T-Mobile Garminfone Android Phone (T-Mobile)

GPS + Android make for a good combination June 10, 2010

Reviewer:  M. Mims  (Rossville, GA USA) -

The Garminfone is an excellent GPS unit and a "good" smart phone in one. If you are looking for a high end android device, this might not be the best phone for you because it runs version 1.6 of Android. If you need both a GPS and smart phone this is worth a serious look.

Pros:
Corporate email works well
There is plenty of storage space for downloading apps
If you happen to be out of cell signal range the GPS will continue to work
Comes with car charger and vehicle mount
The screen size is just right @ 3.5"

Cons:
Cannot customize the home screen other than the sidebar
Does not have 3.5mm headphone jack

A good 2nd gen device in a sea of 3rd gens. August 5, 2010

Reviewer:  Christopher Wanko "-C"  (Nutley, NJ USA) -

After my G1 bricked a 2nd time, I went on a small journey to review some T-Mobile phone replacements. The Garminfone and MyTouch Slide 3G are the two I've chosen, and this is what I've found about the Garminfone after two weeks.

First, it's light, much lighter than a G1 by feel and likely due to the absence of a physical keyboard. Asus and Garmin have done a splendid job designing a pretty phone, and it looks terrific.

The second thing I'd notice is that the Garmin-designed interface is targeting casual or non-technical users, so it didn't resonate with me. It's just a point to consider: you can download ADW Launcher and ditch the Garmin home screen and UI for the most part, and gain a pretty powerful launcher in the process.

Third, Android 1.6 with 2.1 features is nice but not a sustainable solution for the phone long-term. I know why Garmin went the way they did: they were challenged to integrate their own legacy GPS software and mapping into an Android container, and had access to the 2.1 SDK and so rolled their own 1.6 version. However, it will be quite some time, if ever, that this phone received a true 2.1 base. Whether you notice it or not is largely irrelevant; understand that you won't be moving to Froyo or beyond.

Fourth, the hardware is fairly fast, faster than I expected with an average CPU (600 MHz Qualcomm MSM7227, the same used in the MyTouch Slide 3G). It's not a 1Ghz Snapdragon, but I was surprised at how quickly it would return UI changes for me. The memory is 256Mb of RAM and 4Gb of internal storage, 458Mb of it dedicated to apps. If you were missing Apps2SD, this makes up for it somewhat. It also supports microSD, of course.

Fifth, the device is a PND replacement, by design. The included car dock snaps on and provides a landscape orientation and charging port, with the standard bulb swivel and a stick-on base if your dash doesn't have a smooth surface for the suction cup. You might need a longer USB cable but in practice with a 2002 Neon ACR I didn't need anything longer. The Garmin maps are offline, which is a huge advantage over Google navigation as you can use this device in the wild -- all you need is a charged battery and some sky. Navigation is just fine, accurate and precise, with some nice features like local speed limits and traffic. In truth traffic didn't really work, but traffic is a hard problem for anyone to solve. As a personal navigation device I'd wholly recommend this.

Overall, I liked it but missed the physical keyboard. Swipe and Graffiti work terrific on this, and the device ran all of my own apps without incident. The included Garmin widgets and its version of a home screen are not worth keeping, and should be easier to ditch in favor of a generic home screen. The widgets, when working, were nice but unremarkable. The battery life was decent, not spectacular, and there is no way to disable 3G to conserve power (another shortcoming of rolling your own OS version). It also seems as if the device is languishing in the market, so I'd wait to see if Garmin-Asus update this to 2.1 before committing myself to a contract for one.

