Garmin Nuvifone G60: First Look

Nuvifone heads in right direction but it hasn't arrived yet

The long-awaited Garmin Nuvifone competes with the popular Apple iPhone, yet with a different formula. Where the iPhone allows users to download navigation applications to their phone, the Nuvifone is more of a phone-enabled GPS navigator.

The Nuvifone G60 has a compact design, measuring just 4.4 x 2.3 x 0.6 inches, making it slightly smaller than an iPhone in length and width. Both devices have a 3.5-inch diagonal screen size.

The Nuvifone has 4GB of onboard storage, half of which is available to the user for saving files. A MicroSD card can expand the memory capacity up to 16GB—the base amount for the iPhone. Beyond common telephony functions, the Nuvifone features include a three-megapixel camera, Web browsing, MP3 playback, and Bluetooth capability for audio output.

We paid $400 for our Nuvifone G60 test unit with a two-year contract and received a $100 rebate. Plan details and special offers may vary over time and by region. For this evaluation, we focused primarily on the navigation ability.

Key features include:

• Compact mount
• Pedestrian mode
• "Where am I?"
• Spoken street names
• Document and image viewing
• Geo-tagged SMS, e-mail, and photo sharing

Initial impressions

The Garmin Nuvifone G60 does an excellent job of replicating a portable navigation device, with a familiar, effective interface and preloaded North America maps. Further, the Nuvifone includes features typically found on basic Garmin PNDs, such as spoken street names, pedestrian mode, a trip computer, and the helpful "Where am I?" option for emergency assistance. We found few differences when comparing the Nuvifone with the popular Nuvi 265T.

The Nuvifone includes a compact mount similar to that packaged with higher-level Garmin PNDs. It has a one-touch release, and the optional car charger plugs into the mount, rather than into the phone. Our tests show that the Nuvifone G60 has a three-hour battery life during continuous navigation—on par with PNDs. But that time will diminish with concurrent cell phone use, making the lack of an included car charger significant omission at this hefty price.

The Nuvifone is capable of reporting real-time traffic incidents. It goes a step further to also include other "connected" information, such as flight times, gas prices, movie times, local events, and weather. Those are similar to the services provided by Garmin PNDs that utilize the MSN Live services. But a Premium Connected Services plan for the Nuvifone is required for this information, adding another $5.99 per month after a 30-day free trial. Similar information could be accessed without the plan by using the phone's Web browser, though that method may not be as convenient.

The phone and navigator work well together, allowing the user to still view the map while talking—a limitation on iPhone applications we have tested. But volume levels and clarity do not rival PNDs. The navigation itself is not dependent on cell service, as the Nuvifone has a built-in high-sensitivity GPS receiver and all maps are stored in memory. But a $30/month data package is required, and it enables mobile Web access and e-mail services.

The Nuvifone is an excellent, basic navigator, but at this premium price, the device should have the premium features found on the higher-level Garmin devices, such as multi-destination routing, lane assistance, and reality view.

CR's take

The Nuvifone G60 is the best GPS solution we have used on a smart phone, but there are clearly areas for improvement. The premium price coupled with the Nuvifone's literally being sold alongside the iPhone present a clear marketplace challenge. Although we like the Nuvifone as a navigator, it does not have the iPhone's app-based versatility, nor the multitasking abilities found in some other smart phones.

The Consumer Reports Electronics franchise is testing the phone performance and will have a full report online soon. For now, we recommend that shoppers carefully consider their options, such as an iPhone 3GS with a navigation app, or a traditional phone and a dedicated PND.

See our iPhone navigation app reviews.

For more information on portable GPS navigation systems, see our special section with Ratings (available to subscribers) and buying advice. Discuss GPS with other shoppers and owners in the forums.