A joyous day for all the gadget-holics out there as they welcome yet another gizmo –the Garmin-Asus A10, a touchscreen smartphone running on the Android™ platform that boasts Garmin’s professional vehicle and pedestrian navigation.
In Malaysia, having a GPS is not merely a trend but it does (somewhat) help with navigating around Malaysia’s poorly signed roads. Well, we know that we DO have the signs but they are mainly located behind a tree, a large bush or behind another road sign. So, the geniuses behind the Garmin-Asus team have brought us the A10 that acquires the Android 2.1 and is designed for urban professionals who travel frequently within city environments or simply; those who love impromptu road trips.
How safe is it using your phone as a GPS?
What happens when it rings? How do you answer your calls while having to navigate?
The A10 is the first to feature turn by turn pedestrian navigation functionality and an electronic compass, making it ideal for city navigation. Dubbed “Walking Mode”, pedestrian navigation on the A10 does not entail additional charges.
In addition, the A10 features Junction View* which lets users know the exact lanes to turn into at intersections. With car-mounting and power accessories included, the A10 is ready for use in an automobile out-of-the-box, and it comes with a powered audio mount** that magnifies the volume of the handset’s voice commands.
With a Time to First Fix (TTFF) of only 32 seconds, the A10 is preinstalled with the equivalent capabilities of Garmin’s premium automotive navigation device, the Garmin nuvi 1460, which retails at RM999. Detailed Malaysia, Singapore & Brunei maps are already preloaded on the A10 so that users do not have to pay and wait for third party maps to download from a server, nor will they lose their turn-by-turn, voice-prompted navigation if they are out of cell phone coverage.
The car mount also automatically switches the A10 to hands-free mode when the phone is docked, and records the final GPS location when the phone is removed, enabling users to home in on their parking locations with ease. Seamless integration of navigation features into the complete in-car experience.
Discovering the Real World: Robust Specifications and Location-based Services
The pocket-sized A10 has a bright 3.2” capacitive multi-touch screen and a 5-megapixel auto-focus camera that automatically geotags images with an exact location reference. A geotagged photo can be sent to friends who can then initiate navigation to the location by simply clicking on it.
Designed to deliver a rich entertainment and productivity experience on the go, the A10 is equipped with abundant memory — 4GB of internal storage, 512MB of RAM and 512MB of ROM — for work documents and multimedia files. On top of that, the A10 has a dedicated 510MB internal storage that has the capability of storing between 400-500 applications, as well as a long-lasting 1500mAh battery that ensures outstanding standby and talk times. The A10 also comes with a large built-in point of interest (POI) database (over 140,000 points).
Connecting to the Virtual World: Comprehensive Online Capabilities
The A10 has everything users need to stay connected to the people important to them, and to keep updated on the events in their lives. It integrates Google™ Mobile Services with one-click access to Google Maps™, Gmail™, YouTube™, Google Talk, calendar, contacts and Android Market™, where users can find thousands of applications to expand and personalize their phone to fit their lifestyles. The A10 also supports Internet tethering which enables users to access the Internet anytime, anywhere.
Style in Simplicity: Sleek and Ergonomic Design
With a sleek and understated design, the A10 combines aesthetics and functionality with ease. The gentle curves of the phone make it comfortable to hold and carry around, ensuring a smooth and ergonomic user experience. The lightweight and simple lines of the A10 will definitely echo the personal style of its owner.
According to Business Development Manager of Asus Malaysia, Ms. Yen Ling Fei, “The Garmin Asus A10 is the first Android-based handset from our range of ‘Smart3’ phones.”
“The powerful Android 2.1 operating system gives the phone an impeccable responsiveness as well as a cleaner, sleeker and very intuitive user interface resulting in a superb experience embodying communications, navigation, social networking and location-based services”, she added.
The Garmin-Asus A10 will be available in October 2010 in Malaysia. Additional information on Garmin-Asus products is available at my.garminasus.com. The Recommended Retail Prices are RM1399 for Garmin Asus A10 and RM249 for the Car Kit (with charger included) respectively.
Garmin-Asus A10 Main Specifications:
Networks HSDPA DL:7.2Mbps UL: 384Kpbs,UMTS 900/ 2100
EDGE/GPRS/GSM 850/900/1800/1900,
OS Android 2.1 (Eclair)
CPU Qualcomm 7227 600MHz
Memory 512 MB SDRAM + 512MB ROM, 4GB eMMC Flash
Connectivity Bluetooth 2.0+EDR, USB v2.0, WLAN 802.11b+g
GPS Qualcomm GPSOne–Gen7 (AGPS supported)
Display 3.2 HVGA TFT with capacitive touch , 65Kcolors
Camera 5 megapixel, Auto Focus
Battery 1500mAh Lithium
Standby Time 530-660 hours(2G/3G)
Talking Time 560-710 minutes(2G/3G)
Expansion Slot microSD (supports SDHC, up to 32GB)
Browser HTTP / Google browser
Messaging SMS / MMS / Email / Push email
Video Video Playback: MPEG4/H.264/H.263/WMV @ 30fps VGA
Video Recording: MPEG4/H.263 @ 30fps QVGA
Audio Mp3/mpeg4/wma/aac, aac+, aac+/wav/midi/ogg/3.5mm earphone jack
Google Android Market™, Google Talk™, GMail™, YouTube™, Google Maps™
Navigation Pedestrian navigation, Automobile navigation
Garmin-Asus A10 Car Mount **Features:
• When the A10 is mounted, the car mount will automatically recharge the phone.
• It automatically switches the A10 to hands-free mode.
• A built-in speaker amplifies the volume of calls and of sounds from the handset.
• When the A10 is dismounted, it will automatically record the final GPS location.
* Features are subject to change and may vary by country and location.
** May be sold separately in certain countries.
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Jimmy Tan
