Garmin Asus nüvifone M20 Smartphone with Windows Mobile 6.1 Pro

[Rudra.J]

After the success of Linux based Garmin Asus G60 smartphone, Asus is goin for a big one. The Garmin-Asus nüvifone M20. The all new Garmin-Asus nüvifone M20 runs Windows Mobile 6.1 Pro and will be richly endowed with features like WiFi 802.11 b/g, Bluetooth, 3.5G/tri-band, GPS and HSDPA 7.2 Mbps. It will also provide a web browser and advanced Gaming Features which makes it a true Multi-Mode Smartphone.

Oriented GPS and Location Based Services

It is also loaded with the Garmin navigation software which has management route, points of interest, simplified entry of addresses, voice and recalculated routes. In short, everything that makes a good navigation system. When you are connected to the local search it gives you access to services like continuously updated traffic information, weather, white pages, local events and a lot more.

The Garmin-Asus M20 includes a specific LBS application which is the junction between GPS and networks which helps you to find friends and family and share the location and places of appointment with them.

As for technical features, the Garmin-Asus M20 is a smartphone with touch, 2.8" display with VGA resolution (480 x 640 pixels), carrying a comfortable space for internal storage of 4 to 8 GB and a 3 megapixel camera. It supports ActiveSync for Outlook, Microsoft Office, and multi-media synchronization.

The Garmin-smartphone Asus M20 should be marketed during the first half of 2009. The price has not yet been revealed.

[Al pacino]

Garmin-Asus, a co-branded alliance between Garmin Ltd., and ASUSTeK Computer Inc., announced the Garmin-Asus nüvifone M20, an all-in-one phone, mobile web-browser and premium navigation system with a Windows Mobile operating system. The Garmin-Asus nüvifone M20 will be on display at GSMA Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Spain, February 16-19, 2009, at the Garmin-Asus exhibit (Hall 7, #7C37).

As the first Garmin-Asus nüvifone powered by Windows Mobile 6.1 Professional with enterprise email, the sleek and colorful nüvifone M20 is designed for on-the-go professionals who want a fashionable and functional smartphone to manage their busy work and personal lives. This powerful device combines a dual-band 3.5G/tri-band GSM phone with Wi-Fi connectivity, desktop-like internet browser, push email, document viewing, multi-media capability, Bluetooth® and Garmin sat nav.

The nüvifone M20’s full QWERTY soft keyboard makes it easy to send and receive SMS, MMS and emails. The nüvifone M20 can also be synched with a computer so that contacts and emails are always available. HSDPA wireless connectivity and enterprise grade Wi-Fi (802.11 b/g) ensure messages are sent and received quickly, including those with attachments.

Recognizing that location is relevant to every aspect of every day, the nüvifone M20 is designed with location based services (LBS) at its core and has the most advanced LBS experience of any Windows Mobile phone. Navigation functions are linked to frequently used applications such as calendar, contacts, email, internet applications and more, simplifying the nüvifone user’s day as they travel from one location to another.

The nüvifone M20 supports download speeds of up to 7.2 Mbps and offers a desktop-style web browsing experience. Users can zoom and pan web pages with their finger as they view the information in either portrait or landscape orientation. In addition, they can easily navigate to an address on a web page with only a few taps of the screen.

The GPS features of the nüvifone M20 usher in a level of sophistication never seen before on a Windows Mobile smartphone. It has the navigation capability of a premium Garmin nüvi® sat nav, and comes with preloaded maps and points of interest (POIs) – hotels, restaurants, stores, fuel stations and more – for North America, Eastern and Western Europe, or other regions. Selecting a destination is straightforward and requires limited input from the user. For example, users can search for a destination by typing in the specific name or address of an establishment, search by category, or navigate to addresses in the nüvifone M20’s contact database or on the web. The device then gives turn-by-turn voice-prompted directions and automatically recalculates if a turn is missed along the way.

The nüvifone M20 takes GPS navigation one step further via Connected Services, a suite of online applications and data from Garmin-Asus that adds location intelligence to navigation, phone and browser functions. The expandable list of applications includes content like real-time traffic information, Google Local search, White Pages, weather, flight status and movie times.

The nüvifone product line also includes Ciao!, a ground-breaking LBS application that helps users stay up to date on their friends’ whereabouts and status by linking location-centric social networks. Through Ciao!, nüvifone users will see their friends’ location on a map and then be able to navigate to that location with ease. Nüvifone users can also choose to have the nüvifone automatically update their social network location information. The launch partners for Ciao! are Buddy Beacon and GyPSii, and it is scalable for additional social networks.

The nüvifone M20 has exceptional entertainment capabilities with the combination of a 2.8” TFT touch lens display, built-in microphone and speakers, built-in 4G/8G My Storage, and ActiveSync® for Outlook®, Microsoft® Office, and multi-media synchronization. The VGA (640x480) display brings action to life when watching video or looking at photographs. The three megapixel camera automatically geotags images with the exact latitude and longitudinal coordinates. Users can then save the image on their phone, email it to a friend, or navigate to where the image was taken.

Garmin-Asus expects to announce the nüvifone M20’s pricing and availability information in the first half of 2009.