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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+.