Garmin Nuvifone Hits a Few Speed Bumps
If you were wondering whether or not dealing with cellular carriers really is the nightmare many make it out to be, ask Garmin. The navigation expert did a fantastic job of straying from its safety zone and building a good amount of hype surrounding its upcoming virgin entry into the handset game. No the handset itself isn’t revolutionary per se, but it will run Garmin’s own OS and it will surely provide one of the best mobile navigation experiences available; once it’s released that is. Initially intended to come to market in the second half of this year, Garmin has announced it will delay Nuvifone’s release until some time in 1H 2009. In a statement from Garmin, the company say it “found that meeting some of the carrier specific requirements will take longer than anticipated.” Now there’s an understatement if we’ve ever seen one. There is no word as to the specific requirements Garmin is having difficulties with meeting, nor is there any indication as to when it expects to have these issues resolved. Here’s to hoping that Garmin can sort its carrier issues sooner rather than later so we can get our hands on this 3.5 inch screen-sporting, HSDPA-rocking navigator ASAP.
Tags: Delays, garmin, Handsets, Navigation, Nuvifone
Would there be any issue with Garmin releasing the device to grey market so long as it meets FFC and regulatory standards? I’m not sure what these carrier specific requirements usually involve.
Permalink | Reply
I spoke with the spokesperson at Garmin, and they said the delay is due to carrier certification, optimization.
The company originally planned to release the phone unlocked, but will now release it with a carrier, or two.
While the delay sucks, chances are it’ll be aggressively subsidized to go against the iPhone. Still no word on which carrier …
http://tinyurl.com/6nvjsf
Permalink | Reply
I hear the carriers’ requests included “iTunes integration,” “App Store” and “less suckiness than the Samsung Instinct.”
Permalink | Reply