Garmin Asus nuvifone M10 review

The nuvifone M10 is the first smartphone from the Garmin-Asus partnership. It runs the soon-to-be-phased-out Windows Mobile 6.5. Is that the fatal flaw in this GPS-centric smartphone?

Free navigation is a big things on smartphones these days. Both Nokia and Google (for Android) offer it, but if anyone can match or surpass their offerings it should be Garmin. Made in alliance with Asus the nüvifone M10 offers and all-in-one navigation package running on a Windows Mobile 6.5 smartphone.

The design is suitably smart.The minimal buttons include three touch sensitive buttons below the screen, and a volume switch on the top right. Apart from the microSD port and 3.5mm headphone jack that is it: a nicely refined approach.

The back is made from soft touch plastic, with an uncovered cutout section for the camera lens to look through. The lens should be protected, but dust and grime will easily get in here.

The screen gives away the fact that the nüvifone is a GPS device above all.

Hold it vertically and you’ll see that the viewing angle is respectable when seen from above, below or from the right. But look at it from the left and the image begins to ghost quite quickly. This is clearly a screen that is intended to be used mostly rotated 90 degrees counter-clockwise in landscape mode. It’s a touch distracting when used for non-navigation actions; and is not helped by a lack of responsiveness either.

The M10 comes with its own custom home screen. It consists of two screens of nine shortcuts, for apps and other functions, that can be customised.

Anchored to the bottom of this layout are three larger buttons – Call, Search and Show Map. Call is self-explanatory – this is a phone after all; and Search enables you to quickly search for a destination in the navigation app (choosing from all the usual options like addresses, points of interest, or local search).

Show Map displays your position on the map, and is quite useful for viewing traffic information on routes where you don’t need full turn by turn navigation, such as your daily drive to work. When driving Stop and Detour buttons are also added to the home screen, ensuring you can easily continue navigating even if the phone is being used for another purpose.

Like all Windows phones the software is a curious mishmash of standard Windows Mobile applications and those added by the handset manufacturer. Sometimes these double up in function, and rarely do they share a uniform look and feel.

To its credit the additions Garmin has made are mostly positive. There’s a useful selection of travel apps, including a currency converter and flight times checker, and they’ve made a few tweaks to the usability of the phone as well. In addition to that home screen there’s a Billboard view.

Tap the status bar to view your phone’s status, notifications or to perform a search. It doesn’t reach the levels of usability seen in the Android OS’s similar feature but is useful all the same. Another trick has been added to the Windows button beneath the screen.

Tap and hold this and a rather swish 3D launcher opens, enabling you to jump between your running applications or to close any you no longer need.

The navigation software is tightly integrated into the system. It makes things confusing at first because you’re expecting a single app, but instead it’s broken up, with the navigation settings accessed through the regular Windows Mobile Settings screen and not accessible at all through the map screen.

But the approach also brings rewards in terms of performance, with the map application opening far quicker than any other app on the phone.

Maps are stored locally, but your device’s internet connection will also be used for local search and weather etc. The UI is not quite as refined as we remember it from Garmin’s dedicated GPS devices, where simplicity is the key.

There are countless ways to choose your destination, yet strangely free text search is not one of them. so performing a simple search like “Wembley Stadium” is not possible unless you are already within about a 30 miles radius.

Searching for addresses is also painstakingly slow. A list of possible options is updated in real time with every keystroke, with the intent that you can select it on screen without needing to type the full name, but the device lacks the necessary processing power and makes the search process feel very unresponsive as a result.

Beyond that the navigation experience is impressive, as you would expect from Garmin. The box contains a windscreen mount and in-car charger, and you also get the nuMaps guarantee that gives you a free update to the latest maps within 60 days of purchase, so you are good to go.

The maps are clear and easy to see, the routes sensible, and the speaker on the back of the device loud enough to be heard.

As a phone the M10 sports an average set of specs. There’s 512MB RAM, a WVGA display, HSDPA and Wi-Fi, and a 5MP camera (although this was of very mediocre quality). The 600MHz processor was fine for the navigation, but proved sluiggish for all round use.

Ultimately, it is impossible to separate the GPS from the nüvifone M10. It is not a phone with GPS, it is a GPS with phone. And while it performs perfectly acceptably as a navigator, it is encumbered by the constant frustrations that are part and parcel of the Windows Mobile 6.5 experience.

Price: £360 SIM-free
Web: www.garminasus.com

Verdict:
Performance: 6/10
GPS okay, but screen and processor not so responsive

Design: 8/10
An appealing, refined handset

Features: 8/10
Little new, but most boxes are ticked

Value for Money: 6/10
Reasonable value considering the maps included

Overall score: 6/10
Only a device to consider if navigation is your main priority

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