Many Android users have been looking for an alternative GPS application for their Android devices. While we have some pretty good ones like Co-Pilot and Papago, what they really need is a solidly integrated GPS application that is not only reliable but also fast, seemless and has a neat interface. The big problem is, they have been using pioneer GPS wares for their navigation use like Garmin and TomTom and have been spoilt to get the best. Not only that, they want a phone that can run the GPS application without quenching their data plans and can run in places where there is no data signal.


Not only that, cheaper GPS hardwares started to include other stuff into the package too such as music player, Bluetooth connection, image and video viewer. So what if you could have all this integrated into a neat Android device? How awesome would it be to be able to use your Android phone to navigate at pedestrian level as well as driving mode? If this sounds too good to be true, behold, the new Garmin-Asus A10 GPS-smartphone!


This phone is bound to make its official appearance on the September 28th 2010 so all you Garmin fanatics, start breaking your piggy banks because the first Garmin-enabled Android device is coming to your stores! Never lose your route ever again. I have to tell you guys, this phone seriously ROCKS!


The hardware itself is very elegant. Chrome plate around the shell and the glossy screen blends very well! The back cover has a feel like the Nexus One's back cover making this device comfortable in your palms. It has two hardkeys including the Power switch at the top and the volume button on the side of the phone. There are three softkeys including the return, home and options.


I got my device today and will be playing with it for a while. A very detailed review will be following up soon. The reviews will be posted on three locations:


1. LowYat.net's Android board
2. LegenDroid's General Discussion and Support section
3. My personal blog


You can subscribe to any of these to keep yourself updated. I can only say one thing for now. "Hold your breath"

Alternatively, you can also follow ASUS on facebook:
Garmin-ASUS Official Facebook Page
ASUS Malaysia official facebook page

Here are some sneak peeks of the Garmin-Asus A10:







Cheers~


Regards,
Shahz

This post has been edited by shahz: Sep 20 2010, 03:29 AM

No root yet?

Can merge here

http://forum.lowyat.net/index.php?showtopic=1556118

This post has been edited by alpha0201: Sep 18 2010, 08:50 AM

No root yet. The phone does not have Android Debuggin Bridge pre-installed yet This one is for me to play around with. Next week I'll get my own brand new set. Hopefully that one will have ADB included with it. I'm believing they purposedly are not including the ADB to disallow root and piracy of the Garmin Maps..

alpha0201, please do not merge the topics. That person is posting specs and is a seller of the phone. I'm now an official ASUS' Android phones tester and will be posting sneak peeks and reviews based on user experience and will be providing support for the phones

And if you wanna get rid of that used set, you know who to call...

Haha..If they allow me to keep this set too, I promise, I'll give it to you

How's the battery life on this set? and I take it that we do have the option to turn off the GPS like any other Android device.

It's bearing a 1500mAh battery and the life of it's battery is stunning. Maybe due to the nature of its GPS function. I managed to pull two days easily without any problems. And yes, the GPS can be switched on and off author a hassle.it had the same power control widget that your nexus one has

The GPS connects in a whopping 33 secs! Seriously kickass!

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Added on September 22, 2010, 4:03 pmBtw, me and bahathir are cooking some adb and fastboot recipes for this phone..hehe..

This post has been edited by shahz: Sep 22 2010, 04:03 PM

is there android market on it?

All in good hands then. BTW if bahathir needs another Linux hacker on the team, I noticed a potential candidate who just joined LDC.

Woah...intro to me too bro..We'd like to break this bootloader and force fastboot access here..

No prob. I'll contact him and see if he's interested. Then we'll drag him to the hellgate.
Eh? I thought you sought Paul O'MoDaCo on the bootloader thingy?

I did..But its too hard for him to run tasks being this far away So we compiled our own adb and fastboot from the git..So far its goin good..

Fuyoh....great stuffs. I'm stuck with my lovely Wildfire now. May look for upgrade....this may be a good choice. Wonder what's the RRP?

RRP will be RM1399 And yeah, this is definitely a better buy than the Wildfire..or the HTC Tattoo..

