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See the original image at gizmodo.com

Surprise! Garmin's GPS Phone Is Awesome

gizmodo.com — They very obviously copied the iPhone UI and are going to get the pants sued off of them, but full GPS and 3.5G? I don't know, seems pretty damn good.

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  • Kikkoman, on 01/31/2008, -28/+7Great phone
  • TomPlansMedia, on 01/31/2008, -19/+7it looks enormous? anyone know the dimensions?
    • Darmichar, on 01/31/2008, -3/+17Engadget has pictures of this phone next to an iPhone. The dimensions are almost identical.
      • fiestycrumbler, on 01/31/2008, -3/+2wow a touchscreen lcd with a couple of buttons on the side.... apparently apple is the only company that can make full touch screen phones
        • nucleararms, on 01/31/2008, -1/+5o rly? what's that button on the iphone then? lolz fail
      • EtherGnat, on 01/31/2008, -1/+2Who brainwashed people into thinking buttons are evil?
      • streak, on 02/03/2008, -0/+1The Garmin looks to be a lot thicker/chunkier/clunkier. Nice thing about the locator function iPhone 1.1.3 is that it only takes a few seconds and there's no monthly fee to use it. GPS support from Verizon or AT&T currently costs $3/day or $10/month extra.
    • Skitals, on 01/31/2008, -1/+9http://www.engadget.com/photos/hands-on-with-the-g ...
      • streak, on 02/03/2008, -0/+1Did you notice the Garmin isn't shown in operation? That's because it's a non-functional model.
    • zxcasd, on 01/31/2008, -2/+3they're both 3.5" LCD, but Garmin's device looks a little smaller....
      • streak, on 02/03/2008, -0/+1The Garmin looks only a little smaller in its major surface area but looks quite a bit thicker. Multiplied by the entire surface, that means the Garmin actually occupies quite a bit more volume than the iPhone.
  • codyman, on 01/31/2008, -7/+92is it unlocked? because a gps, 3.5g, unlocked phone is a grand slam in my opinion
    • TypeEE, on 01/31/2008, -6/+37need wifi to grand slam
      • winmywii, on 01/31/2008, -6/+2no wifi?
        • roadtripper, on 01/31/2008, -1/+20yes, wifi. woot!

          http://www.engadget.com/2008/01/30/garmin-announce ...
        • EtherGnat, on 01/31/2008, -1/+2If you have good 3G coverage and unlimited data wi-fi is kind of pointless IMO. The battery drain and hassle in finding and connecting to access points offsets any minor speed advantage. I was excited to get the feature on my my last smart phone but barely used it. I've had my new phone for four months and I don't think I've ever even turned wi-fi on once.
      • Sayo, on 01/31/2008, -1/+14I read a press release that says it does indeed have WiFi
      • ggoyal, on 01/31/2008, -9/+2Can someone tell me what is so special about this phone compared to numerous Nokia phones such as N95, N82 ?

        Nokia phones have added advantage of Ngage games, thousands of applications, 5 megapixel camera etc. apart from all the other features mentioned
        • BigSax, on 01/31/2008, -1/+13Hold on, Ngage is an advantage? When did this start?
        • seaners, on 01/31/2008, -0/+3never been a fan of nokia's UI, feels a bit tortured and hasn't changed in a really long time
        • 4ndr3wk, on 01/31/2008, -0/+2Nokia phones have the disadvangtage of being a NOKIA and having the worst UI ever

