Garmin nuvifone Gets Approved by FCC

Garmin's upcoming GPS-enabled quasi-smartphone has received the required approval from the FCC in order to be released in the United States.

This doesn't mean the release of the nüvifone is immediately going to happen, though. Garmin said this fall that this GPS/phone combo will debut in the first half of 2009.

The documents Garmin filed with the FCC can be found on this government agency's website.

More about the Garmin nüvifone

The nüvifone will be Garmin's first GSM featurephone designed to take advantage of its GPS knowledge. It will include a large touchscreen, GPS receiver, and built-in maps.

It will be the replacement for this company's line of GPS-enabled Palm OS and Pocket PC handhelds. Because it will offer a constant 3G connection to the Internet, this device will offer features not available in this company's earlier models, such as real-time traffic and fuel prices.

This will be more than just a navigation device. The nüvifone will have a web browser, messaging application, multimedia options, and a camera.

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• Garmin Nuvifone Still Scheduled for Release in 2009