Garmin and Asus team up to manufacture co-branded smartphones!

Garmin and Asus team up to manufacture co-branded smartphones! The GPS device-maker Garmin and the PC components-maker Asus have teamed up to manufacture co-branded smartphones; and they intend bringing the so-manufactured devices at "attractive" prices to the US market!

As per the alliance announced between the two companies, the proposed venture, rather than being a merger or a joint venture, will be a "co-operative" effort at its best. While both Garmin and Asus will continue manufacturing their respective product lines independently, they will be sharing the expenses as well as the profits of the combined new GPS-phone arrangement.

In the words of Cliff Pemble, Garmin President and COO, both the companies will contribute their "individual resources and expertise in order to create a diverse line of easy-to-use, location-centric handsets."

The proposed lineup will start off with a Linux-based GPS smartphone - Garmin-Asus's Nuvifone G60 - which the companies intend bringing to the markets in the first half of
2009. Pemble said that yet another model will be announced at the upcoming Mobile World Congress in Barcelona this month, and other Nuvifone models will be brought forth "during the course of 2009 and beyond".

Since the Nuvifone will be a GSM device, it would appear on AT&T or T-Mobile in the US and on Rogers in Canada. While the "navigation features" will be a part of the device, carriers will be free to charge extra for different location-based services.

The stunning touch-screen device, with simple user interface and ease of use, appears set to be a winner!

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