T-Mobile earlier announced the upcoming availability of the Garminfone, a full-featured smartphone that pairs Android OS with Garmin's GPS expertise. While the navigation company has previously released phones in a venture with Asus (like the Nuvifone M20), the US-bound device appears to be outside of that partnership.

As expected from a Garmin-built phone, it delivers a complete navigation experience (driving, walking and public transportation), similar to the company's dedicated GPS devices. More than the usual voice-guided navigation and onscreen directions, it features one-click integration with other phone elements (text messages, emails, contacts, calendars and web pages), text-to-speech for street names, day and night modes, over 6 million points of interest and automatic rerouting.

Full maps of North America are preloaded on the device, allowing you access to directions even without a cell signal (unlike Google's turn-by-turn app). It comes with a slew of travel-related software, too, including a parking reminder application, real-time data (traffic, gas prices, weather and movie listings) and Garmin Voice Studio, which allows you to record and share custom voice directions with your contacts.

Handset details include a 3.5-inch capacitive touchscreen display, a 3.0 megapixel camera with autofocus, 3G, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 2.1 and a full HTML browser (with pinch and zoom capability, plus embedded location awareness). No word on the Android version on the phone, but it comes with all of the usual features, including extensive messaging and Google's suite of apps. It ships with a charging window and dashboard mount.

The official North American name appears to be the T-Mobile Garminfone and it will be available later in the Spring for a still undisclosed price.

[Garmin Press Release]

Sony Ericsson may have faltered in recent years, but their first Android smartphone, the Sony Ericsson Xperia X10, is a serious effort worth looking into. Armed with top-flight hardware, excellent UI and generous feature set, it's certainly a solid offering.

Physically, it's quite big. While it can cram into your jeans pocket, to call it uncomfortable will be an understatement. The overall look is great, punctuated by sturdy construction and a good feel in hand (thanks, according to Sony, to the curved face design). Because of the size, it fits in a huge display - a whopping 4-inch touchscreen with 854x480 resolution. Images look gorgeous and the touch interface is very responsive, easily making it one of the best touchscreens we've used among the Android set.

As a phone, call quality is decent. It's far from being the best, but everything sounds clear on both ends. At higher volumes, though, you can find a noticeable distortion. The speakerphone performed similarly, with plenty of loudness to go. Battery life is rated at 8 hours and we've been able to take it for almost two days of moderate use without fully draining yet.

Armed with a 1GHz Snapdragon processor, the X10 runs very fast. Apps opened quickly and navigation is smooth. It supports both 3G and WiFi so expect fast browsing. Do note that the phone uses a proprietary UI called UXP, which is the main reason why it's still running Android 1.6. The main draw is a Motoblur-like application called Timescape, which would have been great, but, for some reason, tends to miss updates every now and then. Whether it's an issue with spotty connection or a bug isn't clear to us.

It comes with all of Android's vaunted strengths, including messaging, Google integration and all that jazz. Outlook support isn't built in, but is easy enough with the bundled Moxier app. Sony Ericsson threw in an excellent onscreen QWERTY keyboard for emails, but made it inaccessible for SMS, which just sucks. There are a number of useful preinstalled apps too, such as the OfficeSuite file manager and Wisepilot.

Like many of their higher-end devices, the company equipped the X10 with a high-res optics module. The 8.1 megapixel camera takes good photos, although it's still not as great as the best we've seen from the Cybershot line. We love the music and video player (Mediascape), which is truly a notch above the media experience from other Android phones. The interface is attractive and it offers a slew of add-on features.

Overall, we love the Sony Ericsson Xperia X10. While sticking with Android 1.6 is a bit of a disappointment, the positive UI experience and additional integrated features (i.e. Timescape, Mediascape) somewhat makes up for it. Expensive, though, at around $700 or higher unlocked.

Push-to-talk phones generally run the gamut from basic to full-featured. I don't even think I've ever seen one with a complete smartphone OS, though. That ends now, with the announcement of the Motorola i1, the world's first iDEN device to run Google's Android OS.

Like many other handsets on Nextel's PTT network, the device features a sturdy and durable design, which it pairs up with feature-rich smartphone capabilities and sleek lines. It meets Military Specifications 810, which means it can resist a whole host of environmental hazards, including dust, shock, rain, extreme temperatures and more. Pretty nifty for a smartphone, ain't it?

Aside from PTT, details of the Motorola i1 include a 3.1-inch HVGA touchscreen, a 5.0 megapixel camera with LED flash and autofocus, WiFi, Bluetooth and microSD card expansion. The handset comes with an Android 1.5 build, along with the usual Google suite of apps, including access to thousands of apps via the Android Market. Pre-installed software additions include Opera Mini 5, Microsoft Document Viewer and the increasingly-popular Swype virtual keyboard.

