The Pharos, Inventec tie-up is similar to a deal recently announced by Garmin and Asustek to develop smartphones that emphasize GPS navigation technology under the Garmin-Asus name.

The three Pharos, Inventec GPS smartphones also make use of Microsoft Live Search, which provides information such as traffic conditions, gas prices, movie times and weather. They all use Microsoft's Windows Mobile 6.1, giving users access to Outlook e-mail, and the ability to use other mobile versions of Microsoft Office, including Excel Mobile, PowerPoint Mobile and Word Mobile.

The most advanced of the three new handsets, the Pharos Traveler 137, boasts a 3.5-inch screen and will be available globally in the first half of this year for US$599.95, the companies said in a news release.

The screen on the device provides high quality 480 x 800 resolution.

Other features include an on-board 3.0-megapixel camera that can also take video, and a second 0.3-megapixel camera for video calls. The handset can work with a variety of wireless technologies, including Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, in addition to cellular technologies such as quad-band GSM (Global System for Mobile Communications) 850/900/1800/1900, EDGE (Enhanced Data Rate for GSM Evolution), GPRS (General Packet Radio Service) and WCDMA (Wideband Code Division Multiple Access), as well as UMTS (Universal Mobile Telecommunications System) at 384-kilobits per second or HSDPA (High Speed Downlink Packet Access) at 7.2-megabits per second and HSUPA (High Speed Uplink Packet Access) at 2-megabits per second.