Mini Review: Garmin-Asus nuvifone G60

After the series of screenshots which I published here and here, I managed to get my hands on a retail unit of the nuvifone G60, Garmin and Asus’ first foray into the crowded smartphone market but with a twist – the G60 incorporates Garmin’s navigation software and its vast experience in the area of GPS applications.  Actually I hesitate to use the word smartphone to describe the G60, because a core requirement of being called a smartphone is the ability to install additional applications from the manufacturer as well as third party software developers.  Both are absent, in the G6o’s case, as it runs a heavily customised Garmin-Asus version of Linux.  As of the date of this post, there are not additional software available to be installed, and there is unlikely to be any in the future – as the G60 will be the first, and last, of its kind.  This is because Garmin-Asus is reported to be moving to Android in the next iteration of the nuvifones, as well as continuing to use Windows Mobile as is the case with the M20, the other currently available nuvifone from Garmin-Asus.

I call this a mini review because I did not really have the time to play with the phone at all – it was a retail unit from a friend, and I did not want to impose on his business by taking a unit away for review.  So, I’m merely scratching the surface when I write this review and I am not doing it from the perspective of having had, and used the phone, over an extended period of time.  So, please bear this in mind when you read this mini review!

Retail box

Here are some pictures of the retail box:

Unboxing

Thankfully, Garmin-Asus packaged a number of things into the retail box, seeing that this is a GPS navigation unit as well as a smartphone.  A full car kit is included, which saves the customer having to spend extra on buying the kit separately.

Here’s what’s in the box:

Dimensions

The G60 is not inspiring in terms of form factor.  It’s rather “boxy”, although it’s nice to hold in the hand as the body is made out of some plastic resin finishing so the grip is good, unlike smooth glossy surfaces where the phone has a big chance of slipping out of the hand!  At the top of the device is a 3.5mm headset jack as well as the power button.  At the bottom, the microphone.  On the left side is the microSD card slot, charging connector points and mini USB port.  On the right side, there’s the volume rocker (volume up/down) as well as the camera shutter key.  Simple design, no frills, no fuss.  The pictures below show the G60 top, bottom, left and right sides respectively.

First boot

Booting up is faster than the latest Symbian smartphones as I imagine that the operating system on the G60 is somewhat smaller in size as it is likely to be less complex than something like Symbian.  To unlock the screen, tap the lock icon.

Unit operating system information

I believe that there has been one update to the firmware or operating system that shipped with the unit since I took the pictures below.  Apparently the firmware for each country is different and customised for that country, hence the applications within the G60 may not work for all countries.  The “MYS” stands for Malaysia.

Preloaded maps

The nuvifone G60 comes with the malsingmaps maps of Malaysia, Singapore and Brunei pre-loaded into the device.  The malsingmaps supports features such as junction views, which gives the user an almost “lifelike” representation of an upcoming junction during navigation so that in cases where junctions can be confusing as is often the case in Malaysia, the user knows exactly which lane to take when turning off.

Browser

Unfortunately the built in browser does not support the playback of Adobe Flash content.  So you’re not able to watch YouTube movies, or movies from any of the popular video sharing websites out there that uses Flash as the video player.  The YouTube website loads up fine, but when trying to play a video, the website is unable to detect which of the common operating systems the browser is using; not surprisingly, since the operating system on the G60 is a heavily customised version of Linux!

Browsing speed was acceptable, although speed has a lot to do with the network as well as the browser, so it is never a good indicator of performance unless you happen to be connecting via a WiFi network with a big bandwidth to the internet.  I tested the browser with Celcom’s 3G network (I could only get EDGE signals where I was), so needless to say the speed wasn’t super fast on EDGE!

The user can send a URL via email from the browser.

Navigation

As I did not have the opportunity to take the G60 outside for a drive to test out the navigation functions, I had to content myself with merely simulating a route (see video below).  The G60 does not support A-GPS, ie. you cannot use your cellular data network to triangulate your position faster.  That means to use the GPS functions, one needs to be outside to get a satellite lock.

The navigation software looks and feels a lot like Garmin’s Mobile XT and its navigation software on its dedicated nuvi navigation units.  The G60 supports the junction view feature, which is not available on the Garmin Mobile XT software.  Unfortunately, in this firmware version, 3D buildings was not supported.  3G buildings is a feature where the unit will show a rough 3D representation of major buildings if the map supports it, so the user can tell at a glance which building is which without having to look for the building’s name on the building itself.

There are both pedestrian and driving modes.  If you’re holidaying in a place where you also happen to have a map, you can plot routes that you can take as a pedestrian.  When the G60 is put in its cradle in the car, it automatically switches to driving mode, when removed, it will automatically switch to pedestrian mode – very nifty feature indeed.

Navigation options can be set – for example, avoid tolled highways, avoiding major roads, etc.

Other applications

The G60 is packed with other applications as well.  You can see a full list in my previous screenshot posts, linked to above, at the beginning of this post.  It has personal information management (PIM) applications such as contacts/phonebook, calendar and to-do lists.

