rkeswani

This may be of interest to you....

http://www.nytimes.com/2003/07/31/te...wanted=1&8hpib

(may have to register with nytimes.com to read it, which is free).

unlemming

Yeah, no. Can you summarize?

rkeswani

This Palmtop Knows Its Place
By DAVID POGUE

EACH year, as they pay their taxes, many Americans conduct a tiny mental debate. "Why should I have to turn over such a huge fraction of my hard-earned money to the government?" And then, a moment later: "Oh, yeah: schools, roads, national security - blah, blah, blah. Sign the check."
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But the government goody most likely to make a gadget freak giddy is the Global Positioning System, or G.P.S. It's a constellation of 24 satellites that beam down navigation signals for the benefit of hikers, bikers, campers, sailors and drivers. Down here on earth, a G.P.S. receiver can analyze these signals to tell you precisely where on earth you are, accurate to within about 10 feet. When teamed up with a computer, a G.P.S. receiver can then display your location on a map, provide directions to a destination, and so on.

Garmin's new iQue 3600 is the first palmtop that is also a G.P.S. receiver - a remarkable feat, considering that it's no larger than a typical Palm organizer. It runs on the Palm 5.2.1 operating system, meaning that it synchronizes its calendar, address book and to-do list with a Windows PC and can run any of thousands of add-on programs. It comes with both a voice recorder and Documents to Go, a program that lets you view and edit Word, Excel and PowerPoint files when you're on the move.

The iQue's bright color screen (320 by 480 pixels) covers the entire face of the device. This setup lets you hide the Graffiti handwriting area when you've got more important things to look at, like maps. It also shows the letter shapes you're making as you write, as though your inkless stylus actually had ink, which makes it easier to master the Palm alphabet.

When you flip out the antenna (a hinged panel at the top of the iQue's back), you switch on the G.P.S. circuitry. The iQue hunts for satellite signals, which can take a minute or so to lock in. When it figures out where you are, a map of your current location appears on the screen.

Using a handy thumbwheel on the left side, you can adjust the map's magnification level. With the image zoomed out all the way, you're looking at the entire North American continent; with it zoomed in all the way, you can practically count the pores on your own nose.

The iQue can store a base map of the entire country: that is, the general contours of the land and water, the major cities, and the biggest roadways. You could drive across the country using such a map as your guide, but you wouldn't know where to stop for gas.

Fortunately, using the PC as a transfer station, you can also load up detailed maps of the area you plan to visit from the two map-data CD's included with the device. "Detailed" is putting it mildly; these maps

not only show every wiggle in every side street, but even icons for gas stations,

restaurants, hospitals, airports, schools, campgrounds, and on and on. If you

tap an icon and then the Info button, you're even shown the address and

phone number. This information isn't

up-to-the-minute - a year-old local Thai restaurant didn't show up, for example - but it's still an astonishing amount of usefully packaged information that beats the pants off Mapquest.com.

A typical city consumes 1 to 4 megabytes of data, so loading up the detailed maps from, say, New York to Westerly, R.I., pretty much fills up the iQue's 22 megabytes of available built-in memory. To load the maps for more ambitious travel, you can buy a memory expansion card for the iQue's Secure Digital slot.

Inexpensive G.P.S. receivers - in the $200 range - can't do anything but tell you where you are now. And indeed, that may sometimes be enough to satisfy your curiosity (or clear up an argument with other people in the car, on the trail or in the boat).

High-end receivers like the iQue 3600, though, can also provide turn-by-turn directions to a certain location. One way to tell it where you're going is to choose from a neatly categorized list of those restaurants, airports and so on. Another way - and here's the payoff for combining a Palm organizer with G.P.S. - is to tap somebody's name in your address book.

Either way, you don't have to specify your starting location for your trip. After all, the iQue knows where you're starting out even more specifically than you do.
As you walk, bike or drive, the iQue polls the satellites every second or so to update its map, which scrolls automatically. (Like any G.P.S. device, the iQue requires a clear line of sight to as much of the sky as possible. Accuracy suffers in the concrete canyons of Manhattan or in dense forests. G.P.S. doesn't work at all indoors, except for people who live in glass houses.)

The top of the screen identifies your current speed and direction of travel, along with the next turn you're supposed to make ("Turn right on I-95 South"). Better yet - and safer - a woman's voice announces from the built-in speaker, "In 400 feet, exit left," or whatever.

Over all, the experience is much like using the $3,000 navigation systems built into the dashboards of expensive cars. Because the iQue also accepts signals from W.A.A.S. (Wide-Area Augmentation System, a supplementary navigation signal broadcast by the Federal Aviation Administration for aircraft use), it's much more accurate than less expensive G.P.S. units.

If you take a wrong turn, the refreshingly nonjudgmental voice simply announces, "Off route; recalculating" - and then begins guiding you back on track. A travel-computer screen provides your average speed, maximum speed, total time you've spent in motion, and time you've spent stopped (this means you, rush-hour participants). The machine even records your actual travel path, so that later, you can defend your chosen route at moments of second-guessing by family members.

If you do plan to use the iQue while driving, though, you'd be crazy not to spring for the car kit ($52 online). It consists of a pedestal that holds the iQue upright so you can see it, an external speaker that lets you hear the spoken directions even over road noise and the car radio, and a cigarette-lighter charger. You'll appreciate that last item; the iQue's chief weak point is its battery, which, with G.P.S. turned on, the voice activated, and the screen at full brightness, needs a recharge in as little as two hours. (When used only as an organizer, it lasts about two weeks.)

