The NavTalk II GSM phone doesn't only offer communications, but also navigations through the worldwide GPS network in one combined and convenient package.
In a world where everything converges, we'll expect to see communicators that feature both phone and PDA functions, all integrated with location-based services that will bring you information based on your position - retrieved from the worldwide GPS network. GARMIN's NavTalk II GSM is a step on the way, and combines a 900 MHz GSM mobile phone with a 12 parallel channel GPS receiver.
 | | Garmin's NavTalk II combines GSM and GPS features |
The NavTalk II is a successor to the original NavTalk, which was the world's first GPS-equipped mobile phone created for the analog AMPS market. Then as now, the NavTalk II will allow users to see their location on a detailed basemap but it also features voice communications over the GSM network, making it much more useful by combining two often simultaneously used products into one.
The phone also supports Wireless Application Protocol (WAP), which allows its users to obtain information via the Internet. In addition, it features a built-in international basemap complete with cities, major roads, lakes, rivers, airports, coastlines and highways. The unit will also accept downloadable map detail from GARMIN's line of MapSource CD-ROMs, including points of interest information like hotels, restaurants and entertainment.
You can also store up to 500 waypoints, and you'll be able to transmit your position directly to another NavTalk II user or a location-based service provider of any kind. You'll still have to wait a little while before you can get your hands on it though, as it won't be available before in the fourth quarter of 2001. As a bynote, Ericsson's Pamela communicator which features the Symbian OS and thereby matches the communicator description at the top of the page, will probably be either released or very close to a release by then.
If you'd like to take a closer look at how a device that combines a GSM phone with a GPS receiver looks like, you'll find a high-resolution picture on the next page.
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