Average Reviews:
(More customer reviews)I have prior experience with GPS devices, but I have never before had one with the traffic capability. I didn't think I needed it. A recent event made me rethink that stance, and I was really pleased to have the opportunity to test this device for the Vine Program.
The GPS unit appears to be very well made. It comes with a car charger, and a USB cable. A wall charger needs to be purchased separately if you want one.
Cons:
This may sound silly, but you need to read the directions in order to hook up the car charger to the device. The end of the cable has to slide into grooves that are in the stand. The fit is very tight. I struggled and struggled with it until I had the bright idea to look at the manual. The upside to this is that the cable is unlikely to detach accidentally. The downside (which I think is more considerable) is that the cable joins the stand and the unit together so firmly that it's a pain to take them apart. And so I end up just jamming the whole thing in my glove box still assembled when I arrive at my destination, instead of taking them apart and putting the unit in its case (extra).
The other thing that I do NOT like is that Magellan has sold its soul to various commercial entities. Advertisements drift across the screen now and then, and (whoopee) "coupons" display at the end of the journey. Now, I am sorry, but these coupons just seem to be another layer to the advertising gimmick and have little real value to the consumer. I find the display of ads and coupons annoying and intrusive, along the line of advertisements on shopping carts at the grocery store.
The default speaking voice is less clear and understandable than the default voice on the Garmin 285. One of the turns I make on my route to work is Liberty Road. The voice sort of flubs it up, making it sound like Libbry Road, or something like that. I drive to Sacramento, which has alphabet-named streets. The Magellan consistently thinks that N Street is North Street, the same mistake that the Garmin made. I have not driven in an area where there are street names that are in a language other than English, so I have no idea how it handles (for example) Spanish street names, which are extremely abundant in some areas of California.
The biggest negative that I have found is that the device refuses to accept my home address as a valid address. The device has a range of address numbers that it thinks is valid for a zip code. If the number entered does not meet the range, the device refuses to accept it. I live in 95227, but the machine is positive that I live in 95220. That really irritates me, because that means that other people will potentially have a hard time finding my house if they are using a Magellan device. (The flip side of this is that Magellan responded very quickly when I complained about this issue, tested the problem, found that I was giving them correct information, and promised to report the problem to the map supplier.)
Another negative is that downloads from the Magellan site are only in a format that can be run on Windows machines. When I sent a sarcastic email to Magellan inquiring as to whether they were aware that a company called Apple has been manufacturing home computers for several years now I got a very prompt and very nice reply that did not seem to be a canned answer.Pros:
While the instruction book is on the thin side, a very complete set of instructions can be downloaded from the Magellan website.
The device took longer than my Garmin 285 to initially find satellites, but once the initial search was done the device finds the satellites very fast each time the car is started up. There is a display in the upper right hand corner that shows signal strength.
The device is intuitive and easy to set up. I found the Garmin 285 easier to set up, but not by much. First-time users of a GPS are not likely to have problems entering destinations into the device. If the car is turned off en route to a destination (as in "let's run into the grocery store and grab a bottle of milk") the GPS remembers where you were on the route, and picks up where you left off.
The warnings given on approaching a turn are MUCH better than the Garmin 285. The first warning comes at 2 miles from the turn, if possible. Another warning comes at a half-mile. Another warning says "Approaching turn (on right or left), and a chime sounds a few hundred feet from the actual turn. I like this feature a lot, especially in areas that are not well-lit at night. I live in a rural area, and sometimes small roads are very hard to see at night.
If a turn is missed, the chime will sound again at the next possible place you can turn, and the route is recalculated. The device does not announce that it is doing so, it just does. I have not encountered any problems when unexpectedly changing a route.
I also find that it calculates my route more efficiently than the Garmin 285.
There is a POI (Point of Interest) icon that displays when driving along major highways that helps you find the nearest gas stations, restaurants, etc. Additionally, AAA members can download AAA tour book information into the Roadmate, an extremely useful feature for road trips.
When the current location is displayed, the latitude and longitude are always displayed, so that info would be available to provide to an emergency responder without having to search around for it.
The display is extremely legible both in bright sunlight and at night. I had to turn the brightness down to the minimum because it was a bit too bright at night for my taste. The display has a night mode, wherein the road is displayed on a black background. One can also choose to change the orientation of the map so (1) North is always at the top, like on a traditional map, or (2) the direction you are traveling is the top of the map. Main Event: Traffic
I drive to Sacramento every work day, and go early enough in the morning that I rarely encounter serious traffic problems. I was actually glad to get caught in a traffic jam on Hwy 99 the other morning, so I could test out the Traffic feature. If the Roadmate detects a highway traffic warning, a red triangle appears on the screen, giving an estimated delay time. A flashing check mark appears on the screen. Touching the check mark gives you a list of alternate routes. Choose one of the alternates, and the device gives you a new set of directions. I have to tell you, this feature is fantastic. I avoided a horrible mess, and it only added a few minutes onto my expected commute time. If you don't like the alternate route you've chosen, there is a Cancel option in the main Menu, and you can select another alternate.
You don't have to punch in a destination in order to use the traffic feature. Just touch the triangular Traffic icon, and a list of traffic incidents will be displayed. No detour will be provided, however, when the device is used in this manner. If you are familiar with the area that won't be a problem. If you do need to have detour instructions, you will need to enter a destination.
Detours can also be found in the main Menu if you run into a traffic problem that is not on a freeway route. You can manually select the Detour button, and the Roadmate will find another route for you.
Main Event: Highway Lane Assist
What can I say? Awesome! This feature needs to be activated from Map Options in the main Menu. When approaching an interchange on a freeway, mock-ups of the freeway signs appear on the screen, and the one you need to take is shown brightly, the one you should not take is dimmed out. I love it. This feature helps you make an instant decision about what lane you need to be in.
Obviously, despite the few negatives, I really like this device! I can wholeheartedly recommend this device without reservation.
Click Here to see more reviews about: Magellan RoadMate 2045 4.3-Inch Widescreen Portable GPS Navigator with Lifetime Traffic
The Magellan RoadMate 2045 is a premium navigator with a large 4.3-inch screen, lifetime traffic alerts, highway lane assist, OneTouch favorites and Built-in AAA TourBook.
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Perfect for everyday travel or trips across town, the Magellan RoadMate 2045 is exactly what you need to navigate with confidence anywhere you go.
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