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Jim1348
USA
518 Posts |
 Posted - 22 avr. 2010 : 01:19:16
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http://garminfone.t-mobile.com/
http://www.cnet.com/8301-19736_1-20002973-251.html?tag=mncol
On Tuesday night, T-Mobile revealed the identity of its newest Google Android device and it's not exactly the device we were expecting to see.
Instead of the rumored T-Mobile MyTouch 3G Slide, the carrier introduced the Garminfone, a rebranded version of the Garmin-Asus Nuvifone A50, which was first announced at Mobile World Congress 2010. At that time, Garmin said it did not know whether the GPS-enabled smartphone would make it to North America, but T-Mobile will, in fact, be the first to launch the device worldwide when it comes out later this spring.
With Garmin behind the wheel, obviously navigation will play a big role. The Garminfone will offer many of the features found on the company's standalone GPS devices, including preloaded maps of North America, a database of nearly 6 million points of interest, and voice-guided navigation with text-to-speech directions. You'll also get lane guidance, junction view, and a new Android app called Garmin Voice Studio, which lets users record and share voice directions with friends and family. The phone's GPS capabilities can also be used to locate nearby gas prices, restaurants and movie times, real-time traffic, and weather data.
As a phone, the Garminfone sports a 3.5-inch capacitive touch screen and measures 4.57 inches tall by 2.45 inches wide by 0.51 inch thick. It will run Android 1.6 at launch, but T-Mobile was quick to point out that the phone is capable of over-the-air updates. You'll get the standard Android apps--Gmail, Google Talk, YouTube, Android Market, and so forth--but the device will sport Garmin's own user interface.
Some other quick specs to check off the list: 3G, Bluetooth 2.1, Wi-Fi, HTML Web browser with pinch-to-zoom support, and a 3-megapixel camera with autofocus and digital zoom.
Pricing was not announced at this time, though you can find more details from T-Mobile's Web site. We'll be honest: we were really apprehensive about the Nuvifone A50 after the fiasco that was the Garmin Nuvifone G60, but after some hands-on time with the smartphone at MWC 2010, we're cautiously optimistic. Definitely looking forward to spending more quality time with the Garminfone when we get one in for review.
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gpspassion
93427 Posts |
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Jim1348
USA
518 Posts |
Posted - 22 avr. 2010 : 05:48:42
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Do you recall the differences between assisted GPS and aided GPS? The specifications show:
-GPS: Qualcomm GPSOne, Assisted GPS, Aided GPS and standalone GPS supported.
I seem to recall reading somewhere that this device might work with both satellite signals and cellular signals when it can't receive satellite signals.
In this article http://www.marketwatch.com/story/correcting-and-replacing-t-mobile-usa-announces-upcoming-availability-of-garminfone-2010-04-21?reflink=MW_news_stmp it mentions multiple overlapping positioning technologiesso maybe it means satellite, cellular and wifi!
-- Garmin Navigation: Driving, walking and public transportation navigation with voice and on-screen directions and automatic re-routing are deeply integrated into the smartphone features of Garminfone to simplify navigating your daily life. On-board North American maps offer fast and reliable directions -- whether in or out of cell phone coverage -- and multiple overlapping positioning technologies ensure Garminfone customers have one of the best location and navigation experiences a smartphone can offer. In addition, Garminfone utilizes text-to-speech technology to speak street names, and the screen automatically switches between day and night modes for easier viewing while driving. |
Edited by - Jim1348 on 22 avr. 2010 06:06:01 |
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gpspassion
93427 Posts |
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gpspassion
93427 Posts |
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Jim1348
USA
518 Posts |
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gatorguy
USA
648 Posts |
Posted - 21 mai 2010 : 01:20:34
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| Of the dozen or so reviews I've come across, there has yet to be a single negative one. Garmin may be on the right track after all. Final chapter not written yet on Garmin's mobile strategy. |
Garmin 1695 / 760 / 255 / Navigon for Android / Navigon 8100T / Garmin Dakota 10 / Geomate |
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Jim1348
USA
518 Posts |
Posted - 24 mai 2010 : 04:42:50
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For as many reviews as I have read on this, I haven't been able to find out how long it takes to get signals for navigating. I like riding my ATV and I have brought my Garmin Nuvifone G60 with a couple times recently. If I have it navigating the whole trip it will deplet my battery in just a couple of hours. On the other hand, if I ride somewhere and just want to check my position quickly it can take severak minutes before it acquires signals and displays my location. Anyway, since the Garminfone has "Qualcomm GPSOne, Assisted GPS, Aided GPS and standalone GPS" does that mean that I should be able to get a location much quicker than stand alone GPS? And, if so, are few talking a matter of seconds or is is not quite that quick?
