Palm-Based PDA Gives Directions
Garmin's iQue 3600 builds in GPS along with standard handheld applications.
James Niccolai, IDG News Service
LAS VEGAS--Navigation system company Garmin International has launched the first Palm OS-based personal digital assistant with a built-in global positioning system that can provide turn-by-turn driving directions or help locate a nearby restaurant or hospital.
The company hopes the device will appeal to people who travel a lot for work, such as sales representatives and real estate agents, as well as people who want a car navigation system or who just like cool new gadgets. It's due to go on sale by mid-year priced at $589, say officials here at the Consumer Electronics Show, where the product is making its debut.
Stocked With Apps
Called the iQue 3600, the new PDA runs Palm OS 5 from PalmSource and has a Motorola DragonBall MXL microprocessor. Garmin's navigation and mapping software can tell users where they are and how to get to their next destination through voice commands or graphical instructions on the iQue's screen.
Working prototypes are being shown here; Garmin officials say development work is still being completed. It looks like most other PDAs but with a GPS antenna, about the size of a book of matches, that flips up from the back. It measures 5 inches by 2.8 inches by 0.8 inches and weighs 5.2 ounces. The GPS is typically accurate to a range of about 25 feet, officials said.
The PDA also features the standard Palm applications, including an address book, e-mail and a date book, as well as the Palm Reader software for reading digital books, an MP3 player, and a digital voice recorder. It comes with 32MB of internal memory and a Secure Digital memory expansion slot and has a 320-by-480-pixel, transflective TFT display.
Garmin integrates its navigation software with Palm's address book application, so users can tap on a contact and the device will automatically provide directions. It includes a database where users can search for a nearby restaurant, hospital, gas station, or other destination.
Aimed at Travelers
The company has traditionally sold Global Positioning System (GPS) products to hunters, boaters, and aviators. All its previous products use a proprietary operating system, limiting the number of applications available for the devices. The company developed a Palm product because it wants to reach a broader audience, Garmin officials here said.
The iQue ships with a CD-ROM containing maps and location information for the U.S. and Canada or Europe, depending on where it is purchased. The 32MB of internal memory is sufficient to store information for about five medium-sized cities, along with maps of major national highways, Garmin officials said.
"If you wanted to drive from here (Las Vegas) to Miami you'd be fine, but if you wanted to find a bed and breakfast in Tennessee you'd have to load specific software for that area," said Jon Cassat, director of marketing communications.
The device is aimed at business users as well as consumers, and Garmin plans to release a software development kit that will allow businesses to create their own applications that use the GPS.
