Garmin Mobile 20 GPS Receiver for Smartphone
Garmin Mobile 20 GPS Receiver for Smartphone
Garmin Mobile 20 includes the GPS 20SM, a new mobile phone mount with a built-in, highly sensitive GPS receiver and Bluetooth-enabled speaker and microphone. The Garmin Mobile 20 is also bundled with Garmin Mobile XT navigation software compatible with Nokia, Windows Mobile and Palm Treo smartphones. Garmin Mobile 20 will also be the first Garmin product to use Garmin Online services, which provide real-time traffic, weather information, HotFix server-assisted satellite acquisition, safety cameras, and other location relevant content to your mobile phone. The Garmin Mobile XT software provides the same high-quality mapping features found on other Garmin portable GPS devices. Users can easily navigate to a specific street address or search millions of hotels, restaurants, shopping, and tourist attractions. After selecting a destination, Garmin Mobile XT software automatically calculates the fastest route to the destination, and provides voice-prompted, turn-by-turn directions along the way, all while showing a 3D moving map on the phone’s display. If a driver strays off course, Garmin Mobile XT will automatically calculate the quickest way to get back on track. The GPS 20SM, Garmin’s phone smart mount with built-in highly-sensitive GPS receiver and Bluetooth-enabled hands-free functionality is designed to securely hold a wide variety of popular smartphones of nearly any size. The GPS 20SM mounts to an automobile’s windshield for ideal viewing and hands-free calling while navigating. In addition, users can charge their smartphone using the GPS 20SM and adapters provided for popular phones.Time to smarten up that smartphone of yours by adding powerful GPS navigation and hands-free calling capabilities. The Garmin Mobile 20 is a Bluetooth-enabled wireless GPS navigation system that supports Nokia, Windows Mobile, and Treo smartphones, allowing you to navigate and make calls while you and your smartphone are on the go in your vehicle.
Now you can bring Garmin’s legendary vehicle navigation software together with your smartphone. View larger. |
The Mobile 20 hardware quickly integrates with Nokia, Windows Mobile, and Treo smartphones. |
Simply mount the Mobile 20, and your smartphone, on your windshield, just as you would with a dedicated vehicle GPS device. View larger. |
The Mobile 20 consists of an integrated phone mount, called the GPS 20SM, that accommodates nearly any size phone. The mount features a built-in, highly sensitive GPS receiver with the powerful SiRF Star chipset for fast acquisition times and accuracy, even when you’re traveling under heavy foliage and near city skyscrapers. Meanwhile, the included mapping software provides wireless mapping and navigation to deliver you directly to your destination. A Bluetooth wireless interface, powerful speaker, and noise-canceling dual microphones let you drive and talk hands-free without using a headset.
The included navigational software, which ships on a data card, provides the same high-quality navigational features found on other Garmin portable automotive GPS devices. You get detailed, accurate maps of the U.S., Canada, and Puerto Rico. Setup is easy and convenient, too. Just plug the included data card into your smartphone, power up the GPS 20SM and go. The software automatically installs itself, turning your smartphone into a fully loaded, wireless navigation system.
In addition to detailed maps, the software provides automatic routing, a 2D or 3D map perspective, and turn-by-turn directions that make it easy to locate addresses. Or you can search millions of points of interests (POIs)–places like hotels, restaurants, shopping, and tourist attractions–then dial the POI’s phone number automatically for reservations, hours of operation, or other information. And of course, while you’re on a call you can speak hands-free while staying focused on the road. The Mobile 20 also features Short Message Service (SMS) integration, which lets you send your location via text messaging on your phone. You can also easily view received SMS locations on a map or navigate to them.
Another enhancement, Garmin Online, provides free and subscription wireless data services to Garmin Mobile 20 customers with Internet access on their phones. Services include real-time traffic, gas prices, safety cameras, weather information, and other location-relevant content.
A built-in suction cup and phone charger make it a snap to install the GPS 20SM on any windshield and conveniently charge most smartphones. Adapters are included. Simply put, with the Garmin Mobile 20, you have everything you need to start navigating with GPS.
What’s in the Box
GPS 20SM smart mount; power adapters for charging most smartphones; preprogrammed data card with maps of U.S, Canada, and Puerto Rico; and mapping and navigation software for most smartphones.
User Ratings and Reviews
3 Stars got a a garmin 10x instead.
I wanted somthing that will work on my cell phone and pda so i ended up returning this one and got something else. Garmin 10X
3 Stars Reasonably good GPS for your cell phone
I bought this as I was headed to Seattle on vacation and didn’t want to wander all over and try reading street signs and the map while driving. I don’t need GPS much and didn’t want to spend a lot and I liked the idea of a device that I could use with my cell phone.
This unit worked really well and the maps were pretty up to date, although my cousins address was not found it got me close enough that I got there anyway. The drawbacks: I was sometimes slow getting connected to the GPS unit and the satellites; the phone would turn off every 3 minutes if there wasn’t a turn or something like that that refreshed the screen and Garmin’s web site didn’t seem to know about this product so help and accessories, map updates weren’t available or even easily found.
1 Stars horrible gps
This is a horrible product. The concept is great but the execution is horrible. It works great as a bluetooth speakerphone but I bought it as a GPS product for my Treo 700p. It looses satellites pretty often while driving and you should be very lucky to get the signals back. I called Garmin and they asked me to send the unit to them and they send me another one, but the behavior was exactly the same.
4 Stars works with 8525
I’ve only had it a couple of days, but so far it works great. And being able to map addresses from my contacts awesome 
I would have given it 5 stars, but I had to get my own maps (used a torrent, so no $ but lots of time) and I have to turn off my phone plug in the charger and then turn it back on to get it to charge (this may just be a bad cable though and I’m going to get another from garmin or amazon). I loaded the software from Garmin website (mobile XT, support files and free base maps) and then got the maps to load, kind of glad I did it that way too. I have the 2009 maps and I can choose what states I want on my phone, so it isn’t using up all my memory. You can use the POIs, garmin online, and the maps without the gps being connected, it just doesn’t follow your position shows you as being at the last place it was connected. If I had wanted to buy the maps I could have used the 10% off you get from garmin when you register this to buy them.
3 Stars Nice product, terrible customer service
Nice product, especially for the price of $67.00. Now if I were to have paid full price, I wouldn’t be happy. Does everything I needed it to do, but like others have noted, Garmin customer service leaves a lot to be desired. The rep didn’t want to listen to what my problem was, more interested in telling me what he “knew”. Said he would send an email with the update I needed. Email came without updates. I guess it was too much to ask for. Shame on me. I’ll just live with the older maps for now as I dont want to deal with them again.
Filed under: Portable GPS Reviews