Garmin iQue M5 GPS handheld

Garmin iQue M5 PDA

Strengths: Great GPS! Decent Maps. Very portable. Great handwriting recognition. The ability to have a GPS, computer, Internet connection, camera all in one unit. (wi-fi and camera were purchased separately.)

Weakness: Browser is not Java enabled. Calculator not scientific. A bit of a steep learning curve and patience is required to learn all the ways to operate the GPS and PDA. Only 64MB internal memory.

I've had no problems with syncing up with satellites. Living in the wide-open southwest probably makes the difference. The GPS is why I bought this and I haven't been disappointed. The windshield mounting unit works very well. I added a 4GB SD card ($35) to store all of the North America maps and they took up 1.6GB of the card. I bought a spectec 802.11b/g wireless card ($35) and it works great....
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I've had no problems with syncing up with satellites. Living in the wide-open southwest probably makes the difference. The GPS is why I bought this and I haven't been disappointed. The windshield mounting unit works very well. I added a 4GB SD card ($35) to store all of the North America maps and they took up 1.6GB of the card. I bought a spectec 802.11b/g wireless card ($35) and it works great. I bought a spectec miniature camera ($14) that works well also. I don't expect to do photo quality pictures, but I bought the camera for its convenience, e.g., What if I was in a wreck and need to take pictures, etc. The PDA, extra card(s), and camera fit easily in my purse. I like the Instant Messenger to chat with my family. What I don't like is that the browser that comes with the operating system (Windows Mobile PC 2003) is not Java enabled. So I guess I'll have to hunt (and pay) for a browser somewhere. I don't really play games so I can't comment on those. Pocket Excel and Word are nice! I write (rather well) in cursive and have had very little problems with the handwriting recognition software. The key is writing as you were taught in grade school. I have decent battery life, i.e., I can use it most all day before I need to charge it up. The calculator is not scientific. I haven't used the blue tooth so I can't comment on that. But e-mail is no problem. The maps don't have the latest changes to my city, i.e., new suburbs and streets, and I don't know if I'll be able to buy new maps yet. But Garmin has some maps I'm interested in (hiking, water); they're just expensive. For the price of this PDA ($350), it's worth it if only for the great GPS. The fact that I can get my Internet e-mail is the cream on the cake. I don't need it to be a phone especially since I can't take a cell phone into work. I would have liked a built-in wi-fi card as I need to take the maps on my 4GB card out to use the wi-fi, but..., I won't be needing to use both features simultaneously anyway. I love it and use it daily. I use it on trips to get me where I need to go, prior to trips to plan my routes, and from bed when I'm sending e-mails or chatting with my family. The GPS recalculation is great!! I often go off-route to avoid areas and the GPS quickly recalculates the new route. The external speaker is quite adequate in the car. The internal speakers aren't very loud if you're listening to music and wearing ear buds, but they are loud enough (unless you like very-high volume.) Don't buy this for the MP3 player -- you will be disappointed if you do. Also, don't buy it if you want high-quality pictures or video recording. The pictures are stored initially in the internal 64MB memory and you need to off-load them or you'll quickly run out of space.

By montoyat - Apr 28, 2007

I love that GPS/PDA !!!!

Strengths: Small, Accurate, Fast, Automatic Re-route Calculation, Lots of applications. I LOVE IT !!!!!!!!!!

Weakness: Nothing other than a not detailed manual.

I love that GPS/PDA. I had before Magellan Sport Trak which took forever to get signal, and did not driving directions, it was accurate though. Then I had the Streets and Trips, it was good too but you have to have the Laptop with you all the time. Now, I have Garmin IQUE M5. It's a perfect men's toy :). - Small - Accurate - Fast signal - Lots of applications - Car Mount is Excellent (I put it on...
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I love that GPS/PDA.

I had before Magellan Sport Trak which took forever to get signal, and did not driving directions, it was accurate though. Then I had the Streets and Trips, it was good too but you have to have the Laptop with you all the time.

Now, I have Garmin IQUE M5. It's a perfect men's toy :).
- Small
- Accurate
- Fast signal
- Lots of applications
- Car Mount is Excellent (I put it on the Dashboard)
- Automatic re-route calculation if you go off-route.
- Nice Speaker.
- MP3 player and video (although I am not going to use for that :).
- You can shop for good price. I got brand new from Amazon for $413.99 (after $30 discount for opening a credit card with them with 0% APR for six months).
- The manual is a little bit not detailed. You have to play around with the unit to figure things out, which is fun too :).

