Garmin's Nuvifone Finally Debuts on AT&T's Network

Obviously, from its name, the nuvifone G60 is to be considered an adjunct to Garmin's line of nuvi GPS units, adding much of the same functionality to a cell phone for the first time. It's also considered critical to Garmin's survival, with other cell phones such as the Palm Pre and iPhone chipping away at Garmin's market share by adding GPS functionality of their own.

The Garmin nuvifone will sell for $299 with a two-year agreement and $100 mail-in rebate. It's exclusive to AT&T for now, and for an additional (what else?) $6 monthly subscription, users can receive updated traffic warnings, weather information, movie times and area fuel prices.

The nuvifone G60 was first announced in January of 2008, and is already on sale in parts of Asia. However, it's been delayed more than once, and was originally scheduled to release in the first half of 2009.

In February, Garmin said it was teaming up with Taiwan-based Asustek to develop and produce a co-branded line of feature-rich mobile phones, of which the nuvifone G60 is the first.

It's unclear how long the AT&T nuvifone exclusivity will last. However, based on the way consumers feel about the association of the iPhone with AT&T (love the phone, hate the carrier), it's also unclear if AT&T's network is a positive or a negative for Garmin.

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