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TEDD RIGGS
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Member Since: 9/2007Last Seen: 11/28/2009
Member Since: 9/2007Last Seen: 11/28/2009
13 Votes
31 Comments
Rumor: Garmin Nüvifone headed to AT&T for $499
News Type: Event — Seeded on Sun May 4, 2008 6:34 PM EDT
Article Source: CNET.comadvertisement
It's no secret that the Garmin Nüvifone is one of the most anticipated smartphones of this year--partly because of its killer feature set (GPS with full navigation, 3.5-inch touch screen, quad-band world roaming, HSDPA, Wi-Fi, 3-megapixel camera, and so on) and partly because everyone wants to see if Garmin can actually pull this off. However, what has remained a secret is the carrier and pricing, or at least, until now?
According to a story from Engadget Mobile, one of its readers received a customer survey from Garmin asking, "Now, how likely would you be to buy the Garmin Nüvifone (for yourself or as a gift) if offered by AT&T for $499.99 with a two year contract? You would be required to have both a data plan that would include unlimited Internet browsing and unlimited Navigation for $19.99 per month and one of the standard voice rate plans for a monthly fee." Zoiks! What? OK, it's not so much the carrier we're surprised about (AT&T is HSDPA ready, T-Mobile isn't--simple as that) but $500? Seriously? The AT&T Tilt offers pretty much the same features for $299.99.
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{"commentId":1765297,"authorDomain":"TeddRi"}
I would love to find out what is going to happen with this phone. The Garmin nüvi Series of GPS's are very impressive and from the sounds of this phone, it will be also, nice to have a 3-megapixel camera with built in geotagging. However at $500 and service with AT&T, that might scare many people off especially since the iPhone's price is dropping. I am not sure I agree with CNET comparing the nüviphone however to the Tilt, that is a stretch for me.
{"commentId":1765297,"threadId":"259569","contentId":"1468888","authorDomain":"TeddRi"}
- 2 votes
#1 - Sun May 4, 2008 6:40 PM EDT{"commentId":1765312,"authorDomain":"bigmomma"}
Too rich for my blood...but kinda neat, looks like it's got everything!
{"commentId":1765312,"threadId":"259569","contentId":"1468888","authorDomain":"bigmomma"}
- 3 votes
#2 - Sun May 4, 2008 6:45 PM EDT{"commentId":1765367,"authorDomain":"TeddRi"}
What is so cool about it is that Geotagging camera is built in, so when you take a photo, it sticks the Latitude and Longitude with the Photo, so if you email the picture, you can have it bring up Google Earth automatically at the same time, so you never forget where the picture came from.
My guess is that they are just checking prices. I got the same letter. I sent it back and told them they would never sell any for that price, it would have to be half that price. The neat thing with this is you use it for a phone, then plug it into your car and it knows its a regular GPS then. Its pretty awesome how it works.
{"commentId":1765367,"threadId":"259569","contentId":"1468888","authorDomain":"TeddRi"}
- 3 votes
{"commentId":1766487,"authorDomain":"kokayi"}
I like geotagging photos too but a 3 MP camera is limited. My SE w810i 2 MP camera with a BT gps can do geotagging with a free J2ME app TrekBuddy. I have a BT GPS, I can use with my laptop, Palm TX, or w810i.
I like Garmin, but I like TOMTOM's GPS interface. TT's address entry is more like RPN for calculators. You drill down from the city level, then the street and finally house number. Plus it also routes for walking and bicycling too. I use an old PalmOS based version.
I guess what I'm trying to say is I don't trust these closed systems hyping features that once you have them don't work as advertised. I can almost guesstimate the Nuvifone will not broadcast it's GPS data to another device. Overall I have about four GIS/GIS app running on my Palm. Heaven knows how many I have for XP/Linux. What irritates me the most is their tracking and waypoint data formats aren't always interchangeable.
