07-16-2005, 08:00 PM
|
|
Developer & Designer, News Editor Emeritus
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 12,959
|
|
The Garmin iQue M3
"The iQue M3 is a user-friendly automotive GPS navigator in a sleek, lightweight Pocket PC design. The attractively priced iQue M3 features larger, more-intuitive icons that make it easier for consumers to select navigation applications using their index finger, rather than a stylus. No other unit on today�s market combines straightforward in-car navigation with Pocket PC applications like the iQue M3. This powerful time-saving tool is ideal for anyone who wants to simplify their life with one integrated device for their automobile, home, or office."
The iQue M3 (a scaled-down version of the M5) is definitely one slick device. Packed with an Intel PXA271 312MHz processor, 32MB ROM, 64MB RAM, SDIO, IR, USB, GPS, a 3.5" QVGA screen, and Windows Mobile 2003 Second Edition, this US$533 device is expected to be made available in US markets this month. Engadget also has a few hands-on pictures of this device, so be sure to check it out. As nice as this device is, don't expect a Windows Mobile 5.0 upgrade for it anytime soon.
|
| |
|
|
|
07-16-2005, 08:47 PM
|
|
Thinker
Join Date: Jun 2002
Posts: 312
|
|
I don't know, with those specs, I'd be hard pressed to say it was "packed" with anything.
From the bottom area, it looks like a T5.
__________________
PDA Lineage:HS Visor->Visor Prism->Casio EM-500->Casio E-200->HP Jornada 568->Ipaq 1910->IPAQ 4150->IPAQ 2750 with Motorola RAZR V3->Imate K-JAM->Treo 750->HTC Touch Cruise
|
| |
|
|
|
07-16-2005, 09:28 PM
|
|
Mystic
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 1,734
|
|
Rumor: Garmin pulling out the iQue 3600?
Quote:
This week, OfficeMax has put the Garmin iQue 3600 on clearance. Is this a sign that Garmin is pulling out from the Palm OS space or is there a new iQue coming out?
For those not familiar with the iQue 3600, it is the only Palm OS device that integrates a GPS. The GPS automatically turns on when you flip it up and turns off when you flip it down. The iQue 3600 has a 320x480 screen, runs Palm OS 5.2.1, a built in MP3 player, and voice recorder. Since my review of the iQue 3600 when it first came out, having used other navigation apps for the Palm OS, even without 3-D navigation, I can still say that Garmin's the best one, hands down.
Sometime May 2004, Garmin released the cfQue, a compact flash GPS accessory for the Pocket PC. Early this year, Garmin introduced the iQue M5, a Pocket PC version of the iQue 3600. Garmin also released the GPS 10, a bluetooth GPS, bundled with software for the PC and Pocket PC, but surprisingly nothing for the Palm OS. Garmin was recently at the PalmSource Developer Conference, but no major announcements were made.
|
Turns out Garmin was replacing the POS iQue with a WM one.
People have long mistaken the long slow death of Palm with the death of PDA's. WM devices have always gone from strenght to strenght.
Garmin made a mistake by betting on the wrong horse, but they are now trying to correct that. They may be a bit late in the game though, with competition from the likes of Mitac in exactly the same area. They still have a name for ruggedness and reliablity though, so they may just prevail.
Surur
|
| |
|
|
|
07-16-2005, 09:29 PM
|
|
Pontificator
Join Date: Feb 2002
Posts: 1,043
|
|
Maybe if one used it to find one's way to the Antiques Road Show, one might find an expert who could see the value... for a late-2003 device. Seriously, unless you've been hiding in the back woods for the past two years, there is nothing exciting about a device with 32MB ROM and 64MB RAM, not this year anyway. And there are abundant GPS options using external Bluetooth modules or CF cards, so simply integrating it into such a weak (312MHz?!?) device at this point offers nothing superior. Sorry if this sounds grouchy, but frankly I wonder why such an outdated spec device deserves front page mention.
__________________
Gerard Ivan Samija
|
| |
|
|
|
07-16-2005, 09:33 PM
|
|
Mystic
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 1,734
|
|
On the other hand navigation software is quite expensive. Say $100 for the GPS reciever, $150 for the software, $200 for the cheap PDA and $ 100 for the convenience of the intergration.
Not such bad value then, is it?