By ashrafel68 - May 5, 2006

Ique M5 Kicks Butt

Strengths: Quick Processor, Good Interface, Lots of Features, Slim Design, Bluetooth

Weakness: Map Update Load Time, No Built-in Wifi, ActiveSync over bluetooth tough to setup, Usual GPS Acquisition Issues

Although some friends warned me about the instability of PocketPC, I've been happily surprised--it has a good interface (although I prefer old school palm grafiti pads to on-screen writing) and has only crashed twice, but I did not loose any data, nor did I need to use the included backup program (Sprite backup comes with it, and automatically does nightly backups to SafeStorage or an SD Card)...
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Although some friends warned me about the instability of PocketPC, I've been happily surprised--it has a good interface (although I prefer old school palm grafiti pads to on-screen writing) and has only crashed twice, but I did not loose any data, nor did I need to use the included backup program (Sprite backup comes with it, and automatically does nightly backups to SafeStorage or an SD Card)
Built-in memory decent for small maps (ie NYC metro area took up 11MB) but get a 512MB or bigger card to load several states (a 170MB file holds much of lower NY, NJ, Massachusetts, Maryland & Connecticut) Which is good, but the problem, is if I wanted to add something, I have not yet found a quick update, the new portion plus the old 170mb would have to be updated, which is slow (even over usb 2.0)--takes about 15-20 min. Bluetooth file transfer is cool, but I have not yet gotten activesync to work (there's some sites/magazines I found on google which give info, but I have not done it yet). I bought an Ambicom SD-WL11 Wifi Card, works great, quick downloads, easy install (I reviewed that too--search Pricegrabber.com for it). Navigation system is good--there are a few applications that you can cycle through via the hardware Q button, one is to find stuff--works great with GPS on or off--and if you know current place + destination you can "simulate route" even with GPS off to know how to get there. Push Q to see map, then odometer/speed, turns page/directions, then Sat-acuqistion page (standard as per other Garmin GPS like the 12xl). You can set lots of options like avoid major highways. It saved my butt a few times @ night, but once sent me to the wrong address (could have been an out-of date listing).
GPS acquisition is good, has a 48mhz dedicated gps co-processor, but in bad weather, around buildings, etc. without a clear view of sky, acuquisition can be slow/spotty. I drove in my friends' Lexus with in-dash navi system, and this was just as good, and even more detailed in some rural places. I considered GPS-only units, but having the PocketPC for Corporate Remote Desktop/VPN, Word/Excel, Full PDFs, Websurf, games, MP3, etc. is great! Good luck!

By Adam99 - Jun 14, 2006

This is my 1st PDA and the 1st...

Strengths: The SD slot is SDIO compatible allowing you to add WiFi. A big plus - replaceable battery. The OS is Windows Mobile 2003. Included accessories means little else to buy. Feels well made and sturdy.

Weakness: The manual could be written to address all types of users. The 320 x 240 display.

This is my 1st PDA and the 1st time I have used a GPS, that said, I was having some difficulty in uderstanding just what it is I needed to create and transfer from the mapping software. I found it complicated to install, a problem I discovered had more to do with my laptop security settings, but found little info on the Garmin website to help me with the installation process. I had to reinstall...
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This is my 1st PDA and the 1st time I have used a GPS, that said, I was having some difficulty in uderstanding just what it is I needed to create and transfer from the mapping software. I found it complicated to install, a problem I discovered had more to do with my laptop security settings, but found little info on the Garmin website to help me with the installation process. I had to reinstall several times to get the CitySelect help files to work correctly. The manual seemed complex to me and did not seem to address instructions geared to the first time users, easily solved with adding more FAQ's on the Garmin website. I have to say I felt the sense of accomplishment when I mapped my first route and heard that voice telling me where to turn! I expect as I learn more, this device will help greatly in my work and leisure life. The wide range of basemaps was a buying plus to me as I travel frequently. Purchasing such software can become costly. I installed the Worldwide Basemaps, instead of the North American maps, and added the City Select map for all of New England on a 256MB SD Card. I plan to buy a SD WiFi card to provide my with internet access. On the PDA end, once I set up categories in MS Outlook, I was able to collect my preferred details, the sync was complete and painless. I like the potrait/landscape features and the ability to change my font text and shadowing. I plus to someone with reading glasses! A higher resolution display like that on the 3600 would have made this near perfect.

By Piccola - May 13, 2005

It is certainly better than IQue...

Strengths: Fast in catching the signal. Good setup, map, long battery life + backup battery.

Weakness: Sometimes wont catch signal in downtown areas. Manual not very good. Suction mount arm should be longer

It is certainly better than IQue 3600. Much more reliable. Like MS setup better. It is ceretainly easy to use. Opening of GPS antenna is much better as it has knob when slided the antenna comes up. In 3600 you have to pull the antenna. Also they have better designed the desktop mount. All the software is good as well, but it takes very long to upload the maps.

By zubairps - May 3, 2005