EDsight

In the telecommunications industry, a one-year delay is the launch of a product is a very long time. One must wonder why Garmin is postponing the launch of the nuviphone, which was first announced this January.

Garmin’s first mobile phone was supposed to be available in Q3 this year but the date has slided into Q3 of 2009. Just what is it that’s causing this delay? According to reports, Garmin is customising the product according to telcos’ requirements. But, surely one year is a long time to do so.

Its competitors may launch other products during this time frame and leave very little space for Garmin to play with.

I must say I was excited when I first read about the phone. While others are phone makers adding the GPS feature, Garmin is a GPS specialist moving into the mobile phone arena. Initial rantings on various sites even rate the nuviphone as a potential iPhone killer.

However, whether it can do so will not be known for another year.