I'm sorry if this came off like a rant. Will someone just make a Tricoder and stop pimping out this half-a$$ed caveat laden junk?
{"commentId":1766487,"threadId":"259569","contentId":"1468888","authorDomain":"kokayi"}
- 3 votes
{"commentId":1766632,"authorDomain":"TeddRi"}
I have heard of TrekBuddy from the local Geocaching clan here at GroundSpeak as they are always have outing to go searching for things and its a fun group of people to hang out with. I have used the TOMTOM's many times as they work far better in the PDA work then Garmin does as they have a much better interface.
I loved the old StreetPilot series as that you could enter waypoints in any fashion you wanted, ASCII, NEMA, LAT/LONG you name it. The new Nuvi is so "dumbed down" that once a location is entered, its stored and you cannot even recall the Lat/Long.
For me, the camera would be fun as a toy, but I do all my work in RAW format on my Nikon D-80 at 10 mp and use a older handheld Trimble GPS
Trying to get real info on the Nuvifone and what is real and what is rumor especially on details on software is not easy. I have heard Windows Mobile 6 based software and I have heard closed.
Garmin as least has done some standards, the POI Loader works very well in trading waypoints and I have used to to move routes and trip plans from one device to another and it works very well. The plan I heard is all Garmin products that have a USB port will work with it.
Its not fancy, but it gets the job done at least.
Yeah a decent Tricoder would be good. When they become available I know exactly where to find them also, I have a good friend in that business :-)
{"commentId":1766632,"threadId":"259569","contentId":"1468888","authorDomain":"TeddRi"}
- 3 votes
{"commentId":1767792,"authorDomain":"kokayi"}
Yeah Garmin has provided some great standards. I'd like to add one to my collection one day. I have a GIS program I bought that I thought would work with any GPS receiver and later found out it only works in real time with Garmins. I'm a big GIS/GPS fanboy but every piece of software I've used has some type of caveat.
Too often I've gone off and bought a something like a Nuvi and discovered it had a major drawback of some kind I couldn't have foreseen.
Thanks for the links.
{"commentId":1767792,"threadId":"259569","contentId":"1468888","authorDomain":"kokayi"}
- 2 votes
{"commentId":1767837,"authorDomain":"TeddRi"}
I know that feeling all to well. Same with me and Microsoft MapPoint 2006, Streets and Trips, and most of the Stuff from Delorme,,,,,,
{"commentId":1767837,"threadId":"259569","contentId":"1468888","authorDomain":"TeddRi"}
- 3 votes
{"commentId":1768183,"authorDomain":"kokayi"}
I've got those programs too. Why is it so hard to use a gps to map real world objects? I wonder how cruise missiles actually hit their targets. I would really like a GIS/GPS that really worked accurately in realtime for off-road applications.
{"commentId":1768183,"threadId":"259569","contentId":"1468888","authorDomain":"kokayi"}
- 2 votes
{"commentId":1768221,"authorDomain":"TeddRi"}
Good question. I have gotten the Earthmates to work. Never had luck with MapPoint in real time. I did some Beta Test on the new GPS #40 and that does work real time and is nice.
{"commentId":1768221,"threadId":"259569","contentId":"1468888","authorDomain":"TeddRi"}
- 3 votes
{"commentId":1765442,"authorDomain":"bluemutiny"}
Build the perfect phone, price it like that... fine.
AT&T? @!$%# off.
Two Outta Three Ain't Bad for Meat Loaf, but for the mobile business that's @!$%#. D:
{"commentId":1765442,"threadId":"259569","contentId":"1468888","authorDomain":"bluemutiny"}
- 2 votes
#3 - Sun May 4, 2008 7:26 PM EDT{"commentId":1765481,"authorDomain":"TeddRi"}
That was almost my exact reply to them.....I told Garmin I had owned their products for 20 years and loved them, but hate AT&T and they have no coverage in Redmond...Nobody at Microsoft has a contract with them as it will not work inside a building, every single other carrier has 5 bars....
