Hands-on with the Garmin nuvifone

Well, ask and ye shall receive. We wrangled some of the Garmin folks to get a better view of the nuvifone, and wouldn't you know it... we did! Check the gallery below for some close-up action with a non-working model, and comparison shots of the device with the iPhone. The phone feels light and lean in your hands, we should note, and we're told that the model we were handling was close to what the final weight will be -- it's a pretty impressive and clean design once you see it up close. Enjoy some pictures you can actually see.

Gallery: Hands-on with the Garmin nuvifone

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[trumpton @ Jan 30th 2008 8:36PM]

Considering what's going on inside, that fella is pretty godamm slim.

I'm interested!

[SilverGixxer @ Jan 31st 2008 1:24AM]

Gotta agree with trumpton, I'm pretty interested in checking this out. My wife has a Garmin navi and loves it. They seem to have really intuitive interfaces, great route calculation, etc. Since I travel alot for my job (on the 405, 110, 91 freeways in California), if I can get a device that combines a solid GPS traffic updates, phone, and web browser all in one product, I'm all in. I don't really have an opinion either way on the whole iPhone ripoff debate, I like to judge products on their own merit. If I try it out and it sucks, I simply won't buy it.

[JAmerican @ Jan 30th 2008 8:37PM]

The design reminds me of the Palm T|X. But the Palm T|X has a 3.8" screen.

JAmerican

[Charles R Hamilton @ Jan 31st 2008 2:05AM]

This is what Palm should have been working on, instead of pushing out yet another (and another) Treo in slightly different packaging.

[aaron @ Jan 30th 2008 8:38PM]

Man, if the screen was flush with the bezel, it would be a whole lot sexier. And no i am not a iPhone fanboy. In fact I got rid of it months ago.

[Fitz @ Jan 30th 2008 9:12PM]

The well thought 'function' behind recessing the screen below the bezel is to protect it from scratches....and it does a great job at that judging from my heavily used Nuvi 660, which I take on all my trips.

You also don't have to put screen protectors on it, which makes the best feature of the device look like crap.

Sure it would probably look a little better if it were flush, but 'form' should follow function' not the other way around and I can see why they would choose to do it this way.

[aaron @ Jan 30th 2008 9:54PM]

They could use the same material that the iPhone uses. Mine never scratched when I used it.

[Fitz @ Jan 30th 2008 10:29PM]

Yes, but its also a PITA to try and read a glossy screen with glare....like outside

Glossy screens also get fingerprints all over it which again can be hard to read in glare.

If you've ever used a Garmin Nuvi - they use a matte screen which you can actually read in bright daylight and doesn't easily show fingerprints. I personally prefer Garmin's matte-style as opposed to a glossy screen.

And I bet once you use one, 4/5 would prefer it....IMHO

[John @ Jan 31st 2008 12:16AM]

I'll take the middle ground, since I own an iPhone AND a Nuvi 660 :D

They both serve their purposes quite well. I would never want the iPhone's industrial design for the Nuvi, and I'd never want the Nuvi's industrial design for the iPhone.


That being said, since the nuvifone is supposed to be following the phone paradigm rather than the GPS paradigm, I actually wonder about the functionality of a recessed screen.

Consider holding the phone up to your ear; would you have to deal with your face "fitting the mold" of the recessed screen while you're on the phone? Would it hurt your jawbone to have the phone awkwardly pressing pressure points on your skull due to the edges of the phone protruding further than the screen? Or maybe the user will have a hard time actually balancing the phone to his/her ear with such a small even area for the speaker to be placed. These are all questions that need to come into consideration when designing a phone. Personally, I think Apple got it right designing a flat phone for the sake of the ease of holding it up to the ear (which, I might add, is standard for mostly all phones today). I have a feeling that the recessed screen on the nuvi will cause an angle just large enough that it will cause unnecessary difficulty balancing the phone to get the speaker to position properly on the ear.

