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TWICE: After many delays, the Garmin GPS/smartphone, or Nuvifone, is on track to launch in the U.S. in the fourth quarter and will be accompanied by an advertising campaign, said Garmin.

On a conference call today with analysts, Garmin reiterated that its Nuvifone, originally due in the third quarter 2008, is in final testing with U.S. carriers.

Garmin would not reveal how many carriers are testing the product. The previously announced Garmin-Asus Nuvifone G60 (based on a closed, Linux-based system) is already starting to ship in Asia, and the M20 (based on Windows Mobile 6.1) will ship in August in Asia, said Garmin.

On a global basis, the Nuvifone should contribute $100 million to $200 million to Garmin revenues this year, said the company. In reporting on its second-quarter earnings, Garmin told analysts it expects its unit sales in personal navigation devices (PNDs) for the full 2009 to be flat with 2008, although average selling prices will be down by 16 percent.

PND unit sales for the quarter grew in the U.S. and Asia but were offset by a 20 percent decline in unit sales in Europe, said the company.

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Electronista: In spite of warnings of delays, Garmin president Cliff Pemble today at a shareholders’ meeting said the company was “getting very close” to launching its nüvifone line on sale in the US through a carrier.

The touchscreen GPS phones are now through the second stage of carrier testing and thus not far away from being used. Surprise demand from providers meant the company had little reason to follow original plans and release the phone at full price but unlocked.

An American ship date isn’t mentioned, nor is whether the launch would center on the Linux-based G60 or the Windows Mobile-based M20, though the G60 has been the longest in development and is the most ready of the two.

An unlocked, carrier-independent version could be ready for Asia as early as late June or the start of July. Garmin had originally positioned itself as an iPhone competitor when the nüvifone G60 was first unveiled in early 2008 but has seen much of its advantage disappear as more than a year of delays have let the iPhone catch up through the addition of GPS. As early as next week, the iPhone could also support turn-by-turn GPS and mitigate one of Garmin’s main advantages.

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Register Hardware: Another Nüvifone has been unveiled by Garmin-Asus: the G60, which appears to have been built for less technologically-mind fellows.

That’s because the G60’s described as an “easy-to-use” device that helps answer all those perplexing questions like “Where am I?”, “Where am I going” and “How do I get home?”. For example, press the “Where am I?” icon, and the G60 will pinpoint your current location on the screen. This can be done while making a call and additional information, such as the nearest hospital, is also displayed.

Equipped with quad-band GSM/GPRS/Edge coverage, 7.2Mb/s HSDPA 3G and Wi-Fi support, the G60 has a large 3.5in display that features just three primary icons: Call, Search and View Map.

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Register Hardware: A partnership between Garmin and Asus to develop mobile phone-cum-satnav devices has resulted in a new addition to the existing Nüvifone range: the M20.

The M20’s described by the partnership, known as Garmin-Asus, as an “all-in-one phone, mobile web browser and premium navigation system”. Although the Windows Mobile-based M20 supports HSDPA connections of up to 7.2Mb/s, it also offers Wi-Fi compatibility, tri-band GSM/GPRS/Edge and Bluetooth support.

The soft Qwerty keyboard supposedly makes typing out SMS, MMS or email messages a doddle. While location-based services, such as weather forecasts and film times, apparently sit at the device’s core to further extend its standard satnav capabilities. You’ll be able to choose between 4GB or 8GB of on-board storage, which should come in handy for saving pictures taken using the M20’s 3Mp camera.

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TrustedReviews: Well we were greatly excited about the Garmin nüvifone when it was first announced. The problem is that was almost one year ago… still, all good things?

Could be, because scurrying out the back door late on Friday evening was Garmin’s official submission documents for passing the nüvifone through the FCC – you know, that US commission which tests and OKs electronics products nearly ready for release.

Predictably, little was given away during the submission but we did learn a few interesting nuggets. Firstly that Garmin has international plans for the handset and secondly, that it is being referred to as the ‘G60′.

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Electronista: The Nuvifone from Garmin is still due for an early 2009 release despite being delayed earlier this year.

As Garmin is traditionally a portable navigation device manufacturer, the Nuvifone will bring many of the company’s technologies to its GPS mapping functionality, as well as access to high-speed 3G data networks.

When it launches, the 3.5-inch touchscreen will be responsive and simple to use, as per a hands-on report from those who had a chance to review the device. A windshield mount will be available for use in vehicles, which will turn the Nuvifone horizontally and allow it to be used as a conventional portable GPS device.

