Garmin Nuvifone G60 GPS Smartphone - Design
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It seems as if anything cool or successful these days can be likened to the iPhone, and that includes Garmin’s Nuvifone G60. On its own the G60 looks like a great smartphone, but the device also has dimensions that are similar to the ever-sleek iPhone -- which isn’t a bad comparison. That being said, the Nuvifone remains unique and singular because it’s just a tad thicker and blockier than Apple’s iPhone.
The screen featured on the device is also very big and bright, which of course will prove to be helpful when using the phone as a GPS unit while driving. Garmin reached out to Asus to act as their computing collaborator on this particular device, but it seems as if the two highly successful companies chose less than ideal technology for the Nuvifone’s touch screen.
Though it's minor when considering the rest of the GPS phone’s successful features, there seems to be a problem with the G60’s lack of sensitivity or intuitiveness. The design apparently gets in the way of being able to successfully use the device, especially if you have larger fingers. Some users will really have to bear down to make the device register a click and do so without accidentally hitting another button. Also, flicking through the device as a way of scrolling through lists won’t work successfully every time -- or even a majority of the time.
The Nuvifone has built-in Wi-Fi, which obviously isn’t a design element, but the buttons used to navigate this feature are a little crude. It is possible to easily check out wireless Internet hot spots and browse the web or sign into your e-mail account, but the + and – buttons designed to enable users to zoom in and out of web pages don’t offer much control. There’s actually no telling where on the page you’ll zoom into, which means you then have to re-center the page by flicking and scrolling … two features we’ve already mentioned are less than successful.
Unfortunately, there are other features on the G60 that make it painfully clear every time you use them that Garmin is in fact a GPS company and not a smartphone company. Technically, these are minor annoyances that can be overlooked, but they are just that: annoying, and for some may prove to be deal breakers. Take for example the fact that you can’t simply jump from one message to the next when checking your e-mail. You literally have to return to the inbox after looking over each one.
Another of the design elements was obviously created to save power, but it’s more frustrating than anything else. The Nuvifone’s screen turns off when users are making a call, but because the GPS phone has no proximity sensor, it means the device won’t turn back on when the call ends and the device is taken away from your face. This means to hang up, you must first “wake” the phone back up.
Also, Garmin’s Nuvifone has no Home button, just an on-screen Back button. Technically, you can reach Home just by holding down the Back button, but it seems obvious that a Home button could have easily been incorporated into the design, and had it been, it would have made things a little easier.
Now, for some good news: the suction-cup windshield mount featured on the device is incredibly well-designed. Once in the car, users will find that the Nuvifone easily and quickly snaps in securely to its mount with no trouble at all. Then, when you’re ready to use the device as an actual smartphone, it dislodges effortlessly with no latches that may ruin its appealing rectangular lines.
Despite the somewhat trivial annoyances mentioned earlier, the Nuvifone could still be a decent contender against more popular smartphone models, such as BlackBerry. There are plenty of these devices out there that suffer from balky touch screens and less than ideal features; considering that, Garmin isn’t doing too badly at their first shot at a mobile device.
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