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 September 29th 2009 9:41AM
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