Rating: Summary: many great features Review: I've had the iQue for about a week now and it has mostly been very easy to use, although it does take some patience to learn, not only the functions, but the quirks of the gps system in general (for example you can get very different results with "shortest distance" and "fastest route", and the approach distance of turn prompts varies depending on the satellite reception, etc.). It's not a completely faultless technology, but neither are computers in general. Occasionally the mapping is off, but in my experience it corrects itself as it proceeds.BUT, the level of stress reduction that this little unit has provided me has been incredible. I normally become completely stressed out by either struggling to find my way in unfamiliar territory, or by getting lost completely, or disoriented or turned around even in familiar territory (the vast road systems of Los Angeles and Orange County are where I live). Now I drive through new areas and don't even have to strain to find street names. I used to hate driving because of this stress. I feel like my quality of life has improved by a noticable notch. AND, a feature that I didn't expect at all, is that with the maps that you download come business addresses and phone numbers. Most of the businesses that I've tried looking up, even small ones, have been there. No more calling information for restaurants, services, etc, etc. Where is the nearest gas station, atm, etc? Easy. And I know over time this feature will save me a bundle on calling information from my mobile phone. I had read other reviews and followed the advice to purchase a 256k memory card, and an auto connection system. I concur that this is good advice. I fit California and surrounding areas of Arizona and Nevada, as well as the New York Tri-state area with the memory card.
Rating: Summary: Lifesaver! Review: This is the absolute best electronic product I own! I would recommend this for anyone who drives. I was temporarily assigned to a location in Texas, & used my IQue every weekend to explore the area. I then drove home via Houston, New Orleans, & the Florida Gulf Coast, & took secondary roads most of the way. "Stella" kept me on track, & I knew exactly where I was the entire time. Yes, I experienced moswt of the issues other reviewers had, but as this is a brand-new product, bugs are to be expected. Customer Service was exceptional, & returned a replacement unit within two weeks. This is a must-have for anyone who likes to explore new places!
Rating: Summary: Cool, but is finicky, rough along the edges... Review: This GPS is extremely versatile, w/ PDA functions, MP3, serious navigation- however... it does have its shortcomings... 1. battery design- underpowered, non-field replaceable- I had two battery units die under warranty in 6 months 2. software is still full of bugs and unstable w/ voice dropouts, lots of reboots required; and klugey design (non-intuitive); each new patch helps in zillions of noticeable and very appreciative ways 3. using all its features is complex; the uninitiated will have a tough time using it fully and should stick to GPS from car manufacturers 4 the map install is clumsy and in my opinion, overly secure to update maps and extremely slow- an hour on a fast laptop to generate 5. numerous new features would be desirable in route selection, etc. and naviagtional prompts and preference settings 6. the unit turns on far too easily... no way of really "locking" it up, as alarms and any of many buttons wakes it up, only to drain the batteries 7. engineering is 2nd rate... on par for their first PDA product On the plus side, I love this machine and am reassured that software development will ultimately fix this to make it really solid (although delicate) and it will define the industry benchmark! The warranty and support are important- 3 units failed for me in all, and the 800 number is way understaffed! from a Hardware product development professional.
Rating: Summary: Cooool! Review: This has to be the coolest thing around. Recently used it in a rental car while vacationing in FLA...it worked great. Made navigation so easy. One of best purchases I've made!
Rating: Summary: Best for the money Review: I dropped my first IQue and killed it, but I turned right around and bought another. Garmin is currently repairing my previous unit under warranty, even though I told them it was my fault. So, that's an A+ for support in my book. I regularly travel for work and find myself in many different cities in a day, so this is perfect, especially with a car mount and 256k card. Bottom line, I hate being lost and this saves so much time. I have three different mapping programs for my laptop (Delorme Topo 4.0, Delorme Street Atlas, and Randy McNally Streetfinder)...this easily beats all of them. And in a PDA! Although the Delorme software actually says the street names, I find it is grossly inaccurate and lacks some important features, like an easy way to recalculate and/or detour. I really considered getting a Pocket PC this time around, but after seeing how inferior Delorme's laptop program was, I decided against it. I would really be surprised if someone showed me a product that offered better mapping and user interface. So, what is bad? Definitely the battery life and perhaps the durability. But for a supreme crossover device, these are limitations I can live with for now.
Rating: Summary: Overly complex!! A pain in the axx to use! Review: Without clear instruction, a product isn't worth a dime. The unit is premature for release and confusing. The only use for the insturctin book is as toilet paper. Perhaps it was written by Chineese. If you have nothing to do, but run around in circles, shell out $ 600! If you plan to use it without a career in guessing how to make it work, get something else.
Rating: Summary: Very sorry to have one Review: This is by far, the worst piece of machine I have ever owned. The battery lasts about 10 minutes. Usually takes about 30 minutes for the GPS to finally 'get the signal' by then you are either at the place where you were going, or lost. I had to send the unit back for repairs before I was able to use it, I need to get it repaired again. I'll gladly give it back for half the price or even less. Their 'support center' is just as bad. If you are thinking about buying one, just let me know.
