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30 of 30 people found the following review helpful.
It will get you were you want to go, just without a lot of bells and whistles.
By D. Couse
Let me basi say that I picked this up as a Deal of the Day for $79 and overall, I'm pleased. For what I paid, I think I received a comparable product. Once received I downloaded the content manager from Magellan, installed in on my PC and once it fired up, it told me I had a new software version and maps to install all for free! Very nice.
This thing is super thin, fast to pick-up satellites, and comes with everything you need right out of the box. The battery may last 2 hours on a full charge (which takes 4 to 6 hours). The big screen is very, very nice and the colors are vibrant. It's likewise very easy to read the street names as you drive by them. I was enjoyably astonished to see the names of lakes and parks on this unit as I drove by them.
Now for the not so good. The voice prompts may get kind of "warbled" at times. Hard to describe, but my family made fun of the voice on assorted occasions on a trip of in regards to 140 miles recently. The maps while, vibrant, don't look very professional. The streets for turns have jagged lines, a circular turn is by no means circular according the the Magellan maps...more like a diagonal, then another diagonal etc. It looks odd, and not a big deal, but it could be cleaner. No speed limits on interstates or freeways or highways. I didn't recognise this going in, even the Magellan product for my iPhone has speed limits and that only cost $49. So I assumed this would as well and once you have it, you in truth miss it. Also, this unit never picked up the rectify time zone for me out of the box. I waited and waited and it never moved, so I had to manually go in and set the rectify one. The manual says it gets it from the satellites, but it didn't get the right one 
Perhaps the greatest let down on this unit is how far behind it lags in real time. I may be 2 even 3 seconds past a street and the unit will show me just crossing it. I understand it can't be precise real time, but 3 seconds seems to be a little much. I've made turns and it reports, take next right...that is annoying. I may be stopped at an intersection and this thing shows me somewhat far back from it...even when I'm the the primary one at the light. Are all GPS units like this, or does this seem to be just a Magellan thing?
All in all, for $79 I in all probability won't return it. It will get us where we want to go and while I'm no perfectionist, it could be a little more accurate. Only 3 stars since their iPhone version is in truth better than this one and costs almost $60 less than the marketing listed here.
20 of 22 humans found the following review helpful.
Mapquest Be Damned!
By Stacy Cantrell
A GPS unit is something that I have contemplated purchasing for a while. The only reason that I have held off is because I know where I am going (most of the time). Now, my husband would tell you that I am going insane, which is highly likely, but when Amazon had this unit on sale for $70, I jumped at the prospect to own it.
Thus far, I am very satisfied with the device. I want to be clear: I have no experience with other GPS models, so my review is based solely upon this product.
Durability and Design
The Magellan RoadMate is a lightweight GPS device that is easy to install in your vehicle. The product comes with a mounting brace, a spare suction cup, a cigarette charger, and of course, the device itself. All are designed of a sturdy plastic, and feel durable.
In terms of the installation, the suction device likewise has a pressure lock to assure that the holder does not fall off of your windshield. If you are not competent to mount the device on your windshield (there are a lot of states which have ordinances which prohibit objects being mounted on your windshield), the unit also gives the option of mounting to your dash. Unfortunately, my vehicle has a textured dash, so I was unable to place the holder anyplace except my windshield. However, the device is little sufficient that the mounting emplacement I chosen (to the left of my rearview mirror) does not result in a huge blind spot.
Overall, the product is sturdy and well-made. I do not trust that dropping the GPS unit itself would be a good idea, but if it were to spontaneously throw itself off of my windshield, I do feel that it would survive the fall to my seat/dash/floorboard.
Function
The pretty portion of this GPS unit has to be the functionality. Obviously, the unit has maps. They are colorful and easy to follow. The top of the screen lists the name of the street/road that you are presently travelling; the bottom shows the direction (alternately, the time, distance, or your velocity), the capacity to zoom in or out, and the menu button.
The menu button is where the power of this device comes in. In addition to being competent to provide directions from point A to point B (eat your heart out, Google maps!), the device is pre-loaded with local restaurants, stores, and potpourri of parks/tourist attractions. You may even input your AAA membership to call for assistance! And, to top it all off, operation of the Magellan RoadMate is easy and intuitive. The touchscreen is responsive, bright, and easy to navigate (see the pun that I made? Navigate a GPS unit? I kill myself!). During the day, the maps are green with distinctly labelled roads in brown/black/red. At night, the screen goes black and the roads dim a bit. I find this portion particularly useful; the unit will not blind either the driver or any person behind me!
Programming frequently-visited emplacements is likewise very simple. You begin out by typing the name of the city, and then the street, and in the end the street address. The great share regarding this is it is nearly totally unlikely to enter erroneous information. The GPS database locks out letters that can not be used. For instance, we live in Painesville, Ohio. When entering the address for our local Taco Bell, I type out P-A-, and the keyboard locks out letters that are not possible, such as Z or Q (there are no cities in northeast Ohio spelled PAZ- or PAQ). Going further, once the city has been inputted, you cannot enter street names that do not subsist within the named city. This may not seem like a "huge" thing, but for an individual who is new to a location, this would undoubtedly prevent the user from obtaining faulty address information. For this, I give the Magellan RoadMate high marks.
Finally, the Magellan RoadMate focuses on user safety. Whenever the unit starts up, a warning appears reminding the user to not use the unit while operating a motor vehicle. The device will not, however, lock the screen when the vehicle is moving (the device may detect velocity; it will display your corresponding rate of motion if requested). While I do not inevitably think that the unit ought to lock out when moving (the unit could be used by a passenger and not inevitably the driver), it is comparatively easy to be distracted by the screen.
While I may sound like a broken record, I can not stress the importance of paying attention to the road when driving a vehicle and using the GPS unit. If you are using the Magellan RoadMate to find a business, program the device BEFORE you pull out of your driveway/parking spot. If you need to access one of the menus on your GPS device, please do so when your vehicle is not moving; if necessary, pull off of the road. Finally, adjust the volume on the unit to see to it that the recorded voice is not overly distracting. Straight from the box, the voice for the unit is a bit deafening and grating; I had to turn it down a bit to prevent it from giving me a headache. I do not commend turning the voice off completely, though. This recorded voice will give turn-by-turn instructions to coincide with your requested directions, decreasing your need to look at the GPS unit. This, of course, helps a driver to focus on traffic and operate their vehicle safely.
Final Word
To be perfectly forthcoming, I highly commend this GPS unit. It is easy to use, durable, and is chock-full of features. The ease of use and the AAA Roadside Assistance (and reviews of tourist destinations) actually sealed the deal for me. If you want a device that does more than get you from point A to point B and ready to go out of the box, this is for you.
As a final bit of advice, make sure that you are intimate with your local laws with regards to the mounting of a GPS device. I cited this earlier in my review, but galore states/cities prohibit vehicle operators from mounting gimmicks (GPS units/radar detectors) to their windshields. While this unit may be mounted on your dash, I find it a bit more comfortable to read from the windshield.
28 of 35 humans found the following review helpful.
Magellan RoadMate 1420 4.3 in GPS Navigator
By Louis Sauer Jr.
This is the second Magellan RoadMate 1420 4.3 in GPS Navigator I have purchased, my wife and I both have one. The 1420 GPS is very light and only 1/2 inch thick. It has an easy to use and read touch screen. I purchased a bean bag mount and may without apparent effort remove from car to prevent thieft.
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