Can you believe it? No, seriously --
can you believe it? Nearly two full years after its
surprise introduction to the world, the nüvifone G60 is finally coming to US shores. In an official press release outed today, the Garmin nüvifone G60 has been blessed with
an October 4th launch date on AT&T. Oddly enough, nary a mention of "ASUS" or "
Garmin-Asus" is found, but regardless of semantics, you can bet that it'll be looking for buyers this Sunday. The internal GPS chip and 3 megapixel, auto-focusing camera will enable users to geotag photos and emails and navigate using the same heralded user interface that folks rely on today with the company's standalone PNDs. You've already pounded
the specifications into your head by now, but the last figures you'll need to know are these: it'll run
$299 on a two-year agreement after a $100 mail-in rebate, and if you're hoping to access Premium Connected Services -- which includes traffic updates, white pages, weather, movie, local events and fuel price content -- you'll be forking out $5.99 per month after the 30-day trial expires. So, after all of this, who's in?
posted Sep 29th 2009 9:41AM
LOL
That said, does anyone know how the GPS subsystem of this differs from that in newer smartphones?
Probably not at all.
I can't believe this P.O.S. is taking up shelf space of what could be used by phones people actually want. Like HTC Leo/Touch HD2. ATT has their head up their ... This phone will be released before the Touch Pro 2 also. Wow. So how many apps will be available for this phone?
Answer: 3
Easy, this one costs an additional $6/month. The real question is who is going to pay an additional $72 a year for what sounds like integrated Google in their GPS?
What really gets me is that ATT probably would never consider the HTC Leo because it might infringe on iPhone sales. What, they don't want to upset Apple? Get over it.
ATT if you're listening. You are in the business of making money not making Apple happy. Give the people options. But not this crap. Who the heck is in charge of purchasing over there. Must be some 45 yr old dude who loves his Garmin GPS...
The American cell companies should be embarrassed with themselves. Other than the iPhone and the Pre, we have basically no good phones in the US. There's been a few of the better HTC offerings here and there, but it's aways months if not a year behind, and by then, there's already something much better.
The way our cell phone industry works is completely outdated. It made sense to get a device from the service provider when cell phones came in bags and cost $3500. If cell phones were sold apart from the service (i.e. walk into your local Best Buy or hop on Amazon and just buy a phone, which you then take somewhere and get service for), then the better smartphones would only cost $150-250. Then you wouldn't play the game of subsidizing the "cost" of the phone with your monthly service plan, you would just pay $20 a month for a voice/data plan. We'd also get the best phones faster.
Of course, then the cell service companies couldn't collectively bend us over a table and sodomize us once a month, on a contract of two years.
+1 Hexydes
Anyone for pitching in and starting our own cell network in the U.S.?
@Joe,
The monthly $6 is for premium services like traffic reports, etc. You've always had to pay a monthly fee for such thing with Garmin. The regular GPS functionality will be there at no monthly costs. In comparison, the AT&T Navigator app on today's "feature phones" have a monthly fee just to use GPS.
This phone is probably a good deal if you wanted to avoid buying a standalone GPS and are not getting an iPhone or other smartphone. Just have to wait and see how good it works as a *phone*.
"Anyone for pitching in and starting our own cell network in the U.S.?"
Sure! How much are you pitching in? $10? $25? Because the average cost of a cell network tower is $150,000. For one tower. And that's just for a regular tower. If you want a tower in a dense urban environment (like, say, New York) where real estate is at a premium, you could be easily looking at an order of magnitude more expensive than that. For one tower. And that's just sunk costs for raising the tower; it doesn't include power, air conditioning, and the huge data pipes that feed the tower, which can cost $1000s per month. For one tower.
Keep in mind that at any given point you have service, you're within wireless range of multiple towers. In dense urban environments, you'll need hundreds or thousands of towers for adequate coverage. In rural environments, you'll only be able to build towers where you can prove a return on investment.
And we haven't even gotten to the costs of upgrading your antennas and radios, what with mobile broadband technology completely changing every 12-36 months. Not to mention the costs of the fleet of highly specialized tower maintenance techs whose health insurance premiums are astronomical. Not to mention the costs of radio spectrum space. Not to mention the legal costs of fighting the endless lawsuits from crackpots across the nation who sue you because "your tower gave my baby brain cancer."