          And wheres this phone with Ngage games and a 5MP camera? also "thousands of apps"= java or symbian = COMPLETE CRAP
        • Tenoq, on 02/01/2008, -0/+1Big touch screen, for starters.
    • inverselogic, on 01/31/2008, -12/+1Mmm mmm very tempting but no wifi ;(
      • ayeroxor, on 01/31/2008, -0/+5uh, yes wifi, captain reading comprehension.
    • cawpin, on 01/31/2008, -6/+1Here's hoping for a CDMA version. I know it won't happen, but I can hope can't I?
    • passedoutghost, on 01/31/2008, -0/+1n95? I just got one recently, it's got 3.5G, wireless, navteq software and gps tracking. It's alright, not fantastic because with 3G turned on battery life is abysmal. Approximately 10 hours. With it turned off you can get 2-3 days (last time i checked). Although the n95 is rather expensive.
    • Tenoq, on 02/01/2008, -1/+1Grandslam needs > 2 hours battery life with GPS. Given the size of it, that seems unlikely. Until I've got a phone that can at least last the day with the GPS turned on, it's still not useful. :-(
    • markintosh, on 02/07/2008, -0/+1A grand slam to the wallet maybe. The nuvi 770 itself is $899.99 and that's without a camera, phone and 3G connectivity so if this phone gets released and reflects current pricing with current models you'd probably be looking at a $999.99 to $1,199.99 purchase. Definitely something to drool over though; The only thing that I'd wish for more were a qwerty keyboard that would reveal itself if I were to rotate it horizontally and slide the screen up. Then, I'd get a loan out for the thing because that's what I've been wanting.
  • SemiSarcastic, on 01/31/2008, -29/+5*sigh* all these fancy phones with GPS and we still can't find Osama Bin Laden.
    • woofers07, on 01/31/2008, -1/+9compare apples and oranges much?
    • uziko, on 01/31/2008, -5/+3who gives a ***** about osama bin laden
    • IKORKYI, on 01/31/2008, -1/+2*sigh* all these stylish comments with wit and direction and you still can't find something useful to say
  • gmprunner, on 01/31/2008, -26/+438 diggs and on the front page? Doesn't seem right to me.
    • rollerboy, on 01/31/2008, -0/+5I saw it then too but it quickly skyrocketed.
      • Alex.w, on 01/31/2008, -0/+5That is the idea, it's the sky-rocketing that triggers the front page. it's the acceleration of Diggs, not plain numbers.
  • timlopez, on 01/31/2008, -11/+179Why would Garmin get sued? Apple didn't invent the cell phone. The UI has some similarities to the iPhone, as well as Windows Mobile, but nothing that would be considered a ripoff.
    • ThreeDee912, on 01/31/2008, -29/+6All the iPhone patents Apple owns would be one reason...
      • Alex.w, on 01/31/2008, -3/+19They patented touch screen phones with no buttons? No didn't think so..
    • soljin, on 01/31/2008, -5/+32Seriously Apple didn't invent glassy looking buttons. And it's iPhone reminiscent at best. It's not like a Mizu Me/m8.
      • defectDS, on 01/31/2008, -6/+1Well actually...
        • DaffyDuck, on 01/31/2008, -1/+5Agree, it's not an iPhone knockoff at all. Nice looking phone but I'm not so sure about its immature OS.
    • ttfadia, on 01/31/2008, -18/+8If you're going to take the iPhone UI, take the polish too. Don't just borrow paradigms and slap on ugly...
    • FoxOrian, on 01/31/2008, -0/+20It's too bad that people think everything is derived from apple products after they're released. I'm a pretty long-term Apple user and I'll admit that it's not like Apple has single-handedly created all of these technologies. The problem is that Apple takes some of the most basic "well, duh" concepts that make sense and uses them, as evident with the iPhone GUI. Any phone with a touchscreen is going to have similar elements. Buttons at the top or bottom, an information strip somewhere, similar programs like a calandar, notes, maps, etc. Touch screens allow for a lot of freedom, but if you want something that makes the most sense to the user, to remain quick and easy to use, GUI's like the one shown here and on the iPhone are pretty much the best examples. [Why over complicate something that should be inherently simple?] No one rips off others, it's a different answer for the same solution. The answer always kind of comes out the same, but there are those little differences that make one better or worse over the other.
      • rubaaan, on 01/31/2008, -2/+9i dont get why even apple gets credited with these things when the lg prada was designed and released way before apple. am i wrong here?
    • morpheus69, on 01/31/2008, -3/+7Yeah, and remember what happened last time Apple tried to sue someone over a UI they supposedly "invented." They got pwned....and blew millions on lawyers.
    • badjoke, on 01/31/2008, -9/+4I think the iPhone is such a monument in design and phones that it'll be a standard which everyone will emulate. I won't call it "copying", just working at the newest level.
    • geoken, on 01/31/2008, -0/+4I remember when the iPhone came out and everyone pointed out the similarities to the LG people kept using the excuse "Wow, Icons on a grid. What an original idea. Apple obviously must have copied that because it would be impossible for them to come up with that on their own /sarcasm". But now those same people are quick to label every 'icons on a grid" UI as a ripoff of the iPhone.
    • SirTwitchALot, on 01/31/2008, -0/+0It wouldn't be the first time Apple has successfully sued someone who made hardware that looked similar to something they produced. Take the Emachines Eone for example:

