Garmin iQue M5

Nick Ross, Clive Webster | Dec 14, 2005 12:47 PM

GPSOZ | http://www.gpsoz.com.au

RRP: $1179 (time of review)

More expensive than any other PDA on test, the iQue M5 doesn’t have the great features or navigation software to compete.

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We were disappointed with the Que navigation software on Garmin’s iQue 3600, but the Pocket PC version is a step in the right direction.

It still isn’t on a par with the other programs on test, though, with guidance via 2D lines instead of the 3D roads of all the others on test.

Using the QueRoute software, planning a route is easy enough the screen is broken into three sections. From here, we found it easy to set origin and destination by either current position, map or by searching. Then waypoints can be added with similar ease in the third section. Que can order your waypoints for you to make the most efficient route. It will even offer you the chance to change your destination to fit in with this.

However, we were less than impressed by the map screen, which you can see in the photo. Small buttons are arranged around the map and it’s far from clear what each does. The Back arrow, for example, doesn’t return you to the planning screen, but takes you to the last view of the map. It’s more like a mini ordnance survey map without the relief that your passenger would find useful it’s too small for a driver to steal a glance at.

As with the Palm OSbased Garmin, if you set aside the problem of the relatively poor software the hardware itself is much stronger. It has the usual 240 x 320 screen and was just bright enough to view in sunny conditions. Maps can be dragged around the screen reasonably quickly, and there’s little noticeable sluggishness in general use, thanks to the 416MHz Intel XScale processor. The 64MB of flash ROM is double that of the Acer, leaving 15MB free for data backup; plenty for even an extensive contacts and calendar setup. We were disappointed not to find an SD memory card included, though, as the 64MB of integrated RAM could do with augmenting. Fortunately, www.gpsoz.com.au supply it with a choice of SD card sizes.

The mounting kit is again a bit strange. It’s a three-hinged arm with suction pad but it stuck firmly to our windscreen. The short length of the arm around 130mm from windscreen to PDA - could put the M5 out of reach in certain vehicles with deep dashboards.

At $1179, the M5 is more expensive than the competition. If it sported the excellent mapping software seen on the StreetPilot it would prove a far more tempting proposition. However, with the current spec, it simply can’t compete this month.

This article appeared in the January, 2006 issue of PC Authority.