Garmin-Asus Garminfone

The T-Mobile Garmin-Asus Garminfone resembles a classy black iPhone with its large 3 1/2 inch capacitive touchscreen and slender body type. On the front, the resistant screen that used to be a hindrance with Garmin's Nuvifone with AT&T service is now smooth and efficient. Right below the screen there is a square d-pad that allows movement in four ways. They probably put this in to showcase flexibility with users who like to have traditional items on the phone. In the event that the touchscreen stops working, users always have something to fall back on. In terms of using it, it is only really necessary to use the d-pad when you make spelling errors or need to make certain types of cursor movements within a text document or text message. Surrounding the d-pad are four touch sensitive buttons that comprise the back, menu, home and phone buttons. If they would have included an additional search button the functionality on this phone would have been close to perfect. However, this is a feature that many of the latest Android phones all seem to be missing. Overall, the feel, convenience and layout of the phone is top-notch.

At the top of the phone is a screen lock/power button. It could have been better placed because I tended to hit it accidentally when the phone was sideways or when shooting pictures with the built-in camera. Included with the phone comes a car dock so the phone can be in an upright position to allow for use of the touchscreen while driving. At the very bottom of the phone is a mini-USB port. While this feature is important, many smartphone companies have moved on to micro-USB ports. The difference is really aesthetic and the drop-off in terms of bandwidth and speed is really not noticeable to the layman. On the right side of the device is a volume rocker switch as well as a camera button and charging port for the car dock accessory.

The back of the Garmin Asus phone features a soft finish that feels great when picking it up. However, this finish and the glossy touchscreen side tend to pick up fingerprints very easily. There is also a dark strip of brushed metal that runs down the center of the phone that runs up to the camera lens. Altogether it makes for a classy look and user-friendly experience.

Comment on "Garmin-Asus Garminfone"