPS about the size of a deck of cards. Once I know the C320 is broken for sure, I will pickup this device for them as replacement.

You want GPS Integrated? I'll give you GPS.

Garmin (one of the top players of aftermarket GPS maker) is officially in the smartphone arena with the "nuvifone". Imagine a typical Garmin nüvi GPS Navigator, add 3G HSDPA, phone, browser and what you have is a smartphone by Garmin.

Its kind of interesting watching the smartphone market unfold. The original attempt was trying to fit every function under one roof (jack of all trades, master of none). As more players become more engaged, smartphones began to take a persona to their own thus our mobile experience is shifting. You got your email intensive Blackberry devices, a multi-media driven iPhone and now a hardcore GPS functional nuvifone.