In a marketing move, the phone was presented by Mike Rowe, host of Discovery Channel's "Dirty Jobs" program. All in all, this is a big play here from Motorola and Sprint. A rugged iDen phone running a full smartphone OS is rarely (probably never) heard of, so we're not sure how traditional Nextel customers are going to take this. No pricing was given, but this sounds like an awesome alternative to both your run-of-the-mill Android handsets and boring PTT devices, especially if it clocks in at under $200 on contract.

[Motorola via Unwired View]

Most people are likely to dismiss the Motorola Cliq XT as nothing but a slightly updated version of the original Cliq from last year. While that may be true to an extent, this device actually deserves better recognition as it improves upon its predecessor in many ways. Heck, they could have named it something else and it wouldn't have been such an issue.

Physically, the most noticeable change from the Cliq is the omission of a physical keyboard. While the general look is similar, the new phone is taller and wider, while reclaiming more portability by being lighter and slimmer. It comes with a 3.1-inch capacitive touchscreen (320 x 480 resolution) that manages excellent colors, but is noticeably less vibrant than higher-end smartphones like the Motorola Droid. The touchscreen comes with both multi-touch (which works on most apps, but not on Google Maps) and Swype (for text input). While it also offers a traditional onscreen keyboard, we did find Swype a much better mode of input once you get used to it.

As a phone, the Cliq XT manages excellent call quality. Everything went through loud and clear on both ends, with rich sound and plenty of volume. The speakerphone performed similarly, with nothing but an occasional, ignorable buzz to break up the near-perfect sound. Battery is rated at 6.5 hours of talk time, which should last for a good two days or more.

The phone pairs both 3G and WiFi, allowing you to have access to fast broadband internet in most situations. Onboard Webkit-based browser performed admirably, loading pages fast and accurately. With pinch-to-zoom and Flash Lite, it allows for a great browsing experience. While the phone uses the same 526Mhz processor as its predecessor, it performed faster in almost every way. It's a sufficiently speedy phone, exhibiting none of the frustrating sluggishness we found on other Motorola phones like the aforementioned Cliq and the Backflip.

Feature set is similar to the Cliq, coming with both Android 1.5 and Motoblur out of the box. As expected, it's got all the usual stuff you can expect from such a combination - Motoblur's social-friendly functions, Google's suite of apps and terrific messaging capabilities, among others. One pleasant surprise is the changes Motorola did to Android's music player, turning out one that not only looks better, but comes with more features too. My favorite additions: running streams from Shoutcast, YouTube and GoTV, as well as the integration with TuneWiki.

The 5.0 megapixel camera module comes with LED flash and autofocus. It only allows for standard editing options, but manages excellent photos. There is a bit of shutter lag, though, so it's not perfect. Other features include quad-band roaming and Bluetooth 2.0.

Overall, the Motorola Cliq XT is easily one of the better mid-range Android phones right now. It's not yet on sale, but is expected to go for around $149.99 with a contract from T-Mobile. At that price, it's easily a better buy than either the Cliq, Backflip or any of the even cheaper Android handsets around.

At the time it came out, the HTC Hero was, by far, the best Android phone on the block. With the HTC Legend, the manufacturer took everything good about that handset and made it even better.

Physically, it looks a lot like the Hero, down to the trademark chin. The body is cut from a single piece of aluminum (taking a bite out of Apple's aesthetic), making it both more attractive and durable at the same time. Replacing the trackball with a metal-trimmed trackpad also raises the style points up a notch, apart from working just as effectively.

Display is a gorgeous 3.2-inch AMOLED screen, with 320x480 resolution. Colors literally pop out, adding a "wow" factor that you seldom get with the mass of Android phones in the market. At 3mm thinner than the Hero, it's easily one of HTC's more pocketable devices.

As a phone, the HTC Legend manages slightly above average call quality. Voices sound natural with plenty of volume to go, although we did encounter a slight amount of distortion. Speakerphone worked just as well, perhaps lacking just a tad more volume to my liking. Battery life is quite disappointing, though, likely requiring a recharge every day and a half for most common uses.

While the Hero suffered from some form of sluggishness (which they later rectified via firmware), the Legend runs with satisfying speed out of the box. Navigation is smooth, transitions are fast and apps launch quick, putting all 600Mhz of that processor to good use. Web browsing (both over WiFi and HSDPA) is exceptional, with pages rendering almost twice as fast, compared to many Android phones we've seen. Plus, the browser's got multi-touch and some amount of Flash support.

