Garmin to Unveil GPS-Enabled, iQue 3600 PDA at CES

Posted By: Ryan Tuesday, December 17, 2002 12:05:36 PM

Garmin Palm OS iQue 3600 ~ Click For LargerGarmin International announced today that the company has received a prestigious Consumer Electronics Association Best of Innovations Award for its upcoming iQue 3600 personal digital assistant (PDA) with integrated Global Positioning System (GPS) technology. The award recognizes the best products in the Innovations 2003 Design & Engineering Showcase. It is not specifically stated in the news release; however Garmin previously announced it had selected the DragonBall MXL to power a Palm OS 5 GPS enabled device.

Garmin will officially introduce the iQue 3600 on Jan. 8 at CES and will display it at the company’s booth (#29093). The iQue 3600 will be displayed alongside other award-winning products during the International Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in the Grand Lobby of the Las Vegas Hilton and in the Innovations 2003 Showcase (Booth #55083) at the Las Vegas Convention Center, Jan. 9-12, 2003.

Garmin Palm OS iQue 3600 ~ Click For Larger"We are extremely gratified to receive this Best of Innovations Award," said Dr. Min Kao, CEO of Garmin Ltd. "We have long believed in the convergent benefits of PDA organization and GPS navigation. This award also validates that we’re on the right path with our product development and further confirms our belief that GPS-enabled products will revolutionize the way people live."

The Innovations 2003 Design & Engineering Showcase at CES highlights products in multiple categories and bases its assessment on form, function, invention and marketability of products.

About Garmin
Garmin International Inc. is a member of the Garmin Ltd. (Nasdaq: GRMN) group of companies, which designs and manufactures navigation, communication and information devices -- most of which are enabled by GPS technology. Garmin is a leader in the general aviation and consumer GPS markets and its products serve aviation, marine, outdoor recreation, automotive, wireless and OEM applications. Garmin Ltd. is incorporated in the Cayman Islands, and its principal subsidiaries are located in the United States, Taiwan and the United Kingdom.

Thanks to Don Reith, Jim Collison and B. Jones for the tips!

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Will wonders ever cease?

mikemusick @ 12/17/2002 1:46:38 PM #
n/t

Finnally something from Garmin

HandyMan @ 12/17/2002 2:08:38 PM #
I've always wondered about this PalmOS lincensee. I knew that they made GPS device and it doesn't take a genius to guess that they will eventually make a Palm device with built-in GPS. I'm just glad that they finally have a product that's very close to being released.

It looks liek their device will have virtual graffiti too. Does anybody have any specs on this, rumoured or confirmed.

RE: Finnally something from Garmin
Beavis @ 12/17/2002 2:23:16 PM #
As a pilot, I hope that this GPS works with Garmins excellent Aviation GPS Software. I have been thinking of going over to the dark side, because they have some really cool GPS systems for PocketPC.

Garmin makes some really nice GPS units for Aviation use, both hanheld, and panel mounted, and I hope this unit will be Aviation enabled.

RE: Finnally something from Garmin
Beavis @ 12/17/2002 2:30:44 PM #
The up/down buttons look interesting also. I wonder if it can be used as a D-Pad.

RE: Finnally something from Garmin
Fammy @ 12/17/2002 4:21:14 PM #
I don't see up the up/down buttons could be used as a D-pad in any way. So far, it only looks like Palm is going the D-pad route.

_____
Fammy
RE: Finally something from Garmin
ginsberg @ 12/18/2002 10:02:15 PM #
Sorry Beavis - no aviation support in this unit.


WOW

bigfoot @ 12/17/2002 2:17:19 PM #
This is the kind of new technology I would be intrested in.

RE: WOW
hkklife @ 12/17/2002 4:12:38 PM #
Unless this has a gargantuan built in map database with SD card support, this device will be almost as lacking as any ohter flash-memory-based GPS solution out there. Those maps can start to get verrrry big and when you start doing streel-level detail and attractions etc. a trip crossing through a couple of states can fill up any capacity memory card on the market.


