Rating: 
Summary: touchdown by garmin!
Review: I've owned two other GPS units from Garmin prior to this one - the Etrex Legend and the GPS V. The ique 3600 seems like it has used every bit of the vast amounts of experience and expertise Garmin has in making GPS equipment.Every time I buy a GPS unit, I spend days and weeks researching all available brands, and Garmin has always been the winner. The ique 3600 is a perfect blend of top-notch GPS functionality and PDA features. Some of the niftiest features are:
1. integration with the address book. click "locate" on an address book entry and it'll locate the position on the map
2. "Edit Vias" feature is awesome! I was going on a 24 hour road trip from chicago to wyoming, with jackson hole as the destination on the ique. Everytime we'd need to stop for a food/gas break, I'd click the "edit vias" button and search for restaurants in the 2 mile radius. ique would then incorporate the new "via" stop over point and direct you accordlingly.
3. off-route recalculation is very quick.
4. the 200mhz processor drawas and redraws maps very quickly
5. scrolling is smooth
6. voice prompts are great
7. no other garmin product has expandable memory or memory slots for secure digital cards.
8. this retail unit also comes with full unlock codes for the entire country maps.
9. you can't find a GPS unit with a 480X320 color display with voice guidance and route calculation, alongwith Palm OS PDA features for less than $800. This is a bargain at $450. A few bad points:
1. battery life sucks (3 hours with continuous GPS use on medium display brigthness)
2. on my 300Mhz PC at home, it takes forever to create the map index files. a 256MB index file will take upto an hour to create. (minor annoyance).
Rating:
Summary: Truly remarkable product, but check your software version
Review: Check to make sure you have version 5.02 of the street mapping software, and you will not experience any of the problems cited in other reviews. The unit I received from Amazon.com on January 9th included the most recent software, so you can purchase with confidence. The routing and mapping functions work better than I imagined they could work. Directions are concise and accurate. I have learned some shortcuts in my home town that I was not aware of! The integrated palm makes it super easy to input addresses and other information. I had a Garmin GPS V before, and it was tedious to use the directional button to select letters when looking for addresses. The Palm unit is so easy that you will actually use it much more frequently. First the touch screen input is much easier and faster to use. Second, the ability to sync your address book and then use the address book entries to create waypoints for navigation works very effectively. The coolest feature is the "Que Find" function. It will find the nearest restaurants, coffee shops, dry cleaners, hotels, movie theaters, etc., and display them in an easy-to-navigate list, so you can select the one you want. Then, the unit tells you how to get there. Gone are the days of wandering strange cities in search of coffee in the morning. Definintely buy a memory upgrade, as 32 Megs will force you to choose what to give up. I got 512 Megs, which allowed me to upload detailed maps covering several states with 200 megs left over for MP3s and other data. Also, you should invest in the autonavigation kit, which includes a friction mount that works. My friend had the unit without the auto navigation kit for a while, and it was a pain in the neck for him to have it sliding around on the seat. He told me to buy the auto kit, and I'm very glad I did. You will feel the same way. I cannot wait for my next sales trip. What an amazing tool I have.
Rating: 
Summary: Wait until garmin updates its SD slot to be SDIO compatible
Review: I would like so say that I already saw the Garmin iQue 3600 and is a beatiful handheld with an exellent GPS. I was going to buy it, but then I found out that that there SD card slot is not SDIO compatible. Here is the statement directly from there web page: "Currently, the iQue 3600 does not support SDIO peripherals" (http://www.garmin.com/support/faqs/faq.jsp?faq=204) That means that you cannot use wireless cards or Bluetooth through it. I believe that is better to wait until they unpgrade their SD slot. They are also new PC pockets comming up, such us the Mitac Mio 168 Pocket PC 2003 with Integrated GPS, which supports SDIO.
Rating:
Summary: I love this GPS PDA
Review: I love this GPS PDA. I am in the process of moving to Cincinnati and being that I am so bad with directions and orienting myself to a new environment, I decided to invest in the iQue. So, last weekend, I took off to Cincy and started using the iQue to route from the airport to downtown Cincy. It was perfect, the directions and guidance voice prompts were aweseome. I didn't have to take my eyes off the road. Since I was also home hunting on the trip, I used the iQue all day long getting around and routing back to the hotel downtown. The iQue made my trip so easy and stress free. I am so relieved I invested in it. I highly recommend it to anyone who travels or is relocating to a new city. I already have a Navman GPS that works with my Palm m515, but the iQue puts it to shame! The iQue rivals in-car navigational system, but it is even better in that it is portable and can be used anywhere. In summary, if you are like me and are not blessed with any sense of direction, save your self a lot of headache and invest in the iQue. Nuf said!
