Benefon
Twig Discovery

The Twig Discovery was a handset made by Finnish GPS phone pioneer, Benefon. It was a more consumer-centric device compared to earlier Benefon products and was primarily designed for outdoor enthusiasts, professionals, and anyone needing reliable navigation and communication in one device. Benefon was founded in 1988 in Salo, Finland and initially focused on manufacturing mobile phones and later specialised in GPS (Global Positioning System) technology integration. The Benefon Esc!, which was launched in 2001, is widely regarded as one of the first mobile phones with integrated GPS capability. Following some financial difficulties in 2004 and 2005, Benefon secured new funding and launched the Twig brand which went on to offer the Discovery and Discovery Pro smartphones. The Discovery was a fully integrated GPS / GSM device offering full turn-by-turn navigation without the need for a separate GPS module. Maps were provided through a partnership with Navteq. The GPS antenna in the device was provided by Sarantel. At the time there was a lot of suspicion about offering tracking on mobile phones, something that is considered a standard feature now. A newspaper article at the time described the “Finder” feature on the Twig Discover as “either Orwellian or enabling, depending on your mood.” The “Finder” feature made it possible to locate and track anyone in the contacts list on the Twig Discovery who also has one of the phones. If the two phones came within a certain range of each other the location would be shared and it was then possible to navigate towards each other using the built-in map. The quality of mapping was ground-breaking at the time offering 'Street Level' detail and 'Points of Interest'. The phone also featured a ‘Twig Key’. With a single click, the user’s location would be recorded and navigation could be invoked to a pre-determined location, for example, your home address. At the time of launch, Benefon’s CEO, Jonathan Bate said the company was “determined to offer best in class personal navigation". Although it was announced in February 2006, the phone was delayed due to manufacturing problems in China until the third quarter when shipments began. In its financial results for 2006, the company reported that it had sold 25,000 units by the end of the year.