From the homescreen, the user can tap one of three large buttons to access the dialer/phone function to dial a contact, see missed calls, etc.  Another icon opens up the search function to search the map/access the navigation features of the G60.  The third large button calls up the map for viewing.  There are scrollable menu items which launches the other applications available on the phone – web browser, messaging, email, calendar, weather information, contacts, camera, other tools such as to-do checklists and alarm clock, ciao social network features, music player and phone settings.  The orientation of the homescreen will change if you change the phone’s orientation, so it can be used in either portrait or landscape modes.

Phone

The phone function supports speakerphone mode, call history, call forwarding, conference calling, call waiting as well as speed dialling.  You can set a default ringtone for all calls.

Contacts

Contacts can be assigned their own ringtones, and pictures.  The phonebook can store up to 5,000 contacts.  You can even store the location information for each contact, so that you can navigate to the contact’s location easily with the tap of a few buttons.

Messaging

In addition to normal SMS messages, the user can send a location SMS, which other nuvifone users can view and use easily.  For other users, the SMS will merely display the location information.

Camera

The camera function allows the user to view a slideshow in addition to picture taking.  The user can also set wallpapers, and location information to a picture (geotagging), as well as send a picture via email.  I could not find a function to record video though.

Bluetooth

You can only pair BT headsets to the G60 as it does not support other profiles such as file exchange, which is a pity.

Search

The search function is one of the selling points of the G60, although it is more useful in the developed countries where a lot more information is available to be searched!  You can use the function to search for an address and navigate there.  You can navigate to a contact’s location as stored in their contact information.  You can save favourite locations such as home, work, relative’s houses, etc.  As I mentioned, it’s more useful in countries where a lot of information, such as gas prices, travel information, etc is readily available (although these services could be paid services and not free).

Music player

In addition to playing music, the G60 can create and use playlists.  Nothing earth shattering here.

Synchronisation and file transfers

Synchronisation to Microsoft Outlook is supported using a proprietary Garmin synchronisation software (“nuvifone Sync Agent“).  Only contact and calendar information are synchronised.  In mass storage mode, the user can transfer files such as picture and music files back and forth between the nuvifone and the PC.

Email

Various email accounts can be defined, as well as mail retrieval intervals.  The user needs to know some “technical” information such as server names, ports to be used, etc when setting up the email accounts.  Email folders are supported.  Unfortunately, I didn’t have the time to check whether HTML emails are supported within the email application or not.

Weather forecast

The user can view the forecast for his/her current location, as well as other locations.

Calendar

The standard calendar functions are supported – reminders, notes, viewing free times and various calendar views.  Calendar information can be synchronised to Microsoft Outlook on the PC.

Other tools

Other tools include the calculator, world clock, alarms, world map, stopwatch, converter, notes and to-do checklists.

Conclusion and verdict

Having played with the phone for a little over an hour, here are my thoughts:

Pros

1. good build quality (if a little boring in design!).
2. good integration between phone and navigation functions.
3. rather snappy operating system – no noticeable lags when using or launching applications.

Cons

1. screen looks a bit “milky”.  It is a resistive touch LCD screen after all.  Having used AMOLED screens recently, the quality of the previous generations screens leaves a little to be desired!
2. touchscreen sometimes not as responsive as can be.  Sometimes it required a few taps on the screen for the tap to register.  Perhaps I was worried about damaging a retail unit; so I can’t say for sure if this is a screen issue!  The quality of the touch experience can’t compare to the Apple iPhone though.
3. browser doesn’t support Flash.
4. no A-GPS.
5. no Bluetooth file transfer profile, so file transfers always have to be done using a physical cable connected to a PC.
6. proprietary operating system, limited expandability through third party applications.

If you’re thinking of getting a nuvi 765W personal navigation device (PND), for a few hundred ringgit more, you’re better of getting the nuvifone G60 – it has a phone function built in, and its navigation features are almost identical to the nuvi 765.  Plus, the screen is better than the 765.  If one is in the market for a smartphone with GPS navigation features, I’m afraid to say that there could be other options, and in my opinion, better options, available in the market.  For example, the Nokia 5800 touchscreen smartphone can be installed with the Garmin Mobile XT software (without junction view support though), and is a full fledged smartphone with plenty of third party application support.  It is also cheaper!

Ultimately, it depends on what one is looking for when one is considering purchasing a smartphone with GPS functions.  If you’re looking for a simple phone, no frills, and no fuss phone, the nuvifone G60 may be your best bet.  For others with more exacting requirements, there are other options out there.

The nuvifone G60 retails for RM 1,799.  RM 1,880 will get you the nuvifone G60 with an 8Gb microSD card with “extras”.  Get it from GPS Hypermart, located on the third floor of DigitalMall Petaling Jaya, Section 14.  Click here for the location map.

Here are two videos on the G60 which I shot, sorry no audio, I short on motivation on that day!  The first is a quick look at the interface on the G60; the second, the junction view feature on the G60 in simulated GPS navigation mode.

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