In the mobile industry, there are some things you just don’t want to do. Chief among them is that you don’t want to delay your product for so long that it becomes little more than an after-thought or anecdotal reference in the consumer-mind. Unfortunately, mobile phone newcomer Garmin didn’t get that particular memo.
The Garmin nuvifone was unveiled as the GPS navigation hardware manufacturer’s first foray into the mobile phone game. Apple proved that non-handset makers could successfully get their foot in the door with the iPhone. And, Garmin is looking to follow in their footsteps with their own full-touchscreen mobile phone touting GPS navigation as its headlining feature.
Garmin was expected to go live with the nuvifone in late 2008, but that didn’t pan out. After delaying the Garmin nuvifone for too long, Garmin finally put a definitive launch window on the nuvifone. And, with their announcement of a better-than-expected Q3 2008, Garmin has again affirmed that the Garmin nuvifone will be hitting the market in 1H 2009.
But, the Garmin nuvifone will be going heads-up with big-dog players like the HTC Touch HD, iPhone 3G, T-Mobile G1, and HTC Touch Pro – all of which are fully GPS capable. In that light, we hope that Garmin will launch the nuvifone with a more competitive price-tag.
[Via: PCMagazine]