The last time we saw the Garmin-Asus Nuvifone G60, it was being shown under glass, and Asus hadn't yet added their brand to the mix. We got a chance to play with a more complete version of the Linux-based, GPS-focused phone at CTIA in Las Vegas, and we came away quite impressed. The interface design is bright and clean, mostly large, intuitive icons over a white background. The touch sensitive display worked very well. Even though the device uses a resistive touchscreen for input, the menus all reacted quickly to our touch. Plus, Garmin-Asus has added some nice bits of visual flourish to make the OS bounce a bit as we navigated our way through the phone's features.
Though it's not technically a smartphone, the Nuvifone G60 is still based on Garmin's own Linux-based platform, and the company bragged quite a bit about the length their own software developers went in order to make this an original device. The Web browser is Garmin's own Webkit-based browser, and it worked nicely in our hands-on time. Our own homepage rendered near-perfectly, and we had no trouble navigating the Web with our fingers and zooming in and out of a large page. The onscreen keyboard is simple, but large, thanks to the phone's large, 3.5-inch screen.
With Asus, a Windows Mobile phone
In addition to the Nuvifone G60, we also got a chance to look at the tiny new Garmin-Asus Nuvifone M20 (check out our hands-on gallery here). We reported on the Nuvifone M20 back in February, but until we saw the phone in person, we didn't realize just how small it would be. It easily feels smaller than the HTC Touch Diamond and most other all-touch Windows Mobile phones on the market. Just like HTC, Garmin-Asus has gone to some lengths to simplify the Windows Mobile 6.1 experience on this phone. The phone gets a new, finger-friendly home screen with some 3D animations and effects. Besides the obvious Garmin software, the phone also gets an improved dialer, a better onscreen keyboard than WinMo 6.1 usually provides, and even a better music player, more inline with the interface designs we've seen on Garmin devices than classic Windows Mobile fare.
Again, we were impressed by the responsiveness of the Garmin-Asus Nuvifone M20's screen. Most manufacturers who lay an interface on top of Windows Mobile produce phones that are sluggish to the touch. Though Garmin-Asus hasn't created anything dramatic, the interface still responded quickly to the touch as we browsed through the application menu or the music library. The rotating home screen kept up with us as we swiped the windows side to side.
All that, and GPS, too
Of course, what has us most curious on these phones is their GPS functions. Both feature Garmin's mapping software, and though we couldn't get a GPS signal on the show floor, we were able to check out the maps and the navigation software. This seemed polished and clean, and we're happy to say the interface reminded us more of a traditional portable navigation device than most phone navigation software we've tried. Buttons were large and the interface was unclutted with useless information.
Besides navigation, Garmin-Asus includes location based services throughout the devices. Both devices will support geotagging for photographs, as well as Garmin's Ciao social networking app, which reports your position to your friends so they can find you out and about. On the Windows Mobile side, Garmin-Asus has gone to some lengths to integrate the GPS and mapping features throughout the OS.
So, they're alive, but are they walking?
Garmin-Asus is still mum on release dates or availability, and they haven't made any comment on pricing. The obvious guess is that, if these phones do get picked up by a carrier, it will be AT&T, since they already support AT&T's 3G network. Still, it wouldn't be a stretch to see them on T-Mobile. We're not hoping for budget pricing. Most GPS-centered phones we've seen are priced to compete with PNDs, so we're imagining buyers will be dropping $200 - $300 when they launch. Expect to pay much more if Garmin-Asus can't lock down a carrier agreement, and these phones are only available unlocked through electronics and online retailers.
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