Over and over again, thoughtful design touches will win you over. The next-turn information appears in huge, white-on-black lettering that's legible from three feet away (that is, the driver's seat). A bottom-mounted flip cover protects the screen from the hazards of your pocket. The car pedestal is rooted to your dashboard by the weight of fabric-covered sandbags instead of adhesive, screws, or anything else that would make it hard to transfer from car to car.

Thanks to the smooth integration of the iQue's two functions - G.P.S. and Palm organizer - the whole is indisputably greater than its parts. Even the calendar function is tied in: if you tap in a 7 o'clock dinner meeting at Joe's Organic Pizza, the iQue promptly displays directions.

The iQue goes for about $550 online. The next least expensive G.P.S. receiver with color screen and voice prompts is Garmin's own StreetPilot III, which costs about $675. When you consider that the price of a comparably equipped color Palm (without G.P.S.) is $400, the iQue looks like quite a bargain.

Most people would assume that a G.P.S.-enabled palmtop would appeal primarily to hikers, sailors and campers. But thanks to the iQue's ingenious driving-navigation features and points-of-interest database, it quickly becomes an essential tool for anyone who travels, whether to other cities on business or anywhere at all beyond the local beaten path. Garmin has designed an extremely successful hybrid that is worth the price - and the taxes.

Deets

Checked it out on the Garmin website. On my wishlist now.

Get ready for the "Yeah, but you can't convert it to play DVDs!" rant.

kcroberge

Secured to the dashboard by fabric covered sandbags? One quick stop and say goodbuy to your navi system.

Other than that it sounds pretty cool for the price.

r10apple

mapquest = free map
If you are a moron and can't read a map, some Cub Scout with one of those little bages can help you...

rkeswani

I guess the cool thing about it is that you can also use it while walking around, like if you're in a city/urban area.
Plus it can be used as a PDA.

rkeswani

Here is the link to the actual product page by the way:

http://www.garmin.com/products/iQue3600/

mentl

That isn't why the Acura Nav is better than this. The real reason is this:

(Acura's has it all on one disc, no swapping or loading or anything)

and this:

(Acura's uses more than just GPS to keep you on track.)

Still, it looks like a really nice solution for people who don't get the built-in nav.

mentl

Oh and another thing: did I miss where the article said how long it takes to calculate a route? Some of the previous attempts at these gadgets took a long time to calculcate a route... that's a more important factor than people might realize.

rkeswani

I have Navi in my Acura, and let me tell you it gets very confused in Manhattan. Some of the streets are pretty close together (especially downtown manhattan/financial district).

Also, when I travelled to upstate NY, the entire Syracuse University area was not on the map - it was like you weren't even driving on a road, just a plain green field.

Regardless, I'm not suggesting this instead of the Acura Navi (although given the price difference, some may), but it could be a useful solution for those who don't have Navi and want something that seems like it may run well is relatively simple to put into their car.

vlam

Uh.. This option was always available to those who uses Pocket PC such as the Dell Axim and a GPS receiver. It will be cheaper and a more powerful PDA.

I currently use the Axim X5 with the Pharos GPS (not the best but it does work).

The PDA solution is still not a practical one because it's so small. It's really great if you have a passenger using it as a navigator.

rkeswani

Yeah, there have been. Just seems that more thought has been put into this with respect to it's auto use:

"Over and over again, thoughtful design touches will win you over. The next-turn information appears in huge, white-on-black lettering that's legible from three feet away (that is, the driver's seat). "
Also the external speaker which reads the directions out loud.

Hokie D

When I was in Miami I was using a Hertz Neverlost GPS and I programmed in the hotel a co-worker was staying at and had a carload full of people headed there. The navi kept telling me to turn left...said "turn next left, turn left now, turn left now" and there was a median between me and the hotel with no pass thru. Maybe if I was in an SUV or something!! - Stupid GPS!!!

I think I'll stick with Mapquest and subtract an hour from the driving time they give you.

billmatt

Prior to my purchase of my 2003 TLS w/Nav., I used a Garmin Street Pilot Deluxe (portable model) in my previous car. I found it to be a great unit but more difficult to program an address in it than the Acura Nav. However, it does give show such data as speed, direction, etc. It's great but not as good as my Nav in my TLS.

Stillen_I30

For long trips, this wouldnt be a bad idea.

http://www.earthmate.com

The software includes voice prompts and such. Plus, you get to use your large laptop screen to display the map(s).

GreatSmile

I am using a Streetpilot III and I use it everytime when I travel. The "bean bag" mount sits very nicely on the dashboard. No moving, no sliding around. Yes, the cartridge is only 128mb, unlike the Acura Nav which everything is on a disk. But the cartridge memory size is big enough to cover PA, NY, DE, MD, DC areas. I've seen the Acura Navi and it's very nice. But if you are like me and travel from east coast to west coast, I can't carry the Acura Navi with me. And Steetpilot beats Hertz neverlost system hands down!

BTW, there are two new versions of Streetpilots out now. (gee, mine is a discontinued item now)

Me too. iQue is also on my wish list. I know what Streetpilot can do. I just can't wait to have a iQue and start looking up direction/restaurant/gas stations..... before getting into my car.