Reviews
Garmin
iQue M5
A premier Pocket PC with built-in GPS, mounting hardware, and
an integrated software suite
The
Garmin iQue M5 is a handy Pocket PC with built-in GPS receiver
and Garmin's suite of mapping software. It also comes with a desktop
application to select and load maps into the device. All the mapping
software is in ROM so that of the device's 64MB, over 50MB are
free for programs and storage. In addition, there is 16MB of safe
storage and a SD Card slot.
This
being a GPS device in Pocket PC clothing, software installation
is important. You start with the Companion CD for iQue, from which
you must install MapSource. This requires two additional data
CDs. Once done, the data must be unlocked via a 25-digit unlock
code. The unit must then be registered online with Garmin, which
requires another 7-digit registration code. You can then start
up the MapSource application and select the maps you want to download
to the iQue. I selected all of California÷a total of 88 maps adding
up to 110MB. MapSource allows you to transfer the maps directly
to the iQue's main memory or onto a SD storage card. Despite the
USB connection, download isn't fast. It took almost 20 minutes
to get all of California onto the SD card in my iQue.
Even
though the iQue is a more or less standard Pocket PC, Garmin has
done a nice job merging hardware and software. The rightmost of
the four Pocket PC hardware buttons cycles through the iQue's
integrated mapping applications: QueMap, QueTurns (turn by turn
listing), QueTrip (statistics), QueFind (Favorites and points
of interest), QueRoutes (route planning), and back to QueMap.
In QueTurns you can click on each step to summon a close-up of
the map for that particular turn.
There
is also QuePreferences where you can select language, GPS mode
(normal, WAAS enabled, battery saver), the way the maps work,
day or night color scheme, north up or track up, and route calculation
settings. The default for route calculations is for automobiles,
but you can also set it for pedestrians, taxis, emergency, bicycles,
or even bus. You can also elect to avoid highways, toll roads,
unpaved roads, U-Turns, and add your own places to stay clear
of. You could, for example, draw a rectangle around a downtown
area if you didn't want to go through there.
In
our preview of the iQue M5 we were concerned about Garmin's choice
of equipping this device with a standard 240x320 pixel Pocket
PC display as opposed to one of the newer 480x640 VGA displays.
Even Garmin's Palm OS device has higher resolution. However, I
must admit that the lower resolution worked just fine with QueMap.
All text is large, and the maps are used so optimally that I did
not miss a higher resolution display.
While
the iQue is a Pocket PC with all the usual Pocket PC controls
and Pocket PC features, the device is clearly designed to be used
in a car. It comes with both a regular cradle and also a car-mount
cradle that's quite different from the usual suction cup arm mounts.
Garmin still uses a suction cup, but instead of the flex arm,
you get an intricate mounting system that allows adjustment via
two joints. The joints can be turned until the device is in the
right position, and then locked via thumb screws. Since this is
a device that will also be used outdoors, the iQue has a removable
leather covered display lid. The lid is mounted at the bottom
rather than the top. This way it can hang down while mounted in
the car without obstructing the display, or get in the way of
the GPS antenna. Further, Garmin designed the lid and the cradles
so that the iQue can be placed in either the stationary or the
car cradle with the lid on, even with the lid folded behind the
device. Very clever.
There
are some glitches though. First of all, the mounting system is
relatively compact. In cars with those fashionable steeply raked
near-horizontal windshields it's difficult to mount the iQue without
having the top of the unit bop into the windshield. That problem
is exacerbated by the GPS antenna that needs to be flipped up
for the GPS receiver to turn on, and it adds an inch and a half
to the unit's height.
In
operation, the iQue QueMap software shares some of the interface
shortcomings of the competition. As a result, you need to spend
some time with QueMap and the iQue's other mapping applications
and utilities before you get comfortable with it. Once again,
the all-important step÷how to get from here to there÷isn't immediately
obvious. To do so you need to click the QueRoute icon, the select
from nine not very descriptive icons with relatively ambiguous
labels: ãRoute to Map Pointer,ä ãStop navigation,ä ãEdit Vias,ä
or ãTurns Page.ä What's missing here (and in almost every other
package) is a simple ãFromä and ãToä button. To Garmin's credit,
there is a ãPlan Routeä option where you can indeed select a starting
and an ending point, each as either the current position, a position
you point to on the map, or one that you locate via the find feature.