AT&T has the lowest rating of all US carriers, Garmin has the highest rating of all GPS makers..It makes no sense...That is exactly what I told them.
I also am linking this article to Garmin, so please, tell them how you feel ! I love the Nuvi series, I have a 200W in my car, neat little system and about the same size as this phone.
{"commentId":1765481,"threadId":"259569","contentId":"1468888","authorDomain":"TeddRi"}
- 4 votes
{"commentId":1766341,"authorDomain":"DrJuice"}
If Apple could get away with it, why not Garmin?
{"commentId":1766341,"threadId":"259569","contentId":"1468888","authorDomain":"DrJuice"}
- 1 vote
{"commentId":1766350,"authorDomain":"bluemutiny"}
Because the iPhone and the Nuvi are in completely different leagues. To be perfectly honest, the iPhone is a piece of @!$%# compared to most other phones, even - It just has the fancy new screen and Apple's logo on the back.
{"commentId":1766350,"threadId":"259569","contentId":"1468888","authorDomain":"bluemutiny"}
- 3 votes
{"commentId":1766356,"authorDomain":"TeddRi"}
One very major I have heard over and over again with the iPhone is that as a Phone, it does not do a very good job and has not the best sound quality or ease of use. That seems to be a fairly common feeling I have heard about it.
{"commentId":1766356,"threadId":"259569","contentId":"1468888","authorDomain":"TeddRi"}
- 3 votes
{"commentId":1766377,"authorDomain":"bluemutiny"}
It's focused as a revolutionary device in *thin*. It's Apple flaunting their muscle but it turned to fat pretty damn quickly. It was a huge marketing ploy if you think about it, too.
Watch the next gen iPhone conveniently leave out even more important bits.
{"commentId":1766377,"threadId":"259569","contentId":"1468888","authorDomain":"bluemutiny"}
- 3 votes
{"commentId":1766387,"authorDomain":"TeddRi"}
Yeah. I would not be one bit surprised either if some of those people standing in line did not get paid to do that.
It is thin, no question, but no speed dial ? no voice recognition ? six buttons to answer a call ? yikes...
That why I got a iTouch and stuck with a real Cell Phone. If the Garmin works as well as the GPS does, I am buying one, no question. But if its bundled with AT&T, then no way....
{"commentId":1766387,"threadId":"259569","contentId":"1468888","authorDomain":"TeddRi"}
- 2 votes
{"commentId":1766433,"authorDomain":"bluemutiny"}
Then there's the @!$%# hardware and plain lack of it: EDGE, one 2mp camera (phones years ago had cameras better than this... I've got a 3.2mp camera on my current phone which is 2 years old and they are up to 10+mp in some phones now...) then there's no front camera because there's no 3g hardware and there probably never will be.
I like my Touch and I like my mobile. If Apple can't properly incorporate the two, then they should stay the hell out of it.
{"commentId":1766433,"threadId":"259569","contentId":"1468888","authorDomain":"bluemutiny"}
- 3 votes
{"commentId":1766453,"authorDomain":"kyleb"}
It is thin, no question, but no speed dial ? no voice recognition ? six buttons to answer a call ? yikes...
Tedd,
I'm not sure where you got the idea it takes six button-presses to answer a call. It takes one swipe to answer a call when the phone is locked, and one button press when it is awake.
Speed dial -- the iPhone cannot obviously assign contacts to a keypad number, but it really isn't difficult to make a call. Wherever you are on the phone, if you double-tap the home button, it pulls up the favorite contacts list. From there, you just touch the person you want to call -- and it calls. For me, it's actually easier to call people than my Motorola V557 was.
Sound quality is quite good, but volume is, unfortunately, a little low. I am sure they are fixing this in the new model.
As for voice recognition, this is the most glaring admission. My hope, though, is Apple is working on a great implementation and will be releasing it through a software update soon.
