Windows Mobile 6.5.3 has been tweaked a little with a skin provided by Garmin that offers 18 personalisable shortcuts over two screens, with three permanent shortcuts to the dialler, to a map view of your current location and to a search utility.
Features HSDPA, Wi-Fi and a 5Mp snapper
The search utility opens up a screen with lots of options. The usual satnav favourites are here, such as searching for addresses and points of interests, going to favourites and recent places. You can find a contact and automatically search for their location, and there is also a Google Local Search option and Panoramio, which finds photos near to your current location. Handy if you are looking for something to do while on a trip.
Live traffic data can be downloaded and the Nüvifone M10 tells you whenever you are going online, so that you can decline to do so if you are worried about the cost. It can also pick up locations to go to from emails, the Web and SMS messages. It is a bit convoluted, as you need to make a selection, then choose ‘location search’ from the menu, wait while the M10 finds matches. You then choose from these to decide what you want to see on a map and make a destination – but it does work.
Locations can be sent to other people as an MMS with map, SMS with latitude and longitude and with a URL to a Google map, or using e-mail with a map or URL.
The 3.5in, 480 x 800 screen is resistive, which means no pinch to zoom. Running Windows Mobile 6.5.3 also means you some pretty small bits and pieces to prod at. So, in a very retro but quite welcome way, Garmin Asus provides a stylus to help with touchscreen accuracy.
Performance was surprisingly good. Voice instructions on the navigation side of things are loud – though dedicated satnav devices I’ve used tend to be louder.
COMMENTS
Come again?
"Smartphone-satnav combo that offers much more than a typical add-on app."
Err....no is doesn't, in fact unless the review has left a lot of functionality out it sounds like it offers rather less than a good satnav app like CoPilot 8 or TomTom for iPhone.
And 75% for a brick of a handset with a resistive touch screen and Windows 6.5 that costs £350 into the bargain?
For that money you could buy an unlocked Experia Mini or HTC Wildfire and a decent stand alone wide screen PND like the Mio Navman job you folks tested a while back and still have £20 left over for CoPilot for Android.
Dear mr Garmin
Try again.
I'd like a bigger screen, multi-touch controls, and a non-windows OS. Especially a non-windows OS.
And then I'd like a bluetooth headset, a bit like the Jabra Stone, that lives in the back of the phone to recharge, and which can be taken out and stuffed in my ear when the time comes. That will mitigate the problems of using a larger screen device as a phone, and help with in-car audibility too. And you get to sell me the headset, the money does not go to someone else.
I like most of your software, although I've heard reports that your routing of motor cars is a bit too simplistic, and I like the idea of being able to use the same device walking and driving. I like the fact that you download the ephemeris from the sputniks, not requiring me to get a quickfix over the internut.
But this phone is an odd mixture of "me too" and "worst of all possible worlds".
Try again.
Resistive touchscreen!!
You know, one of the most common actions people perform with maps is to zoom in and zoom out. This is something that, in 2010, most smartphone users expect to accomplish with the aide of two fingers, in one motion. Putting in all the fancy GPS electronics, a nice car kit, etc., and then cheapening out on the primary user interface IS JUST DUMB. This is an obvious victory of beancounters and hitting a price point, over designing a good phone/satnav and pricing it at what it costs. For that reason alone, best avoided...
Asus is Good but Garmin ...
is the most unreliable company for product accuracy, ruggedness and what they call 'service'.
I bought a Garmin unit and the case retaining moulded-in screw socket worked loose, breaching the 'waterproof' feature of the unit.
Cost me $45 to get my 'free replacement' as my country Garmin rep was forced to pay Garmin's handling costs - and they made me pay.
Garmin never responded to my complaints.
Agree with AC
I would never buy anything from Garmin. Their support is equally as shit as Archos and like Archos all they want to do is grab your money, then grab some more money, then try again for even more money.
