Magellan RoadMate 500 3-Inch Portable GPS Navigator

Magellan RoadMate 500 3-Inch Portable GPS Navigator | So far, so good.....

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	Magellan RoadMate 500 3-Inch Portable GPS Navigator Magellan Magellan average customer review:based on 28 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

Now you can have global satellite navigation in your car. The Magellan RoadMate 500 portable auto navigation system makes navigation easy and fun, with friendly voice prompting, turn-by-turn guidance and the latest touch screen technology. The Magellan RoadMate 500 calculates your route and automatically updates your directions when you decide to take a detour. Easily download the regions you travel in (up to 100 MB file size) to the included memory card, from 4 CD ROMs containing advanced mapping of the entire U.S. and Canada. Freely download and overwrite new maps before traveling to new regions. So, do away with bulky paper maps and the time it takes to log on to the Internet to get directions. The Magellan RoadMate 500 puts the ease and accuracy of vehicle navigation at your fingertips.A comprehensive list of points of interest in your selected area makes it easy to choose your destination quickly. Search by name or category for gas stations, restaurants, hotels, ATMs, sights, amusements and more, whether you're driving cross-country or to an unfamiliar address across town.Lightweight and truly portable, the Magellan RoadMate 500 goes wherever you go, from your personal vehicle to your business car, to your recreational vehicle.Built on Magellan technology found in the Hertz NeverLost system, proven and road-tested by over 4 million drivers, the Magellan RoadMate 500 makes your driving adventure easier and more enjoyable.

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Great unit but.............................................

............. but you can only download one region at a time on 128MB card (actual space available is around 100MB. Region of VT, NH and ME is only 25.7 MB while MA, CT and RI are 52.3 MB. You are lucky if you need this regions - it can fit on 128 mb Card. If you in Texas - NE part is 100MB while SW only 16MB but you will not be able to load both on 128MB card.

You can only use a certain brands of compact flash cards also. Look for SanDisk and Toshiba. Magellan will give you first unlock code for free and than you have to pay $50.00 for each additional card.

Now about "FREEZING ISSUE" and "buggy Software" that I've read in one of reviews here. I thought that I got the same problem. Every time I checked Task Manager on my PC it shows me that program is "Not responding". Magellan Support Service explained to me that I have to let it run for aprox 10 min and yes, even though it look like its froze its actually uploading.

Accurate mapping. User uploads areas of choice with unlimited access to change later. Voice directions allow driver to focus on road and mentions back to back turns to lessen confusion. Touch screen and spelling assist eases data entry. Unit quickly reroutes if driver deviates from original route. Crisp display with nice lighting layout to allow full use at night. Vent mount is quick and provides a clean looking installation.

I ordered SunDisk 512MB CF card for 60$ (plus 50$ authorization) and I can use all Atlantic coast region (from Maine to Florida) from single card.

I can't rate it 5 out of 5 just because Magellan charging money for extra CF card activation. It's a great product with great features.

(...)

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So far, so good.....

I just bought the Roadmate 500 and set it up without any problems. I did not have to access any codes from Magellan to download my maps, as has been mentioned in other reviews. PC installation went smoothly - no glitches whatsoever; same with the map download to the unit. Once I set it up in the car and turned it on I was able to program in a sample address and find the route without having to refer to the manual! It's that intuitive. The real test was having my wife use it, since we bought it for her use and she is not comfortable with electronic gizmos. She found it as easy to use as I did. Now she's looking forward to using this device on a regular basis.

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Slight notch below the Garmin units

We bought the Roadmate 500 primarly because it was on sale and we needed a second GPS unit. I currently own the iQue 3600 (bought from Amazon), which is similar in function to the Garmin 2600 series GPS units. The Roadmate has nice build quality. Screen is clear, bright and easy to read. Buttons are well place and easy to use. The GPS receiver is quick. However...

There are two glaring differences between the Magellan Roadmate series and the Garmin units. These are the selection of Points of Interests (POIs) and information displayed while in "Map" mode. There are no subcategories in POIs in the Roadmate units. For example, if I want to find a particular type of restaurant, Italian for example, near my current location, there is no way to do this in the Roadmate. The Roadmate just presents a list of restaurants without types. You must guess on your own (probably based on tbe name) what kind of restaurant is listed. In the Garmin units, you can select restaurants, then you can further select the type of restaurants.

In addition when in "map" mode (not navigation or following a route), the Roadmate only shows the name of street you are currenly on. In the Garmin units, the number and the street name, as well as the name of the upcoming street intersection are displayed and constantly updated. With the Garmin unit you know exactly where you are. It's helpful if you're not in a "navigation or route" mode and looking for a particular address and can't see the numbers on the buildings.

Another feature that is lacking in the Roadmate series is automatic color scheme selection at night. Even though there is automatic brightness and contrast settings for the Roadmate units, you must manually select night colors on the Roadmate. You can make it easier to switch to night colors by assigning one of the "user" buttons as a nighttime mode setting. In the Garmin units, the color scheme automatically changes to nighttime mode after sunset. You don't have to fiddle with any user setting.

All in all, we are happy with the Roadmate series. It's just that the Garmin units are constructed more thoughtfully.

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No customer service

In a pinch and without doing my homework, I purchased the Roadmate 700. I am happy enough with the navigational aspects of the unit, but do not count on it for points of interest. The database is just woefully inadequate.
More importantly, when the device's mounting device ( a suction cup to the windshield) failed and the unit fell to the center console below, the touchscreen broke leaving the device inoperable (this is the first thing you need to consider). I have now been trying for four days to make contact with them in order to have the unit repaired. If you call you will find yourself on interminable hold (> 30 mins the last time) and if you send email to request an RMA or "return merchandise authorization" number or form, they don't respond to that beyond the automated response: "Thank you for filling out the RMA form. We will send your inquiry to the appropriate contact in the support group within Thales Navigation." When!?
So I have a $1000 chunk of worthless plastic and electronics sitting on my desk and no navigation system.
Something to consider in your enthusiasm to purchase a GPS nav system.

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I do not own this

So I cannot evaluate it, I just want to remove it from my review list.
It is an old device anyway.

reviews: page 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6

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