A10 have been replace by A50 now

Isnt the A50 limited to US market? I believe it's running Donut, so I dont get how come a Donut device replace an Eclair one.

A10 rooted, follow at:


http://androidin.wordpress.com/2010/09/23/...tra-permission/

A10 is not yet replaced by A50..In fact, A10 is officially launching in Malaysia on the 28th of this month..A50 is a very long way to go still..Besides, A50 will also pack the same processor and I don't think it will be a fair deal just yet

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Added on September 24, 2010, 1:37 amAnd BINGO for the root..I'm gonna root my A10 in soon..Review has priority first..Review coming this weekend

This post has been edited by shahz: Sep 24 2010, 01:37 AM

Will phone/gps this get Froyo 2.2 update? i mean official that is? and has Asus release any other Android phones yet... Just wanna know whether they got experience or not...?
EDIT: also, can this phone since it run garmin, support maps like um MFM?

This post has been edited by akash3656: Sep 24 2010, 08:00 PM

Heard the update on 2.2 will come in dec and yeah itndoes support mfm map

My xt can lock.position below 15 second at open space,.if i stay near window inside my room not less than 45 seconds, ,.

where u get garmin mobile xt for android? released edi? where can buy?

It is said that the phones will get Froyo upgrade, but its not confirmed yet. This is ASUS's first ever Android phone. More to come soon. You can run MFM maps with a separate application if you wish but since you have Garmin, I don't see a point of having other GPS application. What can be better than Garmin after all

A10 can run live wallpaper, nice.....

saw it on sales in SG..for 589sgd

bought this phone at midvalley. got 8 gb + bluetooth + car charger free. so far satisfy with gps and phone. can update/upload any country map for free into a10 (according to pdaexpert salesman). no need to buy any gps gadget and + can download many free apps from market....hehehe

Yeah..its basically flexibility with convenience btw, official launching in Malaysia is on 28th of this month

I might look into purchasing this when it becomes unlocked in Malaysia. I would like to see 2.2 on this phone very soon.

Request:- Can those fortunate users of this new phone post up some instructional videos of it.

Looking forward to checking it out

Hey Wezy904, what do you mean by "unlocked"? Its already available in the market now And which video are you requesting?

@shahz, do you know where can the cradle be purchased ?

also , have u tested the cradle ? how is it ?

Yep, you can get the cradle from pretty much any shops who are selling the Garmin-Asus A10 I'll be posting some unboxing images today..Includes the cradle too..The cradle is way more useful than the Nexus One's car dock..Once you remove your A10 from the cradle, it remembers your car location in the phone (the dock will always be in the car anyway remember?) Really a smart feature..

not sure bout 'any' shop .. the shop tht i went to wanted to sell me the m10 cradle and claims to be the same, went to a few shops in digital mall , i really dont see any shop really selling this phone , did asked a few ...

hope u can let me know

i think u can buy the a10 from any pdaexpert shop at lowyat or midvalley. because i buy from them too.
i'm not sure the m10 car kit and a10 same or not but i really want one.

tq

haha @ jemin, then i need to ask PDAexpert ? how do you find the phone ? i found that it touch is abit hard to use , its not very responsive , well this is just me or ?

chris,
to me its OK and meet my daily requirement and its better than my previous phone....hehehe
(upgrade from samsung jet). not that fast but not slow either....hehehe

me upgraded from Touch Pro 2 , same same , just tht i feel its not very responsive to my touch (not as smooth as iPhone) not creating a way here just my thoughts. or is there something i can do to make it better.

Well, the touch is indeed not as sensitive as the high-end Androids (Nexus One, Galaxy S, Desire, etc), but this is the mid-range Android and I find it pretty comfortable to use..Takes a little practise its all that it needs

i bought the cradle and the phone from a seller in the LY.net forum. plus delivery all. the shop is in The Mines. nice seller.

on the box, it's printed 'nuvifone A10'. so check the box when u buy. the speaker sound is 'ok la... '

so far so good... but i need to learn more about android tho... very blur2...

Wah..lanujang,u got it finally eh? trust me,the speaker is way louder than N1's speaker indeed, its actually garmin-asus nuvifone a10 it means "navigational phone".

