Little ditty, about TomTom and Garmin
Like it or not, devices are converging. With phones like the Motorola MotoZine ZN5, we are finally seeing a promising convergence of point-and-shoot cameras with mobile phones. Phones like the Nokia N95, BlackBerry, and HTC Touch are some of the first convergent phones capable of many things like GPS, Email, and Web browsing. However, the Apple iPhone has done it most elegantly, and has by far the best Web browsing and email user experience. The only big thing that it lacks is a good integrated camera.
GPS and Point-and-Shoot cameras will be the first two devices integrated into phones. It is really kind of silly that most of us are still carrying around two devices (our phone and our pocket-sized camera). GPS is another logical convergence, though this is not as necessary because GPS devices typically stay inside vehicles. But, GPS could come in very handy for hikers and urban hikers.
All eyes are on TomTom and Garmin as they both prepare for the inevitable convergence of their industry with mobile phones. TomTom seems to believe that their power is in their software, and they are planning an iPhone release of their mapping software. Garmin, however, is taking a different route with their nuvifone. The phone is the best attempt to compete with the iPhone that I have seen. It’s a risky step for Garmin, but the phone looks very promising. Here’s a video of a tour of the phone’s interface:
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