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gpspassion
83562 Posts |
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smiley1081
Italy
1167 Posts |
Posted - 30 mars 2008 : 23:36:37
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Ok, I'll take two.
Let us know when the NDA meets the Dodo... |
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gpspassion
83562 Posts |
Posted - 31 mars 2008 : 15:34:07
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I wish...I have no privy information on the nüvifone at this point :-( I have a few more pictures I'm happy to share though :


The nüvifone is very thin !

On its car holder - front

On its car holder - back

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rancho1
350 Posts |
Posted - 18 mai 2008 : 08:47:02
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It looks good. It switches to vertical for pedestrian mode, but I wonder if it can also be mounted vertically for driving so you have more screen space ahead instead of to the sides? It has nice online services like Google Local search which can be handy, but does anyone know if it will route if you have only a satellite signal and no cellular coverage? I know other phone navigation systems stream the maps over the cellular data network, so they are completely useless if you are out of their coverage area.
It looks small and thin, but that may also mean it has a weak speaker that will be hard to hear over road noise. It would be great if it had a loud speakerphone built-in so a seperate bluetooth handsfree kit wouldn't be needed for making calls at highway speeds. I have never seen a phone that was loud enough to be used handsfree effectively on the highway using only the built-in speaker and microphone.
It will also have music player. I certainly hope it's a much better music player than the one built into their current devices and will be able to easily sync music and playlists from a computer. If so, it would be a good alternative to the iPhone. If the new iPhone has a good nav system available, I'll probaby get that instead since I know every company will be bending over backwards to make their products compatible with the iPhone, whereas there might be some compatability issues with a phone from a company like Garmin that may be given a low priority. |
Edited by - rancho1 on 18 mai 2008 09:30:22 |
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Boyd
USA
999 Posts |
Posted - 18 juin 2008 : 19:47:44
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Article today at TheStreet.com: http://www.thestreet.com/story/10421823/1/garmin-takes-huge-risk-with-smartphone.html
quote: the company is likely to face a margin squeeze right out of the gate as it tries to price the device to better compete with smartphone makers like Apple, Research In Motion and Nokia. Garmin's greatest threat will be from Apple, which just raised the stakes by pricing its upcoming, faster 3G iPhone -- which also has GPS capability -- at $199.
Oppenheimer analyst Yair Reiner says:
quote: "Getting to the viable price of $199 could involve considerable pain," Reiner adds. At a $200 subsidy from the carrier, Garmin is likely looking at a product margin in the mid-teens, estimates Reiner.
Compare that to Reiner's estimate of mid-to-low 30% gross margin for Apple's iPhone. Another analyst, Carl Howe, director of enterprise software research at Yankee Group, says the 3G iPhone could be Apple's most profitable product yet, with margins of around 50%.
I agree this is a risky bet for Garmin. Especially at $200; that should make a lot of people think twice about getting a regular Nuvi and I suspect margins on those are higher. |
Edited by - Boyd on 18 juin 2008 19:50:05 |
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gpspassion
83562 Posts |
Posted - 18 juin 2008 : 20:36:49
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| True, this looks like a tall order and they might be faced with a problem device, not as good as the iPhone for the Smartphone aspects and not as good as a nüvi AIO for navigation (think "mirror" screen, terrible battery life, poor sound). They might be better off canning it and moving on... |
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rancho1
350 Posts |
Posted - 18 juin 2008 : 22:45:30
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It is only an alternative to a regular Nuvi if you are on or are ready to switch to the carrier it's offered on and the phone's functionality is good enough to switch to it as your phone.
If they sold for $200, if would be $200 to the customer after the carrier subsidy. Garmin would get more than $200 and the carrier would discount it to customers who sign up for 2 years of service.
If Telenav turns out to be the iPhone's only navigation option, this phone will compete well if it can do everything a regular Nuvi can without dependence on the cell carrier's network coverage. |
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gpspassion
83562 Posts |
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Boyd
USA
999 Posts |
Posted - 19 juin 2008 : 17:28:42
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| That does look nice. Appears to be stronger hardware than they are using with the current Nuvi's. I wish they showed more examples of navigation and the map though. |
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Boyd
USA
999 Posts |
Posted - 30 juil. 2008 : 21:30:48
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Garmin has just delayed the launch of the NuviPhone until the first half of 2009. See: http://www8.garmin.com/aboutGarmin/invRelations/releases/Q22008EarningsPressRelease.pdf
Nüvifone Update The nüvifone will not be available in fourth quarter as previously announced. While we had hoped to have carrier launches in the fourth quarter, we have found that meeting some of the carrier specific requirements will take longer than anticipated. We remain pleased with carrier interest in the device and are working toward making necessary design changes to meet their requirements. We anticipate launching the product during the first half of 2009.
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gpspassion
83562 Posts |
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rancho1
350 Posts |
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Boyd
USA
999 Posts |
Posted - 25 août 2008 : 19:02:46
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There was an article in the technology section of Barron's this weekend which covered some comments by Avondale Partners analyst John Bright (http://online.barrons.com/article/SB121944461402364909.html?mod=9_0001_b_this_weeks_magazine_home_right). Regarding the nuviphone:
He concludes that the company "faces the risk of competition from the auto OEM [original-equipment manufacturer] market, where it has limited participation, and the smartphone market, where it sells software for some models, but no devices of its own."
As he notes, Garmin on July 30 said that it would delay introduction of its GPS-oriented smartphone, the Nuvifone, from the third quarter of this year to the first half of 2009.
"We are skeptical about this effort, as Garmin aspires to participate in a highly competitive marketplace in which it has no prior experience," writes Bright. "And it faces the risk of cannibalizing its existing [portable navigation device] sales." |
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reddogg634
USA
230 Posts |
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gpspassion
83562 Posts |
Posted - 29 oct. 2008 : 19:52:01
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Thanks for the heads up, brief extract quote: Garmin said Wednesday that it nuvifone, a GPS enabled phone, is on track to launch in the first half of 2009 and should hit carrier labs in the earlier part of the year.
Garmin added in a statement that it has signed letters of intent with carriers, but wouldn’t provide further details until the nuvifone gets closer to launching.
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