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Garmin ecoRoute ESP module gets priced, detailed further

by Donald Melanson posted Nov 6th 2009 at 6:33PM

Well, it looks like we won't have to wait until CES for more details on Garmin's new ecoRoute ESP module after all, as a listing for the device has now already turned up on GPSCity.com, and the site has even provided us with a few additional, as yet unofficial availability details. Apparently, the cable (which ties directly into your car's on board diagnostic system) will run $149.99 and might "possibly" be available by the end of the year, but is more likely to roll out sometime in the first quarter of 2010 --- and it'll supposedly only work with nuvi 1xxx series units that have Bluetooth. If that's not enough for you, the site also has what appears to be the first set of screenshots of the interface, which detail everything from speed and breaking to fuel economy and your carbon footprint. Hit up the link below for the complete rundown.

Garmin EcoRoutes ESP module turns your GPS into car sentinel

by Vladislav Savov posted Nov 5th 2009 at 6:15AM

Get ready to tech up your driving experience, as Garmin has unveiled a new accessory for its nuvi line of GPS devices that lets you add a number of customizable gauges and monitoring utilities. The new ESP module tucks into the OBD-II diagnostics port on your car and communicates (via Bluetooth) all-important data like intake air temperatures and the fuel efficiency of your driving to the nuvi up top. Yea, it's been done before, but Garmin is (for the time being) a major force in navigation devices and could truly popularize this should there be enough interest. For our money, it's both a neat and geeky way to expand the functionality of the now threatened satnav species. The full dish on price and availability can be expected at CES 2010 this coming January.

Garmin's new aera series gets you there by air or by land

by Chris Ziegler posted Nov 2nd 2009 at 4:27PM

Pilots looking for the hardest-core portable nav unit available tend to flock to Garmin's GPSMAP 696 these days, but there's a problem: the big, bulky tablet doesn't do much good once you're wheels-down and you've got to find your way to the hotel. Enter the new aera series, which you can sorta think of as "nuvi for pilots" with 4.3-inch touchscreens, user-friendly prompts, and dedicated car modes across the board that'll keep casual observers from realizing that your little buddy doubles as a $2,000 beast capable of safely guiding you cross-country at flight level 250. The 696 is still being regarded as Garmin's premier aviation portable, while the four aera models -- the 500, 510, 550, and 560 -- are called "entry or mid-level" with prices ranging from $799 to $1,999 and should finally sunset the aging lower-end GPSMAP models that look like they're straight out of Garmin's GPS III days. The 510 and 560 throw in XM WX weather support while the 550 and 560 feature Garmin's SafeTaxi interactive airport diagrams, integrated AOPA Airport Directory, and high-end car features pulled from the nuvi line like lane assist and speed limit data. All four models are technically launching on the 5th, but appear to be in stock with online retailers now if you're in a rush.

The game has changed

by Chris Ziegler posted Oct 28th 2009 at 1:52PM

Garmin nuvifone G60 going for $100 on Amazon

by Chris Ziegler posted Oct 27th 2009 at 9:53PM

You know what's insulting? Charging $300 for a nuvifone G60 in the year 2009. It's cool, though -- Amazon, as usual, is our knight in shining armor by swooping in with a $99.99 deal on contract, making the idea of a one-trick pony nav phone with a closed platform and hellish browser just a little more palatable. A big, fat caveat emptor still applies, of course.

ASUS Android smartphone unveiling 'this year'

by Thomas Ricker posted Oct 19th 2009 at 7:42AM

It's short and sweet but we thought you'd like to hear the good news doled out by ASUS chairman Jonney Shih and CEO Jerry Shen at a local press meeting in Taiwan today. Shih says that the company's first Android phone will be "unveiled this year," not next as originally rumored. For a second, it makes you wonder what's going to happen to the OS underpinning the ASUS-Garmin nuvifone G60 -- then you remember that you weren't going to buy that phone anyway.

Garmin's nuvi 1450 GPS makes small, quiet blip on retail map

by Ross Miller posted Oct 17th 2009 at 8:26AM

It's not that Garmin doesn't love the nuvi 1450 -- we're sure it loves each and every one one of its GPS units equally in their own special way or somesuch -- but it did release the device without so much as a press release or other typical fanfare. Bummer, but the 5-inch, 480 x 272 resolution touchscreen has now been unearthed and doesn't look too bad for its $449.99 price tag. Battery lasts up to three hours without charge and includes optional cityXplorer software for public transit listings and ecoRoute for fuel-conscious drivers. Available now if you're itching to take it with you on the next road trip.

[Via Slashgear]

Garmin-Asus nuvifone G60 reviewed at Engadget Mobile!

by Darren Murph posted Oct 13th 2009 at 4:39PM

You've been waiting for this day for nearly two years, but before you go and drop three Benjamins on a phone that you're probably assuming is way out of date by now, you should probably hit up Engadget Mobile's review of the thing. It's the nüvifone G60, and the full, unadulterated critique is waiting for you right here. Have a gander, won't you?

California Cool Cars regs put the kibosh on radio, cellphone, and GPS reception

by Joseph L. Flatley posted Oct 13th 2009 at 3:27AM

We've seen plenty of tech over the years meant to mitigate our destruction of the environment -- from greener autos to Grateful Dead-themed cellphones -- most of which don't really ask us to tone down our consumer impulses all that much. But how about these new "Cool Cars" regulations recently adopted by the California Air Resources Board? By the year 2016, all autos sold in the state must have windows that prevent 60 percent of the sun's energy from entering the vehicle. To achieve this, windows are given a coat of glazing that contains microscopic specs of reflective metal oxide -- which will seriously hamper reception for your GPS, cellphone, and (this is of special interest to Engadget readers) white collar criminal-style work release ankle bracelet. As you can imagine, companies like Garmin are fuming -- although we suppose that if they play this right they can make a killing in the external car antenna business. It just goes to show you -- when it comes to environmental catastrophe, everyone's a victim.

