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 flew and drove the Garmin iQue
3600a, and talked about the powerful mapping and routing features
of the unit. This is the fourth and final installment of the
review.
In addition to the applications we have already talked
about, the iQue comes with additional programs which
implement some very useful features. There's an E6B program, of
course, which covers all the basics in a simple user interface. The
Flights application creates automatic log entries of your flights.
If you have defined your aircraft profile, it puts the
information into the log book entry, along with the date, departure
and destination points, and flight time. The Routes application
stores navigation routes -- aviation and automotive -- and lets you
create, edit and manage them, as well as turn off and resume active
nav routes.
The Tracks application stores your tracks and allows you to view
them on the map. Every time you Hotsync the iQue to your PC, the
database of tracks for your trips is transferred as well. You
can them import them into the Mapsource application, if you have
installed it on your PC, and view them. This means you
can view detailed information for all your trips, land or air, and
see exactly where you were at any given point within the
granularity of the track record (the time spacing between each
track data point).
A comprehensive Weight and Balance application makes it so easy
to perform this task, there is no longer any excuse not
to do a W&B before every trip. Once you have set up the basics
for the type of aircraft you fly -- the empty weight and arm of the
aircraft as well as the arm of the fuel, crew, pax, baggage and up
to two optional items -- the rest is a simple matter of entering
weights. The moment, weight and CG of the aircraft is instantly
calculated in your choice of units (lbs or kg) and you're done.
Additional utilities include an audio application
to playback MP3 audio files stored into the SD card -- another
good reason to buy the biggest one you can get -- through the audio
jack, which can be connected to the stereo input jack on
your intercom. The Sun & Moon application give you the sunrise,
sunset, moonrise and moonset times for a given day at your choice
of locations, as well as a small graphical representation of the
sun and moon with the earth in the center. Want to plan your next
full moon night excursion, or need to know what time you had better
be back on the ramp in your Light Sport Aircraft? Fire up this
utility and it tells you the dates and times to look up in your
calendar, or set your alarm.
The Trip application is a simple trip computer that keeps
track of basic cumulative, average and maximum statistics about
your trip(s). One interesting little feature is the ability
to tell you how much time during the trip you have spent sitting at
the same spot without moving. I can think of quite a few ways to
use this little tidbit, and they are all related to kids
and bathrooms.
Finally, there's a Hunt & Fish application which
alleges it can tell you whether or not a given day is a good day to
engage in these activities, as well as the Good and Best Times to
do so. I have no clue how it achieves this, or how accurate the
information happens to be. If you are planning to test this
application, invite us along!
Updating the Jeppesen base map on the iQue is done through the
Internet on the Garmin web site. Updates are available on the usual
28-day cycle and are priced, as of the publishing of this review,
at $35 for a single update or $295 for a year's worth of updates,
thirteen in all. The package includes a coupon for one
update, so no matter when you buy your unit, you can always
easily updated it to the latest database.
The process is very simple -- enter the web site, request the
update function, and tell it what unit you have. You are then asked
which base map you want to download. After you agree
to the license conditions, download it and enter your customer ID
password, or start a new account if you have never done so by
entering your personal information, address, email and so
forth.
You are then instructed to run the file you have just
downloaded, and copy and paste the unit number for your iQue or
other Garmin product to the web browser screen. When you run it, a
screen will pop up telling you for what unit and cycle this
update is -- make sure you have the right one, because if you pick
the wrong one there are no refunds.
The program then shows you the unit number, which you copy and
then paste into the web browser. Next, you are asked for
payment and confirmation this is what you want to buy. The browser
shows you the information you need to unlock and install the
update, and Garmin also emails you the same information to your
mailbox. Print the screen, just in case... then copy and
paste the unlock code into the Jeppesen update setup program's
screen. It will then install it into the Palm desktop.
To complete the update, Hotsync the iQue to the computer -- the
update should be automagically installed. In this instance,
however, Hotsync complained it was unable to match the unit ID with
the data I entered, which required an email to Garmin's very
efficient customer support. They responded with a file
that I needed to replace in the Palm Desktop's Garmin
folder, which solved the problem. This will be incorporated
into all versions of the Jeppesen update application starting with
March 7, 2005 update, so more than likely you will never see this
issue.
Now that I have told you all the things I like about the iQue
3600a, it's time to cover the things I don't like and/or could be
improved.
First and foremost, the battery on this unit is internal, and we
all know what happens when the battery runs out and you don't have
any spares. This unit won't spare batteries or a battery pack, so
if you run out of power in mid-flight or mid-trip and you don't
have an accessory or cigarette lighter plug in your car, that's the
end of the day for your iQue.
I've already mentioned that in direct sunlight the screen
is hard to read. That is a problem with all the Palm units -- the
screens are very reflective. This is solved, as I stated, with a
screen protector, which you can buy just about anywhere consumer
electronics items are sold.
There are some user interface items on the screen that are not
accessible with the buttons on the yoke mount while in flight. The
good news is these are not critical items, but given the
hardware, it should be possible to make it so that the stylus never
has to be used in flight.
There is no way to simulate the GPS in flight -- other than
in the QueNav application, and that only exercises the instruments
-- to fly a route in the Map mode before you get in the
plane and go. Many people like to do this, particularly before a
long flight, to familiarize themselves with airspace they've never
flown through before.
The Map application can obviously do airspace and SUA features,
but it can't do TFR's. Given the computing power in the unit and
the ease of access to Internet-based data through the computer and
the synchronization function, Garmin ought to be able to allow
users to download the latest TFR's and significant airspace NOTAMs
to the internal database for review and display.
Because this is a Palm-powered unit, there's no direct access to
the Internet, and the only way in and out is through the Hotsync
function, either through the docking station or through the
infrared port. This introduces a number of limitations, such as the
inability -- at this time -- to pickup weather information in real
time without going through convoluted gyrations. Garmin makes a
PocketPC-based unit that has GPS functionality, but not the
aviation features of the 3600a. It remains to be seen if the
company intends to produce an upgraded PocketPC unit with the
functionality of the 3600a. If so, the abilities of PocketPC in the
connectivity department may make it more desirable to the consumer
than the 3600a.
That said, this reviewer believes this unit is an excellent
purchase for the MSRP of US$1,099. The optional car kit, which
Garmin calls the "Auto Navigation Kit," sells for US$220, and
there a quite a few other accessories available.
The hardware and design is impeccable, and the software is
nothing short of superb. Like any new product, it's got a couple of
obscure glitches, none of which are show-stoppers. We ran
into them during the review, but Garmin was quick to either
provide fixes or acknowledge that they are working to correct the
problems. Customer support is responsive and helpful, which
obviously enhances the total value of the unit.
This reviewer's conclusion is that the iQue 3600a deserves
a 4.5 star rating (out of a possible maximum of five)
on the Aero-News Network product review scale, for
excellence in design, integration and support quality of the
product.
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