Future uncertain for Nuvifone device

Asus and Garmin end smartphone partnership

Asus is ending its mobile phone partnership with navigation specialist Garmin, which has said it intends to move away from the smartphone business.

According to Reuters, Asus will announce more details tomorrow.

The two firms have worked together for a number of years to create the Nuvifone, a smartphone which incorporates satellite navigation functionality.

Earlier this year, Gartner’s research vice president, Thilo Koslowski, told PCR he thought Garmin making a mobile phone was too little, too late.

“That would have been a good move if the company had launched it a couple of years ago, before anybody else had done it. Now, because pretty much every new cell phone is capable of running a nav application, it’s a little bit late,” he said.

Garmin announced last month that it would decide the future of its smartphone business over the next couple of quarters, and that it was prepared to leave the sector if it is unsuccessful.

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