Asustek confirmed Monday that the Garmin-ASUS joint venture it entered into with GPS giant Garmin two years ago will end early next year. The confirmation comes following last week’s report that the unsuccessful venture would come to an end when the companies’ deal expires in January 2011. With the popularity of navigation apps for smartphones exploding over the past few years, the joint venture seemingly started as an experiment that posed a single question: are consumers interested in a product that is a personal navigation device first and a smartphone second? The answer, at least in this case, is no. Further details on the split will be provided Tuesday, though initial reports suggest that the two companies will continue to work together in some capacity after their current deal terminates.

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It was all but written in the stars, and now it is also written in the Chinese paper Economic Daily — Garmin will soon be un-ASUS’d and ASUS is losing its Garmin. The two companies will reportedly not be renewing a two-year contract that birthed such mediocre smartphones as the Nuvifone M20 and T-Mobile’s Garminfone. Truth be told, each of the aforementioned handsets provided a navigation experience that was well above average when it comes to phones, but a great integrated nav experience seemingly isn’t enough to seal the deal with smartphone-seeking end users. The joint venture that started with a bunch of question marks and exclamation points nearly two years ago will end with an ellipsis, however, as the two companies will apparently continue working together in some capacity; Garmin will provide navigation software for future ASUS-branded handsets. We would love to say something like, “It was fun while it lasted,” but we imagine the entire ordeal was pretty stressful for everyone involved.

[Via Engadget]

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There is one trend in the mobile market we would like to see more of: dual-core tablets. Israeli newspaper Ynet is reporting that Asus is due to release a 8.9-inch touchscreen tablet known as the EP90. The EP90 will have a 1024 x 600 pixel resolution (same as the Galaxy Tab), weigh in at 650 grams (30 grams lighter than the Wi-Fi iPad), have a dual-core 1 GHz Tegra processor, and come in a 16 GB and 32 GB model. The translation of the article is a little dicey, but we do see mention of an HDMI-out port, Bluetooth 2.1, GPS, 0.3 megapixel front-facing camera, and a 4-6 hour battery life. The article does not mention what operating system the tablet will run — according to PC World, Asus’ 8-inch tablet offerings can run either Android or Windows Embedded — but the publication’s suggestion that the E90 will be able to “run Microsoft’s Office suite” makes Windows Embedded 7 the prime candidate. Release date and price-point were not mentioned in the article, although Ynet suggests that the E90 will be targeting enterprise customers.

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Not a heck of a lot to report on here, but a picture is worth a thousand words no? This picture of an ASUS device running Windows Phone 7 appeared on Twitter earlier today. The device has the mandated Back, Windows, and Search keys and looks to have a front facing camera in the upper right hand corner (it could be some sort of proximity sensor, it is hard to tell). Let us know if you notice anything else worthwhile in the comments!

[Via PocketNow]

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T-Mobile has cut the price of the Garminfone by $70, lowering the handset to $129.99 with a two year agreement. This price cut comes hot on the heels of a series of contradictory rumors regarding the demand for the GPS-centric device. Earlier this week, analyst Yair Reiner calculated that T-Mobile has sold a paltry 20,000 Garminfones since the phone launched in June. Asustek refuted that number with a claim that the handset was shipping as expected and consumer demand was positive. Until actual sales figures are released, we will be left to speculate whether this price drop is part of a natural cycle of retail markdowns or the early signs of an impending fire sale.

Thanks to all who sent this in!

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Anyone looking for a device that’s as much a sat-nav superstar as it is a capable smartphone might want to mosey on over to T-Mobile, as the Garmin-ASUS Garminfone is now available. Running Android 1.6 with a 3 megapixel camera and AWS 3G, the Garminfone really comes into its own with its GPS capabilities which include just about everything you’d get in a top of the dedicated GPS unit for your car. A 2-year stint with T-Mobile will let you get the Garminfone for $199.99 after a $50 MIR, but if contracts aren’t your scene, you can grab the handset outright with Even More Plus for $449.99, or break that up into 20 monthly payments of $22.50.