What I am REALLY waiting for someone (Panasonic?) to reelase is a clamshell portable DVD player style device that just happens to have a built in GPS antenna. So you can carry a single dvd-rom with you and load data for the entire country off of a single disc. Then, when you check into your hotel at night you can watch movies on it. And have a SD slot on the side to view digicam pics as well. The perfect traveling companion. Even at around $1000, I am sure there would be a reasonable market for such a device.



RE: WOW
JonAcheson @ 12/17/2002 5:00:42 PM #
For $1000.00, why not get a full-fledged laptop?

Jon Acheson


"All opinions posted are my own, and not those of my employers, who are appalled."

RE: WOW
hkklife @ 12/17/2002 5:17:14 PM #
size, battery life, durability, wow factor, semi-pocketability, 16:9 screen ratio, dedicated functions so no crashes, lockups etc. Things like remote controls still work better on dedicated "entertainment electronics" than they do on with a PC.

A PC, no matter if it's running XP, Linux et al is still inherently "fragile" and as long as there's a HD inside, something can (and will with my luck) go wrong.



Garmin screen rez?!

mikecane @ 12/17/2002 2:37:44 PM #
So where's the Graffiti area?! What screen resolution is this?! Is it really a Dragonball? What expansion media does it use? -- CF, SD, or -- god help us -- Memory Stick?

RE: Garmin screen rez?!
ginsberg @ 12/18/2002 10:06:49 PM #
My sister works in senior management for a sporting goods chain and told me about this unit. Like the flagship Sony Clie models, this has a 16-bit color 320x480 display with soft Graffitti area. New Motorola DragonBall MXL to support OS 5 with 32MB SDRAM and SD slot.

This unit will be competitive with the high-end Sony and Tungsten T (especially for those of us with an interest in GPS). Looks like Garmin hit a home run (or perhaps a triple) in their first trip to the plate.

My only concern is how much battery life does the GPS consume? No mention of a removable battery concerns me, although I'm sure they will have a car charger and plenty of other accessories.

RE: Garmin screen rez?!
mikecane @ 12/24/2002 2:19:21 PM #
GEEEZ! 320x480?! This sounds like the ersatz CLIE I'd been hoping for: getting rid of the bulk and those hinky Sony fonts but keeping the screen and the power.

Now, can it do WiFi...?

32MB???
timewaster77 @ 12/27/2002 2:35:01 PM #
Neither the NX-series nor the Tungsten have 32MB. I highly doubt that Sony only put in 16MB because they wanted to. It makes sense that Palm OS 5 supports only 32MB. Perhaps it comes with a 16MB SD card and they advertise it with having 32MB of memory. Sony did that a while ago saying a Clie had 16MB of memory when it really had 8MB and an 8MB Memory Stick.

Happy Sony Clie User

Feature Set ...

Token User @ 12/17/2002 5:11:12 PM #
... anyone else notice the ring of holes around the Up/Down keys, as well as the single hole on the top left hand side?

Voice Recorder and MP3 playback? Phone perhaps (though unlikely)??

If this is a pre-production model, I wouldn't be surprised if the up/down pad is replaced by a joy pad - it makes sense for navigating maps.



~ "Don't be too proud of this technological terror you've constructed." - DV ~

RE: Feature Set ...
AmrMan0628 @ 12/17/2002 11:12:48 PM #
I agree... but then again, the article said it's coming out Jan 8.

-Logic is the key to open the doors to all solutions
RE: Feature Set ...
JKingGrim @ 12/18/2002 6:49:04 PM #
>>I wouldn't be surprised if the up/down pad is replaced by a joy pad

Too true. From here on out, any palm without a 5-way gets marked down in my book.

RE: Feature Set ...
Palm_Otaku @ 12/24/2002 3:12:47 PM #
Hmm. The left side of the handheld has what appears to be a JogDial with buttons above (voice record?) and below ('back'?).

Maybe for mapping applications those buttons can be reassigned to left and right?

