Wireless provider T-Mobile recently announced it will offer the Garminfone smartphone that specializes in geo-location software and GPS services for owners.
The Garmin smartphone has a 3.5-inch touchscreen, 3G support, Google Android, and a focus on navigation services. It's designed to blend cloud-based Google services with Garmin's GPS technologies, with turn-by-turn directions and other voice features available.
A version of Voice Studio for the Android OS gives owners the ability to record voice directions that can be used instead of normal clips. It also has a 3-megapixel camera -- a lower quality camera than what some expected -- and local storage for map data.
"The Garminfone brings together two increasingly popular devices in one state-of-the-art package, delivering a rich, unique experience that no other smartphone or standalone navigation device can offer," noted George Harrison, T-Mobile marketing product manager, in a statement.
Pricing and release date information hasn't been revealed, although unconfirmed reports claim it will be released in early May.
Garmin has been forced to expand away from traditional GPS technology used in cars and is now also focusing on GPS technology for hikers, runners, cyclists, boat owners, pilots, and smartphone owners. Even though Garmin continues its efforts to expand, it may run into some resistance in the smartphone market -- as there are numerous other companies offering navigation capabilities for smartphones.
Garmin already is in the smartphone market with the Garmin-Asus smartphone available in Asia, as both companies test the mobile phone market. The device had a solid hardware and software offering, but the popularity of the device isn't known.
The GPS maker also is promoting the nuvifone G60 smartphone on the AT&T network, but the phones still aren't gaining much mainstream recognition.
Meanwhile, T-Mobile has had a difficult time competing with AT&T and Verizon Wireless -- and the company continues to try and cater to very specific consumers these days. I used T-Mobile for a month before discovering coverage didn't work great in my area, which is a shame since T-Mobile's customer service was absolutely stellar.
