M20
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IRL: The M20 speaker isn't enough to make you choose Korus over Sonos
Back in 2013, I got to try out the Korus system of speakers, the V600 and the V400, and was impressed by their ease of use and audio quality. The one thing that was lacking was portability; even though the V600 can use six D-cell batteries and comes with a handle, I'm not exactly going to stroll around town with it on my shoulder. Enter the M20, a small speaker that not only hooks into the Korus system via SKAA, but can also connect to other devices via Bluetooth, squaring it against the glut of portable Bluetooth speakers already on the market.
Samsung overhauls camcorder line, has something for everyone
Keeping up the torrent of digital imaging announcements, Samsung has now updated pretty much every cam in its range, and we've picked out the highlights for you: The C20, C24 and M20 are a trio of ultra-stylish handhelds, carrying on the C-series lineage, which regrettably means a scant 720 x 480 resolution to go with your Touch of Color. The less fashion-conscious M20 gets a CMOS sensor that stretches all the way up to 1920 x 1280/60p, while all three share Samsung's famed Active Angle Lens. The F40, F43 and F44 bring a super duper 52x optical zoom, but again record at a disappointing 720 x 480. Really Samsung? The H200, H203, H204, and H205 offer 1080/60i credentials and HDMI output, augmented by SSD choices (up to 32GB) on the higher models and 20x optical zoom. Optical image stabilization and a 2.7-inch touchscreen LCD make these appealing, particularly if you expand the internal storage with a few jumbo-sized SDHC cards. The S10, S15 and S16 collectively occupy Samsung's top tier, sporting a backside illuminated 10 megapixel CMOS sensor outputting 1080/60i video. Built-in SSD storage stretches up to 64GB, and there's also a 15x optical zoom, WiFi connectivity, and a 3.5-inch touchscreen running a 3D GUI. Most of these new shooters will be landing in February and March, with the S-series joining them later in the spring. Slide past the break for galleries of all the models and more info. %Gallery-81729%
Both flavors of Garmin-Asus nuvifone coming to AT&T?
After years of wrong turns, it looks like Garmin-Asus's nuvifone has finally found its way to a US provider, with two separate sources claiming the nav-enabled handset will be coming to AT&T, and soon. This falls in line with earlier indications that it would be making a slight left turn onto American streets in Q4, and will mark the end of a tortuous journey to retail. Both the G60 with its homemade OS and the Windows Mobile M20 are said to be inbound, meaning you'll still have a choice to make even if you choose one of these. No confirmation from AT&T just yet, naturally, but we'll keep you posted. Read - Garmin-Asus M20 Heading to AT&TRead - Garmin-Asus G60 Heading to AT&T
Garmin-Asus nuvifone M20 launches in Taiwan, Windows Mobile and all
Following last month's launch of the proprietary OS'd G60, Taiwan's now playing host to the Windows Mobile-based M20 from Garmin-Asus, the joint venture's second model. Local carrier Chunghwa will be carrying the phone, which features HSDPA, a VGA display, 3 megapixel cam, and comprehensive navigation capabilities that earn it the Garmin name -- but it turns out they'll also be launching the iPhone 3GS and Hero in the next few days, a situation that effectively defines the phrase "hostile competitive landscape." Best of luck, Garmin-Asus -- given the Duke Nukem-esque delays you've encountered in your bumpy road to retail, you need all the luck you can get if you want to turn a profit any time soon.
Garmin-Asus nuvifone finally coming to America in Q4 (or so they say)
With Garmin-Asus' nüvifone G60 already on sale in Asia, it makes sense to hear that said smartphone will soon make its way over to North American soil. Of course, it also made sense to think that this thing would be launching on AT&T about forever and a day ago, so we're not holding our collective breath just yet. At any rate, Garmin recently made abundantly clear on a quarter-end conference call that the GPS-infused handset is in the final testing stages with an undisclosed amount of US carriers, and if all goes well, it'll hit the streets in Q4. What's crazy is that every last specification remains unchanged from when it was announced back in January of 2008; meanwhile, Apple has shipped two new iterations of its iPhone, Android has blown up significantly and even Motorola and Palm have seemingly resurrected themselves from the grave. Knowing all that, will anyone even bother to show up to snag one in "just a few months?"
Garmin-Asus confirms nuvifone G60 for sale this month in Taiwan, M20 soon after
Is this really happening? Are we all collectively in some sort of lucid, dreamlike state where Garmin-branded cellphones flow like water, or is this the real deal? Correct us if we're wrong, readers -- but if we're reading this press release correctly, Taiwanese folks will have a crack at Garmin-Asus' nuvifone G60 come the 27th of this month, just a few days from now; Singapore and Malaysia will have theirs meanwhile by the end of August, and Europe and the US are "on schedule" for the second half of the year (we hesitate to associate the phrase "on schedule" with this product, but we'll let it slide this time). If WinMo is more your cup of tea, the M20 will be coming to Taiwan, Hong Kong, Singapore, Thailand and Malaysia in August as expected -- the US isn't on the roadmap for this one, but Europe should have it later this half. These phones have taken so long to arrive that they'll be fighting an uphill battle against irrelevance -- but with the reality that handsets will be all but replacing dedicated portable nav units in the coming years, it's a play that Garmin's gotta still be eager to make nonetheless.
