GPS navigator-maker Mio Technology is preparing to release a 3.5G touchscreen smartphone in 2009. Adding to the company's handful of previous GPS-based mobile phones, the unnamed model is double-sided, featuring a numeric keypad and small screen on one side, and the full-sized touchscreen on the other. The Mio phone will run Windows Mobile 6.1 Pro beneath a custom-designed user interface, emphasizing GPS navigation features. Early looks at the phone during January's CES showed a SIM card slot, so expect a tie-in with either AT&T or T-Mobile. Beyond the OS and some external photos, the only spec on the phone available is that it should feature a 3.2-megapixel camera, facing out from the handset's keypad-side. An exact release date hasn't been announced, but Mio's offering should beat Garmin's GPS-themed phone to market early next year.

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