And we haven't even gotten to the costs of developing devices, certifying them, establishing a retail presence, or the million other hidden and astronomical costs associated with being a mobile cellular provider.
In short, you have no idea what you're talking about.
Wow, you're the posterboy of a joke going right over your head.
Unless I am.
DAMN WHY IS LIFE SO CONFUSING?!?!?!!!?!!
The GPS in this one is integrated. It costs nothing extra. It's a nuvi. Plus, if you've ever used a nuvi you'd see that it runs circles around anything any other smartphone can do.
Still, it's a fail. I have Verizon. Kinda dumb getting into the same bed as the iPhone. If I were to switch to AT&T which phone would I get? I already have a nuvi...
I think lot of you are missing the point that this IS a smartphone, not a featurephone. I doesn't run a proprietary Garmin OS. It runs Windows Mobile (for better or worse), and has a Garmin UI skin on top to provide easy access to things while you are driving.
The GPS system is a little different in that it is highly tuned for better reception. I bet that Garmin uses the typical large chip antenna instead of a trace antenna that most cell phones use. This will make a large difference in signal acquisition times and keeping a good signal in challenging conditions (City driving, etc..). You can tell that most smartphone antennas are inadequate, especially the Iphone's. This is easily show by Tom Tom's decision to include a seperate GPS chip and antenna in the Iphone car mount to negate these problems while driving. I am sure they didn't want to increase the cost of the mount, but were forced to by the poor GPS in the Iphone.
@ Christian
Dang! Way to defend the carriers. LOL. I was totally kidding BTW.
....Not really.
::flinch::
It's Garmin. Garmin has always been premium in GPS world. For people that trek/travel this might make a lot more sense than an iphone.
way too expensive, $299 for a phone that can barely do anything besides make calls, send sms and little GPS capability.
Umm, "little GPS capability?" Have you ever used a Garmin GPS? Do you have a car?
Too little...too late.
Building a GPS device around a phone...great idea (iPhone, Andriod, Nokia, Blackberry). Building a phone around a GPS device...horrible idea.
f-f-f-f-f-f-fail
Nope, not me. I've had my fair share of ATT with my sold 3GS. Why would I pay $299 for a device that's a GPS+Phone. I can go buy a GPS with lifetime traffic for less than $150 on certain deals.
Victor,
Provide an example of such deals. The one company I know that makes GPS units with lifetime traffic is Navigon and their units are definitely *not* $150. Their interface is also not as easy to use as Garmin's.
Garmin Nuvi 255WT is the closest I can think of to this.
Best Buy 219.99
Amazon 224.99
Thats what I got. By xmas time, expect $150.
I *might* be interested if it had a real camera, as phones with quality cameras are still a rarity.
PS Engadget readers are not the market for this um, gadget.
The kings of the smart phone industry have already been chosen and they are Apple, Palm, Google, RIM and Microsoft. This would've been successful maybe 3 years ago but definitely not now. I don't see anyone buying this when they can get an iPhone 3G for $100 plus a GPS app for $100 or a Palm Pre with free Telenav app or a MyTouch with GPS capabilities (You get my point). We want a phone with Navigation capabilities not a Navigation device with phone capabilities. #FAIL
How is the launch date next week and we know nothing about the phone. Think about the perception of the general public. Oh wait, they don't know it's coming out. They need to up the PR. A bit late now....
Whoever is in charge of product selection at ATT needs to be fired. IMMEDIATELY.
For love of all things electronic, please AT&T give us some info on the Touch Pro 2!
This thing is DOA. Had it been released 2 years ago it might have stood a chance.
Garmin defiantly refuses the app store, thinking they will counter navigon and tomtom with this? Nice try.
pfff does anybody care about this phone? I liked it better as vapoware...
I can just see some suit at ATT all ramped up about the release of this.
"Ok guys, we got some real great products coming out..."
D-Bag
I'd rather take a wrong turn in Albuquerque than buy that.
Me too.
