Garmin iQue - PDA or GPS?

It’s a handheld GPS navigation system that comes integrated with a PDA style computer; the Garmin iQue series is set to build on experience by the manufacturers in extending existing PDA systems with a GPS, by extending their handheld GPS systems with a PDA. A skeptical look at the Garmin iQue unit reveals that they have chosen to use Palm technology, thus tying the consumer down to an operating system that some enthusiasts have claimed has had its’ day.

It is safe to assume that the Garmin iQue is an attempt to capitalize on the fact that the existing PDA market is strong, and reasonably well established, as well as the GPS market. Like mobile phones before them, people are wondering how they ever managed without a PDA and increasingly this attitude can also be applied to GPS systems as well.

So, the Garmin iQue would appear to be the right product at the right time – the saturation of the PDA market means that people are now looking to upgrade, rather than enter ownership of these items, and many of them also own Palm devices.

What those who have made an investment in other operating systems, such as WindowsCE will make of the Garmin iQue has yet to be seen, but by adopting this approach, Garmin is probably hoping that the additional flexibility that offering support for an established PDA brand with a long history provides will pay off in the long term.

The last word to those who have not got either a PDA or a portable GPS system is that this marriage of technology makes the Garmin iQue series a cheaper alternative than buying the two units separately, with no sacrifice in the functionality of either technology.

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About The Author:

Guy Lecky-Thompson is a successful author and publisher at www.1st-at-gps-tracking.com. Recommending gps equipment and associated products
23-06-04