[Scott @ Jan 31st 2008 10:41AM]

Fitz, do you own an iPhone? I have *never* had a problem reading the screen. Even in direct sunlight. The only time smudges show up is when the screen is off. That's hardly a downside.

Having a glass screen is definitely the way to go here. Being recessed by 1 MM isn't going to prevent those little metal things on my blue jeans from ripping up the screen when I slide it in my pocket.

This phone looks very promising other than that. I'm VERY interested to see the battery life though.

[Mike10010100 @ Jan 30th 2008 8:40PM]

I'm going to get it out right now.

THIS IS NOT AN IPHONE RIPOFF.

Thank you.

P.S. I absolutely love this device, and poo to all who thought it was thick.

[isoSasquatch @ Jan 30th 2008 9:40PM]

Two words: 3.5" touchscreen

It may not be a literal ripoff, but you can't tell me this product isn't a direct response to the iPhone and an attempt to compete with it. It's doing many of the same things in the same ways, while addressing the iPhone's greatest weaknesses (GPS and 3G). With their background, Garmin is perfectly positioned to take on Apple on those points... And Apple will probably release a GPS-enabled, 3G iPhone the week before this comes out, totally stealing its thunder.

[Zelatio @ Jan 30th 2008 9:56PM]

So you are saying anything with a 3.5" touchscreen is a iPhoney ripoff?

You aren't a fanboy at all. /sarcasm

[Iain @ Jan 30th 2008 10:10PM]

Sasquatch, it's not a response to anything.

If the iPhone didn't exist and Garmin developed a phone, it'd still look like this - the design is taken directly from their Sat-Navs, nothing else.
It just so happens that Apple have produced a phone that externally is pretty similar to most Sat-Navs (large screen covering the front of the device).

[John @ Jan 31st 2008 12:27AM]

lain & Zelatio,

I think you both are really taking the power of popular influence for granted. Do I think it's a bad thing that the nuviphone looks similar to the iPhone? Not really, but a side-by-side comparison shows that they have almost the exact same dimensions. Also, the incoming call screen looks extremely similar, with the answer and decline buttons in the same proportions and location as the iPhone's. In addition, the interface is based on rounded rectangles; very similar to that of the iPhone. Consider the first clamshell design from Motorola. Pretty much every cellphone maker copied the look of the design (and it's still copied today). Is that a bad thing? No, but you can't discredit Motorola by saying that "someone would have done the exact same thing eventually." Give credit where credit is due. Is the nuvifone an iPhone ripoff? No, but there's no doubt that it was heavily inspired and influenced by it.

[Iain @ Jan 31st 2008 2:25AM]

..Iain
I think apple had some to do with this. They proved the touch phone would be viable.

I have a sansa, SE, and Garmin and too blend those into one would be incredible.

I can't wait for this! My 350 is just incredible and my Ericsson is getting old. I hope I can get it without having to get a data plan.

[Iain @ Jan 31st 2008 9:05AM]

John, I'm not underestimating Apple's effect on matters, I know full well that if the iPhone didn't exist, this probably wouldn't either.
But, from a design point of view, I still disagree that Apple are the influence here - even if the iPhone had been a clamshell or a slider, the Nuviphone would still have looked like this because the design is the same as one of their Sat Navs. It was the design aspect that I was getting at - I don't believe Garmin have taken anything from Apple in that department.

[Itchy Pajamas @ Jan 30th 2008 8:50PM]

I hope this device will *not* be locked into one particular carrier. I'm so sick of that market model. Pick yer favorite piece, pick yer favorite (GSM) carrier, and crank it up. :-)

[shawn.zenz @ Jan 30th 2008 10:02PM]

I could see this being unlocked, for the sole reason the IPhone isn't.

[John @ Jan 30th 2008 8:50PM]

Cool, but the Garmin people REALLY need to hire some new GUI designers; all of those pixels are going to waste!

[R @ Jan 30th 2008 8:54PM]

You're right, it's not an iPhone. It's a Newton.