[Via AutoBlog]

Garmin's connected nuvi 1690 now shipping for $500

by Darren Murph posted Oct 8th 2009 at 10:29AM

Guess what, kiddos? Garmin's minty fresh connected PND is now shipping, and if you plan on getting your home address on one of those labels, you best break out the checkbook. The nüvi 1690 is now moving out from Amazon's warehouses, and just as promised, it's going for a penny under $500. Is real-time access to Google search, white page listings, real-time traffic and flight status updates on your GPS unit really worth all that cheddar? Maybe -- but just wait until those two years of free service expire. Good times.

[Via navigadget]

Garmin-Asus nuvifone G60 unboxing and hands-on

by Darren Murph posted Oct 1st 2009 at 12:08PM

There she is. 20 months and 1 day after its original introduction to the world, the Garmin-Asus nüvifone G60 is at long last in our (admittedly sweaty) palms. The highfalutin' smartphone isn't slated to hit AT&T shelves until this Sunday, but we were able to wrangle a retail unit early in order to bring you a sneak peek at what's to come. Frankly, we've been looking forward to this day for a long (long!) time. We've got a soft spot in our hearts for the Garmin navigation UI, and we have to say, that very same look and feel has been beautifully migrated to the mobile space. Upon unwrapping the phone, we were struck by just how classy the whole thing looks. It's plenty thin for being a GPS-turned-phone, light enough to not weigh you down and sturdy enough to somewhat justify the $299 (on contract) price. We did some brief browsing around, and everything felt satisfactorily snappy. The resistive touchscreen had some expected give, but by and large screen presses did exactly what we wanted 'em to in our limited testing. We're aiming to give this bad boy a serious critiquing over the next few days, but for now, feel free to peruse the absurdly detailed gallery below.

Gallery: Garmin-Asus nuvifone G60 unboxing and hands-on

Garmin nuvifone G60 officially coming to AT&T: October 4th for $299

by Darren Murph posted Sep 29th 2009 at 9:41AM

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?

Garmin-Asus nuvifone G60 finally ready for AT&T: $300 on October 4?

by Chris Ziegler posted Sep 28th 2009 at 7:28PM

Let's just be brutally honest here: Garmin-Asus' nuvifone G60 is basically the Duke Nukem of phones. We've been following it since before Garmin and ASUS formed their joint venture, since before we had an inkling of what carriers might pick it up, and before other models running other platforms got thrown under the nuvifone branding umbrella. It's been a heck of a ride -- a ride that seemed exciting for the first year or so, but at this point, the phone's stretched our patience to the breaking point and set expectations so unrealistically high that it seems virtually impossible that a US launch could quench our thirst for awesomeness. The world will never know with certainty what took so long -- maybe it was met with a lukewarm response from carriers, maybe the formation of the joint venture set everything back a bunch of months -- but whatever the case, it looks like we'll finally be able to navigate the G60 right into our hands come October 4 on AT&T. With triband HSDPA, a 3.2 megapixel camera, Bluetooth, and microSD expansion, the phone really doesn't scream "high end," but AT&T must think that the promise of an authentic Garmin nav experience is enough to command a hefty premium because a two-year deal is going to run $299.99 with a required $30 data plan -- and that's after $100 mail-in rebate. Follow the break for a gander at AT&T's G60 FAQs for salesfolk.

[Thanks, anonymous tipster]

Continue reading Garmin-Asus nuvifone G60 finally ready for AT&T: $300 on October 4?

Rumor: Garmin-ASUS nuvifone G60 to run $300?

by Laura June posted Sep 27th 2009 at 3:46AM

While several shipping dates have come and gone, we're still hopeful of seeing Garmin's nuvifone in the flesh and on the street at some point in the future. If you've forgotten (and nobody would really blame you), the HSDPA, quad-band handset will boast GPS (of course), WiFi, Bluetooth, plus a full browser. The G60's been available in Asia for some time now, and while a confirmed US launch has been much anticipated, no pricing has ever been announced. Rumors now abound that the device will carry a $300 price tag on contract, running about $550 without. Of course, it is just a rumor -- and one that we hope is off base, too.

[Via Navigadget]

Garmin's nuLink! service powered by AT&T -- more connected nuvis to come?

by Darren Murph posted Sep 17th 2009 at 12:42PM

Connected PNDs have it rough. Ever since Dash folded, the future has been murky at best for any GPS company hoping to rope consumers in by promising real-time information on the face of their navigator. Garmin, however, is hoping to get folks hooked by avoiding that awful monthly fee for the first two years on its nüvi 1690, and it's using AT&T's network in order to do so. Today, the carrier proudly announced that it would be the one providing service to the device, giving users within range of an AT&T tower access to Google Local search, updated fuel prices, white page listings and Garmin's own Ciao! social networking system. What's interesting, however, is the high-profile nature of the partnership. We'd hate to speak too soon, but would we be nuts to think a whole cadre of AT&T connected GPS units were on tap for, say, CES 2010? Guess only time -- and sales data from the 1690 -- will tell.