A Review of Magellan GPS Navigators

Most of the major GPS device marketers are attempting to upgrade their global positioning products. The manufacturers are providing us with more up-to-date functions to make navigation easier for travelers who use engines, skis, or any other form of transportation possible. While these makers are really trying to render most of the GPS devices affordable for the normal consumer, the summation of all the technology offered in the unit will predictably be higher prices. The best that those companies can do for those of us who can’t pay for all the latest technology is to make starter versions of the GPS devices which can be affordable for Joe 6-cylinder. Another great model to consider is Magellan Roadmate 1470 Portable GPS Navigator.

Magellan GPS devices are slightly distinctive since they have always made their top-performing models to be affordable as well as convenient. The disadvantage of affordability, of course, is that state-of-the-art technology is almost never available at affordable prices. Consequently, the quality of Magellan’s GPS models has garnered mixed reviews. Magellan responded to this complaint through several higher-quality versions for the more specialized GPS users.

Magellan Maestro

When you are shopping for an affordable tour guide for your vehicle, the Magellan Maestro line-up provides quite a few devices which are specifically for car navigation. Magellan Maestro models are found in the 3000, 4000, and 5000 classes. All of the 3000 models are quite low priced with some including the Maestro 3100 priced at below $200 which is dirt cheap for a GPS unit that has 2-D and 3-D mapping capabilities. Perhaps their most convenient function is the QuickSpell feature, made to facilitate easy input for road names.

Every other single aspect, in addition to the performance is barely satisfactory and hanging is quite regular. With the exception of a few of the 4000 and 5000 versions, the Magellan Maestro is just not dependable, but the price stays reasonable.

Magellan Roadmate

As can be inferred by their name, this collection of Magellan GPS devices were designed for cars also. Yet they are different from their Maestro cousins when it comes to appearance. Roadmates are constructed to be more portable, having a sleeker shape while providing the same interface. The outcome of these improvements is the Roadmates are about as easy to work with and a bit easier to keep than the Maestros. A nice option is the Magellan Roadmate 1470 Portable GPS Navigator.

In terms of performance, the Roadmate is a bit improved with one or two of them including the Roadmate 1212 having the Centrality Atlas III Processor. If you like navigating through the menus, you may detect a rather frustrating delay when using the buttons. The battery capacity isn’t all that great either; it’s usable for somewhere near 3 hours at which point a recharge is required.

On a happy note, the Roadmate is deemed better than many of the Maestro budget GPS units, offering many more POI’s than the Maestro 3100 with its paltry 750,000 points of interest. The Roadmate catches up with competing manufacturers by providing more than 6 million points of interest. Text-to-speech, which is usually a convenient feature, has been offered by a few of the mid-range models. The price isn’t too bad either, which is extraordinary for a slim device. Another good item to look into is the Magellan Roadmate 1470 Portable GPS Navigator.

Even though this company offers just two collections to select from, those sets offer at least 10 models for your consideration, with many different costs and options. The lowest priced of the bunch aren’t a good idea for frequent users because of the occasional crashes, but more expensive models can do wonders and will be sufficient for motorists to be happy with.