Garmin iQue M5 Integrated Pocket PC and GPS
Price: $198.00


Product Feature
- Pocket PC running Windows Mobile 2003 Second Edition with integrated GPS and Que navigation applications
- Powered by a 416 MHz Intel PXA 272 microprocessor; includes 64 MB RAM, 64 MB ROM, and data back-up protection
- Embedded Bluetooth transceiver lets you network with computer systems and Bluetooth-enabled mobile phones, PDAs, printers, etc.
- Check e-mail and view documents--then sync seamlessly with your laptop
- Includes MapSource City Select North America data CD-ROM with full coverage/full unlock
Product Description
Garmin iQue M5 combines the popular Microsoft Windows Mobile 2003 SE operating system with the dependability of Garmin GPS. Go from the boardroom to the hotel room without stopping for directions. Calendar and contact information is seamlessly integrated with the GPS navigation functions, so the iQue M5 will remind you of appointments, show the location on the map and route you there with detailed, turn-by-turn directions and voice prompts. The mobile office applications will give you the ability to check e-mail and view documents when away from the office, then sync to Outlook when you get back. The iQue M5 includes 64MB of RAM, 64MB of ROM and 15MB of safe storage along with a SecureDigital memory expansion slot, all of which can be used to store map detail and points of interest data from the included MapSource. City Select North America CD-ROM software application provides millions of residential streets and business addresses for all 50 states; nearly every town in the United States and also includes extremely detailed roadmaps for Canada and Puerto Rico. Vibrating alarm Offers Bluetooth wireless technology and IR Infrared communications Ports for headphone and external GPS antenna optional connections Includes RS232 and USB interface connectivity Has a digital-media memory card slot that has SecureDigital SD / SDIO / MMC compatibility Protective flip cover and metal stylus Intel PXA 272 Xscale Processor 416MHz with dedicated 48MHz ARM7 coprocessor 3.5 Diagonal Color TFT LCD with 240x320 QVGA pixel resolution Automotive windshield mount with integrated charger and speaker AC power and charging adapter USB Activesync cradle Unit dimensions - 2.83 W x 5.04 H x 0.75 D / Weight - 5.9 ounces City Select North America mapping software Microsoft Windows Mobile 2003 2nd Edition for PocketPCGarmin iQue M5 Integrated Pocket PC and GPS Review
I have had about a week to use the M5. My first impression is WOW. This IS my first GPS and also my first PDA, so take my review for what it's worth. I would love to give this product 5 stars, but I will get right to the point of why I can't do it.CONS :
No 802.11b/g - Not a huge deal if you don't mind plugging a bluetooth USB adapter in your PC, but honestly it is a little annoying that I can't connect right up to my 802.11g network out of the box. There are SD/MMC 802.11b cards available that are a option, but I have not ordered one yet.
GPS non-responsive - (see *Edit* at bottom of this review) As one other reviewer also noted, I also had a GPS problem where it acted like it was looking for the satellites, but couldn't see any of them. This was outside, and not indoors. I pushed the reset button, and GPS fired up just fine. As with the other reviewer, I also haven't had this problem reoccur after about a week of using it. The initial problem was about an hour after I took it out of the box. Since then I have used it a good 20+ times without any problems. I will report back if this problem comes back!
The leather flip case(?) - It is a little lame, and offers no protection except for maybe screen...and even that's a stretch.
PROS -
Wow, I opened the box, and it was very complete. A nice windshield suction mount, cig adapter with speaker and the other 'standard' PDA items (cradle, USB cable, travel A/C adapter, etc).
It's a nice size, not to bulky. The battery seems to perform as expected. I don't have any exact #'s, but from what I could tell it was at least 4 hours with some GPS usage.
One thing I would like to comment on is the 'cost'. A lot of reviews elsewhere talked about how expensive this device is. Yes, it's not cheap, but try buying a comparable PDA and a GPS add-on. You'll be close to, if not higher than what you would pay for this fully integrated PDA/GPS.
I have taken one trip (74 miles each way). It did a pretty good job getting me to the destination. I did notice that it was a little slow to recalculate the route if you miss a turn (5-10 seconds on average). Not a huge deal, but could be a problem in inner-city driving. It also did a random "Make U-Turn" in the intersection I was turning at. I believe the intersection came up later than the GPS/mapping software was expecting. The estimated time of arrival is nice, and right on target!
GPS performance : The GPS picks up the satellites fine in my car. My house (2 story) it's fine on the second floor, but the first floor it does not pick up the satellites unless I move over to a window.
Storage - I don't own a memory card yet, but even with the built-in memory I was able to get most of middle-TN and North Atlanta. I hear a 2GB memory card will hold all of the US, and 1GB will hold over half the US. I would say that is about right.
That's about all I can think of at this time. I will report back in a few weeks with an update. At this point I am very pleased.
Edit 4/28/05 - I did have one additional lockup of the unit that required a 'reset', so I went to the Garmin website and found out that there was a new firmware revision. I loaded the firmware and so far the unit seems to be performing perfectly. So, for those who are having GPS lockup problems, download the firmware revision. Garmin states that the firmware fixes several lockup issues.
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