Who knows? Maybe the JogDial is even one of those 5-way selectors with fore and aft movement as well as up and down?

I'd be extremely surprised if the images shown here aren't what we'll see in the production models though. We'll see in a couple of weeks I guess! :)


Bluetooth?

savvy @ 12/17/2002 6:23:56 PM #
But does it have bluetooth?

Don't consider those pictures authoritative.

mikemusick @ 12/17/2002 6:24:41 PM #
That is clearly a mockup, especially the screen - yellows are not that saturated on LCD screens.

What is being shown may be a plausible design study, but I would wait for the CES rollout of the real thing before assuming final product details including buttons, connections, memory expansion, antenna... and whether it has a D-pad or not.

RE: Don't consider those pictures authoritative.
orev @ 12/17/2002 6:37:35 PM #
What school have you been going to?

It is not "clearly a mockup". You think they give out awards for mockups?

Every single picture of every single device on the planet has a *simulated* screen. It's impossible to take a good picture of the screen. Judging the saturation from a picture like that is totally absurd.

RE: Don't consider those pictures authoritative.
mikemusick @ 12/17/2002 7:56:47 PM #
Wow.

Your point is taken, but it would have gone down a lot nicer without the demeaning and condescending tone.

RE: Don't consider those pictures authoritative.
Fernando @ 12/17/2002 8:36:13 PM #
i doubt that tone would've been necessary had chosen not to start with: "this is clearly" as if you were some sort of professional on the topic...
RE: Don't consider those pictures authoritative.
mikemusick @ 12/17/2002 9:06:15 PM #
Well, I do apologize for the "clearly" if that offended, but for clarity's sake I *am* a professional, at least when it comes to GPS's and mapping software.

The primary cue for me is the "tab" for the antenna - the dimensions vs. orientation, as well as possibly the shape are wrong. A vertical would have to be a quadrifilar helix, which would be fatter (roughly 1/2-inch square and inch or more) tall; a thin antenna would be a "patch"-style, which needs to be horizontal, or at least a 45° angle for convenient in-hand use. And the pictured tab is still too thin, even for a patch. There are certain physics which determine antenna dimensions, and the illustrated prototype appears to violate it, at least in terms of antenna designs which I use every day.

It's entirely possible that Garmin has something new and different up their sleeve there, but my guess is that we'd have seen it in other products by now.

RE: Don't consider those pictures authoritative.
useybird @ 12/17/2002 9:59:03 PM #
Yellows will start to look more yellow with the arrival of these new 260K Color screen (Yes, 260K) on these new phones.

http://www.3g.co.uk/PR/December2002/4595.htm

-------------
Burning Desire: The want or need for something great.
Burning THE Zire: A fun recreational activity involving setting Palm's new crappy handheld ablaze.

RE: Don't consider those pictures authoritative.
Fernando @ 12/18/2002 5:40:54 PM #
A valid point. However it is quite unfortunate that only time will tell on whether this product will actually make it to a production line, rather than just remain imprinted in our imaginations.... thinking of which, I wonder what happened to handera, haven't seen much of them in the news lately...

HandEra is alive and well.
mikemusick @ 12/19/2002 10:41:28 AM #
They're just not participating in the "brick and mortar" retail system any more. You can still order a 330 online if you need one.

HandEra has a stronger market in enterprise sales and system integrators. With the CF slot they're the only answer right now if your application requires customized hardware expansion.

RE: Don't consider those pictures authoritative.
Fernando @ 12/19/2002 10:06:08 PM #
too bad they're still not making any new models for palms... i liked their devices, i just didn't like their prices or the fact that they never got colour on any of their devices. If they really wanted to, i'm sure they can make a killer palm os 5 device with enough features to pass for a pocket pc, but with the stability of palm os... and without the proprietary expansion found in the sony devices... that would be a dream device....

Does this is a Palm OS

Bartman007 @ 12/17/2002 8:56:09 PM #
I hate to interject but....

