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It’s become downright common these days to have a GPS module in a mobile handset, however Garmin seems to have gone in the opposite direction by incorporating a mobile phone into what could easily be construed as a stand-alone GPS device. The G60, I’ll admit, was a handset I have long been waiting to test simply because of the super fluid UI we caught a glimpse of at CommunicAsia. But the actual device itself, when I was done testing it, proved to be somewhat of a contrast to my expectations. This is what I thought. Form Factor You’ll hear no complaints from me about the handset’s design. It looks nothing like a Stand Alone GPS device as the screen isn’t large enough for that purpose. Nevertheless the 3.5-inch resistive touchscreen is still big enough for easy viewing while navigating. The texture of the display isn’t like most with a glass like feel. The G60 feels smooth and it feels like you’re sliding your finger over some sort of plastic surface. It has no buttons except for the usual – Volume keys on the side above the camera activation and shutter release key and a large Screen lock button on the top near the 2.5mm earphone socket. A microSD card slot is located on one side above the docking port for the car stand (included with car charging kit) and mini USB port. A 3 megapixel camera is mounted at the rear near the built-in speaker. The rubberized exterior coat makes it easy to handle. It’s great for grip and also gives the handset a slightly rugged look and feel. The biggest disappointment was the 2.5mm handsfree socket. There’s plenty of room for a standard 3.5mm port, which would also have made it easier to hook up to a car’s Audio In for better directions. In a loud city like ours, the speakerphone didn’t prove too effective. The docking station included makes it quite easy to place the handset anywhere in the car that you find comfortable for viewing. It also comes with a base that can be stuck anywhere in case the surface is not conducive to the suction. It’s a well designed handset with a very definite feel-good-factor. Features and Performance Interface The Linux based UI is comparable to the iPhone’s although not as vibrant. Icons are large and easy to follow. It’s a smooth UI that’s also very responsive. What I really liked is that the accelerometer works on the entire system. In landscape mode, the handset auto rotates everything with no exception in any function. A couple of issues I faced included – the virtual on-screen keypad in portrait isn’t QWERTY instead the company has unusually gone with an ABCD form. So it made typing quite annoying as I’m not used to that format unless they’re on number keys. Oddly enough, in landscape mode it switches to QWERTY which makes it so much easier to use. The second issue, also minor in nature is that most On-Off settings are not designed to be changed by simply tapping the option. You have to go into the setting and then select the On or Off option. The same goes for a few other functions here and there which likewise use this slightly longer method of accessibility. Media The Audio player is simple and easy to use. YOU can create playlists directly on the handset. While audio tones are clear and crisp through the comfortable bundled headset, the loudspeaker is disappointingly low. The only setting the audio player has in terms of tone adjustment is an Audio Boost option that’s accessible only through the main menu and Settings. That really isn’t too effective through the speaker phone either. In fact even directions via the speaker are too low. Shockingly the handset doesn’t support video playback of any kind. That’s a real waste of the display. Other than the music player the G60 has no other media functionality. There’s no FM radio or voice recorder included which is again just another disappointment. |
Tags: GPS , Touchscreen , 3 Megapixel , ASUS , Garmin
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