[Ireland @ Jan 30th 2008 9:03PM]

LOL, that's funny because it's true. http://www.flickr.com/photos/sonnyhung/405391585/

[Johan S @ Jan 31st 2008 12:28AM]

No it's a GRIDpad, which came out before the Newton.

[R @ Jan 31st 2008 6:19AM]

I know you are, but what am I?! :D

[Urnamma @ Jan 30th 2008 9:00PM]

I wants it, my precious.

[dBs @ Jan 30th 2008 9:01PM]

Does that look like a NORMAL mini plug or one of those faux mini plugs? Some good programs, UI, storage, format compatibility, and either unlocked or on all major carriers and Itll do well. I just hope for once some company decides to not skimp on some aspect. The technology is there so theres no reason to not create a "one device does all". If they get the equation right, itll crush.

[Reader @ Jan 30th 2008 9:07PM]

These pics are much more flattering. Looks pretty good, though I think the design could use a little bit of help.

[Max Power @ Jan 30th 2008 9:21PM]

Oh MY GOD is that ugly!

Don't get me wrong...I love Garmin, have two PNDs from them, but wow...

If only they could polish it up just a bit and make it look less squarely clunky, they would have a winner.

Just a bit too close to an old Palm PDA.

Keep at it Nuvi, you'll get there...

[Max Power @ Jan 30th 2008 9:26PM]

OK, I'll admit that after seeing some more high-res images, I rushed to judgment on the ugly-factor, though it's still in need of some massaging. My reaction may have been partly based on some fuzzy/dark low-res pictures here! ;)

[yao @ Jan 30th 2008 9:21PM]

wow. looks very nice! i would prefer a smaller form factor, but no biggie.

main questions are:
price?
screen resolution?
storage space?
will it play Divx/XviD?
GSM?

[2Shea @ Jan 30th 2008 9:31PM]

I'm no iPhone fanboy, but to be honest, the garmin looks cheap next to the iPhone.

Just the plastic quality looks low etc. I'd like to see them next to each other with the screens on.

[Tomek! @ Jan 30th 2008 9:34PM]

wtf... This is the fastest thing to ever happen on engadget... EVER. I checked after lifting today (about 5:30) you guys were talking about how it might someday happen, now it's 9:30 on the dot, and you guys have already got your grubby hands on it. Crazy as hell.

It looks mad nice though, my mom has a nuvi gps and she let me use it to send smses, it was sweet. I assume this will be equally cool, most likely cooler.

[Anthony @ Jan 30th 2008 9:55PM]

Weird that they can move so fast, but Q3 08 is the release date.

[willyboy @ Jan 30th 2008 10:00PM]

your all a bunch of non-Apple fanboys!

[Phineas J. Whoopie @ Jan 30th 2008 10:07PM]

Ok, I'll say it.

Congratulations to Apple for two things:

1. Pushing the market forward with a cutting edge phone design and UI.
2. Leaving the door wide open to future competitors because of their Communist-like control over the iPhone feature-set, OS, & SDK.

As a consumer, I'm greatly looking forward to the impending flood of widescreen mobile phone choices hitting first light in the next 1-2 years. 3G, GPS, open OS's, 3rd party apps -- these things are good for everyone.

And, if I still have to carry my Nano for music...not a problem.

[Richard @ Jan 30th 2008 10:25PM]

The world doesn't revolve around Apple. Go away.

[Phineas J. Whoopie @ Jan 30th 2008 10:27PM]

I'm still here. And thanks for not understanding the point ..... at all.

[whitenoise @ Jan 30th 2008 10:29PM]

Um, apparently the world does, in fact, revolve around Apple. The photo at the top of this article being exhibit A.

[whitenoise @ Jan 30th 2008 10:23PM]

I for one cannot wait to hand over my money and reward a company for not doing anything the least bit innovative but rather letting another company figure out what it is people want, do all the hard work, take all the risks, and then capitalizing on it a year and a half later. Face it, If it looks like a duck and quacks like a duck...it's a fucking iPhone!