--#

Fantastic phone for those in need of a GPS June 25, 2010

Reviewer:  Damian J. Ferguson "DamianJay"  (New Mexico) -

I've had this phone for about a week now and quite honestly, I love it. It's not as advanced as some of the other Android OS phones on the market, but it definitely gets the job done. It has it's own user interface that is pretty easy to navigate and runs off of the old Android OS 1.6. The main reason for my purchase of this phone was I needed a stand alone GPS to navigate around the Baltimore/DC area and was getting tired of my Blackberry 8900. The other big thing that got me on-board was the fact that if I ever felt the need to upgrade my phone again this unit works as a stand alone GPS without the need for a sim card! The prospect of always having a GPS after a $450 purchase made it an easy buy for me. I read quite a few reviews on this phone and everyone seemed to be impressed with how well the GPS worked, so I figured I'd give it a try. So far I've used it three times and I can tell you, it's pretty darn good. The phone also comes with separate home AND car chargers, I mention this because the T-Mobile site is a bit vague as far as what is packaged (Although the home chargers cord is very short). As far as the multitasking options and networking, Facebook isn't as streamlined as it is on blackberry, but there are pro's and con's to both I suppose. Those are easily remedied by updates that have nothing to do with which operating system you have on this phone though. As far as syncing e-mails, wi-fi, and bluetooth; all of that is pretty easy. The only real downer is that it's 3.0 megapixel camera doesn't have a flash and doesn't take the best of pictures, but my need for a gps outweighs my need for a camera. I rarely used the 3.2 MP on my blackberry and it took pretty decent pictures. My only concern thus far with this phone is that I am an Electrician and work with my hands in pretty dirty locations so I imagine sooner or later I'll scratch it or drop it, but such is the case with any phone I buy. If you're in the need of a GPS with a few nice networking capabilites, and you aren't too concerned with running several Android programs or taking pictures, this phone is definitely for you.

Great for what it was intended for August 5, 2010

Reviewer:  goofcat 

This is a great GPS phone! People who do not like this phone don't understand the function of this phone. I got my to use with a T-mobile prepaid plan. Most Android phones require a data plan to use Google's navigation programs. The Garminfone has maps of the North America preloaded with points of interest on the phone. This means no data plan required for the GPS function. It also means if you travel to areas here there is spotty cell coverage, such as forests, campgrounds mountains...etc. the GPS continue to work.

I recently used this phone for a week in south Florida and it found all my destinations and got me to some good restaurants, super markets and banks with no problem. Due to the fast processor on the phone (as compared to stand alone GPS units), course recalculation is lighting fast! Usually within one block!

One last thing that rarely gets mentioned is that this is a great Phone! The sound quality is excellent! The speaker phone is loud! And I have not experienced a single dropped call in 2 months.

Most useful thing ever! November 1, 2010

Reviewer:  Bubba 

There are a lot of people hating this phone because they say why would you want this phone that has GPS. Big deal all smartphones have GPS. No they don't. Yes you can get the google maps and online navigation. Did you hear "ONLINE" navigation! That means you also have to pay for a $30.00 unlimited data plan. That is where this phone is superior to others. This is a true GPS and if you lose your phone signal with the others you are S.O.L. With the Garminfone the GPS doesn't rely on a cell signal and it will still work. You can take it hiking and you will still have GPS function. How many of you still have a signal if any at all in the mountains or country? Well if you have spotty signals, then you have spotty GPS. Imagine trying to get to your destination or finding where your at in the middle of nowhere. So people bashing this about the GPS ability are clueless. With this phone you can immediatley find your position which I think is great if you get lost, your car breaks down, or the extreme where you go off of the road into a ditch and you are stuck in the car and no one can see you. Well you can transmit your position in coordinates for help. Or you can sign up for the Ciao application and you can transmit or receive your or someone elses position live. Great if your kids are out and you want to check on where they are from time to time or if you get seperated somewhere. Is it a convienece or invasion of privacey? Your call.

