The Nuvifone M20 includes a 2.8-inch VGA display, WiFi, Bluetooth, a three megapixel camera, and 4GB or 8GB of flash storage, the companies say.
(Click here for a larger view of the Garmin-Asus Nuvifone M20)
The Garmin-Asus Nuvifone G60
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The Nuvifone M20 is the second device resulting from a joint venture between personal navigation device (PND) vendor Garmin and AsusTek. Earlier, the companies announced the
Nuvifone G60, a phone that had been described as running a "proprietary" OS, but which is now listed by Garmin's datasheet as running Linux.
Entering a crowded field that, of course, includes
previous GPS phones from Asus itself, the Nuvifone M20 runs
Windows Mobile 6.1, but wraps the operating system in a custom user interface apparently devised by Garmin. The phone features web browsing, email, text messaging, and photo-taking applications that all utilize GPS data, according to the companies.
Naturally, the Nuvifone M20's three megapixel camera is said to tag new photos with the location where they were taking automatically. The device also ships with Ciao!, software that can trade data with "numerous" location-centric social networks, according to Garmin and Asus.
Like other recently announced GPS phones, such as the
Pharos Traveler, the Nuvifone M20 is touted as offering navigation features that were previously found only on dedicated PNDs (personal navigation devices). These are said to include turn-by-turn navigation, with voice prompting, plus the ability to search for local POIs (points of interest) via the Internet.
According to Garmin and Asus, the Nuvifone M20 employs a 528MHz Qualcomm 7200A chipset, with an undisclosed amount of RAM, plus either 4GB or 8GB of flash storage. Also included are a three megapixel camera with autofocus, a 2.8-inch VGA display, dedicated calling buttons, and a five-way controller.
Said to offer downloads at up to 7.2MBps via HSDPA (high speed downlink packet access), the M20 additionally has 802.11b/g wireless networking and Bluetooth 2.0. A relatively small 920mAH battery provides up to three hours of talk time, the companies say.
Finally, the device includes an accelerometer that automatically shifts its display between portrait and landscape modes during web browsing. The Nuvifone M20's browser, which is a version of
Opera Mobile 9.5, lets users zoom and pan around web pages with their fingers, according to Garmin and Asus.
Features and specifications listed by Garmin and Asus for the Nuviphone M20 include:
- Processor -- Qualcomm MSM7200A clocked at 528MHz
- Memory -- RAM n/s; 4GB or 8GB of flash storage
- Display -- 2.8-inch touchscreen with 640 x 480 resolution
- Camera -- Three megapixel, with autofocus
- Keys -- Five-way controller, two dedicated calling keys
- Wireless:
- WAN:
- North America -- Tri-band (850/1800/1900MHz) GSM and dual-band (850/1900MHz) 3.5G
- Europe -- Tri-band (900/1800/1900MHz) GSM and dual-band (900/2100MHz) 3.5G
- WLAN -- 802.11b/g
- PAN -- Bluetooth 2.0
- GPS
- Other I/O:
- Expansion -- n/s
- Battery -- 900mAh lithium-ion battery (provides 2.8 hours 2G talk time, or three hours GMS talk time)
- Dimensions -- 3.75 x 2.06 x 0.5 inches (95.3 x 52.5 x 12.8 mm)
- Weight, including battery -- 3.5 ounces (99g)
Garmin and Asus said they will announce pricing and availability for the Nuvifone M20 in the first half of 2009. The Nuvifone G60 and Nuvifone M20 will be on display at next week's Mobile World Congress (MWC) in Spain, Hall 7, stand #7C37, the companies added.
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