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Computex 2010 started off with a bang as ASUS unveiled the two newest products in its Eee product line, the Eee Pad and Eee Tablet. Being two dissimilar devices with different markets in mind, let’s start off with the consumer-friendly Eee Pad which just so happens to come in two flavors. The first and no doubt most appealing will be the EP121. Featuring a 12″ touch screen display, webcam and USB port, the EP121 is powered by a CULV Intel Core 2 Duo processor, runs Windows 7 Home Premium, and said to have a battery that can withstand up to 10 hours of continual use. When it comes to market, EP121 owners will have the option of picking up what is billed as “innovative hybrid keyboard/docking station”. More portable than the EP121 is the EP101TC. Exactly what it brings to the table is unclear for now, but we do know it has a 10″ display, webcam, USB port and comes pre-loaded with Windows Embedded Compact 7. The two Eee Pads are said to range in price from around $399 to $499 and are tentatively due for release in Q1 2011. Moving on we have the Eee Tablet. It’s probably not as fancy of a device as you might have predicted, but it’s definitely a notetaker’s dream thanks to its stylus-dependant 2450 dpi resistive touchscreen display (which obviously makes no sense, but according to ASUS means the screen is really striking and “gives the user the feel of writing on paper”). The Tablet’s 2 megapixel camera is said to be useful for taking pictures of whiteboards and lecture notes, while the OS’s support for tagging allows for quick retrieval of information while super speedy 0.1 second page load times make navigation a dream. Wi-Fi, a USB port, support for microSD cards and a battery life rated at 10 hours round out the rest of the known specs. The Eee Tablet should be available come September in the neighborhood of $199 to $299. You know where to click for the press releases.

Stay Connected and Multitask with the Eee Pad

Engineering excellence meets stunning design in the ASUS Eee Pad, an ultra-slim and light yet high-performance slate device designed to provide users with a real time cloud computing experience. The Eee Pad will be available in two configurations.

The 12″ Eee Pad EP121 is a full-featured slate computer that serves as a multimedia player, e-reader, and compact computing device. Powered by a CULV Intel® Core™ 2 Duo processor and the Windows® 7 Home Premium operating system, it effortlessly handles multitasking tasks whether enabling users to check their email and calendars, have video conferences, or process Microsoft Word and Excel documents simultaneously. The ASUS Eee Pad EP121 offers two convenient modes of character input-an embedded virtual keyboard or an innovative hybrid keyboard/docking station design. All of this power is available in a personal computing device that delivers up to 10 hours of usage.

For users seeking additional mobility, ASUS is proud to present the 10” Eee Pad EP101TC that runs Windows Embedded Compact 7, which provides an engaging user experience and delivers instant connectivity to the Windows world. It also provides a familiar full-featured user experience across various connected devices and cloud computing services.

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Fremont, California (May 31, 2010) – ASUS’ leadership in innovation and design will once again be the focus at Computex 2010 in Taipei, Taiwan. ASUS will proudly showcase a wide range of products across five major categories: cloud computing, gaming, enthusiast-level PC components, multimedia and green computing. As a technological leader in cloud computing, ASUS offers a broad lineup of cloud-connected devices featuring on-the-fly data and multimedia sharing capabilities that consumers crave in today’s market.

The Notepad Goes Digital with the Eee Tablet

Innovation meets cloud computing at Computex 2010 with the ASUS Eee Tablet. With a 2450 dpi touch resolution screen, the Eee Tablet is one of the world’s most accurate and sensitive digital note taking devices, and gives the user the feel of writing on paper. Users can select one of the built-in notepad templates and have the option to store, sort and tag, organize or browse through them. Real time text annotations can also be made on-the-fly. The Eee Tablet makes reading easy, with text file page turns taking just 0.1 seconds-nine times faster than the page turns of normal e-readers. Reading documents or books remains easy on the users’ eyes even after prolonged viewing periods.

The ASUS Eee Tablet features a built-in 2 megapixel camera that captures detailed images, letting the user grab screenshots of lecture slides and write notes on them instantly. It easily syncs up with a PC or notebook via USB or Micro SD to ensure that all notes, content, and calendars are constantly kept up-to-date. With up to 10-hours of battery life, the Eee Tablet has enough power for a variety of tasks. At the end of the day, users not only have an electronic notepad, but a media player and e-reader as well.

This morning, the crazy 16-month ride is over, as the ASUS Eee Keyboard has begun shipping via Amazon. Originally slated to be released in June of 2009, the Eee Keyboard was delayed until August, then October, and then fell off the face of the Earth until pre-orders finally kicked off last month. Running Windows XP, the Eee Keyboard packs an entire computer — complete with an Intel Atom N270 processor at 1.6 GHz, 1GB RAM, 16GB SSD, Wi-Fi b/g/n, HDMI out, built-in 5″ WVGA multitouch display and a battery rated for 4 hours — into the pretty tiny frame of a keyboard. Want in? That’ll be $599.

Thanks to our tipsters!

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T-Mobile has announced pricing for the Android-GPS-phone hybrid, which we all know as the Garminfone. A quick recap of the GPSmartphone: 3G, Wi-Fi, 3 megapixel camera with autfocus and digital zoom, Bluetooth 2.1, and a Garmin-specific interface. All you Magenta loving, Android preferring, navigationally-challenged, freaks can head on over to T-Mo’s Garminfone splash-page and sign up to be alerted the moment the hardware will hit the streets. The Garminfone will set you back $199 on a two-year contract and is listed as being available in “June.” $199 for an Android device running OS 1.6? Eeeeeesh.