      http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/EOne
      • mojotooth, on 01/31/2008, -0/+1That case was regarding external product resemblance ("trade dress") that was designed such that there was a chance a consumer would actually confuse themselves into buying the EOne instead of the imac. That's much closer to a trademark issue than a software UI, which is more of a patent issue. See wikipedia article: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trade_dress
  • K4P741NxKRUNCH, on 01/31/2008, -3/+69The gPhone will be released by Garmin..not Google... now who'da thunk..
  • itsgotyou, on 01/31/2008, -13/+5that's cool and all, but the question still remains, will this phone be able to pleasure me more that my left hand after i've been sitting on it for 5mins. (my hand that is)
    • mrBitch, on 01/31/2008, -0/+6Whew - glad you took the time to explain that it was your HAND you were sitting on, otherwise your post might have come off as kind of a bit too personal and pointless...
  • rollerboy, on 01/31/2008, -29/+22You know Apple is doing their homework when most new products are compared to one of theirs.
    • dvsbastard, on 01/31/2008, -10/+9Because, of course the iPhone was never compared to other previously released phones! :/
    • DesignEx, on 01/31/2008, -2/+7It seems this is the direction cell phones are going in, kudos to Apple for being the first to do it right, but do we really need to call every touchscreen LCD phone an iPhone ripoff?
      • benplaut, on 01/31/2008, -2/+1Would they have been going in that direction if the iPhone was made by a different company?
        Maybe not, but that's not for me to say.
      • morpheus69, on 01/31/2008, -2/+7First to do it right IN THE US... The rest of the world has been far ahead of the US for years. The iPhone pales when compared to HTC phones from three years ago or most Japanese cell phones.
      • sum33t, on 01/31/2008, -0/+3No kudos to apple, since they weren't the first ones to do it.
    • wheelzr, on 01/31/2008, -1/+16honestly I am sick of everyone comparing everything to the iPhone. Touch screen phones are not an Apple Patent. The only thing that makes the iPhone sweet is the OS and design and the fact that Apple has Mercedes status among Americans. More and more journalists are looking like complete morons by talking out of their ass about technology they have no historical knowledge of.
  • K4P741NxKRUNCH, on 01/31/2008, -20/+3The gPhone will be released by Garmin.. not Google... now who'da thunk..
    • K4P741NxKRUNCH, on 01/31/2008, -6/+1Sorry for the double post, internet was wacky when I first posted.
  • DanteDefiance, on 01/31/2008, -15/+2DO WANT.

