After building their own operating system for the Garmin nuvifone G60 caused the handset to take roughly a decade (in smart phone years, that is) to come out, it’s no surprise that Garmin-Asus is steering clear of that route. They announced back in June of last year that they’d be bring Android into the mix, and this latest handset reflects that.

The handset you see up top is Garmin’s first foray into Android, which they’ve lovingly dubbed the “nuvifone A50″.

They’re not saying which version of Android comes tucked in side (though Engadget has been tipped that it’s running 1.6, which seems perfectly likely), but here’s what we do know so far:

• Screen: 3.5 inch, Half VGA (480×320) capacitive touch screen
• Internal Storage: 4GB flash
• Camera: 3 megapixels with autofocus
• Hardware Features: microSD slot, accelerometer, compass, car mount and car charger included
• Software Features: Exchange support, Garmin navigation

There’s no word yet on pricing nor US availability, but look for it in Europe sometime in the next four months.

Oh, nuvifone. How we loved you and forgot you. Now that almost every featurephone comes with GPS navigation, both of your models might finally launch on AT&T. Just think if you would have got your act together a year ago, you could have ruled the market before there was a market.

But now, depending on the price, you will likely be passed over for the iPhone. It’s not that you probably don’t do the navigation thing great, but that the iPhone and others does it well enough and offers so much more. Sorry, pal. Even Winmo 6.5 can’t save you. (If you even have Winmo 6.5)

Do you remember where you were back on January 30th of 2008? CrunchGear was at a Garmin event in New York City watching the GPS company announce its very own smartphone. Fast forward to today, and the device is finally about to ship. Two devices, actually — the Linux-based nuvifone G60 and the nuvifone M20, which runs Windows Mobile 6.1 Professional.

Don’t bother trying to pick either of the phones up here in the US, though, as they’re just shipping in Asia. The G60 will go on sale in Taiwan on July 27, while the M20 will be available in Taiwan, Hong Kong, Singapore, Thailand, and Malaysia sometime in August.

And what, praytell, does a year and a half of waiting get you?

“The Garmin-Asus nüvifone series is a breakthrough product line that integrates navigation and location based services (LBS) like no other phone in the market today. It is ideal for those seeking an all-in-one, LBS-centric touchscreen phone, mobile web-browser and personal navigator. The nüvifone G60 and M20 have touchscreen displays that feature three primary icons – “Call,” “Search” and “View Map.” Customers can easily scroll through the other icons by swiping their finger across the displays, and a built-in accelerometer allows every screen to be viewed in either portrait or landscape orientation.”

So it’s a cell phone with a web browser, GPS with turn-by-turn directions, and an accelerometer. There’s also a built-in camera that geotags photos.

I’m sure the navigation stuff is top notch and the device itself still does look pretty nice even a year and a half later, but I’m forecasting that Garmin’s going to have a hell of a time selling a ton of these given the amount of similarly-equipped devices on the market. It may be able to find a niche with delivery people and other segments that rely heavily on GPS features, though.

No firm word on pricing yet or when it’ll be coming to the States aside from “the second half of 2009.” Hey, that’s almost now! Or it could be Christmas time. Either one. The G60 will be available here and in Europe, while the M20 will be available just in Europe.

Garmin-Asus nuvifone Available for Purchase in Asia [Press Release]

In light of MWC next week, Garmin-Asus has made a full announcement about the upcoming nuvifone product line. Which, btw, isn’t nearly as fun as spy shots and rumors, but we’ll take it. The original G60 that we have been hearing about for nearly a year seems like it will finally be released and might be a solid contender judging by the specs. Garmin-Asus is announcing a new player however, in the smallish WinMo 6.1, M20 handheld that naturally runs Garmin’s mapping software which might make a larger splash at MWC than its big brother. 

The original nuvifone, now called the G60, was announced, demoed, and delayed numerous times in ’08 but it is finally here. The OS runs on a custom flavor of Linux and it comes pre-loaded with your regions maps (North America, Europe, Asia) Plus, Garmin has a new location area software suite named Ciao! that seems similar to Google Latitude but built over the Garmin Maps and compatible with social networking sites.

• Quad-band HSDPA 3G connectivity
• Bluetooth & WiFi
• Accelerometer
• 3.5-inch touchscreen
• 3MP geo-tagging camera
• Pre-loaded maps
• Car dock included

The M20 might not run Linux like it’s big bro, but this little WinMo device seems to have the stuff to stand out. It’s smaller, retains the 3G speed, and available in cute colors. Everyone likes color options. Thankfully, Windows Mobile has been skinned with a Garmin-like home page with quick links to navigation and such. The M20 also comes loaded with Ciao!.

• Quad-band HSDPA 3G connectivity
• Bluetooth & WiFi
• Accelerometer
• 2.8-inch touchscreen
• Micro-SD card slot
• 4 or 8GB of on-board storage
• 3MP geo-tagging camera
• Pre-loaded maps
• Car Dock included

Pricing and availability has unfortunately been left out of the press release but hopefully we find those tid-bits out next week at MWC. Chances are that both T-Mobile and AT&T are interested in the 3G devices though, but it’s anyones guess which company would end up with the pair.

Here’s what the press release said:

The nuvifone will not be available in fourth quarter as previously announced. While we had hoped to have carrier launches in the fourth quarter, we have found that meeting some of the carrier specific requirements will take longer than anticipated. We remain pleased with carrier interest in the device and are working toward making necessary design changes to meet their requirements. We anticipate launching the product during the first half of 2009.”

Here’s the company’s full quarterly report, if you’re interested.

See CrunchGear for the full scoop.

Last week when Nicholas, John and I were at the Garmin press conference they showed us a couple of videos with the Nuvifone in action. Well, as “in action” as you can get since the units were probably running simulations. In any case, the following videos will give you a better understanding of what the Nuvifone is capable of.