I remember when the nuvifone was first teased people were still talking about the M8, it's being quite a ride.
Only one thing comes to mind when I think of this phone:
Crapgadget!
Finally, someone else has come along to fill a crowded place in the cell phone market! I hope it does less than the others - I'd pay more for ease of having fewer features!
Sarcasm is strong with this one.
The design is pretty uninspiring. It leaves a lot to be desired.
Wow, a lot of hate from a load of people who haven't even used the thing. I'm not exactly excited by this thing but after my iPhone and Tomtom's inability to keep a GPS signal lock and the fact something to sort that out would cost £99 and hence becomes as attractive to thieves as a GPS unit and still equally likely ot be nicked from your car, I'd at least be interested to hear how well this thing fairs on the road. Reviews please!
As someone who wants a premium GPS built into my phone, I'd much rather buy a 32 GB iPhone 3GS ($299) and the TomTom app ($99) and the TomTom vehicle mount ($120)... that makes much sooo much more sense ($520) than the nuvifone which has it all in the box for $299.
@PeteC,
LOL! Exactly. These haters obviously haven't owned a Garmin GPS.
Actually, my comment was aimed at teamallyn more than PeteC. FML!!
teamallyn,
iPhone 3G $99
Navigon $89
Want Tom Tom? $99
You're not forced to use their cradle. Let's stop inflating numbers in an attempt to justify this phone's price.
OK...I own a Garmin 780 with bluetooth and radio transmitter, and I own a Palm Pre.
The Garmin carries its own maps internally (which cost money to then update), has subscription-only traffic, a clunky bluetooth/phone interface, and takes 3 minutes to boot up each time I turn it on. It can't seem to handle the Austin, Tx area highway access roads, which have been around for YEARS. It just doesn't do them. I thinks they are part of the highway.
The Sprint Navigation on my Pre gets it's maps from the cloud - they are always current. This goes for traffic as well, which comes with the data plan. It's a phone, so calling restaurants, etc from the navigation interface is a given - no bluetooth sync needed, obviously. And the navigation is much more elegant, the voice more coherent and the phone can actually handle access roads, etc.
Garmin's business model is failing...they have made a name for themselves building standalone devices that provide a function that is nearly given away for free in modern cell phones.
They have charged people WAY too much for years, and their recent attempts at subscription based traffic and info just come off as greedy.
Too little, too late. Should have developed an OS, or better turn-by-turn direction algorithm, or innovated somehow (gps watches, headphones, sunglasses, shoes, dog collars...SOMETHING).
Now they fail. Good riddance.
while I don't have the pre, the Sprint Navigation on my HTC Diamond is astounding for what it is. I also have a Garmin standalone unit that my wife pretty much uses but the Sprint nav is outright great and it's included in my data plan.
I honestly can't see why Sprint isn't doing better. I thought I paid a lot for my service (74.99/month) then I keep hearing how much everyone is paying with a BB or iPhone...makes my head explode
I agree. Garmin is clinging on to 2005. GPS is evolving into integration not stand alone. GPS in a phone is going to be expected not advertised as a feature. It'll be like speakerphone. Most phones have it and most people expect it. The GPS players, Garmin, Navigon, Tom Tom, etc. are going to get much smaller. Maybe one or two major players.
I recommend a Nuvi 255W (150-200$) for navigation and car radio (generally free) for traffic, far less expensive/frustrating; Live traffic over data/bluetooth is too slow and unreliable at the moment.
This is perfect for the market of people that prefer real navigation in their car, unfortunately, they priced it too high. When an iPhone is $99 and a TomTom is $99...this is at least $100 overpriced, not to mention the pricey accessories. I like the phone, and I've been waiting years for it, but it's way too expensive to consider forfeiting my iPhone for it. Plus the AT&T logo at the bottom is ass-ugly.
I'm confused by what you mean with "real navigation"...I have a pre (can't speak for other phones) but it's absolutely on par with anything my $750 high-end garmin does...and in many ways is better.
Sprint navigation is as real as it gets. And if you really want a mount for it, just get a Palm Pre Touchstone.
Voila!
i like that the pre does that, but what I meant is the gps software, from what I know of it, the device is just like a stand-alone Garmin GPS, in terms of software.