    However seeing how I'm already iPhone equipped, I'm going to have to sit this one out. Unless....Apple releases a bluetooth GPS receiver for the iPhone! Then I can know where the ***** I'm at!
    • neio, on 01/31/2008, -2/+7You are where your iPhone is, thats all thats important.
    • ThreeDee912, on 01/31/2008, -3/+2Although not as accurate as GPS, isn't Apple going to be releasing an update with cell-tower triangulation and some Wi-Fi locater software?
      • ho0ber, on 01/31/2008, -5/+1Source?
        • wiggimt, on 01/31/2008, -1/+6Macworld Keynote IIRC
        • LoganT, on 01/31/2008, -1/+7The iPhone 1.1.3 update. It's already been released, about 3 weeks ago.
      • ericdano, on 01/31/2008, -1/+8They did. It is in Google Maps with the 1.1.3 firmware. It's fairly accurate. Within a hundred feet or so.
      • CoolWind, on 01/31/2008, -0/+7Cell phone navigation is great until you get lost where you don't have cell phone service. In the case of ATT that includes a LOT of places.
        • mikephimikephi, on 01/31/2008, -3/+1doesn't seem to happen all that often here in Manhattan
        • DaffyDuck, on 01/31/2008, -0/+3Try the mountains in NC, where you are more likely to get lost. It's difficult to get lost in Manhattan.
      • FoxOrian, on 01/31/2008, -0/+4The service works iffy over here in Boston. Whenever I use it, it approximates that I'm within "The city of Boston."
        The crosshair litterally targets the entire city, or Copley, or surrounding area. Something tells me that those special vans collecting access-point data hasn't come to Boston yet.
      • spider418, on 01/31/2008, -0/+3Wi-Fi locator on ipod touch was dead on in NYC and my home in NJ. To the point of being a little spooky.
        • seaners, on 01/31/2008, -1/+1thats interesting
          i tried it in aberdeen, scotland and it told me i was in aberdeen haha
          but skyhook's website said they have only just started europe so O2 customers in major cities i suspect only have it so far
    • Archon810, on 01/31/2008, -0/+3vi-like navigation? sign me up! nice paste-job gizmodo.
    • zxcasd, on 01/31/2008, -0/+2think iPhone's bluetooth is crippled, meaning u need
      a) hacked internal hardware to add GPS chip
      b) hacked OS to possibly add in the bluetooth support, but also need a hacked software UI for GPS maps
    • AntBing, on 01/31/2008, -0/+2Ending sentences in prepositions makes you sound stupid.
  • Area51mafia, on 01/31/2008, -19/+103Does anybody else see no resemblance to the iPhone UI?
    • ryanbutterworth, on 01/31/2008, -12/+1http://www.pqdvd.com/blog/iphone/wp-content/upload ...

      http://gizmodo.com/photogallery/nuviphone/10006086 ...
      • consonance, on 01/31/2008, -5/+21OH MY GOD BOTH PHONES HAVE CALENDARS AND BUTTONS CALL THE MEDIA

        /sarcasm
        • ryanbutterworth, on 01/31/2008, -5/+2Not so much the calendar as the design and layout.
          • bjornski, on 01/31/2008, -2/+7Yeah, omg. It uses icons and a top-to-bottom, left-to-right reading layout too!

            They ripped off Apple!
      • arcooke, on 01/31/2008, -2/+13Yeah, because apple invented calendars.
      • geoken, on 01/31/2008, -1/+2Oh my god! That's the exact same UI layout used by google calendar. This definatively proves that google was able to travel into the future to rip the UI design from the yet to be released iPhone.
    • Kazbaeden, on 01/31/2008, -4/+51Let's see, a grid of numbers ranging from 1 to 31, a space for appointments, buttons to choose a view, a clock, a signal strength indicator, a battery life indicator...