It delivers all the usual Android 2.1 favors, from the nominal music player to the mass of Google apps to extensive messaging capabilities. HTC primps it up with their fancy Sense UI, which adds a lot of value to the device, including features such as being able to add mail to your Outlook folders, an improved mail interface, a very good onscreen keyboard and the MotoBlur-like Friend Stream. The latter, by the way, doesn't work as well as expected. Expect software updates on that end. Camera module is a 5.0 megapixel unit that manages to snap average-looking shots.

Sure, the Motorola Droid and the Nexus One have probably gotten the most press out of today's Android phones. In terms of overall value, though, I'm tempted to side with the HTC Legend, with its great looks, sleek operation and robust feature set.  Price should vary from retailer to retailer, but expect it between $550 to $600 unlocked.

Sometimes, a unique design may be all you need to sell a new handset.  That could be what they're banking on with the Motorola Backflip, a smartphone with various physical innovations that you might find enticing (or retarded, whichever the case may be).

Physically, the unique flip design definitely makes it a noteworthy device.  While it looks like the Motorola Cliq at first glance, look closer and you'll see the huge differences.  When closed, the keyboard sits in the back of the phone, such that it flips open to the bottom of the horizontal 3.1-inch display.  Sure, it's a novel way to implement a clamshell for a touchscreen device, but the fact that your keys are exposed 100% of the time definitely doesn't inspire confidence.  They also added trackpads behind the display, which are supposed to allow you to navigate the UI without your hands getting in the way.  It works well, although, it's hard to see a real need for it.

As a phone, the Backflip manages average call quality.  It was good on our end, although callers sometimes reported issues on theirs.  We're not sure if it was their phone or ours causing it, however.  The speakerphone was excellent, definitely better than average.  Battery is rated at 6 hours, which should be good for at least two days of normal use.

Positioned as more of an entry-level smartphone, it's equipped with a rather underpowered 528MHz Qualcomm processor.  It only runs Android 1.5 too and performance wasn't the best - there were definite lags even with simpler tasks, such as opening your inbox and scrolling through lists.  As such, it might be a good idea to forget ever upgrading the OS here to a newer version.

It comes with Motoblur and you can read our reviews of other similarly-equipped Motorola phones (Cliq, Devour) to get the skinny on that.  Features are around what you'd expect.  You get the usual Android fare (Google's software suite and read-only QuickOffice), Webkit-based HTML browser (very fast page loads over 3G, by the way), aGPS, WiFi and Bluetooth.

While it continues to use Android's lackluster music player, the Backflip comes with excellent sound quality.  The onboard speakers manage gorgeous sounds, definitely a notch above what you normally get from a phone.  Camera appeared great at 5 megapixels of resolution, but the quality of shots left plenty to be desired.

Overall, the Motorola Backflip is a decent choice for an entry-level Android smartphone.  There are definite performance issues, but it covers the range of features well and it's an excellent music phone.  Price sounds good too - $99 with a two-year contract from AT&T (not sure how much for unlocked versions elsewhere).

Garmin-Asus just announced two new phones, including their first Android-powered device.  The first is the Garmin-Asus Nuvifone A50, running Google's open-source OS; the second is the Garmin-Asus M10, which sees Windows Mobile 6.5.3 at the helm.

Both devices feature a high-sensitivity GPS receiver, along with features you will normally find in Garmin's high-end navigation gadgets.  Loaded with the company's proprietary software, it offers turn-by-turn navigation, preinstalled maps, voice prompts, lane assist and support for non-vehicle use with City Xplorer maps.

Details of the Nuvifone A50 include a 3.5-inch HVGA touchscreen, a 3.2 megapixel camera module, 4GB of internal storage and microSD card support.  Software features include Google's suite of apps (e.g. YouTube, Google Maps with Street View, etc.), Exchange syncing (mail, contacts and calendar) and a Webkit-based browser with multi-touch support.

The Nuvifone M10, on the other hand, comes with a 3.5-inch HVGA touchscreen, a 5.0 megapixel camera module, 512MB of RAM, 512MB of ROM and 4GB of internal storage.  Enhancements include a 3D task manager, social networking apps (such as Facebook and Picasa web albums) and various widgets for connected services (such as stocks and weather).

No details on release date or pricing yet.  Garmin-Asus will show both the Nuvifone A50 and the Nuvifone M10 at MWC 2010, though, so expect more details next week.

[via GSM Arena]

The LG GW620 isn't the most high-profile Android smartphone on the block, but it is a fairly decent attempt at one.  Running the older Android 1.5, cutting-edge may not be in this handset's vocabulary, but it's a definite contender for anyone searching for a less-expensive smartphone.

Physically, it features a side-sliding QWERTY keyboard, along with a 3-inch touchscreen.  The result is one chubby device.  Sure, it will fit in your pocket, but it won't be pretty.  On the plus side, build quality appears impressive, and the black and blue color scheme works really well.