Where does it say that it runs the Palm OS. I know they made an announcment a while ago about an OS5 handheld, but is this it?

I would doubt that this is not Palm OS based because of the whole layout, but it is just not explicitly stated. To go along with this whole question, would it be possible to get some hardware/software specs on it, or do I have to wail til Jan....

Peace,
-Bartman007

It's probably a safe assumption.
mikemusick @ 12/17/2002 9:34:52 PM #
While Garmin tends to be secretive and has said nothing publicly until this, Palm has been beating the "licensee" drum for what seems like an eternity - two years, maybe? Longer?

Anyway, for me it's going to be very long three weeks waiting for the tech specs - from long experience with Garmin I doubt anything meaningful will be released before the official roll-out. I'm sitting here hoping beyond hope that they let us developers have access to the mapping databases and rendering engine.

I do think it's a safe assumption that it will have an SD card slot. Garmin already uses SD for map databases on their consumer GPS's, so it would certainly make sense for the iQue to be compatible.

RE: Does this is a Palm OS
Smartmoose @ 12/17/2002 11:28:42 PM #
"Where does it say that it runs the Palm OS?"

The press release didn't say it directly (they're probably waiting for CES), but an article in the Kansas City Star came right out with the connection:

http://www.kansascity.com/mld/kansascity/business/4753821.htm

If the Kansas City Star seems like a poor choice of newspaper, remember that Garmin is based in Olathe, KS (in the Kansas City metro area).

Hope that helps clear things up.

RE: Does this is a Palm OS
ignatius @ 12/18/2002 3:05:25 PM #
"If the Kansas City Star seems like a poor choice of newspaper..."

Why would you assume that? They have consistently been considered one of the better papers in the country for 100 years.

But yes, it is indeed a Palm OS device. I used to work for Sprint PCS (also based in KC) and know several people from PCS who now work at Garmin and they have confirmed it.

RE: Does this is a Palm OS
Smartmoose @ 12/18/2002 4:09:51 PM #
I certainly meant no slight to the Kansas City Star. The only reason for that particular turn of phrase was due to prior encounters where others have disregarded a newspaper story that wasn't from the New York Times or Washington Post. Additionally, the comment was to point out that the Kansas City Star was most likely to have "the scoop" on the Garmin device (since the company is in their backyard), rather than some other news organization.

I shouldn't have assumed that others might consider the Kansas City Star a poor choice of newspaper, and for that, and any offense I may have caused, I apologize. I will consider my phrasing more carefully in the future.

As for the main topic: good to hear further confirmation that the device will feature the Palm OS. I've been looking forward to a GPS/Palm handheld (as one unit), and look forward to hearing more about it.

RE: Does this is a Palm OS
Lerch @ 12/18/2002 6:33:11 PM #
Unless I am mistaken Garmin uses a proprietary removable media card whereas Magellan uses SD cards.

RE: Garmin Data Cards
mikemusick @ 12/18/2002 8:27:21 PM #
You're absolutely right - Garmin does use a proprietary memory module. Too many GPS's... not enough time... ;-)

Waterproof?

razorpit @ 12/18/2002 10:37:12 AM #
Doubt it ;-( but it would be cool! That would quickly replace the StreetPilot III I have mounted on my motorcycle.

--Dave

Garmin maps?!

mikecane @ 12/18/2002 7:10:47 PM #
I don't get it. Are maps of the entire world on the device? Or will there be a subscription satellite service that sends down maps? GPS is not my thing...

RE: Garmin maps?!
mikecane @ 12/24/2002 2:21:30 PM #
What?! No GPS experts who can answer my question?!

Cost? Anyone know?

Marshall Flinkman @ 12/21/2002 12:54:45 PM #
Has there been any mention of this anywhere?


RE: Cost? Anyone know?
karrock @ 1/8/2003 7:28:12 PM #
Just announced today -- $589 Retail

http://www.garmin.com/products/iQue3600
http://news.com.com/2100-1040-979765.html?tag=fd_top


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