The convienece to always have a GPS and phone in one unit is awesome. When a call comes in whether you are in GPS mode or not is nice because there is big icon that pops up that you tap on to answer or not. And your call is over the speaker phone of the phone or bluetooth to your car which is safer than trying to hit a tiny icon. This phone is all about making it conivienient and safer for driving on the road. The three large icons for call, where too, and view map are there for quick access instead of fumbling around your apps and tapping on a small icon. Another great thing about the GPS capbabilities of this phone is that if someone else has this phone they can send you their location and it will guide you to them, great if your at a huge amusement park or somewhere where you don't know the address. And oh yeah, there is a feature that remembers where you parked your car and none of this will cost you anything. Now can the other phones do all of that? No. A lot of the preloaded applications are useful also which are built around the GPS of course. To mention a few are that the phone will recoginze addresses or phone numbers from a text or web page and all you do is tap on either one and it will automatically dial the number or set up the GPS and your ready to go so you don't have to type in the address. You can check on the status of an airline flight, movie times, near by entertainment, food, attractions etc. all by just tapping on a single icon instead of fumbling through the web. Yes you can download a lot of similar applications to do these things, but they are sometimes glitchy or annoying with advertisements. To use some of these features though, you do need a data plan or wi-fi connection. And if you don't want to pay $30.00 don't dispair. You can get a $10.00 200mb data plan. This is more than plenty for occasional web surfing and email. If you turn off the data and use wi-fi where you can then the 200mb will be no issue at all. All of the phones applications will function 100 percent as if you are using the data with the exception of sending or receiving pictures using text, or syncing with your gmail account until you turn back on the data. The wi-fi is pretty fast also. And one more thing if you have the unlimited data plan. You can tether this phone right out of the box.

This phone would be great for someone going away to college or someone who is on the road a lot or wants a piece of mind. If you are thinking about a real GPS phone then get this one or the Nokia Nuron which also has a built in GPS. The GPS on the Nuron is not as robust as the Garmin but it still works pretty good. And the Nuron you can add an unlimited data plan for only $10.00 and you can buy the phone outright without a contract or data plan for $140.00 if you want. It can't do all the things the Garminfone can but at least it has a built in GPS also. I love this phone. I have it handy when i'm on vacation and I am not carrying anything extra. I find I use it a lot even when not on vacation.

Sound from earpiece ,supplied earphones, and speaker are excellent. Touch screen works good, but not as good as an iphone. Orientation has a little lag. All minor issues I can live with. The screen automatically changes from a light background to a dark background according to time of day which is nice because it makes viewing better and you don't call attention to yourself with a bright screen in a dark room or have to switch the gps function into night mode manually. The screen also brigtens automatically and gets brighter when you are outside in the sun which is really nice so you don't have to do a thing and you can read the screen with ease. I have my screen set pretty low and it and would be hard to see outside if the screen didn't automatically adjust it for me. These two screen lighting functions are great.

Word is, is that these phones aren't selling too well. Main reason was because of the Android 1.6 and the price when it first came out. Even with price drops it couldn't compete because of all of the new Android phones coming out. The people that considered this phone were hesitant because they were concerned if there would ever be an update to 2.0 or 2.1 and if they could update the maps because Garmin just anounced that they will not continue forward with Asus to produce any future phones together. Garmin claims that they will still support the phones already or being sold in the U.S. Yeah for how long? This might of been the nail in the coffin. People are more interested in the newest features for a phone than a GPS. The 1.6 platform seemed to be the biggest gripe about this phone and people weren't willing to pay for this phone and go backwards when they can have something like a Vibrant at the same price.

Update: There is an official 2.1 update for this phone now. But make sure you get the one off of the Garmin website and not the one floating around in the forums. That one was not official. A 2.2 or higher would be nice because you need at least that to be able to run the newer versions of flash to watch some videos.

Go to the Garmin website and you will find the official 2.1 update along with free map updates. The map updates alone make this phone worth it. The 2.1 update will fix some bugs and add some features. With the update you can continue to use the standard Garmin home screen and application or switch to the Android home screen and application. You can tell that the Garmin application is totally set up for navigation and no fumbling around. With the Android app you get a widget screen with some navigation keys, but not as well thought out as the Garmin app. for use on the road. So if you want to use the GPS function, it might be a good idea to switch to the standard Garmin app.

