Garmin GPS - who has the IQue 3600?

Howdy GPS fans!

Somebody must own an IQue by now since they've been shipping for a while. Anybody care to share. Here's what they are: http://www.garmin.com/products/iQue3600/

It is half the price of the 2610 that I've considered ordering, and I still can't decide which way to leap. I haven't found the huge down-side to the Palm-based unit... but then I've never used one, and I HAVE used the StreetPilot III, and really, really like it. But for half the price, and having the unit so much smaller and portable....well, it is a tough decision. Any help?

Thanks much!

Havent own/used one, but heard the battery in GPS mode is rather short, like 2-3 hours, definitely not enough if you are out for a camping trip or in the outdoors, but if you are using it mainly inside a car or something like that, I guess that's not a big problem

I got my iQue 3600 a few weeks ago and I love it. The large 320x480 color screen is very nice and the moving map display with spoken audio guidance is great. I also like the automatic autoroute recalculation, if you stray of the original route. The battery life in GPS mode is probably a couple of hours, but there are a couple of things you can do to help a bit, such as lowering the brightness of the backlight, and using battery saver mode. I also have the auto nav kit which includes an external speaker and a cigarette lighter power/charging plug. So I have no problems with battery life while in the car. I bought it primarily for GPS usage in the car, but have started using the PDA and MP3 player functions as well, a nice bonus.

There's an extensive discussion on the iQue 3600 here.

A number of people are reporting problems on that forum, but I haven't experienced any problems at all. It is a fine device for the purpose I am using it for.

Phil

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epro05 said:
the moving map display with spoken audio guidance is great. I also like the automatic autoroute recalculation, if you stray of the original route. The battery life in GPS mode is probably a couple of hours

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Thanks Phil. I'll take a look at your link in a moment. I've been using a StreetPilot III for three years now (since they came out) and this new unit would replace my SP. Battery life is not an issue. 99% of the time, it will sit on the dash. I do travel though, and this would be far easier to take with me than the bigger, boxy 2610 that has NO interal (battery) option. Two hours is WAY more than enough battery.

One question that I have yet to see answered: How do you enter data? Graffiti and/or tapping on the virtual keyboard? I know that you can select from your address book, but I rarely know where I'm going until I'm in the car. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif

And here is what a new user just wrote about in another GPS forum:

For serious full-time automotive navigation, I would wait for the 2610 or even consider the older SP-III.

The iQue is a great hand-held solution that can fill in, part-time, as an automotive navigation device. For full-time automotive use, however, it falls short. First, the screen is extremely difficult to see in bright sunlight - a place where it would normally be mounted in order for the built-in antenna to see the satellites. Second, the build quality, while about the same as any Palm device, is not nearly as rugged as the heavy-duty gasketed construction of the StreetPilots. Third, right now the iQue is a little buggy. While I am sure that Garmin will improve this over time, mine requires soft resets on a frequent basis. As you must insert a thin device into the tiny hole on the back of the unit to perform the reset, it is not so convenient to do if you are driving on the freeway.

For use in the car, the optional automotive kit is a necessity. It keeps the battery charged and provides additional volume with the included external speaker. I would also recommend the external antenna so that you could mount the unit somewhere out of the direct sun and therefore be able to see in screen in bright daylight.

Don't get me wrong. I really like my iQue. But, as Clint Eastwood would say: "a man has got to know his limitations."

OH, ME ME ME!!!

I got the iQue 2 weeks ago, and so far, it has been working great! The GPS is great for navigation and the big screen is sufficient for everything. Be warned, however, that you cannot take advantage of the extra space unless the software specifically says so. Clie 320x480 is not the same as Garmin's. For more info, you can head over to http://www.palminfocenter.com/ and look at the forums dedicated to the Garmin iQue.

Dan

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logicnerd411 said:
OH, ME ME ME!!!

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Thanks Nerd!

I'm finding more and more that most folks who're buying this have not had experience with the previous StreetPilots, so it is tough to get a feel for the differences. Most new owners are just wowed at the fact that it gives directions and auto re-routes. I'm used to that and just want MORE! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif

I'll read up on your link now....

Darell,
Regarding data entry, you can pop up either the virtual keyboard, or the virtual grafitti 2 screen for data entry. When you're done, you can hide them to make the full screen available.

When you're in your car and want to go somewhere, it is pretty quick to enter the address info for where you want to go, and then route to it. If you don't know the address, but do know the location on the map, you can click on the map and route to that point. If you don't know either, but know the gps coordinates, you can enter them and route to it. If you're somewhere that you want to return to in the future, you can push and hold a button for 2 seconds to create a waypoint (address) for your current location, and in the future, route to it.

I've never used a GPS (nor PDA) in the past. The attributes that were most important for a GPS unit for me were the following:

1. Designed for automobile navigation.
I think the iQue does well in this respect. One of the best features is the ability to download detailed maps to an SD card. I have a 256MB card ($60), but 512MB cards work too, if you want the pay the higher price. You can load lots of detailed maps that way. The SP3 cards from Garmin are very expensive. The 2610 uses Compact Flash which is also very good.

2. Large Color Display with good resolution.
This was very important to me. The iQue screen area is about 14% bigger than the SP3 and 25% bigger than the 2610. I'm not sure what the SP3 and 2610 screen look like with the 305x160 pixel display, but I can say the 320x480 iQue display looks really good. I also like the portrait (vs landscape) display. On the moving map, your current location appears about 1/3 up from the bottom of the screen, so you see can a lot of map ahead of you. And I personally don't have a problem seeing the display in my car. It can be a little difficult if the sun is shining directly on the display, but that is rarely the case for me. Here's a photo of my setup in the car.

iQue Installation

3. Portability/Mobility.
I really like the ability to take the unit with me when I leave the car. The iQue quickly and easily snaps in and out of the cradle that I have mounted in my car. It fits in my shirt pocket or pant's front pocket comfortably. Here's an example. Later this month I plan to attend a large airshow where parking is in very large unmarked fields. It can be hard to find your car. I plan to create a waypoint at my cars parked location, and use my iQue to find it when the show is over. I also like the ability to snap the unit out of the cradle and hand in over to a passenger who could search the "points of interest" database (for service stations for example).

In summary, the iQue met my basic requirements very nicely. And, as I mentioned before, I have the PDA applications and MP3 Player as bonus items which I am starting to use more and more.

Phil