Garmin-ASUS nuvifone G60 spills loads of Linux-laced screenshots
Yeah, we've seen our fair share of glimpses at Garmin-ASUS' nüvifone G60, but with the Linux-based phone just weeks away from shipping over in the Far East, these last minute looks are becoming all the more tantalizing. A reviewer over in Malaysia managed to spend a bit of quality time with the handset, and while he's still waiting for his official review unit, he managed to snag a litany of screenshots that gives us a fantastic idea of what to expect from a user interface perspective. We have to say -- we kind of dig the whimsical look at a glance, but it makes us wonder just how serious of a smartphone this thing really is. With Android already out, does this UI look like it has the chops to compete? Hit the read link and let us know.[Via GPSTracklog, thanks Rich]
Garmin-ASUS nuvifone M20 and G60 shipping to Singapore in August
After a patently absurd amount of delays, it actually feels like the Garmin-ASUS nüvifone tandem is approaching a proper launch. Whether or not anyone actually cares anymore, however, remains to be seen. Across the sea over in Malaysia, one particularly lucky soul seems to have stumbled upon both the Linux-based nüvifone G60 and the WinMo-powered nüvifone M20, and he claims that both handsets will be shipping en masse to the region "within 30 days." Best of all, that totally jibes with what we've heard directly from Garmin today, which has informed us that the smartphone will be in Singaporean stores in August, with a few other Asian nations seeing it in late July. Now, if only North Americans could look forward to the same...
Garmin "getting very close" to a US Nuvifone launch... or so it says
If you've a proven track record of delivering solid products to consumers (much like Garmin has), we'll cut you some slack for awhile if you happen to hit a snag or two along the way while bringing a completely new device to market. But after more delays than we care to count and a 1.5 year gap between announcement and right now, the benefit of the doubt vanishes. To that end, we couldn't be happier to report that Garmin's president and COO Cliff Pemble feels that it's "getting very close" to a carrier launch (AT&T, perhaps?) in the US. Said statement was given at a shareholders meeting today, and he also mentioned that the Asian market would see the Nuvifone "this month or in early July." We appreciate the update, but at this point, the burden of proof is squarely on you, Garmin.[Via Electronista]
Garmin-Asus nuvifone M20 hands-on
So, we played around with the new Windows Mobile-sportin' nuvifone M20 from Garmin-Asus this evening, but there's really not much to say: the software is barely even alpha at this point. Most every tap or swipe of the screen was met with a two or more second delay, and we managed to crash a couple of the phones. That said, it's clear that Garmin-Asus aren't just adding a pretty launcher to Windows Mobile and calling it a day, there's some good navigation and location-based stuff happening here, and we look forward to playing around with it all once it's closer to reality. We don't look forward to meeting the resistive touch screen a second time, but we'll just have to live with that fact -- at least the Garmin-Asus apps are all touch-optimized, but you might have to pull out the stylus for a gander at the rest of Windows Mobile 6.1.Update: Official media handed out for the M20 reveals a small handful of new screen shots, mainly a swanky new media player and calling screen that really don't say a damned thing about the M20's deep-rooted nav capabilities. Thing is, when you have a winged disco ball, you can get away with bending a whole lotta rules -- but yeah, this is one phone where we think we'd rather let the hardware do the talking.%Gallery-44777%%Gallery-44769%
Engadget Podcast 133 - 02.13.2009: Pre-MWC edition
You know it people. It's the Engadget Podcast, back on the most terrifying Friday in February (or any month for that matter) -- the 13th. This week you get to hear the dudes discuss the Kindle 2 / Stephen King encounters, new offerings from Garmin on the mobile front, predictions for Mobile World Congress (which starts next week), and so, so, so much more. Settle in and get ready to glide on the gentle sounds of Joshua Topolsky, Nilay Patel, and special guest host Chris Ziegler. We guarantee you'll love it. Hosts: Joshua Topolsky, Nilay Patel Special guest host: Chris Ziegler Producer: Trent Wolbe Song: Friday the 13th theme 00:02:00 - Kindle 2 first hands-on! 00:07:25 - Know Your Rights: Does the Kindle 2's text-to-speech infringe authors' copyrights? 00:16:33 - Palm's done with PalmOS, plans to get Pre on other carriers in 2010, speaks to patent issues 00:22:27 - Sprint Treo Pro getting delayed into a bleak, uncertain future? 00:31:45 - Data tethering is a go on Palm Pre 00:37:40 - Garmin-Asus announces Windows Mobile-based nuvifone M20 00:38:50 - Garmin slips out a few more nuvifone G60 details 00:50:15 - An Engadget adventure with TeleNav's G1 GPS software: hands-on, impressions, and video 01:00:30 - Samsung Acme i8910 gets caught flashing its S60 5th Edition 01:05:25 - MWC predictions Subscribe to the podcast [iTunes] Subscribe to the Podcast directly in iTunes (enhanced AAC). [RSS MP3] Add the Engadget Podcast feed (in MP3) to your RSS aggregator and have the show delivered automatically. [RSS AAC] Add the Engadget Podcast feed (in enhanced AAC) to your RSS aggregator. [Zune] Subscribe to the Podcast directly in the Zune Marketplace Download the podcast LISTEN (MP3) LISTEN (AAC) LISTEN (OGG) Contact the podcast 1-888-ENGADGET or podcast (at) engadget (dot) com.
