1-888-955-6000
Learn: Home » The Urban Adventurer's Toolbox
%Dim ArticlePageName(4) ArticlePageName(0) = "Introduction" ArticlePageName(1) = "Installation and calibration" ArticlePageName(2) = "Using the iQue" ArticlePageName(3) = "Conclusions"ArticlePath = "/reviews/20031118/garmin_ique.html"
ImPath = ImageServer + "/ca/reviews/20031118" %>
Introduction
It had to happen sooner or later. Global Positioning System (GPS) receivers and handheld PDAs are two of the hottest technologies on the market today: one a powerful navigation tool, the other an organizer's dream come true. It was just a matter of time before they were brought together.
The result is the Garmin iQue 3600, the first handheld to offer the best of both worlds. It keeps you up-to-date with your appointments, organizes your contacts, edits your Word documents and, as an added bonus, promises that you'll never be lost again. Impressive, but can these two technologies really work together to make a better handheld? We set out to answer that question when we tested the iQue for Crutchfield Advisor.
GPS ? a technology first developed by the U.S. military ? involves microwave communication between a receiver and a network of 27 navigation satellites. Units like the iQue can "track" to up to 12 of these satellites at once, though it only takes four to determine your position. Wide Angle Augmentation System (WAAS) compatibility improves on this reception by tapping in to a network of ground-level repeater stations that strengthen the satellite signal. WAAS-compatible GPS units, like the iQue, are generally accurate to within 40 feet, though accuracy depends on how many satellites the receiver can track at any one time.
Introduction
 The Garmin iQue 3600: GPS navigation in a handheld PDA. |
It had to happen sooner or later. Global Positioning System (GPS) receivers and handheld PDAs are two of the hottest technologies on the market today: one a powerful navigation tool, the other an organizer's dream come true. It was just a matter of time before they were brought together.
The result is the Garmin iQue 3600, the first handheld to offer the best of both worlds. It keeps you up-to-date with your appointments, organizes your contacts, edits your Word documents and, as an added bonus, promises that you'll never be lost again. Impressive, but can these two technologies really work together to make a better handheld? We set out to answer that question when we tested the iQue for Crutchfield Advisor.
GPS ? a technology first developed by the U.S. military ? involves microwave communication between a receiver and a network of 27 navigation satellites. Units like the iQue can "track" to up to 12 of these satellites at once, though it only takes four to determine your position. Wide Angle Augmentation System (WAAS) compatibility improves on this reception by tapping in to a network of ground-level repeater stations that strengthen the satellite signal. WAAS-compatible GPS units, like the iQue, are generally accurate to within 40 feet, though accuracy depends on how many satellites the receiver can track at any one time.