Rating: Summary: Horrible Product! Review: I am not paid to write a bad review. I have all the technical support emails to back it up. From the beginning (Nov-Dec 2003), there were spontaneous unexplained shutdowns and reboots. Horrible satellite synchronization. So there were two major releases to fix all these problems. Plus other hot fixes to fix more problems. I also realize that it won't sync with my Outlook 2003. Of course, at first it is the user's fault. Then they admitted that their software was outdated and will release a new software to fix the issue on early March. Three plus months passed by, rendering my unit useless, again with delay, the Pocket Mirror was finally available for release. Well, now it sync with my Outlook, but now it took so much internal memory that I need to hard-set and re-install the complete software. Nothing but trouble with this unit. Garmin needs to get off the PDA business and stick to what they know the best. If you want a PDA with GPS, then get whatever PDA you can afford, make sure it has Bluetooth, then buy a Bluetooth enabled GPS wireless unit for it. Stop wasting your money on this. Remember, it only has 32MB of RAM and by the time you install all these releases you have about less than 22 MB left. And it is not fully functional until you install and re-install all the releases and hot fixes. Also, the software to load the maps sucks! I can't figure out why people are loving it.
Rating: Summary: A few negatives, but easily remedied Review: OK, First off this thing is a definite winner if you are looking for a PDA and a GPS. I had been looking for a GPS for a while and was planning on the GPSMAP 60CS, but Garmin kept delaying it. Then I started a new job and had a need for a PDA. I was also wanting an MP3 player. I came across the ique and started my research. I always tend to over research things before I buy. So here is my homework to better help you decide. I really liked this device but was a little leary reading all of the negative comments about resets and lockups and the like. Let me put the negativity to rest. GET THE UPDATES FOLKS! My unit did not come with the latest updates, I went to garmins website and got all of the software and firmware updates. All went well and was pretty simple. I have had the unit for almost 4 weeks and use it daily, mostly the pda portion, probably used the GPS 35% of the 4 weeks. I have only had 1 lockup, it is very dry where I work and I picked the unit up and shocked it and it hung solid. A quick hard reset and I was on my way, no data lost. Here are some items you will need to make your experience a good one. Although it does jack up the total cost a quite bit. 1. The Auto Kit 2. A gilsson Amplified GPS MCX / OSX antenna 3. ique AA Battery Extender Box 4. 512MB Sandisk SD Card 5. Travel kit is nice as it supplies a remote charger, usb data cable. 6. Leather Case Numbers 1,3,4 are must have items, the rest are nice to have. Just do a google search for numbers 2 & 3. About the only bad point I can voice is the battery issue. But there are ways around it. Item #3 will give you an additional 3-4 hours using rechargeables, this little device rocks and is cheap! under 10 bucks! Also turn down the brightness on the display, full blast will eat the batteries alive and it still looks great at about 20-30 % brightness. I can get 6-8 hours at a time using as a PDA/MP3 player and slight GPS. The screen display at 16 bit color is beautiful! The pda functionality rocks, with an mp player such as aeroplayer installed this thing rocks as an mp3 player. Check out palmgear.com for pda software, just make sure you get applications written for palm OS 5. I have installed several and have not had any issues. The GPS is great and the unit comes with a full version of city select 5 for the detailed maps. I have had accuracy of the GPS to within 7 feet using WAAS enabled. If you miss a turn the software will quickly reroute the trip and get you back on track. I can't say enough. Keep in mind though this is a pda and not a rugged device, although I dropped mine on my kitchen floor from about 2 feet with it on and it did not skip a beat. Garmin just recently added a few GPS tools like best fishing times and sun & moon info, I would like to see more GPS addons like this in the future, such as an application to figure out area, like walking around your yard and calculating acreage, things such as this would be simple enough for them to write. I hope they keep bringing us more apps for the GPS. Definitely consider a 512MB SD card if you want to tote several MP3's and several detail state maps. I have one and am seriously considering a 1 gig card when the prices come down. Mind you I like to carry around 500 MB in MP3 and around 400 MB in maps. In closing, if you would like a PDA, GPS, MP3 Player, the ique is a definite winner for the price. I have seen MP3 players for the same money and you don't get a PDA and GPS. If the unit would get about 8 hours just on the internal batteries this this would be 10 stars. Although with the item 3 listed above it really is not an issue. You really do get a lot for your money with this package. If you are walking the line of do I get it or do I wait, I say get it you will love it.
Rating: Summary: awesome product Review: Had mine for a couple months. I use mine everyday. Screen protector broke, a quick e-mail to tech support and they sent me a new one immediately. No questions asked. The Ique stores so much data, it's phenomenal. Always gets you where you need to be. I love this thing. I would not own a regular PDA now.
|