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I am new to the world of GPS and this would be my first foray into that arena.
My situation is that I will soon be moving to a different country and want to have the use of a GPS to help me first generally get around and then to explore the area. When I say explore that means via car, I do not see myself trekking around the countryside.
Currently I use a PalmVx and it is pretty much does everything that I need from a PDA. In fact the only thing that I would like that it doesn't have it the expansion slot, mainly for ebooks to be loaded onto.
To me the Ique 3600 seems to be something that would be good for my use in that I could use it for in car navigation and as a PDA.
However from browsing the forum it looks like most people seem to be using it as more of a GPS than a PDA rather than a balance, apologies if this is not the case.
With all this said would people go along with my reasoning that the Ique would be the best solution for me. Or would I be better served with my current palm as the pda and a seperate GPS.
Rav, I bought the iQue 3600 for very similar reasons. I have a Palm IIIxe that I was very happy with but I wanted expansion. I also wanted a GPS unit that would allow me the same capabilities, eg. expansion cards so no significant limitations on map data capacity and no need to carry a laptop in order to be able to change maps and such. The iQue 3600 seemed to be the perfect answer.
When I first considered it I decided against it for one simple reason. I do want to use it, very occasionally, for "trekking around the countryside". Not often but it is a consideration. The fact that it has an internal battery and a battery life that can be limiting in this sort of use was enough to turn me away from it initially.
After more research I found that there was nothing else like it out there. I had become quite attracted because I could have my enhanced PDA and my GPS navigational unit all in one. I just had to reconsider whether the battery/battery life issues were going to be a showstopper.
I did some more research and found that there are some inexpensive external battery packs that can be used to operate and/or recharge the iQue. That was enough to tip the scales.
I bought my iQue 3600 in June. I use if for the PDA functions regularly and love the extra memory and expansion card slot. I have also used the GPS functions, mainly navigation, quite a bit this summer and fall.
I'm satisfied that I made the right choice.
As with all tech-toys, this one isn't perfect. There are some small things I can't do with it that would be nice, like doing a route that starts some other place than where the iQue thinks you are, or downloading routes into the iQue (and vice versa). But those are not big items in my usage.
Your biggest concern for the GPS portion would be to make sure you can get good quality maps for the areas where you intend to make the most use of it.
For the PDA portion, you will find the transition from you V quite straightforward. I had to make an adjustment from my III due to the changes in Grafiti II, but that didn't take long. And I LOVE the virtual grafiti area on the iQue for a couple of reasons. First, it's really nice to see the shape of the grafiti characters as I make them. I used to be puzzled why I sometimes didn't get the letters that I expected on my old IIIxe. Now I know because I can see the flaws as soon as I draw the character. It has improved my grafiti use and reduced the occasional frustration.
I also like that you can get the grafiti area out of the way and use the full screen. There are an increasing number of applications that know how to use the full screen.
If/when internal memory becomes a consideration for your data and applications, with the right applications and the right launcher you can load and run many applications right from the memory card. I have two different sets of maps loaded on two SD cards, one Topo and one conventional, so I can just switch mapsets on the fly.
I'm thinking of getting another card just for keeping a bit of a photo album on. I've always been criticized by my siblings that I never carry any recent pictures of my family when I come to visit. Can't be bothered hauling a paper album along and carrying CDs is a nuisance because you have to find a PC to display them. The iQue and a card full of jpegs should solve the problem quite nicely.
With the expansion cards, the possibilities seem endless, especially for the PDA functions.
Find a source that will let you take it back if you don't like it, no questions asked, within a reasonable time period, and go for it. I think you'll like it a lot.
Originally posted by Ken in Regina
As with all tech-toys, this one isn't perfect. There are some small things I can't do with it that would be nice, like doing a route that starts some other place than where the iQue thinks you are, ...ken...
Actually, this is possible, and not that difficult.
I will try to explain this without my iQue in front of me.
Go to the Que GPS screen and bring down the drop-down menus. One of the options is to change the current location. Click on this and manually (or using the map), fool the system into thinking you are at your proposed starting position. Then route yourself to your proposed destination. Lastly, save the route.
You can now either change your current position back to where you actuall are, or the Q will reset itself the next time you use it, based on the satelites it finds.
Originally posted by Statsman Actually, this is possible, and not that difficult.
I will try to explain this without my iQue in front of me.
Go to the Que GPS screen and bring down the drop-down menus. One of the options is to change the current location. Click on this and manually (or using the map), fool the system into thinking you are at your proposed starting position. Then route yourself to your proposed destination. Lastly, save the route.
You can now either change your current position back to where you actuall are, or the Q will reset itself the next time you use it, based on the satelites it finds.
Simple!
Have Fun,
Statsman
I am in Que GPS screen (with GPS Off).
The dropdown menus are:
OPTIONS:
- Preferences
- About Map Data
- About QueMap
QUE
- Route To
- Measure Distance
DELETE
- Basemp in Memory
- Basemap on Card
- Detailed Maps in Memory
- Detailed Maps on Card
I dont see any option to change current location.. ??
Yes, go to the view satellite screen and on the top left touch QueGPS. Than set a new location using the map. Than when you create a "go to" it will route from the new location.
Except that as soon as you turn the iQue GPS on and activate the route it automatically recalculates it from your present position, not from the "new location" entered one.
You can only track direct to your destination, not join a track between two points.
I'm not sure what the purpose of saving routes is - as soon as you try to use them they are recalculated to your destination waypoint.
I find it easier to set up a bunch of commonly used routes, and ask my wife to search through these, then to ask her to find the waypoint she is interested in routing to, clicking on the drow down menu, clicking on the Que menu, then clicking route to; and waiting for Betty to calculate the route.
I also find, that I can give my car to a parent, who is unfamiliar with the area, and teach them to use the saved routes dialog to get them from one point to another.
To what country are you moving? As Ken mentioned, but it bears repeating, you need to make sure there will be iQue-compatible maps available for that country (meaning that they support auto-routing on the iQue; i.e. CitySelect or the more expensive CityNavigator). Otherwise you won't be able to use the iQue 3600 to its full potential.
I moved from a Handspring PDA to a Prism (color screen) to my beloved iQue. Its Palm OS5 so you shouldn't have any trouble adjusting it. I use the PDA portion daily, the GPS mostly in my car when the wife and I go cruising in places we've never been before and still have the enormously convenience of knowing where just about any type of service or place is AND the ability for the iQue to plot a route straight to it.
I also use the map a lot sitting at my desk, locating points of interest, saving locations of places I want to visit or places I need to travel to on business. The expansion slot for SD memory cards increases the versatility by allowing you to save map sets, movies, image files, programs or any digital file you want. I even used it to move a file off my desktop computer onto the SD card to take home with me, then moved it off the SD card to my home desktop (using a card reader at both work and home).
I recently received marching orders - I'm being transferred to another assignment 1000 miles away. The iQue and cell phone will be routing me to the new location in a few weeks, and will be the main tool to assist in locating my hotel and all those houses I have to visit to find a new place to live.
My iQue is a valuable tool for me. I think you'll like it.
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