Garmin Finds a Friend in Asus for Smartphone Foray
Hardware maker Asus and navigation system manufacturer Garmin (Nasdaq: GRMN) announced a "strategic alliance" Wednesday that will result in a line of cobranded mobile phones.
Each company will bring their specialty -- mobile telephony and navigation, respectively -- to the table for the line of location-centric Garmin-Asus Nuvifone models, several of which are expected to hit store shelves in 2009.
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Garmin originally announced plans for its so-called Nuvifone in 2008. That device will be renamed the "G60" and will be available in the first half of 2009. More info will be announced at the Mobile World Congress show held in Barcelona in mid-February.
Asus, perhaps best known in the U.S. for its line of ultra-small Eee PC netbooks, is an up-and-comer in the mobile phone space. It makes sense for a navigation company to team with a company that builds phones, Rob Enderle, principal analyst at Enderle Group , told TechNewsWorld.
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