Garmin iQue M5 review

Garmin is something of a watch word when it comes to navigation, with a rich history of dedicated GPS products. It was the first company to release a PDA with an integrated GPS receiver, though this was Palm based and the M5 is its first based on Windows Mobile 2003 (Second Edition). We recently reviewed its dedicated in car unit the SteetPilot c320. Riyad found this device to have potential but lacking in certain fundamentals. The M5 took some time for me to get used to, at least on the software side, but once I got my head round it I was in the main, very impressed.

Certainly as soon as I opened the box and started playing with the device I realised that this was a GPS/PDA combo that meant business. Some of the PDAs with GPS built-in have been disappointing in terms of build quality but the the Garmin was quite different. Unlike the Acer, and the Mio 168, the M5 felt solid enough in the hand to deal with the rigours of transportation. No doubt this comes from Garmin’s wealth of knowledge of how GPS units are used. While most people will use the M5 exclusively in the car, it does have a pedestrian mode, enabling you to use on a walkabout. Garmin has also attached a cover to the unit affording the screen some protection when in your pocket and bag.

Another difference is that Garmin has avoided the bulky aerial on the back of the Mio 168, with the integrated GPS receiver being recessed into the back of the unit until releasing a catch on the side flips the aerial up. This, then automatically launches the GPS software which pops up a message with the usual disclaimer regarding using the device while driving.

Also good to see is that unlike Mio and Acer, Garmin has included a cradle in the box. It’s no poor flimsy affair either and is made of a very solid metal base that looks impressive on the desk.

Design wise, things conform to the usual Pocket PC format. At the top left of the unit is a button for activating the notes recording feature using the built-in microphone. The power button sits at the top middle – press once for on/off, and hold-down for turning the backlight on and off. There are two indicator lights at the top right – yellow for power and blue for Bluetooth. To the right of this is a small connector for plugging in an aerial to extend the range of the one that’s built-in. At the bottom is usual row of connector buttons with a central circular directional controller and centre button.

Specs wise things aren’t too bad for a PDA. The other GPS enabled PDAs were a bit underpowered but this one features a not too shabby 416MHz PXA272 Xscale processor and a dedicated 48MHz ARM7 GPS coprocessor. Certainly route calculation and on the fly recalculation times were acceptable. However, while driving, the location cursor did lag more noticeably than my TomTom Go, with the result that on one occasion I took the incorrect junction off a roundabout.