Garmin Nuvifone touched, prodded, abused, initial UI reports are positive

It's about time someone got his hands on a working Garmin Nuvifone. The folks at Laptop Magazine were lucky enough to spend some time with a prototype, reporting that the interface was snappy, the screen is nice and big, and the UI appears to be very GPS-centric. They tried the QWERTY keypad which is "spacious enough" and uses an auto-complete dictionary. The main interface presents a row of icons for calling, searching, and mapping, and finger swipes stream them across the screen. Included apps, at least in this model, were SMS, Google Search, email, and media player. All said, some apps didn't load properly and some of the display units were frozen in bug limbo, but we'll give Garmin a pass there as these were clearly early test units. So a couple questions remain: Is it still coming out Q3 of this year, and will it still run $499? Is it coming in white? Follow the read link for more impressions and hands-on pictures.

[Brian @ Jun 17th 2008 11:26AM]

I can haz NuviPhone? Now, pleese?

[From my Cube @ Jun 17th 2008 11:28AM]

cat's dont have thumbs which will inhibit their ability to operate the phone...so no, no kitty you cant

[natels @ Jun 17th 2008 11:30AM]

You don't need thumbs to work a touch screen.

[bcohen1983 @ Jun 17th 2008 12:12PM]

Hey, my cat DOES have thumbs. He's a polydactyl.
And he still wants an X1.

[roulette843 @ Jun 17th 2008 11:30AM]

"Touched, prodded, and abused?"

Sounds like you, sir, have violated that device!

[John @ Jun 17th 2008 11:30AM]

More like nuv-iPhone.

[riggs @ Jun 17th 2008 11:51AM]

More like lowest ranked, am i right?

[Flashpoint @ Jun 17th 2008 11:36AM]

At that price point, iPhone will continue to outsell this thing and it won't even make a difference.

[TareX @ Jun 17th 2008 11:53AM]

Of course the iPhone will out sell it. They are directed at totally different customers.

This Nuvifone is great for many businessmen who only want a: Phone+Navigation+Internet touchscreen device. It is smaller, and looks a lot more professional than the iPhone.

But for the 98% rest of us, sure iPhone is a no brainer here. (Till the Dream comes out...)

[Ryan Trevisol @ Jun 17th 2008 12:06PM]

@TareX: http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/www.engadget.com/media/2008/01/nuvion12.jpg
It's not significantly smaller. It has what looks like a resistive touchscreen (2003 called . . .) and doesn't appear to support Exchange.

[Mycroft @ Jun 17th 2008 11:41AM]

Will there be add on applications available?

[Anthony @ Jun 17th 2008 11:53AM]

I really like the clean look, but I'm not too jazzed about paying $20 per month to route me around when I get to do that for free w/ my current Garmin.

[PEZ @ Jun 17th 2008 2:26PM]

the nav is included with the unlimited data package - just like you couldnt use th ipod on an unactivated iphone without actuvating it... derf. Read the fine print porkypine! (does anyone watch the 3 stooges anymore?)

[chickenator @ Jun 17th 2008 12:08PM]

wow, NuviPhone!

[blitzkrieg999 @ Jun 17th 2008 12:09PM]

Very sexy looking phone, but with the Touch Diamond/Pro coming out, I've completely lost interest. And I like how the reviewer says it will come out on AT&T or unlocked, without saying how he knows that.

(Yes I know there was that leaked survey. Just pointing out that he seems very sure of himself with that statement)

[roach @ Jun 17th 2008 12:33PM]

I was really looking forward for this phone (and Xperia in black of course), but not for $499. Companies got to know, they can only beat Apple by selling their phone cheaper than iphone if has the same features iphone or selling it the same price as iphone if it has more features than iphone.

[PEZ @ Jun 17th 2008 2:49PM]

The thing is.. this has SUPERIOR GPS capabilities - most of which only other companies begin to touch because they are integrating Google with their offerings. The thing is.. this also comes with googlemaps interopability... so, touche non-believers :)

[digitallysick @ Jun 17th 2008 12:34PM]

Does it have a (decent 3 or 4 megapixel) camera and bluetooth? maybe an SD slot? and i will buy it

[PEZ @ Jun 17th 2008 2:51PM]

has a 3.2MP camera, BT and HSPDA 7.2 memory expansion, video as well....

[SDreamer @ Jun 17th 2008 12:39PM]

Hopefully with the iPhone's price dropping, nuviphone drops its price to compete with it. I'd easily snag this over an iPhone.

[Jash Sayani @ Jun 17th 2008 12:42PM]

Yeah! The iPhone price drop is adversely going to affect the navifone prices...

[jwilliamson82 @ Jun 17th 2008 1:29PM]

Apple never droped the price of the iphone. ATT is just knocking some money off for owning you for 2 years... not as if you can buy the iphone for 200 bucks free and clear like a normal device. Comming soon to an ATT/Apple store near you.

[jasenj1 @ Jun 17th 2008 1:56PM]

Hopefully Garmin will do the smart thing and make this a GPS first - that happens to make phone calls. Garmin is well known for their very nice GPS software, and loadable maps. Make the nuviPhone 90% one of their nuvi devices and I think they'll do OK. Garmin makes a WIDE variety of handheld GPSs, this one will happen to make calls, too. Any other strategy and I think they'll get lost in the crowded smartphone market.

It'd be fun if they'd pull a TomTom and port their navigation software to the iPhone, too. GPS hardware has (mostly) become commoditized like the PC market. Garmin could show they have the edge with software.

[PEZ @ Jun 17th 2008 2:49PM]

my thoughts exactly....

[paul @ Jun 17th 2008 5:32PM]

you can already install Garmin's mapping software on Symbian devices w/ GPS antennas. I have it on my Nokia N95 8gb. So I kinda already have a Nuvi/phone. It works nicely.