There are also pulldowns that list Favorites. Once you have a
route, the iQue asks if you want to simulate this route, i.e.
virtually make the trip on the map. Pretty cool, and interesting
to watch.
On
the road, however, the iQue shines. There is no 3D view, but QueMap
makes up for it with very intelligently designed display options.
My favorite one shows the map as well as a horizontal bar with
route instructions, and a bar on top that shows speed, distance
to the next turn, time to the next turn, and estimated arrival
time. QueMap also zooms in and out and switches between modes
automatically. If you're driving on the highway it may display
just the map but then switch to a close up once you get close
to an exit or a turn. You can also tap on the screen to bring
up fairly large zoom buttons.
Voice
navigation is a mixed blessing in most PDA-based systems because
they don't have enough volume to be heard over engine or road
noise, talking or radio. Garmin knows that and bundles the iQue
with a car power adapter that includes an external speaker with
adjustable volume. Sound quality isn't great, but the speaker
is almost as loud as most in-car systems. The voice prompts themselves
sound robotic, but they are helpful and mostly appropriate. One
thing I never understand is why all voice navigation systems alert
of an upcoming exit by slowly saying, ãRight ÷ turn ÷ in ÷ 120
feet.ä If you go 50 miles an hour, by the time the robot voice
is done with the announcement the turn has come and gone and you're
off track.
The
iQue's software is fairly lenient when it comes to recalculating
routes. Like most systems it often suggests a route that just
doesn't make sense. If you take another turn, the iQue will wait
for about ten seconds, then say, ãoff-route,ä then ãrecalculating,ä
and then display new directions almost instantaneously. Some mapping
packages urge you to make U-turns to get back on track, which
gets pretty annoying after the tenth request. iQue lets you turn
that off. Depending on the situation, the software will try to
get you back to the original route or find a new one. It's hard
to predict as it probably depends on internal calculations. If
you have the time and inclination, try following iQue's suggestions
even if you think you know exactly what roads to take. I did and
was surprised to find that iQue's suggested route was actually
better and quicker than the one I had been using for years.
As
is the case with all mapping systems, instructions can be ambiguous.
For example, the system may say, ãExit right onto Florin Road,ä
but won't say whether to take the Florin Road East or the Florin
Road West exit. At times the system uses the name of a highway
instead of its number. In one instance the system instructed me
to get onto the ãCapital Cities Freeway,ä when, in fact, the freeway
in question was only marked as Route 99. The larger issue is that
when it comes to making quick decisions in traffic, instructions
must be significantly more specific than the usual ãin 300 feet,
turn right.ä Instead, you might need a ãUse right lane, then take
second exit marked ÎRoute 5 South'ä It would also be nice if the
system actually spoke the road and street names. Finally, in residential
neighbor-hoods iQue often fell behind with its instructions, still
displaying a direction when the turn had already been made and
the next intersection or turn came up.
On
the hardware side, I wished that the display were brighter. Even
when plugged into the car power outlet the maximum brightness
setting was just barely adequate. I wish Garmin had turned up
the juice a bit. There was also more waiting for satellites to
be recognized than I expected. Sometimes it took several minutes.
That can be annoying when you're ready to go.
On
another trip, the M5 not only excelled in providing direction,
but also kept my 9-year-old son entertained. And once we got to
our destination, the M5 helped locate an ATM to fuel up the wallet,
and then a nearby Black Angus to fuel the tummies. At that point,
the unit refused to turn off and I had to cold-start it, which
wiped out some of the software. Whether that was my fault or the
unit's is unclear, but it should not happen.
Overall,
the Garmin iQue has a lot going for itself. Being a Pocket PC,
it can serve double duty as a PDA and as a GPS device. Since the
receiver is built in, there is no danger of misplacing a separate
GPS puck. The software is nicely integrated and fairly easy to
use. The maps are very good and the system almost always presents
you with the best view and the information you need. Text and
graphics are just right in size, and the speaker built into the
power plug is much appreciated. We would have liked to see a brighter
and higher resolution display and a quicker satellite fix, but
on average the iQue M5 ranks high.
öKirk Linsky
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