A Nifty Little Gizmo
Written: Oct 21 '06
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Complete PDA and GPS in one handheld unit
Cons: Not very intuitive
Long learning curve
The Bottom Line: I'm very pleased with the iQue M5. For the price of a decent Garmin GPS, you also get a sophisticated and useful PDA.
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| librarianmi's Full Review: Garmin iQue M5 Handheld GPS Receiver |
I’m very pleased with my little iQue M5 GPS/PDA. While it’s not perfect, it’s pretty darn amazing. I had actually purchased a Lowrence iWay 350 GPS, but then my husband discovered the iQue on sale at Costco for about $100 more. With the iQue offering so many more features, I returned the Lowrence and purchased the iQue. With my husband and I both having the same machines, we can beam information to each other or send them over Bluetooth.
It has taken many hours of playing around with it to get to learn the device, as it isn’t very intuitive and the manuals, especially for the PDA, are limited. My husband has spent a lot of time learning to use the GPS, and he’s learning its idiosyncrasies as far as planning routes and getting it to avoid routing through construction areas. It’s very sophisticated and the maps are great – better detail than the Lowrence. We purchased a 2 Gig memory card and downloaded the entire map database onto it, and there were still 300 gigs to spare. I had no trouble downloading the maps or the Active Sync software. The basic GPS functions are easy to use once you get the hang of it, the voice directions are clear and concise, and it re-routes quickly if you go off course. You can plan your route in advance without having the GPS activated. This is a good idea, since it can take up to 5 minutes for the unit to locate the satellites, and you can be on your way if you’ve viewed your route before starting out.
I used the GPS on a trip Stratford, Canada, and it was wonderful having the Canadian maps as well as the US maps available. I even used it handheld while walking to my bed-and-breakfast from the theater. Every once in awhile there is a glitch (it said the theater was on the left, which would have taken me into the Avon River!), but it’s generally right on target and I find most of the problems are operator error, such as turning too soon. The “Route to Home” feature is very convenient. Granted, the iQue doesn't always take you on the shortest route, but it will get you where you're going and if you're "directionally challenged" like I am, it becomes indispensable.
The car mounting bracket works fine. It’s popped off occasionally in hot weather, but generally stays put. The bracket would be easy to move to another vehicle. The GPS would work in a cup-holder if you needed to use it in a rental car.
I’ve spent more time learning the PDA portion, which uses Windows Mobile 2003 2nd Edition. The iQue uses Outlook as its interface, so you’ll have to have it installed on your computer. Not having used Outlook before, I installed Outlook on my laptop and spent some time getting familiar with it, which was helpful.
The PDA has so many functions that it’s hard to even describe what this little machine can do. It will organize all of your calendar functions and contacts, checks e-mail, accesses the Internet if you get a Wi-Fi card, recognizes handwriting, has a voice recorder, interfaces with other Bluetooth units, sends alarms, has Word and Excel, even has a couple of good games. I got a separate SD card for music and downloaded a lot of songs, and the sound through headphones is quite acceptable (it has bass boost). It uses Windows Media Player so you can organize all of your playlists. You can download any programs that are available for Windows Mobile 2003, including TV shows and videos. I never thought I’d find much use for a PDA but I’m using it every day. No more little notes on scraps of paper or a separate pocket calendar, address book or even an IPod. Everything is in one handy-dandy little machine. And even though it isn’t that intuitive, once you’ve learned the basic conventions they translate to most of the programs.
We’ve called Garmin Tech Support a few times and, although they are only open during regular business hours, we found American staff who are very knowledgeable about the product. Since a good GPS will run at least $400, this was a great bargain at around $500. We’ve purchased screen protectors and are hoping it won’t wear out too quickly, as I’ve heard Palm Pilots tend to do. I’m really enjoying the iQue.
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
librarianmi
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Reviews written: 1
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