Garmin’s iQue 3600a is relatively wireless in its aviation cradle; only a power wire is required. Flip-up pad is the GPS antenna.

by Paul Bertorelli

In a lasting testament to Garmin engineers, we can’t remember that last portable GPS that couldn’t be stoked full of batteries and operated right out of the box, sans instructions. However, to paraphrase a crude country joke, the new iQue 3600a ain’t that way. It’s not that it’s difficult to operate or demon-possessed, it’s just that it reminds us a little of a Heathkit.

But that’s what happens when you try to re-engineer a basic Palm-type PDA into an aviation-specific gadget. It’s not quite Frankenstein meets Snow White but the genetics are similar even if the results are better than one might expect. …