Garmin-Asus announces Windows Mobile-based nuvifone M20
We'd been secretly holding out hope that Garmin-Asus would pull an Android piece out of its pocket in time for MWC next week, but it's looking pretty unlikely with the announcement of the M20. The second model in the nuvifone series following the G60, the new piece runs Windows Mobile 6.1 and features a 2.8-inch VGA touchscreen, quadband EDGE / triband HSDPA up to 7.2Mbps, WiFi, Bluetooth, and -- naturally -- Garmin-provided satellite navigation. You'll also find support for real-time traffic, weather, movie times, and other tidbits of information you're probably interested in when you're navigating, either 4 or 8GB of onboard storage, and a service Garmin is calling Ciao! -- basically a friend-finder along the lines of Google's Latitude. Look for pricing and availability to be announced in the first half of the year. Check out the gallery below, and the full spec sheet after the break. [Via MarketWatch] %Gallery-44571%
The iriver NV Life: as stirring and confusing as life itself
Reincomm just announced the new iriver NV Life, the official name of its M20 prototype. New in that they've done away with the big, navigation pad of the original NV in favor of a more sleek, easily portable SatNav device with PMP functionality. Still, it's a near spec-for-spec clone of the bigger, bulkier NV. Available in either 2GB ???328,000 (about $367) or 4GB ???358,000 (about $400) capacities, the SiRF Star III GPS device dedicates an SD slot to maps and second to augment the onboard flash. Inside, the WinCE 5.0-based device packs an FM-transmitter, DMB TV (with GPS PiP support), and a wide selection of codecs synonymous with the iriver name. The only downside is the display: 800 x 480 pixels spread across 7-inches of glass. On par with the industry but pretty poor when compared to cellphones which offer the same resolution on 2.8-inch displays.%Gallery-19199% [Via Akihabara News]
iriver's M20 GPS media player revealed
We already had the dry details on the M20: a 7-inch PMP with built-in GPS navigation and DMB television. Now the sweet visual jam spread out on your LCD display. Look, don't lick.%Gallery-13282%
iriver's new D30 e-dictionary and M20 GPS navigator
Just to make sure it got all its bases covered, iriver is tossing a new e-dictionary and a new GPS device into its CES 2008 lineup. The new D30 (above) is set to be iriver's flagship e-dictionary, and sports a 4.3-inch touchscreen, full QWERTY keyboard, 2GB of storage and over 50 dictionaries. Iriver is also packing in DMB where available, Flash games, an FM tuner and voice recorder. On the nav front, the new M20 sports GPS navigation and regular PMP functions on its 7-inch LCD, along with DMB in applicable markets. No word on price or availability for either of these, and we haven't spotted a picture just yet.
Pentax Optio A20 and M20 bump the megapixels
Not a whole lot to see here -- other than pixels, of course. Pentax is squeezing a few more megapixels out of their Optio A and M series with the new 10 megapixel A20 and 7 megapixel M20, bumped from 8 and 6 megapixels respectively. The A20 is also privy to Shake Reduction, High ISO and Movie Anti-shake technologies, while the M20 manages a High ISO mode, all targeted and sharpening up those action shots or shaky-cam moments. Most of the other specs remain rather mundane, such as 2.5-inch LCDs and 3x zoom lenses, though SDHC is a nice addition, and both cameras do seem to have slimmed down just a bit. Otherwise it doesn't look like these consumer shooters have much more to offer than their predecessors, and the prices haven't budged much either, with the M20 shipping in September for $200, and the A20 following in October for $350. Check a pic of the M20 after the break.
M-Cody's M20 merges nano with Chocolate
Why just swipe one product design when you could be keepin' it real fake-er with two unabashed design steals? M-Cody asks that question with their new M20 music player, which merges a few stylings of LG's uber-popular Chocolate phone with a nice helping of iPod nano to create a quite stylish and sexy -- if a bit unoriginal -- music player. The specs aren't that bad, with MP3, WMA and OGG support, flash storage ranging from 512MB to 2GB and a nano bustin' 1.1 to 1.4-ounce weight. The positively bulky 0.3-inch thickness doesn't quite match up though, and 128 x 64 pixel OLED display isn't going to win many awards either. We don't have a price or launch dates yet, but this presumably China-bound player isn't looking too shabby -- fakery and all.
