GPS Maker Garmin Enters Mobile Phone Market

Garmin, well known for its overwhelming innovations in the GPS world has decided to enter into the race of providing mobile phone services and its debutant product is a hybrid device named the Nuvifone which was unveiled early this week.

As a hybrid product, Nuvifone combines features of cell phone, a Web browser, and GPS into just a single device. With these combinations, its users have many options when it comes to applications since it afford them the ability to do much more. As a result, the home screen consists of three major features namely; call, search and view map synchronized to function as cell phone, Web browser and GPS respectively.

The device can be mistaken for iPhone with its slim form factor, 3.5-inch touch screen, and on-screen keypad. As a GPS personal navigator, Nuvifone has been built to function in that respect while the built-in-third generation cellular technology hat is embedded into the device ensures its high-speed data access.

Additionally, the phone's GPS works with the built-in camera to take pictures that are automatically tagged with latitude and longitude. Users can e-mail pictures to others, who can then navigate to the location where it was taken. Once the nuvifone is docked onto a vehicle mount, the GPS turns on automatically, the navigation menu is activated, and a person is then able to make hands-free calls while simultaneously using the navigation function.

While speaking on their achievement, theGarmin's president and COO said "This is the breakthrough product that cell phone and GPS users around the world have been longing for -- a single device that does it all,"

The phone comes with maps of North America and Europe, as well as a built-in database with millions of points of interest. It works just like Garmin's standard GPS devices, offering turn-by-turn audible directions.

Plan is on the way to make the phone available by the third quarter of this year; however they have not yet revealed the specific markets and the pricing details.