Hasta La Gadget!

We knew the nuvifone was an ASUS-sourced piece, but who knew the partnership was going to run so deep? Garmin and ASUS have joined hands to create the Garmin-Asus strategic alliance with the goal of designing and producing a whole line of co-branded handsets. The first model will be what we’ve come to know so well over the past year simply as “the nuvifone,” but it’ll be branded as the nuvifone G60 by the time it actually comes to market in the first half of the year. Several Garmin-Asus phones are expected in 2009, and it sounds like the second model in the series will be announced at MWC later this month. Now, wouldn’t it just be great if we had a G60 here that we could use to navigate to Barcelona?

Update: Engadget Chinese just returned from the press conference in Taiwan with several updates. First, the OS on these phones has not been finalized. According to ASUS’ chairman, “We have expertise in WinMo, Linux and Android, but we believe the software is more important then the OS.” The partnership, which puts Garmin in charge of the “Navigation centric” UI also brings an end to ASUS-only branded cellphones.

Filed under: Cellphones, GPS, Handhelds

Garmin, ASUS form partnership for phones, nuvifone G60 first model originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 04 Feb 2009 01:54:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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