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According to Netbooknews.de, ASUS may be producing a tablet with a Core iX processor under the hood. Expected to contain either a Core i5 or  Core i7 processor, the tablet should ship with Windows 7. Said to have been in development since late last year, it is believed the device may be officially unveiled within the coming weeks. Supposedly different from the now the company’s now confirmed Eee Pad, the Core iX tablet could sport a design similar to the WePad shown above. The rumored price? $750. 

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And the tablets keep on coming. In addition to Dell, HP, and a plethora of smaller manufacturers, ASUS confirmed it too will be  jumping on the tablet bandwagon. Not surprisingly, the tablet will be known as the Eee Pad and will be powered by Android. Key features of the Eee Pad include a webcam, Adobe Flash support and USB connectivity. Hoping to sell 350,000 units by the end of 2010, ASUS expects the Eee Pad will cannibalize sales of its popular Eee PC netbook line by approximately 10-20%. Look for the Eee Pad to get official this June at Computex 2010 retail for NT$15,000-16,000 (US$479-510) when it launches in Q3 of 2010. Any tablet freaks turned off by the mass-consumerism of the iPad interested in this Android offering?

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It has been a fun ride watching Asus’ EEE keyboard move from official debut at CES 2009 to rumored launch #1,  rumored launch #2, and finally rumored launch #3, the point at which we stopped following the pseduo-launches of this vaporware innovative product. When it seems the sleek and sexy accessory was finally disappearing into the proverbial sunset, the EEE keyboard rises again and hits the rumor mill with yet another rumored launch date, an official product page at Amazon, and a wallet-busting pre-order price tag of $599. Though the official Amazon product page does not specify a shipping date, a hands-on video courtesy of Netbook News suggests the netbook-equipped Asus EEE Keyboard may start shipping as soon as April 23rd. Anyone willing to gamble six Benjamins on an EEE Keyboard that may arrive on your doorstep as early as next week?

[Via netbooked]

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Any smartphone worth a darn has GPS capabilities, but some are more adept at finding their way than others. After getting a reputation for a company that takes it sweet-ass time launching a handset, Garmin-ASUS today announced two new handsets in the nüvifone A50 and nüvifone M10. First up is the A50. An Android device with a 3.5″ HVGA touchscreen display, 3 megapixel camera, HSDPA connectivity, 4GB of internal memory and accelerometer, the A50 is said to be one heck of a pathfinder thanks in part to its e-compass and GPS chipset that draws location signals from satellites as well as network and terrestrial sources. Add in not apps like Google Maps and cityXplorer but Garmin’s very own pre-loaded turn-by-turn navigation software and one no longer has any excuses for getting lost while driving to the in-laws new country cottage. Moving on we have the M10. Running Windows Mobile 6.5.3, it isn’t as spec’d out as the A50 GPS wise, but it still can take on any other smartphone and even many dedicated GPS units with one hand tied behind its back. Physical characteristics include a 3.5″ WVGA display (resistive), Wi-Fi and HSDPA radios, 512MB of RAM and ROM and 4GB of in-built memory. Consumers and procrastinators should note each handset features support for just about every location-based and social media service under the sun, while corporate types will be pleased to note that Microsoft Exchange is fully by both phones. And yes, the A50 does have a multi-touch WebKit browser. Barring any unexpected delays, both devices will go on sale by the end of Q2.

Read [nüvifone A50] Read [nüvifone M10]

The good folks at Best Buy hit us up and since it’s the holiday season and all, BGR is giving away an ASUS Eee PC netbook. That’s right, all you have to do to win is enter below, we’ll randomly select a winner, and the BGR team will ship it right out to you. You can even choose what color you’d like. Here are the exact specifications on the model we’re giving away followed by the giveaway rules:

• ASUS Eee PC 1005HAGB
• 10.1″ WXGA LED backlit screen
• 1.5GHz Intel Atom CPU
• 1GB RAM
• 150GB hard drive
• Webcam
• Wireless b,g,n

All you have to do to enter is simply drop a comment below and that’s it!

• To enter, you must be over the age of 18 and reside in the U.S.
• Leave a comment below letting us know why you think you deserve to win –and we’ll randomly pick a winner — hey, you never know!
• The contest will run for one week.
• The winner will be picked at random.
• Official rules are located here. Good luck!

Here’s a fun but extremely short one for a slow Thursday — ASUS might be on the verge of jumping into the tablet business. According to Digitimes, ASUS is putting the final touches on the Eee Pad, a device that will be blur the traditional lines between PC and MID and feature a touchscreen display between 4 and 7″. And that’s it. Told you it was short.

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