The HVGA-resolution screen managed good display quality (even under sunlight), but it's resistive nature just puts us in unfamiliar Android territory.  As expected, the touch interface is far from being as responsive as on a capacitive panel.  We also didn't like the touch-sensitive buttons, which lent themselves for accidental presses rather often.  The five-row QWERTY keyboard, in contrast, was among the best we've used.

As a phone, the GW620 managed good calls.  Voices came through fine, but there was a noticeable sharpness to the sound.  Quality at the highest loudness was also pretty murky, so we suggest keeping it at a lower volume.   Speakerphone performed similarly - usable but not the best.  Battery life is rated at eight hours of talk time and it performed impressively, lasting a full three days of regular use.

LG must have had their reasons for using Android 1.5.  Whatever it is, though, they should change their minds soon.  There are plenty of updates that went in between this version and 2.1.  Yes, I'd like to have those too if I'm going to shell out for a smartphone (although LG did put in apps to offset some features, such as installing Moxier for Exchange Support).  My guess is this is the Android version that's fully compatible with their S-Class UI, which puts lots of visual niceties onto the phone but almost no discernible new functionality.

The phone comes with LG's SNS app, which takes care of syncing your address book with your social network profiles.  Personally, I don't see the point in this app - there are better social-based downloads available in the Android Market.  It also has all the Android essentials, such as a solid messaging suite, Google apps and such.

Web browsing is fast, with an option of using either the 3.6Mbps HSDPA or Wi-Fi connection.  Browser loads pages accurately, but navigation is a little cumbersome.   LG also jazzed up the media players a bit.  We actually like it better than the usual Android default.  Other features include a 5.0 megapixel camera (lots of editing options with good photo quality), stereo Bluetooth, aGPS, FM radio with RDS and microSD card expansion.

Overall, it's a decent entry-level Android phone, with a good camera and an excellent QWERTY keyboard.  Priced at around $400 unlocked, it isn't too bad.  They are up for a tough battle against HTC's $300+ Android devices, though.

Talk about piling up the Android releases.  That's definitely the case with Motorola, who has officially announced the Motorola Devour, their latest smartphone running Google's open-source OS.  Set for release under Verizon, it will be the carrier's first Motoblur-equipped device.

As it did in the Motorola Cliq, MotoBlur will bring its unique and customizable content delivery service to the new handset.  Aggregating information from Gmail, Facebook, MySpace, Twitter and other sources, it streams updates directly to the home screen, apart from adding other management features, such as contacts syncing and personal messaging.

Instead of a pure touchscreen device, though, the Devour takes on a form factor with more similarities to the Motorola Droid, sporting a slide-out QWERTY keypad along the left-hand side.  Details of the Devour include a 3.1-inch capacitive touchscreen, a touch-sensitive navigation pad, aGPS, stereo Bluetooth and 3G connectivity.   A bundled 8GB microSD card will come with the package.

Like most Android phones, a host of Google apps will be preloaded on the device, including Gmail, Talk, YouTube and Maps Navigation.  Verizon is putting it under their list of "advanced devices" and will thus require a $29.99 data plan.

The Motorola Devour is scheduled for availability in early March.  Price has not been set, but expect it between $170 to $200.

[via Verizon News]

The HTC Tattoo has been the cheapest Android release so far, going for a price tag of around $300 unlocked.  Taiwanese company Gigabyte will likely eclipse that in affordability when they do come out with their Android-powered GSmart, which is currently rumored for a February release in Russia.

Most notable omission on this new smartphone is a 3G radio, which shouldn't be that big of an issue in less-sophisticated markets, unlike it would be in the US or the UK.  You do get dual-band GSM/EDGE, along with Wi-Fi, for internet connectivity, though.

The rest of the Gigabyte GSmart sounds tasty - a 2.8-inch QVGA touchscreen, a 2.0 megapixel camera module (with autofocus), onboard GPS, stereo Bluetooth, microSD card expansion and a 3.5mm audio jack.  Power is provided by a 528MHz Qualcomm processor, aided by 256MB of RAM and 526MB of ROM.  It comes with a 1,500MHz battery module.

Like their previous Windows Mobile releases, Gigabyte will be sticking to a plain vanilla implementation for Android 1.6 here.  As such, don't expect any UI enhancements.

There's no exact pricing for the Gigabyte GSmart, but sources are claiming it should work out to less than 210 Euros (less than $300), which is just enough to make it the cheapest Android smartphone in the market.  Unless they manage to sell it for a sizable discount, the HTC Tattoo does remain a more enticing choice, though, with a 3G module, a 3.0 megapixel camera and Sense UI on top of Android.

[via GSM Arena]