How do you find it? Dont worry, we can guide you around android. Unboxing and rooting guides coming up too

@shahz , still practicing

It will take little practise bro..Don't worry

when the price will drop ??

A50 is in Aus starting last month.

Price drop..This will at least take about 3 - 4 months..Even that, the price will go to RM999 at its lowest most probably..


Yeah, it will be launched in our country much later..And the price will be higher too..

Running Donut?
So, this Donut machine is replacing an Eclair machine. Or are both phones being targeted to different market segments?



Source
(that's an AU source from last month)

Here's a gsmarena comparison between the phones:-
http://www.gsmarena.com/compare.php3?idPho...9&idPhone2=3295

I really dont get how A50 is replacing the A10. For one, the A50 was announced much earlier than the A10. Logic dictates that the earlier announced model would normally be replaced by the later one, but what do I know. Sometimes software downgrades do happen for the best (e.g when people were ditching the crappy Windows Vista for the much more stable XP) but replacing Eclair for Donut? Really, ASUS? And according to the specs from GSMArena, the A50 has an inferior camera (3.5MP) compared to the A10 (5MP). Again, this replacement philosophy defies logic. So now, we get less MP in the camera, a downgraded OS and yet we have to pay more? OK, sounds reasonable. BTW, if any of you guys wanna help out a Nigerian friend of mine in transferring obscene amount of money from his war-torn country, just drop me a PM.

What's really the problem behind the A10 that it needed to be replaced with the A50? Lack of raw materials?

The Malaysian version of the A50 will be running Eclair (2.1) The camera is also 5MPx too on the A50..

how much u get the cradle? tq

The cradle's RRP is RM249

i bought together with the phone... RM15000...

15k?

fuh mahal tu...

I hate to say this, but I think you've been ripped-off.

hahaha..yeah man..15k is a definite rip-off

helo guys have a lil request , is it possible to update here as well if there's a case for A10 and also compatible with the cradle ? bet it might take sometime but hope that someone will keep us updated ?

I don't think so there will such a case. Refer to the images of the dock that I posted on the review page, it mounts the phone from the sides. pretty much no room for a case to fit However, if there will be one that is made, I will surely notify you

@shahz Thanks heaps !!

No worries bro

Hmm .. Not sure if it's me , find it not very responsive , is there a way I can make it easier to type ?

Yeah, get Swype keyboard..Thats the best keyboard out there..Also, have you followed my root and optimization tutorial?

im not sure how a GPS device functioning so would like to ask:
can the GPS works without internet conneciton or without simcard?

Yes..It can..This is not Google Maps..Google Maps would require data transfer..Garmin is pre-installed on your phone

But of course, WITH data plan, the Garmin unlocks endless possibilities since the search can be wider..

Ahh ,am noob here .. But didn't know there's root for this a10 , will I loose my garmin ?

of course you will not..

Can the car charger be used without cradle?
I mean can the phone be charged in car without the car mount set without puchasing the car mount set...Because I already have car handphone holder, and paying more RM200+ for the A10 car cradle set is a manner of wasteful..

Yep..Its the same socket..But the car charger and the dock comes togethers..Unless you buy third party one..In other words, the socket on the dock and the charging socket on the phone are the same

alamak! sori frenz all... due to some unforeskin circumcisions... i wrongly typed laa... it's RM1500 only

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Added on October 26, 2010, 5:37 pmthe A10 cradle is not just another cradle. it has a speaker built into it. it will auto switch ur A10 to navigation mode once u put it in. awesome!!

oops! i am beginning to sound like a garmin salesman...

This post has been edited by Lanujang: Oct 26 2010, 05:37 PM

Anyone knows how to do a Hard Reset on the A10?
Thank you.

Its called "factory default settings"..You can find that in the settings menu

Thanks shahz for your reply.
I know about the default setting in the manu but that just master clear all setting only.
I want to Master or Hard reset to restore to factory setting.

Go to your phone application, and "dial" this number:



Let me know if it works. Works for some Android phones Remember, everything will be lost.

