The iQue M5 includes Garmin's "Que" mapping and navigation software, and provides voice-prompted turn-by-turn navigation.
(Click here for larger image)The iQue M5 comes with a built-in basemap of North and South America showing major highways, thoroughfares, railways, lakes, rivers, and borders. Garmin includes its MapSource City Select CD as a standard accessory, so users can download detailed street-level map data, look up more than five million points of interest (POIs), and navigate to any address in the US and Canada. World travelers can also add a European or Pacific Rim basemap from the installation CD. International versions of the iQue M5 will feature respective basemaps, mapping software and language support, Garmin says.
According to Garmin, the integrated Que software enables users to see where they are on an electronic map, look up a point of interest, and obtain a route to it in the form of voice-prompted, turn-by-turn directions to the selected destination. If a turn is missed, the device automatically recalculates a new route. The device is also said to include a patent-pending feature that attaches a "location stamp" to contact names that appear in the address book or calander, making it possible to easily navigate to the corresponding address locations.
The GPS antenna folds flush with the back of the unit resulting in an "aesthetically pleasing look and feel." Garmin says it has also patented the unit's unique antenna release switch that simultaneously powers up the device, initiates the satellite-acquisition sequence, and defaults to the QueMap interface, preparing the device to navigate. The antenna can also be adjusted for optimal GPS signal reception.
Garmin lists the following key features and specifications of the iQue M5:
- Processor -- 416MHz Intel PXA272
- Memory -- 64MB RAM; 64MB Flash
- Display -- 3.5-inch transflective TFT, 65K colors, 240x320 resolution
- Audio -- Microphone, speaker, headphone jack
- Wireless -- IrDA; Bluetooth
- Expansion -- SDIO card slot
- I/O ports -- USB
- Operating System -- Windows Mobile 2003 Second Edition
- Size -- 5.0 x 2.8 x 0.74 inches
- Weight -- 5.2 ounces
The iQue M5 is expected to be available this month at a suggested retail price of $750.
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