ELDORADO NATIONAL FOREST, Calif. — If you’ve been eyeing a personal navigation device but wish it could make calls and surf the Web, the Garminfone may sound appealing.
And in some ways, it is. The device from Garmin Ltd., a leading maker of navigational devices, does double duty as a Garmin GPS unit and a smart phone that runs Google Inc.’s Android operating software. Born out of a partnership with Taiwan-based Asustek Computer Inc., the Garminfone is good at navigating as well as checking e-mail and Web surfing.
Still, at $200 from T-Mobile after a rebate and with two-year contract, the price is steep considering that the device doesn’t run one of the newest versions of Android — software you can get on flashier phones for the same price. That means you’d miss some features such as the ability to dictate e-mails and instant messages.
From the Garminfone’s bright, spacious touch screen — 3.5 inches diagonally — to its navigation-centric home screen, it’s clear that the Garminfone wants to help you get around.
It comes with a car charger and dashboard mount to make it even easier to find your way; that’s a plus compared with other phones running Android’s free Navigation software. It also offers a slew of options for customizing voices and finding your way that are not found in Navigation. And like the Android version, Garmin’s navigation service is free once you buy the phone.
I tested the phone’s mapping skills on a camping trip with friends to Eldorado National Forest, a three-hour drive heading east from San Francisco.
I didn’t spend time playing around with the Garminfone’s voice settings, so we got the default navigation voice: a British man we soon began referring to as Geoffrey.
Geoffrey had no problem getting us to our campsite, though he failed to mention that the last few miles would be over a dirt road.
Once you get where you’re going, you may want to take some pictures. But don’t count on the Garminfone’s simple 3-megapixel camera replacing your dedicated point-and-shoot. The resolution is not as good as what you can get on many other smart phones.
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