      Wow, it resembles the UI of every phone and calendar app I've ever used in my life.
      • Denelson83, on 01/31/2008, -6/+2You can just say "calendar." No need to be shy.
    • toxicityj, on 01/31/2008, -8/+22I don't. but Apple fanboys will see whatever the want, so long as it makes their mediocre smart phone look good.
      • defectDS, on 01/31/2008, -0/+3The submitter does not speak for all of us. I don't know what he sees because, besides some familiar button placement, there are no similarities whatsoever.
    • Louis11, on 01/31/2008, -5/+4Wow does anyone else see that exact same comment in the Submission's description?
    • dustinmacdonald, on 01/31/2008, -8/+4The incoming call screen is nearly identical.
      • toxicityj, on 01/31/2008, -2/+2yeah, omg it has the "answer" touch button. Apple clearly invented that tidbit of technology.
      • passedoutghost, on 01/31/2008, -1/+0Not really. I don't think Apple has patented the word "Answer" or the colour green or rounded corners or "web 2.0" style gradients.
    • bagboyrebel, on 01/31/2008, -0/+11in case you guys haven't noticed, they're both shaped like phones.
  • Subriot, on 01/31/2008, -26/+16The phone has great specs, but no other phone can beat the iPhone's UI.
    • Subriot, on 01/31/2008, -5/+3Dugg down for the truth.
    • zxcasd, on 01/31/2008, -4/+2so you think iPhone's current UI is the best and Apple cannot improve on it?

      • fitzfan, on 01/31/2008, -2/+2The best does not mean perfect....just the best out of what is currently being offered. Ofcourse there is always room for improvements.
        • IKORKYI, on 01/31/2008, -0/+2so its not that phone's great specs, its that fact that apple's UI is already good and no one can make something better before they can? I'm still seeing fanboy-ism
        • 11oops, on 01/31/2008, -0/+1So am I to assume that you have used all the other phone UI's that are out there, including the foreign markets?
    • bjornski, on 01/31/2008, -1/+4So again, it goes from "being better" to "well, it UI is prettier".

      Typical.

      "It's shiny! It's the best! And look, the icons jiggle!"
    • IKORKYI, on 01/31/2008, -1/+3OMG NO PHONE CAN BEAT IT!?!?!?!?! i guess all handset manufacturers should just give up. Wasn't there no way Hillary could lose 2 months ago?
  • markwilcox, on 01/31/2008, -10/+33Since when did Apple own shiny buttons?
    • TheWorm, on 01/31/2008, -3/+1Since they patented them with the release of OS X in 2001.
      • TheWorm, on 02/01/2008, -1/+1Apparently people didn't get the joke, since Apple patents everything.
        Maybe I'm just not funny.
    • geoken, on 01/31/2008, -1/+6You didn't know? When apple does something that other people are already doing, Apple becomes the owner of that thing. Anyone doing that henceforth will be copying Apple.

      Wait until MS starts porting it's greytone UI theme from the Expression series to other, more popular apps (or even parts of their OS). People will start calling it a Leopard rippof.
  • Shiftyeyedgoat, on 01/31/2008, -13/+17Engadget has "hands on" pics with a non-working model. It's a lot bigger, bulkier and more plastic than the gizmodo pictures would have you believe.

    http://www.engadget.com/2008/01/30/hands-on-with-t ...
  • BrownManUPS, on 01/31/2008, -8/+2iPhowned
  • nullcodes, on 01/31/2008, -9/+61They did copy the UI in many ways, but they are adding their own innovations such as 3D navigation etc.

    Apple borrowed ideas too like:

    1. idea of cell phone and the wireles tech that goes with it
    2. idea of cell phone with a camera
    3. graphical interfaces
    4. locationing on cell phones
    5. phone orientation detection (myorigo had this)
    6. idea of having internet on a cell phone
    7. idea of having apoplications such as notepad, etc. on a cell phone
    8. even touchscreens on phones (with keyboard or without if you look at prada .. plus others on the internet have been asking for large touschscreen only phones)
    9. mp3 players

    So .. why is it that concepts that first emerged on the iPhone can't be re-used. Just because Apple got there first doesnt mean the industry wouldnt have stumbled on it eventually. Garmin's contribution is a great 3D navigation GUI. Admittedly there are some GUI aspects they could have changed that would have maintained ease of use while not copying.
    • BrownManUPS, on 01/31/2008, -2/+5In fact, it is because of collaboration of ideas that we as a human race progress and go farther with technology. I think this is a great step.