Rating: 
Summary: Updated software release makes it nearly indispensible
Review: Update 11/4/2003: Garmin Released a 2nd version of the system software on 10/24/03, which supposedly fixed the spontaneous hard reset, the MP3 caused crashes, voice guidance issues, among a slew of other problems. ..... I've used the unit since the upgrade for 10 days, and so far it's crashed once under heavy use. It's felt much more reliable as a navigation unit as well as a personal assistant. I'm tentatively upgrading the rating from 2 to 4 stars. Without its self-destructive behavior, the thoughtful tools and information available on the unit (albeit being outdated at times) are indispensible to a traveller, and they provide an invaluable sense of security. It's something that you may not want to be without once you have it. It's also better than most other guidance systems out there I've tried, including laptop units. Crashing issues aside, other "complaints" remain, though most of them are relatively minor, considering most other GPS units have their own set of compromises. I'm getting ready to recommend this unit to friends and family after trying it for few more weeks, and I hope it becomes more affordable.
10/20/03 I have anticipated this unit for months ahead of the release. It is difficult to say that it has been worth the wait. In fact, I don't think it's a very mature or stable product for a wonderful concept. I travelled extensively after getting this unit, and I found it unreliable at best. Here is what I think: Likes:
-convenient QFind which lets me find just about anything I want within my current location, with decent accuracy.
-color hybrid screen that works under sunlight with the backlight off to conserve energy, also has an active write area that hids to enlarge display area.
-palm functionality
-integration with address book, and a find via address feature that worked better than the older (GPSV, eTrax Legend, emap) Garmin units that I've tried.
-repetitive voice prompt that ensures better guidance.
-SD flash memory expandibility Dislikes (serious ones, skipping minor gripes here):
-crashes like mad. It resets several times daily, in various circumstances, and no clear pattern either. and yes, it does crash during navigation.
-loses data without warning. In fact I just lost all my data overnight, with power in the battery and no crashes last night, and I'm travelling. Now that's just a disaster, don't you think? I suppose it's designed to travel with a laptop and a cradle?
-GPS acquisition time is unusually long, much longer than what other Garmin units I tried. It usually takes at least one minute, even if I did not change location during the off time. I often find myself stopping the car waiting for it to acquire.
-the audio player is a sure bet for crash, so much so that it's unusable, unless you enjoy poking the unit with a pin.
-battery life is somewhat limited, but I think enough people has harped on this. I got a car cradle so it hasn't been as much a problem, but without the cradle it's very limited as a GPS guidance device. It will quit in less an hour, but it does have neat battery save feature in that it can guide with screen off, and come back on with voice prompt at turns.
-some inaccuracies in the map locations and directory listings. It could take a while before we find something that actually exists, but I guess it's better than not having any reference at all.
-Did I mention it crashes like crazy? I would have wholeheartedly embraced the product. The Quefind feature is a fabulous tool for travellers. I could find restaurants, shops, car rentals, parks, etc. etc., and it is invaluable during travel. However, losing data and crashing while navigating is more than irritating: it's simply dangerous and potentially disasterous. There's no excuse for the kind of reliability issue it suffers now. It has to be fixed for it to be a real usable product, rather than an expensive, stillborn concept.
Rating:
Summary: Love It
Review: I read all the reviews before ordering this product and needless to say I was a bit nervous. I've never owned a PDA before and although I'm somewhat computer literate I found it hard to make a decision. This GPS unit combines the best of both in my book. I've used it for traveling and was amazed that I could look up destinations, find a place to grab some food, even locate a florist! I still need to learn quite a bit but I found it fairly easy to operate and so far it's worked like a charm. I would recommend buying the antenna, travel kit and charger just because the battery does tend to go quickly.
Rating:
Summary: Great GPS. Need Version 2 of the software though!!
