Garmin Ltd. and AsusTek Computer Inc. have partnered to design, manufacture and distribute cobranded location-centric smartphones.

Garmin and Asus have already begun development on a mobile phone product line that will be known as the Garmin-Asus nüvifone series. The companies expect to bring several Garmin-Asus nüvifone models to market this year.

The companies will be announcing the first Garmin-Asus nüvifone model at the Mobile World Congress trade show Feb. 16-19 in Barcelona, Spain.

Both companies eye the smartphone marketplace as an emerging opportunity.

The alliance is advantageous to both companies because it allows them to combine their expertise.

Garmin is known for satellite navigation and has sold more than 43 million navigational devices.

Asus is a leader in the IT industry and offers PC components, notebooks, desktops, smartphones, PDAs, broadband communications products, LCD monitors and wireless applications.

Through this alliance, both companies will continue to develop innovations that simplify life for consumers.

The companies believe their technologies should accommodate customers, not the other way around.

All Garmin-Asus nüvifone devices will continue the product vision of the original nüvifone and will be LBS-centric devices that connect, communicate and navigate.

The original Garmin nüvifone that was announced in 2008 will be rebranded as the Garmin-Asus nüvifone G60.

The Garmin-Asus nüvifone G60 is expected to be delivered in the first half of 2009 and additional information about the Garmin-Asus nüvifone G60 will be released at Mobile World Congress.

LBS functionality is core to the Garmin-Asus nüvifone series, which will offer the same turn-by-turn, voice-prompted navigation features found on Garmin portable navigation devices.

The phone will have preloaded maps and millions of points of interest that allow drivers to quickly find a specific street address, establishment's name or search for a destination by category.

In addition, the nüvifone includes quick access to online points of interest through Internet-enabled local search.

The nüvifone also features Ciao, a social networking application that bridges the gap between multiple location based social networks and integrates them into one device.

The Garmin-Asus alliance was disclosed during a press conference in Taiwan on Feb. 4.