Garmin-Asus have announced their split.
"Garmin and ASUS Announce New Mobile Handset Strategies
Posted October 26, 2010 | 12:30 AM in Automotive/Mobile , Corporate | Permalink
Schaffhausen, Switzerland and Taipei, Taiwan/October 26, 2010/Business Wire — Garmin Ltd. (NASDAQ: GRMN) and ASUSTeK Computer Inc. (TAIEX: 2357) today announced a strategic decision to alter their current co-branded business model for location-centric mobile handsets. The two companies will not introduce any new co-branded handset models going forward, but will continue to sell and support models that have already been introduced to the market. ASUS will design and manufacture new models of ASUS-branded mobile phones, some of which will include preloaded Garmin navigation and Location Based Service (LBS) applications. Garmin will expand its mobile handset application development and plans to offer navigation and other applications through certain consumer application stores.
Since the announcement of the Garmin-Asus strategic alliance in February 2009, the companies have developed and marketed six devices. These products are available through carrier and retail channels in a large number of countries. Customer support continues to be of utmost importance to Garmin and ASUS, and Garmin-Asus smartphone customers will continue to receive product support, software updates and/or downloads from either Garmin or Asus, depending upon the region.
Additional details about ASUS and Garmin’s future product roadmaps will be discussed during their independent third quarter earnings calls on October 28, 2010, and November 3, 2010, respectively."
There. Now you will all be able to have a legal copy of the Garmin software.
Yeah, an extremely expensive gps solution is coming to more android folks. Seriously though Garmin is pretty good but will be worth no where near what they try and charge for it.
http://www.digitimes.com/news/a20101026PD210.html
Looks like that even though they split on offering dual branded phones, Asus still has exclusive rights to Garmin on the Android platform.
The "expansion" that Garmin will be doing is to the iPhone & Blackberry platforms in addition to their long standing Windows Mobile (now Windows Phone) and now reported exclusive Asus Android offerings.
Sucks as I really like the Garmin interface and that's one of the biggest things I miss from my WinMo phone.
Related
New "smart" phones have set the stage for the future of a mobile Internet. But companies like AT&T and Verizon are getting in the way by shackling open and innovative devices to closed networks. The FCC and Congress must step in to protect consumers and foster innovation. We demand:
1. The freedom to choose any phone on any network.
2. The freedom to choose among many carriers in a competitive, low-cost marketplace.
3. The freedom to access any Web content, applications or services we want through our phones.
There is a legitimate, well organized, movement underway to force the USA wireless carriers to open their networks, and stop crippling phones. it is being run by the same folks fighting for net neutrality. Please show your support and spread the word.
Read the page:
http://www.freepress.net/freemyphone
Sign the petition (and email Congress and the FCC):
https://secure.freepress.net/site/Advocacy?cmd=display&page=UserAction&id=333
Follow it on facebook:
http://www.facebook.com/pages/FreeMyPhone/89600309468
Follow it on Twitter:
http://twitter.com/freemyphone
Follow it with the RSS feed:
http://www.freepress.net/taxonomy/term/5718/feed
Interesting but it won't work because 1 rich man is equal to 100,000 consumers. It's hard to tackle these companies.
Be informed that when a wireless company "shackles" a device to their own network, they are selling it to the customer at a very reduced price!!
In case they didn't, everybody will have to buy phones at the higher cost (as it is now when buying unlocked devices).
buy a phone unsubsidized and you can go on whichever carrier you wish?
So HTC use to spend about $2 Million on it's marketing. It has hired a new agency and is investing $50 Million in a new market campaign. Not sure if this has been posted already and sorry if it has.
I can't think of the name of the company it hired right now but it is the same one that was in charge of Helio marketing. Hopefully they have some fresh ideas and not recycle Helio crap.
Smartphone Maker HTC Picks Deutsch as First Consumer Agency
Execs Say Marketer Planning $50 Million Ad Push in Fourth Quarter, Big Brand Campaign in the Works
Posted by Rupal Parekh on 08.20.09 @ 02:59 PM
NEW YORK (AdAge.com) -- HTC, the maker of smartphones such as T-Mobile's Google-branded G1, has hired Deutsch, Los Angeles, to help market its own branded handsets.
HTC is the maker of T-Mobile's Google-branded G1 smartphone.
The West Coast office of Interpublic Group of Cos.' Deutsch will handle creative and media duties for the fast-growing marketer. The shop won the account after a final round of pitching against Publicis Groupe's Fallon, Omnicom Group's Tribal DDB and independent David & Goliath, executives said.