Review: I installed the software per the user's guide and used it on the first day I got it (12/23/03). My wife was driving and I was reading about it in the car. I had the GPS on and was amazed at how the map moved (Track up mode) as we moved. It was accurate re: driving speed, location, odometer, etc. Then I tried the Que Route mode and tried reaching a destination. The thing kept saying "Off Route, recalculating" over, and over, and over again. I was pissed! Then I read some reviews and learned that I had to go to the Garmin website (http://www.garmin.com/support/download.jsp) to download "release 2" and "release 2 patch 1." After following the detailed instructions and re-trying the Que route, the navigation was perfect. No problems whatsoever. The unit is occasionally inaccurate as to street addresses, and is better with known intersections (gets you there within 10 feet accuracy). Some street addresses were right on the money, but others were a few houses off. Overall, however, it's a tremendous tool and a very fun toy.
Definitely get the 256 MB expansion card at a minimum and you absolutely need the Auto-Nav travel kit.
Rating:
Summary: love it like an iPod
Review: The previous reviews cover most of the bases, but I had to chime in. I bought mine from Amazon and just finished a drive across the country with it. The unit is not perfect, but I just love the look-and-feel and the dashboard mount, and the GPS functions are hugely more useful than I ever imagined...even if I know where I'm going. We needed a couple of resets here and there, found a few instances of old or missing map data, found some undocumented clumsiness in the interface, had to buy an SD card to store the maps, mysteriously lost voice navigation for awhile, and a few other minor annoyances. But it is immediately apparent that GPS handheld computers are the future, and this product is a killer if Garmin keeps working on the software and maps. This is my first use of a GPS, and I have my own wish list: - Add a plug-in interface so third parties can integrate patches and useful info (e.g., restaurant ratings, road construction points, route descriptions) with the maps. - Find points of interest along my route, not just near my current location or destination. - Show distances to selected locations by the shortest route, not as the crow flies (very dangerous for estimating when you need to get gas). I could go on. But for a first-generation product, the ique is awesome. Garmin is serious, and it will only get better from here, especially if they take the critical steps to create a competitive market for map patches and extensions. The maps are the weak link, since the US does not yet have the full infrastructure needed to maintain accurate maps in a timely fashion (e.g., as roads are built and businesses come and go).
Rating:
Summary: Love this little Baby
Review: Since getting this unit, I can't express how much easier it is to find stuff and travel.
Rating:
Summary: Brilliant product but not solid
Review: I have used the produce for 9 months. It is a brilliant design -- saved me many many hours in searching for locations in new areas, e.g. friends home, hotels, restaurants, theaters, museums, even highway rest areas; you cam imagine. But that was not exactly like that in the beginning. My IQue asked for numerous soft and hard resets, and sometimes was making noise that could only be stopped by a soft reset. Those happened in navigation. Once when I was on highway I had to drive into a rest area to soft-reset it because of the noise. Then, about 5 months ago when my wife and I moved to Chicago the GPS stopped to work right after we arrived. The PDA part was working but the GPS part could not receive satellite signals. What a timing! we did not know that area at all. I re-installed the software several times, but it was not working. Finally I sent it back to Garmin and was told the GPS receiver was bad. The GARMIN service was good, with prompt e-mail response and prompt replacement. The replacement unit is working much more stably, after I installed the newest OS patch (r3). It still requires occasional soft or hard reset, but very infrequently. Garmin also put updates to the map software on their web site (not sure if the map was updated or not), and a patch that stores voice guidance files into SD card. The latter one is very useful; now the voice guidance would not be lost after a hard reset (imagine one in a long trip without carrying a computer). Not considering the instability (occasional after r3 patch), this unit is wonderful. The PDA part is powerful, with fast processor and large memory (32MB internal). The display is good, large and colorful. I used to have a Plam Vx and this one is totally different. (No so good are the short battery life and the lack of wireless connection.) Finally, the combination of PDA and GPS is a shining idea! The GPS enjoys the SD memory extension. I bought a 256 MB card that is more than any Garmin consumer GPS (I only used 80MB for the areas I frequently visit). And the PDA becomes a mobile map device with directory information. I frequently found myself use this Palm to search for some local business. In some sense the unit is better than a in-car GPS. Before a trip I can sit in my home creating waypoints for points of interests that I will visit. I am not willing to sit in a car doing that (Of course, an in-car GPS would have a larger screen for the ease of nagivation). Wonderful unit after having all the patches!
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