Garmin-Asus Reveal Second Smartphone

The M20 will run Windows Mobile, offer a range of location-based services, and double as an in-car nav system.

The high-profile Nuvifone G60 won’t be the only product of a recent wedding between Asus and Garmin. In advance of the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, both partners have unveiled the M20, a less ambitious handset based on Windows Mobile.

In addition to the usual set of smartphone accoutrements, the M20 will attempt to integrated location-based services (LBS) into other areas of the phone, including calendar, contacts, email, and internet applications. It will also offer the same full in-car navigation functionality as one of Garmin’s Nuvi personal nav devices, with some additional features that take advantage of the combined phone, such as pulling addresses from its contact database.

The colorful line of handsets will get a 2.8-inch screen with full 640 x 480 resolution, 4GB or 8GB of storage, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, and a 3-megapixel camera that will automatically geotag all the shots taken. The M20 will operate on GSM networks and offer 7.2 Mbps HSDPA connectivity.

Pricing and availability for the phone will be announced within the first half of 2009.