Garmin-Asus Nuvifone A50 Gets Some Google Love
When Google announced the release of their free turn-by-turn voice guided GPS navigation just several months ago TomTom and Garmin watched their stocks plummet by nearly 25%, so who would have thought it could be Google who may end up helping save at least one of the companies. We’ve learned that the Garmin-Asus Nuvifone A50 has been given the uber-popular Google Android 1.6 mobile OS, an announcement that’s officially expected this coming week at the Mobile World Congress (MWC).
According to Garmin and Asus, the A50 offers a ton of location-aware apps that run smoothly with the devices built-in Garmin supported GPS receiver.
The A50 also includes a 3.5 HVGA multi-touch display with capacitive touchscreen capabilities, a custom “finger-friendly” UI and 4GB internal storage, alongside a microSDHC card slot which takes the devices memory capabilities to 20GB. The unit also includes a middle grade 3MP camera for quick photo opportunities.
Of course the real “cool” factor comes from the devices GPS capabilities. According to Engadget:
The A50 uses satellite, network-based, and terrestrial sources to quickly zero in on your location and comes pre-loaded with Garmin turn-by-turn navigation, lane assist with junction view, and maps — no need to download them over the network (and risk data dead spots)…In fact, it’s ready for in-vehicle (ships with car mount and vehicle power cable) or pedestrian navigation out of the box.
Users will also enjoy Microsoft Exchange support and Google mobile services.
No pricing yet, however a mid-2010 release for the European market is expected, if it doesn’t get delayed 30 times like the last round of Garmin devices experienced.
