Palm-Powered Unit Combines Best Features Of Handheld PDA
Computing, Garmin GPS Technology
By ANN Associate Editor Juan Jimenez
In the previous
installment of this review, we talked about the major software
features and components of the iQue 3600a.
Once we took off. climbed to altitude and settled into the
seldom-used Plaza Transition over SJU -- the winds were blowing
from the north that day, which almost never happens -- I turned my
attention to the GPS. I switched into terrain mode and it showed me
exactly what I should be looking out for -- the mountains to the
east, as well as towers and other obstructions in the area. Using
the Que button on the bottom right corner of the PDA, I switched to
different applications, such as QueNav, which gives you display
options showing a mixture of primary flight instruments -- but no
simulated horizon -- and an HSI. The Que button can also be
customized to cycle through a variety of the applications available
on the iQue, including the automotive information screens.
As I approached X63 and started my descent, the terrain warnings
became more urgent, as the unit tried to make sure I knew where the
obstructions were located. Given the weird winds that day, I
circled the airport to take look at the wind sock and pick the best
runway. I also wanted to see if there was any ultralight activity.
The iQue doesn't say it, but X63 is the home of much of the UL and
parachuting activity on the island, and if you're not sure what's
going on at the airport that day, it's a good idea to circle at a
safe distance and look/listen. At this point I noticed one of the
limitations of the Jeppesen database on the iQue -- there was no
COMM information screen for the airport, so a pilot unfamiliar with
the field would either have to refer to notes, or break out a chart
to find the CTAF/UNICOM frequency for the field.
The return trip was uneventful, and the unit performed
flawlessly. As I began my descent into TJIG's runway 27, the iQue
began flashing terrain warnings from the multitude of beachfront
high rises, the cruise ship docks and even some long term
constructions cranes working on projects related to the new
Convention Center being built on the property just south of the
airport. From an aviation point of view, this unit provides most,
if not all, of the functionality of the dedicated aviation GPS
units Garmin sells, with the accuracy of WAAS.
Towards the end of the review period, another small box arrived
from Garmin, with a cool add-on for the 3600a which I was told
was a "car kit." In the box was included a City Select CD
with the detailed databases for land navigation in the United
States and Puerto Rico. This product was of particular interest to
me because I have never found a consumer-level navigation product
that shows Puerto Rico street-level detail with any kind of decent
accuracy. I tried Microsoft Streets and Trips, which said it
covered Puerto Rico, but gave up on it once I found myself at what
the map said was the beginning of a freeway. In reality, I was
facing the beginning of a freeway that was never built, and all I
had in front of me was a cow, who was probably thinking "Gee,
another one bites the dust."
The car kit includes a very interesting car
mount which does away with the need for any hardware
installation. It consists of a small bag with four compartments
filled with some sort of pellets to weigh down the mount. At the
top there's a locking mechanism where the holder for the iQue is
installed. It takes about 30 seconds to put together the mount with
two hand-tightened screws. Once attached, the mount can be rotated
into position and angled to your comfort. It also doubles as a
pseudo-docking station for the iQue. Out of the mount runs a cable
to a cigarette lighter power adapter which also has a speaker and a
volume adjustment knob.
That's right. This thing talks to you,
and it can do so in more than one language. I kid you not!
The City Select software installation is fairly easy, though I
did run into one glitch. When the software wants to know the serial
number of the device it's going to talk to, it tries to go look for
it but can't find it. The reason it can't find the iQue is it only
connects to the PC during a Hotsync synchronization. This requires
you to open the patch antenna, look for the serial number and enter
it manually. You also need to enter the coupon code that comes with
the Car Kit package to unlock the maps. The rest is
straightforward, just follow the instructions. You can activate
each City Select set of maps for up to two Garmin units with a
single coupon code. If you have more than two units and want to use
the maps you'll have to purchase more unlock code coupons.
The City Select software allows you to install detailed maps
included in the product you selected, limited only by the amount of
physical memory available on the iQue and/or the size of the SD
memory card you have inserted into the top of the unit. SD cards
are relatively inexpensive now -- my local OfficeMax carries the
512 megabyte card for under $100. Buy the biggest one you can find,
and you won't regret it when you need to load several maps for that
long road trip you can't take in the plane for lack of seats. Once
the maps are selected, you tell the software to save them, and then
perform a Hotsync operation to load them into the iQue. You can
also use the software to manage and load waypoints, routes and
tracks, and if you have a GPS on your computer, the software can
also track your location on the maps.
My first test of the land capabilities was to set up a simple
route from one address to another. I have found that if a
navigation unit which provides this capability can do a good
job of this in Puerto Rico, with its addressing system based on 400
years of Spanish influence, it will do an excellent job in the
United States. The database does hold a tremendous amount of
information, but the search function shows there is a need for
consistency in the database. The word for "street" in Spanish is
"Calle" and all streets begin with that word, then the street name.
The street I live on is "Calle Jose Marti." While some streets had
the word "Calle" in the entries, mine did not, which made
it much harder to find. Also, some streets are identified on
the map but are not searchable for some reason. In Garmin's
defense, the database is not theirs, but rather licensed from
another company. That company would do well to standardize their
database against the US Postal Service address database.
I was very impressed to see the maps are very accurate,
much more so than Microsoft's maps. However, the one feature
that blew me away was the land navigation function. I have
never seen anything as complete, useful and easy to use. I've been
working with computers for 30+ years, and I can honestly say the
navigation software is a work of art.
As you are driving, it not only shows you where you are, it
tells you what is coming up next, be it a street, avenue or
otherwise. It even tells you what street or house number you are
passing, and it takes into consideration what side of the street
you are on. When you are navigating a route, a pleasant female
voice gently guides you through the route and tells you, well in
advance, what you need to do to stay on the route it has chosen for
you.
During one of the test
trips, I found that I did not want to follow the route that the
iQue had picked for me, so I took another. I came to this decision
after I had departed and thought it unsafe to try to reprogram the
route while I was driving. Were I using any other navigation
product, I'd have to find a place to pull over once I had
established my new route, and ask for new routing directions.
Little did I know that the woman in the computer was ahead of
me. The software not only figured out and announced that I was off
the route, it instantly recalculated a new route for me and began
giving me voice guidance. Murphy being who he is, the new route
would be acceptable, except the ramp I was supposed to take was
closed for construction. I knew I had to drive on and make a
u-turn, so I proceeded down the street, and sure enough, again the
woman in the computer told me she was recalculating, and asked me
to drive 1.2 miles down the road, and make the u-turn!
Words cannot describe my reaction. To see a computer
effortlessly doing that, knowing what sort of algorithmic work is
required, was akin to an artist visiting the Van Gogh Museum in
Amsterdam for the very first time (I have visited the Van Gogh
Museum, it's an experience I highly recommend).
In the next installment, we will cover the
additional software features of the Garmin iQue 3600a
and render our verdict.