According to a Tuesday announcement by AT&T, the Garmin Nuvifone G60 will become available in the US October 4 onwards, exclusively at AT&T stores and online, for $299 with a two-year contract and $100 mail-in rebate. For an additional $5.99 per month charge, users can have access to premium content like traffic updates, weather, movie times, and fuel prices.

The much-delayed GPS unit/wireless device hybrid Nuvifone, from the Olathe, Kansas-headquartered Garmin Ltd, includes turn-by-turn navigation features that are a part of the company's high
-end Global Positioning System (GPS)-powered navigation devices.

Already selling in some of the Asian markets, the Nuvifone is a touch-screen device, featuring the standard features of smartphones, including Wi-Fi; Web browser; 3-megapixel digital camera with auto-focus capabilities; and Bluetooth.

Boasting integrated location-based services into several aspects of the proprietary Linux-based operating system, the Garmin smartphone also includes audible voice prompts for directions, along with countless points of interest like restaurants, hotels, and gas stations. The handset can be mounted to the windshield just like a regular navigation device.

Talking about the location-centric smartphone, the Garmin President Cliff Pemble said: "The Nuvifone weaves location into nearly every facet of its functionality. It has Garmin's easy-to-use interface, so navigating to a meeting directly from its calendar or contacts pages, or geo-tagging an e-mail or photograph with a location stamp, is intuitive, useful, and fun."