Garmin Announces the iQue 3200 PDA with GPS

I know a land surveyor that got a 3600 for Christmas.

I have an i3600 which I use every day. I also write applications for it, although Garmin doesn't make that an easy job sometimes.

The i3200 is an "It's about time!". Ignoring that CompUSA and the big-box office supply are asking full list for the i3600, Garmin products are heavily discounted - their list prices are hopeless exaggerations. The i3600 is available, right now, at gps4fun.com for $449 (vs $549 list).

What this means is that the i3200 will quickly drift to well under $400 street. That is significant, and is going to smoke Navman's equivalent PocketPC device.

The loss of the DIA (dynamic input area - soft Graffiti pad) with 320x320 is not all that significant to the mapping display. If the i3600 had a landscape mode it would be different, but since portrait was and is "it", the smaller live display area is a shoulder-shrug.

I have to agree to both.

The lack of a headphone jack won't go well with integrators either.

I still wish them the best of luck though.
We need more players.

But then you'd have an iQue.

The only thing worse than spending a fortune is spending a fortune and getting junk in return.

Does anyone know any details on the PalmOne-branded BT GPS bundle that you can get on their website? It sounds to be pretty decent for the $--at least if you own a T3. Anyone have any firsthand experience with it and/or seen it in action or know who manufactures the actual GPS hardware that PalmOne rebrands?

I'd love to see a super-detailed review of this thing on PIC!

> Frankly, the fixed screen size is fine for most users.
> In fact, those bitching on here for years about a
> software writing area reminds me of those who want a
> converable rooftop when only hardtops are offered. If
> something sells well a higher end that is more a luxury
> than an engineering prototype comes about.

Erm, you never owned a Handera 330, or your opinion would be different, trust me.

I will hate the day my 330 will die...

Some of what you say is true, some isn't, some have workarounds. I've been using my iQue 3600 since they came out and have learned a few things about it.

Handwriting recognition is slow.

Yep, it sure is. That is by far the single most annoying problem with the iQue.

The "Find Address" dialog, which you'll be using frequently, is excruciatingly slow: you write a letter and several seconds later, the list of possible cities/streets updates. It can take minutes just to enter the city/street.

Interesting facts about this system, many Garmin GPS units use it and it's close to the best on the iQue. If you enter the address faster, it looks up faster. For instance enter "H-i-c-k-m-a-n" without waiting after the H for the list to scroll and it won't scroll to the H, it will scroll directly to whatever letter you pause on. Also, the speed of this is proportional to how much map data you have stored on the memory card.

The device runs out of battery power easily, and when it does, it loses its memory.

Yep, battery life sucks when using the GPS. Why don’t you have it plugged into your car when using it? The battery life is pretty good when not using the GPS. What PalmOS device DOESN’T loose its memory when the batteries die?

Selecting map regions for download to the device uses a small and inconvenient dialog box and is an exercise in frustration.

They fixed that, you can use the full MapSource to install maps now.

Downloading maps to the device is unreliable. The largest I have been able to get on there is about 250M of map data, even though that fills up the SD card I have only halfway. The exact amount you can transfer has to be determined by trial-and-error.

If you’re transferring 250MB of map data to the iQue via HotSync you deserve what you’re getting. Generate the map data, use an SD card reader to copy it from the Palm Install directory to the iQue SD card. It’s 100,000 times faster.

The desktop software worked on a laptop with an older version of XP, but not on two brand-new, up-to-date desktops.

They fixed that, updates on their web site.

In order to install the maps on the handheld, you first need to install them on the desktop, taking up lots of space (problem on the older laptop).

Update your hardware. All Garmin (and Magellen and even Trimble) GPS map sets work that way. I use the MapSource along with the Topographical maps, it’s annoying that it takes up GB of hard drive space but hardly unexpected.

Have you ever used a high-end GPS before? I will agree that the PDA side of the 3600 leaves something to be desired, and the entire thing has some rough edges but GPS side is both solid. In my opinion it is the equal to its $1500 gps-only counterparts. You don’t get the extreme ruggedness of a StreetPilot but you get all the software functionality.

Hi, Mike W!

;-)

Why don�t you have it plugged into your car when using it? The battery life is pretty good when not using the GPS. What PalmOS device DOESN�T loose its memory when the batteries die?

The battery also had died when it was sitting in my car for a couple of weeks, much sooner than other Palms I am using. Moreover, devices like the Clies come with backup-to-flash software out of the box. And the GPS unit apparently doesn't shut off, so if you leave it in the cradle and turn off the car, it dies quickly.

High quality PDAs actually have a backup battery that keeps memory intact for months, even after the main battery has drained.

For instance enter "H-i-c-k-m-a-n" without waiting after the H for the list to scroll and it won't scroll to the H, it will scroll directly to whatever letter you pause on.

Sure it will, but it won't echo. So, you write the street blindly. Then you wait. And wait. And wait a little longer. Then something pops up and you discover that its Graffiti 2 engine misrecognized a bunch of strokes. Then you blindly enter some "delete" strokes and start writing again blindly.

That's no way to design a UI. At the very least, it should have made echoing characters as I write them the highest priority, searching in the background (and, yes, you can do that even on PalmOS).

Also, the speed of this is proportional to how much map data you have stored on the memory card.

I see. So, Garmin's software developers are at the "linear search" stage of their computer science education.

If you�re transferring 250MB of map data to the iQue via HotSync you deserve what you�re getting. Generate the map data, use an SD card reader to copy it from the Palm Install directory to the iQue SD card. It�s 100,000 times faster.

Transfer via Hotsync is the documented way of transferring data, so it should work. Also, while it may be slow in terms of real time, it's a lot more efficient in terms of my own time.

Have you ever used a high-end GPS before?

I have used built-in car navigation systems, and their UIs are nowhere near as poor (but they weren't made by Garmin either).

I will agree that the PDA side of the 3600 leaves something to be desired, and the entire thing has some rough edges but GPS side is both solid. In my opinion it is the equal to its $1500 gps-only counterparts. You don�t get the extreme ruggedness of a StreetPilot but you get all the software functionality.

Are you telling me that other Garmin units have UIs that are as poorly designed as the iQue's? Good to know.

In any case, all I'm saying is that if with the iQue, you expect to get a PDA with a GPS unit built-in, you will be disappointed: in this case, the total is less than the sum of its parts. Just about any other solution (Bluetooth GPS+PDA, cabled GPS+PDA, dedicated GPS, etc.) is going to be a better choice.

I am also a very satisfied iQue 3600 owner, and have none of the problems that were listed, provided I use the iQue how it was intended to be used, that is, plugged into a power source when you're driving, charged in the cradle regularly, backed up onto the PC so you don't lose anything....and many of us who own and are happy with our iQue's also have a card backup program so we can reinstall if there's a problem when we're away from the PC. T-3's have issues, Sony had it's own proprietary issues; my IIIxe had issues, for that matter! You just have to learn how to work around things. I would buy an upgraded unit in a minute, but I wouldn't buy the 3200. I want more bells and whistles, not less.

**************************************
Ann - happily using her Garmin iQue3600