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Garmin iQue M3


Navigation at your Fingertips

The iQue M3 is a user-friendly automotive GPS navigator in a sleek, lightweight Pocket PC design. The attractively priced iQue M3 features larger, more-intuitive icons that make it easier for consumers to select navigation applications using their index finger, rather than a stylus.

No other unit on today’s market combines straightforward in-car navigation with Pocket PC applications like the iQue M3. This powerful time-saving tool is ideal for anyone who wants to simplify their life with one integrated device for their automobile, home, or office.

The iQue M3 features Microsoft’s Windows Mobile 2003 Professional Edition software package, Windows Mobile 2003 Second Edition, which supports portrait/landscape screen orientation for easy viewing of multimedia content.

Incorporating Garmin’s proven, easy-to-use c-series automotive navigation software, the iQue M3 provides premium in-car navigation capability with automatic route calculation to any destination. The intuitive, point-screen interface requires little input from the user. Users can easily see where they are on an electronic map, and look up an address or point of interest and route to it. An integrated speaker gives voice-prompted, turn-by-turn directions to your destination.

Users are also able to choose between a three-dimensional navigation view or the more traditional 2D overhead view. The 3D-navigation perspective lets drivers see an uncluttered view of what’s down the road.

A built-in basemap of North and South America shows major highways, thoroughfares, railways, lakes, rivers and borders. Garmin includes its MapSource City Select DVD as a standard accessory, so users can download detailed street-level map data, look up nearly six million points of interest (POIs), and navigate to addresses throughout the U.S. and Canada. World travelers can also add a European or Pacific Rim basemap from the installation CD and purchase detailed maps separately.

As an added benefit, you can now import customized points of interest with the help of Garmin's free POI Loader software. The possibilities are endless — upload safety cameras or school zones, and you will receive a warning if you are traveling too fast. In addition, an optional proximity-alert feature notifies you of upcoming custom POIs.

The GPS antenna on the iQue M3 folds flush with the back of the unit. To navigate, simply raise the antenna to enable Garmin’s patented antenna-release switch that simultaneously powers up the device, initiates the satellite-acquisition sequence, and defaults to the QueMap™ interface. Once the antenna switch is triggered, the device prepares to navigate. The antenna can also be adjusted for optimal GPS signal reception.

Garmin part number: 010-00437-00

Estimated Retail Price:
$499.99 U.S.D. (for domestic US market only)



Expected Availability:
Now Shipping

iQue M3 features: Operating System: Microsoft Windows Mobile 2003 Second Edition software
Computing Software: Microsoft Pocket Outlook®, Internet Explorer, Word and Excel; Windows Media® Player, MSN® Messenger Service, Calculator and ActiveSync®
Processor: 312-MHz Intel® PXA 271 Xscale® processor, dedicated 48 MHz ARM7 GPS coprocessor
Unit size/weight: 5.0” x 2.8” x 0.74”/ 5.9 oz.
Screen dimensions: 3.5” diagonal
Display: 240x320-pixel, transflective TFT display; 64K colors
Internal Memory: 32 MB ROM; 64 MB RAM
Battery: 1,250-mAh rechargeable lithium-polymer battery delivering 5-7 hours of continuous PDA/GPS use
Audio hardware: Microphone, speaker, headphone jack
Expansion: Secure Digital slot with SDIO compatibility
Networking: IrDA, SDIO, USB



Customer Reviews

Average rating:

My M3

I've had mine for a good part of a year, so this is a good time for a review. This unit is my introduction to the world of GPS navigation. I've got 2 young kids and a wife that is map-challenged. This ofcourse means I drive and read the map while in foreign places. Safe huh?

Anyway, technically this GPS unit does well to take me to places as it should. Satellite acquisition is reasonably fast and keeps a good signal during a route. Detail of the map and audio is plenty good, although if you're getting on in your years, the display would be a challenge. Sun and darkness does not detract from the display. The auto light adjustment between day/dusk/dark is fantastic. Routes are mapped out well and the audio instructions provide sufficient time for you to make the proper lane changes in advance for the upcoming turns. PDA function is also a nice to have. I use it mostly to watch movies to wait for the kids while they nap in the car.

The only thing that was a bit problematic for me was that during a route, the unit would 'reset'. Yes. It would shut down and start up again. This process would take about a minute. This meant that if you're waiting for the next turn, you'll have to pull over and wait. It does resume to where it left off once it is up again. This would be its biggest problem...luckily Garmin I guess recognized this problem. If you go to their site and download the latest (last) update patch...this problem seem to disappear. In fact, the map rendering is even better after this patch.

All in all, I've had such a positive experience with this that I've recommended it to 5 close friends and family. They all have one and probably would not drive anywhere without it now. There are certainly faster and better units out there now with the new SirfStar III GPS chipset and all. But without going into more detail, driving around with my trusty M3 in a less than familiar place without having to multi-task is priceless and SAFE.


A fantatic convergence device

There are really so many good things to say about this device I don't really know where to start. The touch screen buttons are large enough to easily use in the car route calculation was quick and recalculation was even faster. After the initial time connecting to the satellites it was quick to pick them up again. I found the interface more intuitive and easy to use than TomTom.

Then it also works great as a hand held GPS solution. I used it for Geocaching and for walking around unfamiliar areas looking for places to eat or find an ATM. Having Windows Mobile was also a great bonus. There are thousands of extra applications that you can add on to the device to make it even more useful than it already is.

All and all, I can't think of a better GPS/Navigation solution than this device.


Garmin iQue M3 purchase

The Item is as dis-scribed and I am very satisfied with the purchase.


works as advertised

The m3 works well enough for a discontinued product.

Due to its slow processor the operating system sometimes lags during other operations, it uses Windows Mobile 3 which is great but it lacks PowerPoint (which is only included in newer versions of Windows Mobile, and there is no way to upgrade the OS on the iQue).

Initial satellite signal acquisition takes anywhere from 3 - 15 minutes, but once acquired it holds signal very well. If signal is lost reacquisition time is very quick.

There is a slight lag in the GPS, by the time it tells you a turn is coming up in 200 feet, you have already reached the turn, so don't rely on audio only for directional purposes, especially if driving somewhere that you have absolutely no clue where you are.

There is no Wifi built in, so you will need to buy an SDIO card to install yourself. But there is no support for authentication certificates so I am unable to access 802.1x networks encrypted with WPA-TKIP

If this was a year or two ago I'd recommend this product highly, but the newer SIRFstar III GPS products will work much better.

3 stars for doing what it is advertised to do.


GPS not reliable

When I first purchased this item, I loved it. There were a few times the GPS led me astray, but generally, it really helped me get from place to place in my job. It helped my find places where I did not know where they were, or helped my find short cuts from place to place. However, soon after I got it, it quit "acquiring satellites". It would try and try to find satellites (even though it showed them on one of the screens). Most often it would never find the satellites, or if it did, it was about the time I arrived at my location. The GPS had trouble no matter what location I was in, whether rural or city. I sent it in for repair, and from what I can tell of the paper I received when it was returned (which was very vague)to me, they replaced it. Unfortunatly, it is still doing the same thing. It is a great data management system, however, and I love that it interfaces with "Word". The GBS is a big disappointment. It's overpriced for what it can truly provide.


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