[Josh L @ Jan 30th 2008 10:45PM]

What was innovative about the iPhone?

[whitenoise @ Jan 30th 2008 11:09PM]

Ask Garmin. They seem pretty inspired by it.

[Josh L @ Jan 30th 2008 11:15PM]

I wasn't asking Garmin, and I wasn't asking for smarmy fanboy responses.

What was innovative about the iPhone?

[Johan S @ Jan 31st 2008 12:11AM]

In the spirit of copying .. here's a cut & paste of a posting on digg.com (why not):

They did copy the UI in many ways, but they are adding their own innovations such as 3D navigation etc.

Apple borrowed ideas too like:

1. idea of cell phone and the wireles tech that goes with it
2. idea of cell phone with a camera
3. graphical interfaces
4. locationing on cell phones
5. phone orientation detection (myorigo had this)
6. idea of having internet on a cell phone
7. idea of having apoplications such as notepad, etc. on a cell phone
8. even touchscreens on phones (with keyboard or without if you look at prada .. plus others on the internet have been asking for large touschscreen only phones)
9. mp3 players

So .. why is it that concepts that first emerged on the iPhone can't be re-used. Just because Apple got there first doesnt mean the industry wouldnt have stumbled on it eventually. Garmin's contribution is a great 3D navigation GUI. Admittedly there are some GUI aspects they could have changed that would have maintained ease of use while not copying.

[whitenoise @ Jan 31st 2008 12:04AM]

Better an Apple fanboy, than a knockoff fanboy of Apple clones. And I'm sure you've done exhaustive research as to every company that ever did what the iPhone does, so I'm not going to endulge you. But none of them combined it all in the same product. And none of them did it in a way where people actually wanted the device. Which, you know, is sorta important.

[whitenoise @ Jan 31st 2008 12:14AM]

Granted, Johan, Apple didn't invent everything. And I didn't say they did. I just get tired of people bashing Apple everytime they unveil something, and then a year later, when products that are virtually identical come out, they get praised to high heaven by those same people. Maybe Garmin's been developing this for years. Maybe they had it in the pipeline before the iPhone was even on a sketchpad. But it sure seems like Apple comes out with stuff, people bitch and say what shit it is, then something nearly indistinguishable comes out, and then they gush. Which to me is just rediculous and silly.

[Johan S @ Jan 31st 2008 12:20AM]

whitenoise, The idea of integrating features is not new. Many the features I mentioned have been available on phones (except the orientation detection) together on one device -- many windows mobile phones for example. Actually all the features I meantioned have been together on the myOrigo. But it lacked the slick iPhone GUI and the high resolution LCD (it came out in 2003 after all http://www.mobileburn.com/review.jsp?Id=547 ).

As for no company ever coming out with a device people wanted ..RIMM, Motorola, Nokia, LG etc. these companies sell hundreds of millions of phones a year. So nobody wants them expect hundreds of millions of people?

The iPhone is missing basic features like GPS, video (currently), 3G etc.

[whitenoise @ Jan 31st 2008 12:28AM]

Hundreds of millions of people bought hundreds of millions of phones because nobody had figured out something better. When the iPhone came out every phone maker in the world said "Holy shit! That's the future! Let's make those!" Which is why you see things like this Garmin thing, which, while it has 3G and GPS, is still just an ugly iPhone with 3G and GPS.

[litsl @ Jan 30th 2008 10:38PM]

Given Garmin's track record when it comes to design, I don't suppose Apple are running scared just yet. I own 2 Garmin running watches and the 60csx. All very disappointing, though I like the virtual partner feature on the running watches. Usability sucks.

[webon @ Jan 30th 2008 10:50PM]

camera?

[kyle @ Jan 30th 2008 10:55PM]

Pretty quick hands on, maybe next time an unboxing before the device is announced