      And economically, competition doesn't hurt -- it helps.
    • uziko, on 01/31/2008, -1/+5don't forget they also ripped off whoever invited having a calculator on a cellphone
    • GavT, on 01/31/2008, -2/+2Hell, if you go back far enough, Apple blatantly stole Xerox's UI designs that gave birth to Macs UI.
      • drewman77, on 01/31/2008, -0/+1If by that you mean they gave xerox a chunk of apple stock so they could come and get inspiration from their design, then yes he ripped them off :rolleyes:
  • shadowspawn, on 01/31/2008, -8/+1mg LG has a pseudo-GPS. Only works where there's VZW towers tho. Sucks in NM and West TX, but otherwise pretty neat.
  • shalecia, on 01/31/2008, -13/+0looks like a washed out(prototype) version of the i-phone
    The name is nuvIPHONE lol
    • fitix82, on 01/31/2008, -0/+8No, it's nuvifone. Garmin has a line of gps called ¨nuvi¨ for street navigation
      • shalecia, on 01/31/2008, -3/+0Okay didnt kno was just observing the name
  • Lionhart, on 01/31/2008, -2/+52As an iPhone user this is good news. Viva competition.
  • tcasey22, on 01/31/2008, -4/+12So glad I held out on iPhone. A fresh new UI and were in buisness.
  • HypocriteDigg, on 01/31/2008, -10/+2Wow, all of that in the same form form factor and battery life as the iPhone? Oh wait.
  • Moghadidliam, on 01/31/2008, -12/+3A plain, fatty-looking iPhone ripoff D:
  • ThatsUnpossible, on 01/31/2008, -5/+38Everyone that is in love with the "Garmin operating system" please raise your hands!

    Anyone? anyone?

    next...
    • DavX, on 01/31/2008, -1/+12Actually, I think their take on the GUI is pretty nice. There isn't nearly as much polish as the iPhone, but I'd like to see a home screen for the iPhone that has bigger primary icons.
    • morpheus69, on 01/31/2008, -7/+9Apple creates their own OS for iPhone and everyone wets themselves with joy...Garmin does it and they get dinged for not using an existing OS like Android or Symbian? Fan boys have strange logic.
      • starkruzr, on 01/31/2008, -2/+4You really can't tell me why Apple's OS, Symbian, Android or even Windows Mobile is better than this?

        Really? You really can't?
    • Denelson83, on 01/31/2008, -0/+6Well, those "screenshots" are only preliminary. Something more final will emerge in the next few months, I bet.
    • zxcasd, on 01/31/2008, -0/+2hopefully its better than WM5 or WM6.....
    • skyshock1, on 01/31/2008, -2/+4*raises hand*
    • passedoutghost, on 01/31/2008, -0/+0I regret buying the N95 now....
  • redneckblues, on 01/31/2008, -9/+3CDMA please!
  • pound23, on 01/31/2008, -9/+4Yeah, but can it hold my entire 98GB music and video collection ... or find schools of underwater bass? No thanks ... I'll wait for a real device ...
  • gotribe06, on 01/31/2008, -1/+6Giva Giva Giva Garmin...
  • Kerath, on 01/31/2008, -6/+9My HTC Kaiser has those features.
    • morpheus69, on 01/31/2008, -1/+3As does my HTC Touch2... HTC kicks ass
    • Infornography, on 01/31/2008, -1/+3except for the fact that we got shortchanged by poor video support....yea.

