Garmin iQue 3600 Review

Have you been looking for a fully integrated in-car Satellite Navigation product which is easily moveable betwen cars ? Have you seen Garmin's flagship Street Pilot but find it too bulky for your needs ? If so, then take a look at the Garmin iQue 3600.

This effectively is a Street Pilot in a PDA! What's more, it acts like a PDA, so you have all the things you would expect from a Personal Digital Assistant, like a Calendar, Clock, Contacts, Scheduler, Games etc.

Garmin have pulled out all the stops on the iQue, it's not only a Street Pilot in a PDA case, and comes with PDA applications, but it's the first integrated GPS antenna. The iQue has a full, bright colour screen and comes built with a Palm OS.

Garmin have recently one the innovations award for the iQue in 2003 as the Best Innovative Product of 2003.

Technical Specifications
The iQue comes rich with features, firstly it has a powerful 200 MHz Motorola DragonBall MXL ARM 9 processor powering the Palm OS 5 operating system, it has an SD (Secure Digital) Storage slot for storing large maps, built-in 32mb Ram, a new ARM processor that enhances battery life and a large display screen at 2.16" x 3.24" (320 x 480 pixels - High Resolution). The iQue is the world's first completely integrated GPS and PDA system with a built-in GPS antenna.

The iQue also sports :-

  • An MP3 player
  • GPS Clock
  • Address Lookup
  • Electronic Mapping
  • Track Log
  • Trip Computer
  • Automatic Route Generation
  • Turn-by-Turn Voice Guidance

Box Contents
What you will find as soon as you open the box is:-

  • iQue 3600
  • Protective soft cover for the iQue
  • Metal Stylus
  • USB Recharging Hotsync cradle
  • A/C power/charging adapter
  • Quick Start Guide
  • Installation/Application CD Rom with manual
  • European City Select CD with full unlock certificate for Western Europe

GPS Performance
The iQue 3600 comes built-in with WAAS capability which will give you a position of accuracy within 3 metres, and also it supports a 12 all-in-view GPS Receiver which supports multi-angles for optimum satellite reception. The acquisition times are:-

  • Warm (approx 15 seconds)
  • Cold (approx 45 seconds)
  • AutoLocate (approx 5 minutes)

This means that you won't be hanging around waiting for a Satellite Fix before you start your journey!

Battery Performance
The iQue 3600 comes with a Lithium-Ion battery that has approx 2 weeks standby time or approx 10 days if used an average of 30 minutes per day with the backlight off. Battery life will vary depending upon operating temperature and individual use patterns.

Map Coverage
The iQue 3600 comes with Garmin's City Select European version 5 CD which is fully unlocked for the whole of Western Europe. You can see below the coverage of Western European Countries.

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System Requirements
The iQue 3600 is not compatible with Macintosh computers. To install and operate Palm Desktop software on your computer, the computer system must meet the following requirements:

  • IBM-compatible 486 computer or higher (Not Macintosh compatible)
  • 8 MB RAM (memory) minimum, 16 MB recommended (required with Windows NT 4.0)
  • 20 MB available hard disk space
  • Microsoft® Windows® 98/2000/ME
  • VGA monitor or better (the iQue Quick Tour requires a 256 color video display; MapInstall requires a minimum 800 x 600 resolution screen)
  • CD-ROM drive
  • Mouse or other pointing device
  • One available serial or USB port

Screenshots

The iQue 3600 comes with a vibrant colour screen, the map detail level can be changed on request by zooming in or zooming out, and you can switch to directions.

Accessories

Are you looking for accessories to use with the Garmin iQue 3600 ? If so, why not click on some of the images below to be taken to the product page for these items. Or if you would like to see a broader range of accessories, click here.

   
   

Conclusion

The Garmin iQue 3600 is the world's first integrated GPS and PDA, and works very well. For optimum performance you will want to purchase the Auto Navigation Kit and if you are looking to purchase a storage card as well, why not purchase the iQue bundle which includes a 256mb Storage Card and Auto Navigation Kit.