Oh, and Robbie, the picture quality is pretty damned good. Besides zoom, it is so good that I don't even bother carrying around my 5-megapixel digital camera anymore except for the most exciting trips and events. It is more than competent enough to replace it.
{"commentId":1766453,"threadId":"259569","contentId":"1468888","authorDomain":"kyleb"}
- 3 votes
{"commentId":1766579,"authorDomain":"bluemutiny"}
Imagine what the phone would be like with a better camera, though. ;)
{"commentId":1766579,"threadId":"259569","contentId":"1468888","authorDomain":"bluemutiny"}
- 1 vote
{"commentId":1766642,"authorDomain":"TeddRi"}
I'm not sure where you got the idea it takes six button-presses to answer a call
That was from I think Engadget, so that is incorrect ? I had heard that also from several sources. I think the other was the Apple discussion forums, something waking up the phone, putting in to the phone mode, and I forget the rest.
The quality issue also might be because in many area's unlike where you are, AT&T coverage is bad. Here in Redmond, a iPhone will not work inside a Microsoft campus building, outside its only 2 bars.
{"commentId":1766642,"threadId":"259569","contentId":"1468888","authorDomain":"TeddRi"}
- 2 votes
{"commentId":1767900,"authorDomain":"kyleb"}
That was from I think Engadget, so that is incorrect ? I had heard that also from several sources. I think the other was the Apple discussion forums, something waking up the phone, putting in to the phone mode, and I forget the rest.
It takes one swipe or one button press to answer a call.
To start a call, you:
- Unlock the phone
- Double-tap the home button, which pulls up your favorites list
- Touch the contact you want to call
And that's it. If you want to call someone not on your favorites list, you go to your contacts and touch the contact you want to call. It's not difficult to do.
Still, I hope Apple implements voice recognition, because California will be requiring hands-free calling while driving in July, and that's the best way to do it.
{"commentId":1767900,"threadId":"259569","contentId":"1468888","authorDomain":"kyleb"}
- 2 votes
{"commentId":1767960,"authorDomain":"TeddRi"}
And that was not changed in a software update or anything ?
I just remember that number of steps (6) very well as it stood out and I was amazed that it could take so many to do that as that happened to be the same number for the first cell phone I ever had any design work on, so that number really stuck in my head. Maybe there was something special about it, like the person was using the browser when the call came thru ?
Oh well, thanks for updating me ! Yeah that voice recognition would be nice as its law here and a $1034 ticket if you get caught, I have never heard of anyone getting a ticket, but with my luck, I would be the first....
Did you ever DL OmniGraf 5 ?
{"commentId":1767960,"threadId":"259569","contentId":"1468888","authorDomain":"TeddRi"}
- 1 vote
{"commentId":1768189,"authorDomain":"kyleb"}
Yeah. I was testing it for a while and liked it, so I bought the educational upgrade and got it for $25 or so. I use it primarily for website mockups and graphic design and it does a good job.
{"commentId":1768189,"threadId":"259569","contentId":"1468888","authorDomain":"kyleb"}
- 1 vote
{"commentId":1768227,"authorDomain":"TeddRi"}
OK then you got a decent price, I was going to get you the local upgrade price but glad you got it ok.
{"commentId":1768227,"threadId":"259569","contentId":"1468888","authorDomain":"TeddRi"}
- 2 votes
{"commentId":1768330,"authorDomain":"DrJuice"}
And that was not changed in a software update or anything ?
I just remember that number of steps (6) very well as it stood out and I was amazed that it could take so many to do that as that happened to be the same number for the first cell phone I ever had any design work on, so that number really stuck in my head. Maybe there was something special about it, like the person was using the browser when the call came thru ?