      www.htcclassaction.org
    • NnyCW, on 01/31/2008, -0/+2That it does. That's the phone I'm currently using and I find it an absolutely fantastic device. However, I will say, I would expect the GPS features on this phone to be far and away superior. Depending on the cost, that alone may be enough to have me switch over by years end.
      Of course, that's not something that would swing everyone.
    • sum33t, on 01/31/2008, -1/+3Congratulations! But this article isn't about you or your phone!
  • fliped, on 01/31/2008, -4/+9In any case I expect more from Apple with their iPhone 2.0 by the time this Garmin phone comes out.
    • H0tKarl, on 01/31/2008, -5/+4I don't.
    • colincornaby, on 01/31/2008, -0/+3Most likely the iPhone 2.0 will be out by the time this hits. Garmin said they are aiming for a 3rd quarter release... And if there are any delays...
  • digjam, on 01/31/2008, -0/+3well tht was a surprise...but impressed..atleast how it looks..now i hope it works too!
  • 01208500, on 01/31/2008, -1/+8There are similarities between all smartphones. This phone is a big step toward open functional units. Looks like it isnt going to be crippled like the iPhone. I am hoping this will be sold as an unlocked product. I will have this phone! The lat long attached to all photos is awesome. Pic quality is great. Looks like it is made by HTC to me!!! Speculate all you want, we will see 3rd quarter of this year.
    • zxcasd, on 01/31/2008, -1/+2unlocked product...lets compare
      AT&T Tilt: GPS, camera, WM6.... $400+
      N95 unlocked: GPS, camera, $500+

      standalone garmin GPS receiver: $200+
      Garmin's GPS Phone: i would guess $400+
    • ronmexico, on 01/31/2008, -2/+2"Looks like it isnt going to be crippled like the iPhone."
      Care to elaborate on that one?
      • LiquidFusion, on 01/31/2008, -0/+2I'll do it for him.

        NO GPS (Inexcusable)
        NO 3G (Ditto, but even more so)
        Crippled Bluetooth (Where the ***** is my A2DP!)
  • Errdoth, on 01/31/2008, -5/+2In a few hours there'll already be a jailbreak. D:
    • starkruzr, on 01/31/2008, -3/+1I don't see how or why. There is no API, no documentation, no way of writing programs for the thing.
    • betobeto, on 02/01/2008, -0/+1If they decide to sell it unlocked, there will be no need for one. That would be a great sales strategy for Garmin, if they can get away with it.
  • darkenin13, on 01/31/2008, -11/+7Garmin taking a ***** on Apple.
    • bigsteve, on 01/31/2008, -5/+3And completely misses. Looks like another "$APPLE_PRODUCT killer" that goes off with more smoke than muzzle flash.
  • LawSchoolBound, on 01/31/2008, -2/+4Not coming out till later this year. By then apple will probably have released or will be in the process of releasing a new iphone with all gps/3g etc. Unfortunately for garmin the new iphone will probably get all the attention even though this phone looks like it could hold its own. I hope it does well, competition is a good thing, but regardless of how you feel about apple, you gotta admit that their hype machine is pretty good at destroying all would be competitors before the products are even released by keeping the focus on apple.
  • ericdano, on 01/31/2008, -15/+7Sad, another rip off. Can't anyone come up with something new besides Apple???
    • bowe, on 01/31/2008, -6/+8what has apple come up with that was new? Seriously because I'm drawing a blank here.
    • Syphon8, on 01/31/2008, -2/+6Xerox.
    • nullcodes, on 01/31/2008, -2/+6I dont know ask the guy who invented cell phones in the first place!
      Or the graphical interface
      or the guy who first put a camera on a phone
      or heck putting an LCD touchscreen screen on a cell phone
      or the guy who thought of having internet on a phone
      Or mp3 players ..
      Or the guy who invented GRIDpad, which the Apple Newton was similar to (though the concept was alan kay's idea since the 60's).
    • uziko, on 01/31/2008, -3/+2innovation - manilla envelope

