Garmin Nuvifone snapped by T3, still to be released Q1 2009

Posted by Katherine Hannaford on Wed 26 Nov 2008

Is it a sat nav with a phone, or a phone with a sat nav?

The Nuvifone - remember that? The phone-cum-sat nav? Yes, it still exists, with T3 getting the opportunity to fondle it recently.

You'll be pleased to hear it's still slated for an early 2009 launch, and will be with an exclusive mobile network here in the UK, much in the same manner of the iPhone is with O2, and the Android G1 is with T-Mobile. As you can see from the photo gallery of our hands-on pics, we've had to blur the network logo, but we're assured all will be revealed in the coming months.

When it was first officially confirmed by Garmin in January 2008, the lure of ultra-fast 3G internet and GPS maps seemed tempting. Now, almost a year later, and a slew of handsets fitting that bill perfectly (step forward iPhone 3G, Android G1 and Nokia N96), it's attracted a fair bit of criticism for taking so long to get on the production line.

Still, you've got to give Garmin credit - it's their first product in the mobile industry, and from our hands-on preview of it over the past few days, we're pleased to say it's responsive and a solid little device. In fact, it feels rather like an iPhone - the large 3.5" touchscreen was just as responsive, and the user interface was straightforward and a pleasure to use.

Docking it in the windshield cradle snaps it into GPS mode, but it's all to easy to revert back to the menu page, as you can see in the pictures.

Keep your eyes peeled over the coming months for news of the big launch day, as the Nuvifone will definitely launch in the first quarter of 2009, with the price still unknown.

Link: Nüvifone