(I am sorry if this sounds like an ignorant question, but I have only used standalone GPS in the past.) |
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gpspassion
93427 Posts |
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Jim1348
USA
518 Posts |
Posted - 11 juin 2010 : 07:17:58
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Now that the Garminfone is in T-mobile stores in the US, I was reviewing the specifications a little bit closer. This area of the mini-site states that navigation is based on Multiple Location Technologies:
-Traditional GPS
-A-GPS
-Garmin Location Network
-Google Geolocation Network
-SUPL
In this case does this likely mean that SUPL is Secure User Plane Location? To me it just sounds like "SUPL" is Secure User Plane A-GPS.
I guess I am still not real clear what this means. I understand traditional GPS and presumably A-GPS means signals from GSM cellular mobile telephone towers.
Is there a difference between data received via GSM voice vs. data?
http://www.garminasus.com/en_US/garminfone/minisite-demo-6.html |
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gpspassion
93427 Posts |
Posted - 11 juin 2010 : 10:46:15
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| No difference and it looks like they've listed everything they could find, what I'd take from that is that it's got a "standard" GPS receiver that can get assistance from the network (courtesy of ATT&Ts servers, based on another recent topic they had problems with their netwrork, now fixed) as well as WiFi and Cell phone GPS positioning, usesful for a local search, not for navigation...just like the iPhone. In short, not a pro/con for the A50. |
Discounts and Assistance/Réductions et Assistance (Club GpsPasSion) / Où commencer? |
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Jim1348
USA
518 Posts |
Posted - 10 sept. 2010 : 05:56:09
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I finally bought a used T-Mobile Garminfone last week. As the title points out, this is a US name for the Garmin Nüvifone A50 that is carried by GSM Carrier T-Mobile. I bought mine used because I don't like being under contract. The US price for a non-contract Garminfone is $450 direct from Garmin and prices are even higher through Radio Shack. Anyway, to put things into perspective, this is not my first GPS or GPS phone, so some comparisons will be made to previous devices I have experience with. My first GPS was a Garmin StreetPilot 2730. My first GPS Phone was a Pharos GPS Phone 600 with Garmin Mobile XT installed. More recently I bought a Garmin Nüvifone G60.
Anyway, when this arrived last week I simply installed my existind T-Mobile SIM card and it affiliated with the network pretty quickly. Interestingly enough, I had full data plan on that SIM card when it had been in the Garmin Nuvifone G60 and the data worked fine for a couple of hours, but then quit working. I then went on-line to T-Mobile and selected the Android data plan and I was back in business.
One of the things that immediately struck me by the device is it is a bit wider than the G60. It is when you power it up, however, when the other differences become much more apparent. On power up you are greeted by the GARMINfone logo with a green Android robot looking at the user. It then switches to the magenta T-Mobile logo "stick together". It is Ready To Navigate quicker than its older sister the G60. I have done tests side by side indoors, which is probably not the fairest comparison, and I can go to a Recently Found location and have it navigating while the G60 is still Acquiring Satellites. The assistance of the GSM network helps out immensely in this regard.
The main screen displays are very similar to one another:
-G60: Call/Search/View Map
-A50: Call/Search/View Map
There are some other subtle differences that aren't so apparent until you try them. For example, on the G60 I will occasionally go to stored Points Of Interest and when Spell Name comes up I will leave it blank and select Done to display all nearby stored POIs. On the A50 if you leave it blank it won't display anything at first, but there is a workaround. If I enter a decimal point, then delete it all nearby stored POIs will display. That is probably not a crucial feature for most people, but still an interesting difference.
The display for calling varies somewhat. On the G60 you have 3 choices:
-Contacts
-Dial(pad)
-Call History
The A50 has 4 icons:
-Phone Icon with arrows for Call History
-A Pad for Dial(pad)
-A Person Logo for Contacts
-A Star for Favorite Contacts
When viewing the map while navigating there are some other subtle differences. For example, on the G60 arrow for changing screens is on the display. On the A50 it is on the phone case itself. The A50 has the additional circle in the upper left for traffic. This is also the first device I have had for Lane Assist. It looks pretty nice on the A50.
When you are ready to select the Recently Found the A50 offers:
-Go!
-Call
The G60 offers:
-View Map
-Go!
