Average Reviews:
(More customer reviews)I've had mine since middle of August. I'll starte with the issues. In that time I've experienced the glitches mentioned elsewhere, but not enough to give up on it. I had 2 hard resets with data loss (static electricity I now realize), many soft resets with no data loss (mostly when syncing), a few times the speaker noise problem (soft reset fixed), and short battery life when power isn't nearby. That's most of the bad, and most of this is fixed with v2 of the software now available on Garmins downloads site.
Since the sw upgrade to v2, no hard or soft resets, no lost communications on syncs anymore. I've loaded many new applets and none of them have given me any problems. Be SURE not to use any that aren't specific for OS5!
What's great?
- the screen is better than anything i've seen, more bright, more resolution, and is worth the tradeoff in battery life
- the speed, fast processor to speed autorouting makes it fast for everything else, too
- the integration with contacts and calendar for waypoints is very useful, really leverages the PDA/GPS into much more than the sum of its parts, more than what other (separate) packages can
- so far it's robust, i've dropped it and still works fine
- maps are very good. i took it to europe for 3 weeks of driving, including in italy (even rome), and it was painless with this device. it has every road in the country, like where i live. the system in my brother's car that cost $2K has no roads off the freesay where i live - useless. it is truly FREEING to drive along and see all the possible roads you can take around you, updating in real time, if you're like me and like to explore. truly great.
I could go on for a month, I love it that much. So I'll switch to how to overcome it's shortcomings:
- get the car kit, period
- get a 256 MB SD card, i paid under a hundred, with that, i can put most of california, for most of a US region or to have room for MP3's, get a 512 card.
- if you're not using it, cradle it. if you're in the car, put it on the car kit cradle whether using GPS or not. with these habits, i never have problems with battery life. and it charges very quickly, too. the v2 sw puts the default brightness at 50%, which is enough 90% of the time. i use about 30% when inside, and it's still brighter than many other and completely usable. don't enable waas, no satallites anyway and 20 feet is close enough for me, and helps battery. turn off IR receiver. set auto off to 30sec. it's instant on anyway. with these changes, battery life isn't an issue for me.
- i got the small sync cable with the travel kit, but the aftermarket sync cables will also charge from the USB so might be better, check it out, targus and belkin, among others.
- get a protective case. i got one for a toshiba pocketpc that's leather with belt clip. fits perfectly, and now i don't worry about dropping it
- the antenna works best when the FLAT top face is toward the sky, NOT when it's end is pointed at the sky. used this way, it locks under a minute even when moving for me, and never loses when moving after lock unless i'm in a sea of 3+ story buildings.
- i got the external antenna, and now i can take it off the car plate to use it and it still keeps the satellites, this is a nice to have but is not very expensive
- people have said the maps are worth $100. in reality the autorouting map sets are $300. i know, i bought it for Europe, but i DO NOT REGRET IT.
- sometimes it fails to find things that are in the database, but this is rare. r2 sw may have helped but haven't tested yet. there are a few map bugaboos, like a small break in the road that i routes you around, but these are rare.
- don't load any apps that don't say OS5 compatible
- use screen protectors - the ones for Sony Clie NX70's fit perfectly (don't get sony brand, too expensive)
- upgrade the OS to v2 immediately
- have patience if you've not used a PDA or Palm before, you will get through it. the downloadable PDF manual is very good. there are dedicated sites like palmgear with lots of useful info on getting along with your PDA, as well as software reviews and downloads.
- they have posted track log and waypoint conduits now, as well a map loader update. Garmin is seriously supporting this device, don't give up on it.
Bottom line is Garmin has realized the market for these is bigger than the combined market for all of their other products. So I do believe they will support the product, and will come out with even better ones in the future. But bottom line is it works great for me, it was a bargain considering what it does, and I wouldn't wait for an upgrade and have to live without it. It's a great GPS, and with the v2 upgrade, a great PDA. it's definitely the most useful device in my life today, moreso than my computer. i'm the kind of person that never gets lost, but i never leave the house w/o my ique now. it's fun, it's useful, and it makes life easier.
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Garmin iQue 3600 PDA/GPS Handheld System with Americas Detailed Street MappingEarly Adopters Pick: August 2003. The first PDA to include integrated GPS technology.
With the power of Palm OS 5 and the dependability of Garmin GPS technology, this super PDA redefines multitasking. Its integrated software not only allows you to look up appointments and contacts, it also locates and routes you to them with voice-guidance commands. Feature highlights include: GPS receiver, MP3 player, voice recorder, infrared communication, and vibrating alarm.
Powerful Organization The iQue 3600 is built around the Palm OS 5 platform and offers standard Palm applications, such as Address Book, Calculator, Date Book, Memo Pad, and To Do List. And there’s enough processing power to search large databases of stored information and to enhance display graphics with easy-to-read fonts and crisp electronic maps. There's also a voice recorder for making memos, quick notes, and messages. With 32 MB of built-in memory and an expansion slot, you can even store your favorite MP3s.
High-Tech IntegrationOne of the key benefits of technology integration on the iQue 3600 is its patent-pending contact-locator feature. Enabled by Garmin's Que technology, this feature connects the Palm Address Book and Date Book to the GPS electronic map to give the user the ability to navigate directly to a specific address within the user’s contact database.
System The Garmin iQue 3600 features the new Motorola DragonBall MXL ARM9 microprocessor, and boasts 32 MB DRAM. This handheld is powered by Palm OS 5, which offers the processing power to take on the most demanding mobile computing tasks, together with advanced multimedia and the wireless connectivity and security that enterprises require. Display The iQue 3600 delivers brilliant images with its 2.16-by-3.24-inch display. It has a 16-bit color display with 320 x 480 pixel resolution. Expansion Expand your iQue 3600 via its Secure Digital slot.
Software The iQue 3600 comes with the following Garmin Que applications: MP3, GPS Clock, Address Lookup, Electronic Mapping, Track Log, Trip Computer, Automatic Route Generation, and Turn-by-Turn Voice Guidance, as well as these Palm OS 5 applications: Address Book, Calculator, Date Book, Expense, Mail, Memo Pad, Palm Reader, and To Do List. In addition, it includes these third-party applications: Astraware Game Pack, Documents to Go, powerOne Personal Calculator, StarCaddy, SplashPhoto, and Vindigo.
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