The Nuvifone’s exclusive UK carrier and other information is due to be released in the coming months.

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Electronista: Portable navigation device maker Garmin said on Wednesday its delayed nuvifone handset is still on track for a 2009 release.

The GPS-enabled phone should launch in the first half of 2009, with Garmin announcing it has already signed letters of intent with carriers, but did not provide other launch details.

The nuvifone was originally due for a summer 2008 release and feature a 3.5-inch touchscreen as well as 3G HSPA network support.

Garmin CEO Min Kao has expressed concerns over the challenging market conditions, despite the company’s third-quarter growth.

Industry analysts are more concerned with the added competition the nuvifone will face from the likes of established players in the smartphone game including Apple’s iPhone, T-Mobile’s G1 and RIM’s BlackBerry RIM line-up, among others.

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CrunchGear: As part of its quarterly earnings report, Garmin announced delays for its first mobile phone.

While they had previously announced the Nuvifone would be available sometime during the fourth quarter, don’t expect to see one now until the first half of next year.

Here’s what the press release said:

“The nuvifone 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 anticipate launching the product during the first half of 2009.”

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GPS Business News: Until now Garmin has been very shy about the location-enabled applications to be found on the forthcoming Nuvifone, with the exception of the in-car navigation application. In particular there was no sign of Garmin’s interest in friend finder or GPS-enabled social networking. Therefore it was interesting to hear today that mobile social networking provider GyPSii, signed a multi-year worldwide agreement with Garmin. GyPSii incorporates a wide range of location-specific functions and mobile lifestyle services, including mobile search, user generated content-sharing and social networking.

“Under the terms of the agreement, GyPSii will provide technology, products, worldwide data center infrastructure, development licenses, and GyPSii branding rights to Garmin, on a worldwide non-exclusive basis for a range of Garmin products,” said GyPSii. “The agreement provides development licenses to Garmin, to leverage the GyPSii location-based geo-social networking services infrastructure for internal development and integration with its products. The agreement also has provisions for revenue sharing between GyPSii and Garmin”. At this time nor GyPSii neither Garmin are ready to disclose what kind of revenue (advertising, subscription) they intend to generate from this partnership.

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Register Hardware: Release of the first mobile phone from satnav manufacturer Garmin could be delayed from the third quarter to Q4, it’s been claimed.

A source has said that the much-hyped Nüvifone is now slated for a release during the fourth quarter. The source also claimed that Garmin has outsourced manufacture of the Nuvifone to Taiwanese firm Asus. It’s thought Garmin originally began developing the phone in collaboration with Asus, which may have helped the satnav firm with the Nüvifone’s “validation work”.

Garmin’s director of OEM and mobile marketing, Roger Jollis, has previously confirmed that the phone’s manufacture would be outsourced, but he’s never officially named the partner.

The phone-cum-satnav features a 3.5in touchscreen and has HSDPA 3G support and preloaded maps of the region you buy it in. It’s also said to feature millions of points of interest locations and able to work, well, just like a normal satnav by barking “turn left, you clod”-style instructions at you.

A separate report by Navigadget has also claimed that the Nüvifone will be released in a white body, based on pictures of the device sent into it by a reader. But the original black body model is still expected to be released first at a cost of around €320.

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TMCnet: Nuvio Corporation, a leading provider of on-demand business phone service, yesterday announced that it has filed a trademark infringement lawsuit against Garmin International, Inc. in the U.S. District Court of Kansas. Garmin’s recently announced Nuvifone infringes on the prior Nuvio trademark which Nuvio uses on Nuvio phones and its telephony services.

Prior to filing the lawsuit, Nuvio attempted to reach a mutually satisfactory resolution with Garmin. No resolution was reached and Nuvio filed legal action to protect its rights.

“While we would have preferred to settle this without resorting to a lawsuit, we felt it was important to ensure that our customers and potential customers are not confused by someone abusing our legally protected trademark,” stated Jason P. Talley, Nuvio’s CEO. “Our customers commonly refer to our service as the Nuvio phone.”

Nuvio’s lawsuit alleges that Garmin knowingly and willfully appropriated Nuvio’s trademark. In addition to a determination that Garmin has infringed on the Nuvio trademark, Nuvio is seeking a permanent injunction that prohibits Garmin from using the Nuvi name.

Nuvio issued a cease and desist letter to Garmin on January 31, 2008.
As well as seeking a permanent injunction barring Garmin from using the Nuvio trademark, Nuvio has requested damages for past infringement.

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