The A50 actually displays the View Map with the title of the Recently Found. When you touch the Recently Found icon it gives more details along with:
-Edit
-Share
-Call
-Go!
It may simply be a personal preference on which is better. Since my T-Mobile Data Plan didn't work with many of the Garmin Connected Services it is difficult for me to compare them. I do recall that one of the criticisms of the US AT&T branded G60 was that Google Local was not an option. Fortunately the A50 does have Google Local and it is quite handy.
Other functionality is quite similar to the Garmin Nuvis. For example, Favorites that have been saved can easily be transferred via MapSource. I did have an issue initially with this and had to delete them and start adding new Favorites. I don't know what the limit is on Favorites.
I have used POI Loader for both and they do display differently on each device. On the G60 a local fast food restaurant displays:
-Arby's-Eagan, MN 4.8 mi NW
The same POI on the A50 displays as:
-Arby's 4.7 mi
N 44.833 W 93. NW
On the G60, when you select the POI, again you have:
-View Map
-Go!
icons, as well as More
The A50 has:
-Save
-Share
-Go!
Clicking on Send Location on the G60 gives:
-E-Mail
-SMS
The A50 offers Share and then calls the choices:
-E-mail
-Text Message
It is kind of interesting to see how the names vary somewhat. I must admit I hear the term Text Message much more often than I hear SMS.
I definitely like the A50 so far. Having it on the Android platform is a good move in my opinion. I still miss some features that the Garmin Mobile XT had. For example, Mobile XT allowed me to have the map display at the 80 foot setting all the time.
One of the features that the StreetPilot 2730, etc. had that I miss is a panel that displays the approximate street address on the side of the display. I am still learning more about the A50.
At some point I would like to compare the battery life of each under similar conditions. The two batteries have similar ratings, and the specifications seem to indicate that they have similar Talk Time and Standby Time. I would like to see, for example, if both are navigating on internal battery power, if both last the same amount of time.
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Edited by - Jim1348 on 10 sept. 2010 06:03:44 |
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gpspassion
93427 Posts |
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Jim1348
USA
518 Posts |
Posted - 11 sept. 2010 : 00:41:38
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Just for fun, I tried another experiment today. I was traveling in a vehicle at about 60 MPH and did a cold start on the Garminfone. The Garminfone powered up and started navigating very quickly. I have done that in the past with other GPSs including the StreetPilot 2730, Nuvi 500, Nuvifone G60 and they don't seem to respond nearly as well.
And, yes, clearly the web browser is better than the G60, too. The "pinch zoom" or whatever it is called is quite handy. Like has been already stated in the past:
-Garmin Nuvifone G60 is a feature phone; a cell phone with GPS
-Garmin Nuvifone A50 is a smart phone |
Edited by - Jim1348 on 11 sept. 2010 00:48:00 |
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gpspassion
93427 Posts |
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Jim1348
USA
518 Posts |
Posted - 15 sept. 2010 : 04:34:41
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Interesting that you asked, I did use Google Maps Navigation just last night, but it was the previous version. I just downloaded the new v4.5 update with pedestrian mode. The thing that most struck me by the Google Maps Navigation experience last night was that the voice seemed very un-natural. That may be a highly subjective comment on my part, however. The Labs feature, which is a testing ground for experimental features, looks interesting.
I, like you, might also be interested in buying a used Droid. My motivation is somewhat different, however. We have several GSM phones in my family now, but sometimes are in very rural areas without GSM coverage, so I want to get a CDMA device to supplement the other phones when we are traveling to rural areas. If I get a CDMA Droid, I very well may want one that has the ability to use maps stored on the device. I suspect that means CoPilot Live v8, but there may be other choices as well that I am unaware of. I do still need to verify that the Motorola Droid will do everything I would want it to.
I did finally get an opportunity to try Google Maps Navigation (GMN) on the Garminfone now that I have turned off data. I had an address that the Garminfone could not find, so I thought it was a good opportunity to try GMN. I was near a local McDonalds' Restaurant and, since most of them have free wifi, I simply parked in their parking lot and found the address in GMN. It found the address and navigated me right to it even though I was out of wifi range soon after I started moving again. In fact, ironically, I somehow had BOTH programs running. The Garminfone saved what I found in GMN as simply coordinates. It was sort of interesting hearing the Garmin voice that I am familiar with and then the Google voice moments later. |
Edited by - Jim1348 on 30 sept. 2010 00:37:03 |
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[TOPIC] Garminfone with Google Android (ex A50)