      enough said
    • morpheus69, on 01/31/2008, -2/+5Apple definitely does NOT come up with ANYTHING new. Apple's big strength as a company is they take existing ideas, improve upon them somewhat, make them much flashier, and then rev up the Apple marketing machine. They didn't invent the point-and-click GUI for computers, didn't invent the MP3 player and certainly didn't invent the smart phone, but they've managed to practically convince everyone that they did! Don't get me wrong, it's a great business model and obviously the stockholders are very happy. However, it is wrong to call Apple and innovation company when they are clearly a marketing company.
  • nevergrownup, on 01/31/2008, -4/+4Hmmm, delivering in the third quarter. So it'll be a distant second to the 3G iPhone which has been promised for this year. Anyone else expecting that to launch in June at WWDC?
  • Pake, on 01/31/2008, -2/+4Might be nice, but it's a damn shame Verizon won't probably even look at it. Great network coverage in my area (far superior to other options), but damn do I hate their phone software. I might actually use my phone more than once a day if they actually made it useful like this, the iPhone, and future phones are moving towards.
  • drewfer, on 01/31/2008, -0/+22I'm not surprised. Garmin makes awesome products.
  • jazzboyrules, on 01/31/2008, -0/+4That's my new phone for next Christmas!
  • uziko, on 01/31/2008, -1/+2It needs a video of the ui.
  • Denelson83, on 01/31/2008, -0/+5"Hello and welcome to nüvifone!" I love that quote from Ross Rubin.

    BTW, I own a Garmin GPS, and it works great! Now one integrated into a cell phone, even neater.
    • phenom2k7, on 01/31/2008, -0/+2Yea, they do make kickass Sat Navs. I have the 310 nuvi and it's awesome. Now that in a decent phone = I'm getting one !
  • mal1964, on 01/31/2008, -9/+5Wow a color screen, What will they think of next.
  • myk84, on 01/31/2008, -0/+13Damn! I work for them and I didn't even know about this...
    • Ryan2845, on 01/31/2008, -0/+2Must be a lot of us garmin folks reading digg these days...
      • myk84, on 01/31/2008, -0/+0Yea that's all I've heard about today, I can't wait to get my hands on one!
        I'm in marine software engineering, how bout you?
  • sdlvx, on 01/31/2008, -4/+6Surprise! An article by gizmodo about a non-apple product, and THERES APPLE IN THE DESCRIPTION.
    • bjornski, on 01/31/2008, -2/+3I think Apple has a big financial stake in Gozmodo, or better phrased, Gozmodo's income depends on Apple.

      It's a gadget blog. Most Apple devices are gadgets. It's a perfect fit. Though they should just go all the way and call themselves "iGizmodo"
    • postalblowfish7, on 01/31/2008, -1/+1...probably because this phone obviously invokes the iphone. it's not a conspiracy dude.
  • SuperNikiD, on 01/31/2008, -5/+4Somewhat resembles the iPhone. It seems that electronic companies can all just wait for an apple product to come out and can just change a few things and have a successful product.
  • bjs3171, on 01/31/2008, -1/+2anyone know a price?
    • TrendyTim, on 01/31/2008, -0/+2an arm, leg, and your first born i'd say going by their GPS only device prices
  • roadtripper, on 01/31/2008, -0/+6for what it's worth . . . garmin's nuvi line has been all touchscreen for at least the least 3 or so years. well before their nuvifone and well before apple's iphone. apple didn't even touchscreen; nor did garmin.
    (full disclosure: i think the iphone is pretty awesome)
  • guiltyblade, on 01/31/2008, -2/+5I own an iphone and this product pumps me up. If the UI is good and has decent media player im all over it. This is exactly what i've been waiting for. I love the iphone, but wish it has GPS features with Turn by turn, and 3G. I know Garmins GPS will be awesome so i'm not worried about that, plus the docking station in a car is awesome. I just hopethe memory is either expandable to a large size, and the UI for music is decent. Without a carrier I would think it would not be CDMA but who knows. This could either be a slam dunk or a total airball.
  • mverta, on 01/31/2008, -0/+0No you di'int!
  • znicket, on 01/31/2008, -0/+1Nice... but release date in the 3rd quarter? That is ages from now in tech time.
    I fear that people will by that time have raised their expectations even higher with the multitude of widgets that will appear on the iPhone.
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