Average Reviews:
(More customer reviews)Just returned from a trip to Europe, and I have to say this GPS is stellar. I read some of the other comments below and let me offer some advice that clears up some of the problems.
The backlight is adjustable, there is Bright, Dim, and Off. You change from one to the other by holding the power key down for a few seconds.
There is a work around for the maps. I was able to download all of german, netherlands, italy, most of poland etc. You need an SD card programmer to do it, and either 128 mb or 64 mb cards. I needed 192mb total to store what I wanted. Each "Region" that you want to store has to be under 16mb. You can store up to 4 regions in a "Map". You can store as many maps as you want to the SD card, but you will need to rename them from "Region00." to "Region01", "Region02", etc. In this way you are able to store multiple 64 mb "Maps". You can change which map you are using by going to card utilities->select map. Waypoints and routes are stored in the GPS, so they will be sticky if you switch cards.
Using this method you can download all the maps you could possibly need during your trip, and not have to lug a laptop or any software around with you, maybe a couple of postage-stamp sized sd cards. Also note that you'll want to load at least 16mb of the European basemap onto each sd card if you will be using it in europe.
Be sure to format your SD cards before using them!
I think the unit would work with 512mb sd cards, but I don't have a 512mb card to test with.
Another important note is that magellan is releasing Turn-By-Turn software for this GPS this Month! It will retail @ 149.99 and if you do a cost comparison between the magellan and the garmin software, the magellan will now work out cheaper AND provide turn by turn routing with voice prompting (This is just a fantastic software upgrade, I can't believe it can be done without buying a new GPS. I will have to see how well it works when I receive my copy however.).
Some items that keep this from getting 5 stars:
Non-intuitive user interface for loading multiple maps (workaround described above)
Battery life - I went thru about 4 2100 maH AA batteries a day. I had the backlight auto-off set at two minutes, but wanted the gps on all the time to get accurate routing. I remember by GPS V goes for a couple days on one set of batteries, although it uses 4 batteries instead of two.
No compass - this makes it kind of tricky to navigate if you're walking. The directional arrow is frequently inaccurate, so you have to cross check the street that you are on. I'd love to see a screw on magnetic compass attachment for this unit. The sport-trak color has the compass, but only allows 10 or so MB of built in maps.
No built in auto routing - was kind of dismayed to find it didn't have this originally, but with the promised software upgrade, it should be good. I do feel that this should be built into the unit, as a I think every user out there would want it. $150 is a bit much to pay for software that should really be included with the unit.
Annoying alarm when battery reaches critical - There are some times that you don't want to advertise that you are carrying around an expensive device, and having the alarm go off in the middle of a subway or something could be dangerous. Didn't fully investigate if this can be turned off.
Difficult to tell which button you're pushing if it's in your pocket - a little bump on the power and enter buttons would help for unseen operation.
External connector is slow to connect disconnect - you have to turn a screw to connect the external car power or PC interface cables, which takes 60 seconds or so, maybe 30 when you get good. Very difficult to accomplish while driving.
Annoying alarm when external power lost in car - my car connector kept turning off when bumped with the hand, and then this alarm would go off. A single beep would suffice guys!
External power should turn off backlight saver automatically e.g. the backlight should stay on. (or better yet, seperate backlight saver mode for battery and external power). Ditto the auto-off functions although I wasn't using those.
Display - the display was pretty good, and the color definitely helps to clear up the map. Street names are a bit difficult to read and certain zoom levels, the detail level/zoom level threshoulds might need a bit of adjustment.
Antenna - Definitely works better when the gps top is pointed up. This is only my second GPS but it seemed a little less sensitive then my GPS V is.
Cursor - cursor didn't track correctly when entering in a street name where the second word of the street name caused it to wrap to the second line; the cursor remained on a blank square - annoying, no big deal.
German streets - geez, the first 17 characters are the same, can someone figure out how to do the UI so it is easier to get to the right street? I think using the up/down arrows to scroll thru the possible repeat characters would be much easier then the current methods.
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Magellan Meridian Color Handheld GPS Navigator (16 MB)Meridian Color 980598-18 - Meridian Color handheld color GPS - 16 MB built-in mapping database of North America (highways, major roads, parks, waterways, airports, cities and marine navigation aids, such as buoys, obstructions, wrecks, lighthouses, etc.)- Large, high contrast, high color 120 x 160 pixel backlit display (LCD dimensions: 1.5" x 2")- Finds your location by tracking up to 12 GPS satellites simultaneously- Assisted by the U.S. Wide Area Augmentation System (WAAS)- Accurate to within 3 meters or better- Large keyboard - Street-level maps downloadable on an optional Magellan SD memory card- 9 Customizable graphic navigation displays show a map, compass, speedometer, and text readouts of heading, bearing, speed, direction, ETA, and more - 12 Built-in coordinate systems- 76 Datums including latitude/longitude, universal transverse mercator, and military grid reference system- Store up to 20 routes, 500 waypoints and 2,000 track-points - Save track-to-route (convert complicated track files into easy to follow routes, save hundreds of routes by transferring them to a PC with Magellan MapSendsoftware)- NorthFinder (shows your direction even when standing still)- Shows you when the sun will rise and set, as well as the phase of the moon, for any date and location in the world- Fish and game calculator- Monitor the GPS satellites in view and get information about their status- 2 AA batteries provide up to 13 hours of continuous use- Rubber armored, impact resistant plastic - Waterproof (sealed to IEC-529 IPX7 specifications, also floats)- Built-in help database- Multiple language support (English, French, German, Swedish, Finnish, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, Dutch)- Infinitely expandable with SD cards- Quadrifilar antenna- Connects easily to a PC via included PC cable- Silver and blackPackage Contents:- GPS color receiver- PC cable- 16MB built-in maps with navaids- Wrist strap- 2 AA b
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