Garminfone with Android to Arrive on T-Mobile June 9
T-Mobile has gotten specific about the arrival
of the Garminfone, announcing that the Android-based smartphone will arrive on
its network June 9 for $199.99 with a $50 mail-in rebate and the activation of
a new two-year service agreement.
Specifics, after all, are what this phone is about. The first Android phone to
rely on Garmin navigation technology, it offers "voice-guided and
on-screen directions with automatic rerouting," as well as information
such as local gas prices and real-time traffic and weather details, T-Mobile
said.
The
Garminfone will also enjoy 4G speeds, where available, on T-Mobile's expanding
HSPA+ network. The smartphone's 3.5-inch display is paired with support for
personal and work e-mail accounts-including Microsoft Exchange-instant and text
messaging, and contact and calendar functions.
Easy access to the Android Market is also included, along with a new application,
the Garmin Voice Studio, for recording and sharing custom voice directions. The
Garminfone also has a music player and 3-megapixel camera.
For particularly directionally challenged types for whom the Garminfone might
be a perfect fit, T-Mobile has put out a call for your most embarrassing
gaffes.
Now through June 9, folks can tweet their "most interesting story about
getting lost without a GPS device," T-Mobile said in a statement, for the
opportunity to win one of five Garminfones being awarded to, presumably, the
lost soul most in need of navigation assistance.
To enter, users need to follow T-Mobile's Twitter feed, @TMobile_USA, and should
include the #needgarminfone hashtag with a 140-character-or-less account of
losing their way. Official rules are on the T-Mobile Facebook site.
In June, T-Mobile will also launch the MyTouch
3G Slide, which also runs Android and can access HSPA+.