Said Fallon CEO Chris Foster: "HTC will be an important brand in the very near future. It was an honor to be considered." Other agencies either declined to comment or couldn't be immediately reached.
"Deutsch really captured the essence of the HTC brand. Their demonstrated success and expertise in the wireless category and retail is the perfect fit for us," said Steve Seto, executive director of marketing for HTC North America.
HTC is based in Taiwan and in the U.S. operates out of Bellevue, Wash. The company has been around for more than a decade but has, until recent years, been a behind-the-scenes player helping to develop and design smartphones for other brands.
More Android phones on the way
This month, T-Mobile launched myTouch, HTC's second phone in the U.S powered by the open-source and Google-supported Android platform. Though Apple and Blackberry command an outsized share of the U.S. smartphone market, industry watchers say about half a dozen Android phones will hit stateside this year.
HTC has also partnered with Microsoft on Windows Mobile-based handsets such as the Touch Diamond2, a touch-sensitive device designed to rival the iPhone.
In addition to T-Mobile, HTC works with a range of carriers, including AT&T, Qwest, Sprint, Verizon, Alltel Wireless and U.S. Cellular.
While HTC hasn't had a consumer advertising agency in the U.S., it does work with Waggener Edstrom, the PR shop that also counts Microsoft as a client. HTC's decision to engage an ad agency comes after the company launched its own consumer brand about 18 months ago, and it is quickly ramping up the release of HTC-branded products around the world.
In the past couple of years, the marketer has spent only $2 million or so in domestic measured media, according to TNS Media Intelligence, but executives close to the pitch note that HTC is planning to spend some $50 million on advertising in the fourth quarter alone, with a major brand push likely late this year or early 2010.
The win is a boost for Deutsch, which was hard-hit by troubles with its General Motors account and parted ways with T.G.I. Friday's earlier this year. Deutsch has some experience in the handset sector, via its work for wireless startup Helio.
I found this at servalproject
Serval is changing the face of telecommunications forever
Communications should not just be for the geographically and financially fortunate — communication should be freely available to everyone.
It shouldn’t matter whether you live in a city or in the bush.
It shouldn’t matter whether it is economical for a cellular carrier to provide service to your community.
It shouldn’t matter whether you can afford cellular rates, or have credit on your phone.
Nothing should prevent you from communicating with those near and dear to you.
We also believe that people should be able to continue to communicate when they need it most.
In the face of earthquake, wild fire or cyclone, communications systems should keep working as well as they can, with whatever infrastructure remains available.
Serval is revolutionary, free, open-source software under development for mobile telephones, letting them communicate even in the absence of phone towers and other supporting infrastructure.
The initial public release of the software is scheduled for late 2012.
Sony Mobile Communications has decided to launch ODM models of Windows Phone 8-based smartphones, while concentrating its R&D efforts on Android and Firefox models, according to industry sources.
Through the cooperation deal, Sony Mobile aims to sell its WP8 phone to telecom operators in the US, while Microsoft aims to tap the Japan market in order to expand the global share of WP8 phones, said the sources.
Sony Mobile and Taiwan-based ODM Compal Communications have nailed down orders for 1-2 models, with an additional 2-3 models still under discussion, noted the sources, adding that order volumes for the initial 1-2 models will reach only tens of thousands of units each.
Global sales of WP8 phones are expected to top 50 million units in 2014, accounting for 4% of total global smartphone sales in the year, the sources estimated.
Nokia will account for 90% of WP8 phone shipments in 2014, and other vendors including Sony Mobile, HTC, Samsung Electronics and Huawei will share the remaining 10%, added the sources.
Source:
http://www.digitimes.com/news/a20140106PD210.html
Sent from my GT-N8000 using Tapatalk
This is a shout out to the Canadian android developer community! I would like to organize a Canadian chapter for droidcon in either Toronto, Montreal
The idea behind the droidcon conferences is to support the Android platform and create a global network for developers and companies. Part of the venue includes offer high-class talks from different parts of the ecosystem, including core development, embedded solutions, augmented reality, business solutions and games.
So far droidcons have been held in Amsterdam, Bangalore, Berlin, Brussels, Bucharest, London, Madrid, Moscow, Murcia, Paris, Stockholm, Tel Aviv, Tunis and Turin, but more locations are popping up all the time, including NYC in two weeks.
get in touch with me to join the project!