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Added on October 26, 2010, 9:37 pmIf that doesn't work, try this:


This post has been edited by shahz: Oct 26 2010, 09:37 PM

Thanks...but no reaction after keying those digit.

Hmm..One major problem about this A10 is that it doesn't have fastboot..One sec, I'll get a workaround..

Appreciate that...you are the man.

Okay bro, this is how you can reset the A10:

- Switch off the phone.
- Once its off, hold vol up and down, then hold power button (DO NOT RELEASE) until small text at top of screen say 'wipe user data'
- When you release it, the phone will reset to default factory reset.

Can you confirm this? I remember I tried this before when I just rooted the phone..

Ok,testing now....update you asap.

K..let me know

Ok, your method works but somehow it works the same as Master Clear function which is found in the setting manu.

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Added on October 26, 2010, 9:54 pmThe reason I ask for Master Reset is because I have problem updateing the latest software upgrade from GarminAsus. I follow the instruction but the phone just don't update. Have you updated yours?

This post has been edited by multi888: Oct 26 2010, 09:54 PM

Hmm..what else did not get cleared? Also, have you rooted your phone already?

Yes, I have rooted before but I un root it to update but can't work.

K..I'll get you an answer in a day or two..Contacting the ASUS boys now

Thank you very much....

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Added on October 27, 2010, 1:20 pmHi bro shahz,

Have you updated the latest software from Garminasus website? Can you update when the phone is rooted?

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Added on October 27, 2010, 4:24 pmHi bro shahz, any news form the Asus boys?

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Added on November 1, 2010, 11:27 ambro shahz, any news?

This post has been edited by multi888: Nov 1 2010, 11:27 AM

http://www.digi.com.my/internet/smartplan/garminasus.html

Digi added A10 into smart plan!

OMG..! Sorry bro..Forgot to reply..Yep, I did contact them and according to them, the method that we are using is the only way to factory reset the phone. The SD card will not be formatted (never does on factory reset anyway)..

The method that I'm talking about is the power + vol buttons..

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Added on November 2, 2010, 11:37 amWhow! Its the best time to get the Digi's version of Garmin Asus..They are giving the car kit FREE!!! Trust me, the car kit is AWESOME!

This post has been edited by shahz: Nov 2 2010, 11:37 AM

The reason why I want to hard Reset is that I got problem updating the latest FW upgrade. After downloading and putting the file in SD card, the phone prompt me to update, press Ok and the screen just flicker once and that's it...n more other movement. No indication of upgrading in progress or indication bar...Restart, check FW version at setting, still the same old version. Any suggestions?

I'm sending you a PM for the issue

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Added on November 2, 2010, 3:12 pmMessage sent..let me know if you recieved it..Connection is terrible here at my place

This post has been edited by shahz: Nov 2 2010, 03:12 PM

does the digital compass work when viewing the garmin map?
example: the map in garmin rotate according to your phone positioning...jz like googlemap...

Yep..of course..

YES... digi just added this phone to their smart plan...

a real Garmin experience rather than those XT version...

how long can the battery last?
any1 got camera sample?

So far I am getting 1.5 - 2 days on this phone on normal usage..On heavy usage, it still gives me 1 day at least - of course unless you start playing games

The camera result is better than my Nexus One to be honest..But the video recording is sluggish..

the only problem with this garmin phones are no flashlights.

yeah..

the cradle is FREE somemore !! woohoo!!

when this phone will get android 2.2?
does this phone have graphics processor? the last time i tried fifa on Nexus 1, its very jerky compared to iphone 3gs...any1 tested heavy 3d games on this phone?

this phone is less powerful than the N1..It bears the 600MHz processor compared to 1GHz of N1..You sure the game was laggy on N1? I have played that on mine and have no lags at all It depends on what ROM you are using..

The CPU in the N1 have to make up the different resolution too.. the N1 are > than double the resolution compare to this phone...

N1 GPU are not powerful compare to SGS...

icic...i watched youtube...HTC legend 600mhz is not smooth when play games like ExZeus compared to Motorola Droid 600mhz with gpu...
so i am wondering whether a10 has gpu or not...