Garmin Mobile XT Aims At GPS Phones

If you have a GPS-capable phone that can handle microSD cards, Garmin Mobile XT wants to meet all your mapping and navigation needs - with no subscription fee.

Leading GPS device maker Garmin has no doubt been watching the wave of GPS-enabled phones (and associated mobile navigation offerings from service providers) and started wondering how it can tap into that market. Today, the company announced Garmin Mobile XT, a standalone software-only solution which converts GPS-capable phones with microSD storage capabilities into complete mapping and navigation tools for North America and Europe. Unlike mapping solutions which rely on data downloaded from the Internet or mobile networks, Garmin Mobile XT combines pre-loaded maps with dynamic content and access to premium services like real-time traffic alerts. And, perhaps best of all, there’s no subscription fee.

“Garmin Mobile XT is easy-to-use and affordable, with no monthly charges,” said Garmin’s director of mobile and PND marketing Charles Morse, in a statement. “It’s a one-time investment that gives customers full-featured GPS navigation on their smartphone whenever and wherever they need it, including areas outside of wireless network coverage.”

Garmin Mobile XT comes preloaded on a microSD card, and included Garmin navigation software for either Europe or the the U.S., Canada, and Puerto Rico. Users just insert the card into a compatible GPS phone, and the application launches automatically. Users can easily plan a route to a specific address or tap into a millions-deep point-of-interest database. If users miss a turn along their route, a new path will be recalculated automatically. Users can save frequently-used routes, program specific things to avoid (like, say, a major interstate which is always tied up), and even tap into addresses in some phones’ contact databases. Garmin Mobile XT will also enable users to send their current position to any other phone, as well as navigate to the position of other Garmin Mobile XT users.

Garmin Mobile XT comes with free access to Garmin Online so users can get updated mapping information, along with details like fuel and hotel prices, real-time traffic information, and weather details. Map data is provided by Navteq—which is now the subject of an $8.1 billion acquisition by Finland’s Nokia.

Garmin Mobile XT is available now for $99, although Garmin does not seem to have posted a list of compatible GPS-enabled phones.