Too little, too late. I don't even think this thing can be classified as a smartphone. God, AT&T is really pissing me off with their phone selection and I'm on the verge of jumping ship when my contract ends. I really hope the iPhone exclusivity does end in 2010 just so AT&T will realize it can put all of its eggs in one basket. Dumb@sses.
*can't put all of its eggs in one basket
000000: Dude, you need to back away from the keyboard, and get a date.
MWC. :)
I'd totally buy one if they had Kramer's voice saying 'Welcome to Nuviphone' every time the screen was unlocked.
$300 AFTER rebate?
That way too pricey for a one-trick pony.
Fail.
Traffic updates, white pages, weather, movie, local events and fuel price content? I already have that for free on my HTC Winmo using MS Bing.
no apps make it a little compromised, but the Garmin name does have some cache. i am hoping the car mount has a built in charger.
Garmin?Phone? $299....are they serious....comparing to phone dropping nowadays with built in gps where does this fit with such a contract price tag?? please,,,
Does it make, you know, phone calls?
Wow, I'm amazed at the amount of hate coming from this forum. Yes, this is late to market. Yes, there aren't a lot of apps for it yet.
However, come on guys - we are gadget geeks are we not. Is there no room for more gadgets? I for one think there is. Does anyone really worry about the initial release price? In 3-6 months the thing will be $99 and in 12 months it'll be free with contract.
The only thing I'll say about the Nuvifone is this, I have owned two Garmin GPS units. Both of them were extremely reliable and easy to use. If the Nuvifone, is as easy to use and reliable as their GPS units then I'm willing to give it a try. Especially, since my wife really needs a new cell phone and doesn't have a GPS currently. (She likes our Garmin and can use it easily.) So the Nuvifone may just be a good fit.
If memory serves this runs the Linux kernel. We'll see what applications develop over time. It already has MP3 and video playing built in, so really all I'd need would be Mobipocket and perhaps some little secure password application to be happy.
I won't be using my cell phone to level any bookshelves anytime soon.
I don't need a virtual onscreen zipper.
If I want my phone stolen, I'll leave it on the table at a restaurant instead of holding it up with a big TAXI on the screen in a big city.
and the only rubber duck I want is the one in my bathtub.
So perhaps having thousands of apps isn't everything. ; ^ P
Problem is that this phone is a lame duck. It is based on a custom Linux-based platform that will never be used again. Garmin has said that future phones will be running Android. They cannot develop an app store for this because it wouldn't be worth it - the platform itself is going away soon. Given all these limitations, it's ridiculous that they want $300 for this.
I only hope that when they do switch to Android (which may be a loooong time given the speed at which Garmin seems to move), they will allow users of this phone to upgrade.
- HCE
Garmin never officially said they'll be developing on Android. Just that it was something they were looking into.
I bought the Garmin App for my Blackberry for $80 and it includes traffic, weather, and google search on it for free. Much better deal.
It's funny, a lot of commenters seem to believe that data service is pervasive enough that cloud based maps are all you need. I live in the Bay Area and there are numerous coverage holes, some up to 20 miles in diameter, even on highways (ever try driving from SF down to Santa Cruz on highway 1?), and your cloud based GPS will not work. If you're ever on a back road trying to figure out where you are and can't download a map, this is pretty damned frustrating.
The GPS in the iPhone 3G is also an utter piece of crap, it lacks even remotely reasonable accuracy and the ability to keep up with a moving vehicle - hell, it often fails to keep up on my bicycle!
Thus, I'm actually interested in this device - does it have ANT+Sport integration?
The answer to your ANT+Sport question is no.
I think the real question here is how long before this is $150? With a subscription on top of a premium price I find it hard to believe many people will take the plunge (although there will be some who will).
How can anyone bring a smart phone to market more than $199 without using a stupid rebate?!
This is actually a pretty boring offering considering some of the other stuff available today.
I've tested many navigating software, and trust me Garmin is the best...ever...
Garmin... instead of wasting time with phones, why don't you make in-dash units so I can stop worrying about the stupid suction cup falling off my windshield while I'm driving!? Stick to what you're good at