Surur
|
| |
|
|
|
07-16-2005, 09:47 PM
|
|
Pontificator
Join Date: Feb 2002
Posts: 1,043
|
|
You still have to purchase your GPS-enabled maps, which make a USD$533 device seem a bit of a stretch. Especially considering that an old iPAQ 3970 can do the same job with a $30 sleeve ($80 or so if you want to add battery life) or just use a Bluetooth GPS module without a sleeve. Though they're not quite easy to find, they do crop up on eBay and other sites now and then for very cheap. And there are a few more recent models which would likewise do the job for comparable or less money all-included. I'm not saying this device is valueless, just that there have been weaker machines on the front page this year which Jason and others have pretty much dumped on for being "too little, too late" and such comments. What makes this one so special that it will sell when there is zero chance of a WM5.0 upgrade (not nearly enough ROM to handle it) and so little in other native resources? If PocketPCTechs released a RAM upgrade, well, maybe, but then that adds at least $100 to the cost. The iPAQ 3835 has the same amount of RAM and ROM as this thing fer cryin' out loud, and it's 4 years old!
__________________
Gerard Ivan Samija
|
| |
|
|
|
07-16-2005, 10:42 PM
|
|
Mystic
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 1,734
|
|
I guess its because its Garmin. Its kind of like Toshiba releasing a new PPC.
Surur
|
| |
|
|
|
07-17-2005, 03:55 AM
|
|
Developer & Designer, News Editor Emeritus
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 12,959
|
|
Quote:
|
Originally Posted by Gerard
Maybe if one used it to find one's way to the Antiques Road Show, one might find an expert who could see the value... for a late-2003 device. Seriously, unless you've been hiding in the back woods for the past two years, there is nothing exciting about a device with 32MB ROM and 64MB RAM, not this year anyway. And there are abundant GPS options using external Bluetooth modules or CF cards, so simply integrating it into such a weak (312MHz?!?) device at this point offers nothing superior. Sorry if this sounds grouchy, but frankly I wonder why such an outdated spec device deserves front page mention.
|
I'm with you on that one - sort of. The reason why I mentioned it was slick was because of its form factor.
Specs wise though, I don't know if it's something to toss and turn over. Garmin markets these devices as GPS Pocket PCs, not media powerhouses. For what it's worth, this device does the job and I can still see it grabbing the interest of a number of consumers out there. Sure, you could get a fast Pocket PC like the X50v, hx4700 or LOOX 720, and couple it with a BT GPS or CF GPS module, but can all users be bothered doing that? Maybe, maybe not.
Quote:
|
Originally Posted by Gerard
"too little, too late" and such comments
|
I've made that comment before. :lol: With the BenQ P50. Why? Being a Pocket PC Phone Edition, I can already name about 5-6 competitors which do a better job. Secondly, this device wow-ed audiences a year or two ago when it was first announced, and right now, we're still waiting for an official release (aside from Asian markets, of course).
You could argue that there are a couple of GPS Pocket PCs better than the M3, but now we're looking at a market dedicated to GPS-equipped Pocket PCs. There aren't that many out there that are miles ahead of the M3 (or the M5 for that matter). Even Asus' recent offering at Computex wasn't bursting the specs bubble.
Quote:
|
Originally Posted by Surur
I guess its because its Garmin. Its kind of like Toshiba releasing a new PPC.
|
This has nothing to do with the Garmin brand name. It's just a simple market analysis.
|
| |
|
|
|
07-17-2005, 05:18 AM
|
|
Philosopher
Join Date: Jun 2002
Posts: 498
|
|
For this price, people can get a hp H6500, which at least provide a phone and keyboard free. :lol:
|
| |
|
|
|
07-17-2005, 07:20 AM
|
|
Pontificator
Join Date: Feb 2002
Posts: 1,043
|
|
I suppose it's a perspective thing. From mine, GPS is pretty close to irrelevant toy technology. For professional surveyors/engineers, military folks, fishermen and other travellers at sea, and many other specialists GPS is important, but these sorts of folks would be foolish to entrust their lives and/or jobs with a PPC. Too great a likelihood of glitches in software or lockups forcing resets, as most PPC users can attest. Dedicated and vastly more durable devices are preferred where great importance is placed on accurate navigation/positioning. Then there's the sad battery life, compared to standalone GPS devices which can run days on a charge or use common alkaline batteries. Weather resistance is often a factor, considering the way it rains in many regions.
So a GPS-focused PPC costing several times as much as comparably featured (in terms of navigation) dedicated devices ought to boast something special to justify the cost. In this case there is nothing special. It's weak, slow, and bound to disappoint many compared alongside either a modern PPC or a decent GPS. Seems a watered down blend of both. A tool for travelling salesmen at best.
But the look? Sure, it looks slick.
__________________
Gerard Ivan Samija
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
Linear Mode