The double-tap-home-button shortcut was added in a software update. Without that it's maybe two additional button presses, tops. If a call comes in you get a "Slide to answer" screen, or the app you're in quits and you get an "accept/decline" screen. On my previous phone, that Samsung A900, there were 4 steps to make a call if you just pulled it out of your pocket, so the iPhone isn't terribly different. And it had speed dial and voice dialing, but the voice dialing never worked terribly well (saying "Fred" would dial "Dan" even in a perfectly quiet room) and I rarely used speed dial, out of habit I suppose.
In any event, if Garmin pulls this off and delivers it will certainly be slick, however I probably won't replace my iPhone with it.
By the by, how much are those nuvi's running these days? I'm thinking of picking one up, or some brand of GPS receiver.
{"commentId":1768330,"threadId":"259569","contentId":"1468888","authorDomain":"DrJuice"}
- 1 vote
{"commentId":1768364,"authorDomain":"TeddRi"}
The nuvi line is pretty broadbase ranging from a pretty basic one up to a almost 7 inch bluetooth model. I got the nuvi 200W that has a Wide Format 4.3" screen, voice prompts, SD card and it was on sale at Amazon for $169. When it came out it was about $500. Nice unit, very fast and great display and very detailed maps, USB interface.
{"commentId":1768364,"threadId":"259569","contentId":"1468888","authorDomain":"TeddRi"}
- 2 votes
{"commentId":1769881,"authorDomain":"DrJuice"}
Do they all use/have access to the same maps database?
{"commentId":1769881,"threadId":"259569","contentId":"1468888","authorDomain":"DrJuice"}
- 1 vote
{"commentId":1770026,"authorDomain":"basseq"}
All... Garmin products? I would imagine so.
{"commentId":1770026,"threadId":"259569","contentId":"1468888","authorDomain":"basseq"}
- 2 votes
{"commentId":1770523,"authorDomain":"TeddRi"}
Do they all use/have access to the same maps database?
@Dr Juice
That question is not always so simple as Garmin has so many product lines ranging from just software for your PDA, to handhelds to car GPS to Aircraft GPS and even dog collar GPS. But for most people, for an Auto, they have two series of unit's that are aimed at different target markets.
StreetPilot Series-High End, Blue Tooth, Traffic Info, Huge Screen, and expensive. $1000 avg.
Built in maps, or download POI's and MapSource DVD Maps
nüvi Series-Very Wide Range and Most popular, 200W. 250W are very popular $170-280 avg.
Better range of built in maps, or download same POI's or same MapSource DVD + also can add map data via SD card
However, as far as adding more maps ? I have never felt the need to For me, its got plenty. I type in "Pizza" and it finds all the Pizza places with the correct address in the area just fine, the amount of preloading data is very good. If you want the "extra's" like a Fromers guide to restaurant ratings, then the maps updates are good or if traveling internationally. But I have been very happy with my Nuvi in the amount of detail that it has and as new roads are added, Garmin is very good at free updates on the data base.
Check around however on pricing. They do vary. I just missed a great sale at Staples.
{"commentId":1770523,"threadId":"259569","contentId":"1468888","authorDomain":"TeddRi"}
- 3 votes
{"commentId":1766191,"authorDomain":"basseq"}
I have a nüvi and really like it. Garmin's a great maker of "handheld" devices (in quotes because most of the time it's suction-cupped to your windshield) and has good hardware and software sense. I think their phone offering would be a good one, and a different take on today's music-driven devices.
{"commentId":1766191,"threadId":"259569","contentId":"1468888","authorDomain":"basseq"}
- 2 votes
#4 - Sun May 4, 2008 11:42 PM EDT{"commentId":1766225,"authorDomain":"TeddRi"}
I have only but good luck with them. I had one of the old Street Pilots in my Car and that was amazing, then got a marine version for my sailboat and just recently got the nuvi 200W and love it, super fast and simple to use. I think they are a good company and know what they are doing and are looking at the important points on the phone and not wasting it on things that people don't really use.
{"commentId":1766225,"threadId":"259569","contentId":"1468888","authorDomain":"TeddRi"}
- 2 votes
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