Now that this phone has the 2.1 update, hopefully it will quiet some of those haters out there because they were crying about it not being 2.1. Maybe if the phones sell better now Garmin will maybe consider making another generation one. I think a lot of owners of this phone would buy another one. Look at some reviews. There were people that didn't have high hopes for this phone until they played with it and then they changed their minds about it. There were even owners that weren't wowed by it but they liked it enough to keep it. And that was with the 1.6 version. But if you take a lot of pictures, video capture, or want a bigger screen more than a dedicated GPS then you better look elsewhere. Yes the camera is terrible on this phone like others have mentioned. The home charger cable/usb is only 3 feet long. ? Not a big deal if you want to use the phone while plugged into the computer. Other than that this phone is awesome and the car charger/mount is very useful. Battery life is about a day or two depending on regular usage, or longer on standby or little usage. Which is normal for these style of phones. I don't know why people are complaing about the battery life. They must of come from a granny flip phone.

Update: This phone is discontinued and hard to find it on a contract now. So you pretty much have to buy it second hand or from someone who claims they are selling it as new. Unless you are getting a screaming deal and feel lucky, I would recommend getting it new on Amazon or someplace that is reputable and a has a good return policy. There has been some lemons for this phone and if you are one of the unlucky ones, you will be left with no recourse by buying it from joe schmoe. But more important is as of August 2011 there is still support for map updates.

There isn't too many selection of cases for this phone. None of the after market cases will work for this phone. These cases fit the phone very well but the problem lies with the design. The phone will not work with the car cradle because the phone fits snugly against the cradle so the thickness of the case will get in the way, the two openings for where the cradle clamps onto the phone are not wide enough for the clamps, and the last problem is that the case covers the proximity sensors just a little below and to the right of the earpiece, so when you use the phone it causes problems because the phone thinks it is against your face and the screen is locked. The only case that fits this phone and does not interfere with any of the phones functions is the Garmin one that you can get online (can't get it on T-mobile anymore) you have to get it from a second party or from Garmin. It is a silicone slip on case. Looks wierd and ugly when you look at the pictures without the phone in it. On the back of the cover there is a whole section in the middle that is missing. Makes sense because the cradle has to fit over that area. Once on though, it makes the phone look like something a spy would carry. The case does look really nice on the phone. As for the power, volume, and camera keys. They are completely covered over with the case. The button shapes are molded into the case so they are protected and still functional. You can only find it in black unless you go to Garmin where it comes in black, clear, and red. There are one or two other after market silicone designs out there that won't interefere with the proximity sensor but you still can't use the cradle. You can still unplug the cable from the cradle and plug it into the phone but the phone won't go into car mode where the screen will stay on and your incoming calls won't prompt you with a huge icon and automtically put it into speakerphone and such. But since it is flexible silicone you can slip it off and on easily to use the cradle.

Update: As of February 2012 there was another map update for this phone, so still support. And I still have no plans on upgrading my phone even with all the new phones out now. The gps and the functions built around it has proved it's worth to me over and over.

Update: As of January 2013 there is still support for this phone with map updates. I had to upgrade my phone as the phone only supporting 2.1 is pretty much useless now as for supporting apps. But I still wish Garmin cointinued the line as I would of upgraded to another one. I will still keep my old Garminfone fot it's gps capababilites still when I go on vacation because my new Samsung S3 requires a data signal to work. I was bummed that the S3 uses a micro sim card instead of the regular one in the Garminfone as I wanted to swap out the card and put it into the Garminfone while on vacation. Oh well. The Garminfone is small enough so I can carry both still. Another thing about the Garminfone even though it is disconnected is that everything else still works like the calendar, weather, flight status, etc. through wifi except for phone calls and text of course. I still consider it the best phone I ever had.