GPS Options (any iQue users?)

I like the idea of having the bottom 2 items (cubby and hifi) removed and replace with a 5-7 inch screen dedicated to GPS. There is a really great Alpine kit that is out. However, the wife REALLY doesn't want to part with the cubby and I will cencede to that. In a related event, she needs a new PDA so here is my dilema. My question is this: Does anybody have the iQue Palm device with GPS integrated? I tested it out at a CompUSA and thought it was rather good for an all in one design. If anybody has pictures of how they mounted it, etc., I would be very interested to see them. Comments? Praise? Negatives? Thanks for all the input!

Yeah, actually I do have the iQue, and it does work quite well. I have two mounts for it--one is the Garmin car kit, which works pretty well, but is more of a temporary mount, and is great for using in other cars as well. I also have a cellphone/pda mount from an online vendor that is made specifically for the 996 (in fact, they make mounts for just about all cars, but I don't recall their name right now). This way looks much, much better, but the GPS is lower, and an external antenna is needed for good reception. You need to get the afore mentioned car kit, as it provides power to the iQue, as well as has an external speaker so the navigation can be heard well in the car. Overall, I really like the iQue as both a GPS and a PDA. Check on the iQue forum at PDAstreet.com here: http://www.pdastreet.com/forums/foru...s=&forumid=108 They'll have a lot more answers too! Geoff.

I've been thinking about that, too. And another option which is installing a small bluetooth GPS device in a good location in each of our cars and buying a small pocketPC like the HP4150 that I can move from car to car. The advantage I see there is that the GPS unit can be hardwired for power and put in the rear parcel shelf where it should get excellent reception. And the HP4150 is smaller than the iQue and gets far better battery life (making it more useful as a general PDA). And I like that you can try different mapping software this way such as TomTom which has gotten nice reviews. My concern with mounting the iQue is reception. I'd have to put it high and forward enough to get good reception, which would make it ugly, IMO. I'm also looking at a PCMII retrofit as another option. But the software is not as nice as TomTom.

Also the mount on the Hp4150 could just be velcro. No wires at all. Battery life should be good enough for most drives and I wouldn't need to connect the HP to any antenna.

Don't forget, though, that you may want to hear what the navigation voice is telling you over music/ambient sound. Most PDAs cannot produce a loud enough and clear enough volume to compensate, the iQue included. However, theGarmin car kit includes a cigarette lighter plug (solves the battery issue) with an amplified speaker so you can hear the thing. Geoff.

I looked at all possibilities when I got the iQue, and it also comes out by far the cheapest, when you consider it includes Garmin's complete USA software too. If you get the HP plus the bluetooth GPS, you're looking at somewhere around $450 I'd imagine. Then add another $150 or so for the software and you're at about $600. Now add the SSD card and figure out some way to get amplified sound, mounting, etc. and you're at $750-800. I got the iQue online for about $380, and I got the car kit and 256MB SSD card for about $60-70 each from Fry's. So, I was about $550-$600 complete. Also, if you don't wire in the bluetooth receiver, you have to charge it each night. I'll admit that it would be a lot 'cleaner' looking, but still too complex. I travel a frequent amount, and it's really easy to just take the car kit from car to car-- Geoff.

Geoff- Where did you get the iQue for $380?

It was a link of of that PDAstreet.com site. Some place in Utah, as I recall. I think amazon.com also has them for about the same price-- Geoff.

I was afraid of that reception detail I will probably go with the in dash screen system and seperate unit (that can go in the trunk) that Alpine makes. Say goodbye to the cubby. How am I going to exlpain that one to the wife (she really likes that cubby) PCM though is out of the question. Bad software, not really as "clean looking" and takes up 3 full din (2 for the unit and 1 for the disc). Not sure why they couldn't integrate it like my Merc (mapping software goes behind the screen--motorized flip down face) to save space. And so the search continues! Many thanks for all the input/feedback from y'all

I have a Dell Axim X5 and a Pocketmaps in-car kit. Basically, its a small dash or roofmount receiver that plugs into the PDA. It works well as it has its own power from the cig lighter, and also keeps the PDA charged. I paid ~$150 for the PDA (refurb'd from Dell Outlet) and $200 for the in-car GPS and software. It works quite well. I have a little mount that I can hang it on. The software works well, but you'll need a 256mb flash card to hold a good chunk of maps. I have all the US (base map) plus all of Texas and could probably fit a few more states on there. The GPS is mounted up in the corner of the dash and is barely noticeable, and I wired a hidden 12v socket where it plugs into. Everything is out of sight until I need it. Plus, I can swap cars easily as well. I think it works as well as most factory NAV systems, but it does require a bit more setup to use. I have an aux input that I can use for the voice commands, although if you have the radio off it is audible. -Dave

Dave, do you have a pic of the setup? I am curious about the asthetic look of it on the dash. Dell

No pics. right now its in my Audi. But picture a small clip (like those used to hold a CB Radio microphone) clipped onto the top shelf (just below the radio). I have a suction cup, which amazingly stays stuck on the back of the PDA quite well, that slips into the clip and holds it in place. It works well and I can use it in any car. It works quite well and I don't have to have any big PDA mounts attached in the car. -Dave '00 996c2 '97 M3 '00 A4 1.8tq '89 M3 '05 Lotus Elise pending....

A little off topic...but I just bought a Garmin Streetpilot III Deluxe and used it for the first time today. I bought it primarily for Open Road Racing and for my wife to find her patients' homes. It works really well. Its a little big and clunky but the display is really nice and it's pretty intelligent. I need to make a custom bracket to mount it in the Porsche. The 'beanbag' it comes with won't handle the G's. Same for the Mini. The beanbag works great in our SUV though. I'm happy with it so far. $599, no shipping, no tax from Amazon.

Can anyone point me to a good mount for the iQue? I have the beanbag mount, but it slides right off during spirited driving.

just a word of advice/warning for those with blue tooth Gps receiver : if you leave the unit oposed to the sun(like the dash board), the temp. could be too hot that the battery could be damaged ( and in worst case , "explode" and damage you or the car.... no kidding! that's why most of these units has the external input jack for the antena. ( if you read the warning about operating temp. , you will see what i mean.)

I have a Dell Axim with the Socket Communications Bluetooth GPS receiver and software. I bought a SENA leather cover for the Dell and the flap fits perfectly in the gap between the upper and lower console to hold the unit to where the screen is easy to read. The GPS unit works great, is very small and has no wires. I am not concerned about the GPS unit exploding because I will never park my car in the sun. The battery lasts for about 10-12 hours on a single charge. I also have a line in for the stereo that I usually use with my iRiver 40G MP3 player. It fits perfectly in the console and also has a wired remote that I clip to my seat belt which makes it very easy to operate. (As a side note, the iRiver has both optical and coaxial digital outputs, so I was curious if it would work with the later model Bose systems.) As far as the sound on the Dell, I copied a lot of MP3 files to the SD card that holds the maps for the navigation software, so if I want the voice navigation, I just plug the Dell into the line in and can listen to the MP3's and the navigation voice chimes in when needed. It is not quite as good as a built in unit, but I can use it in other cars, including rental cars or when traveling with friends. I have also used it on my ski boat to calibrate the speedo's and am also looking for some software that has maps of the Sacramento Delta. Since there are no wires I can also just hand it to my kids if they are riding with me and they provide the voice portion of the navigation, they get a real kick out of it. Kris