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Magellan RoadMate 300 GPS Portable NavigatorUser Review: - Great Price, Exc. ServiceI borrowed someones Roadmate 300 for a week and can't wait until mine arrives! Customer service has been excellant with all my preliminary questions as well, that was before my husband discovered his co-worker had one. I think I've sent them 10 emails so far. Answers within a day to two. I've also called but I hate to wait on hold for even a second but did and it wasn't a long wait. Roadmate 300 seems to be just as good as the ones installed in my dads new Lincoln and moms new Cadillac. Beware about some of the reviews you read as well, Magellan has made lots of software updates and changes. All you need to do is connect to the computer and download FOR FREE. I think some people missed that step. Or some people are looking for a lot more for what they paid for. If they used a higher model/different maker before and they liked it they should've stuck with it. It would be like my parents buying a lower/economy car after having the Lincoln or my mom and her Cadilac. Also the complaints about finding a satellite and taking to long. The acquisition took the same as my fathers Lincoln and my mothers Cadillac (both of their vehicles were ordered with GPS installed). I borrowed someones Roadmate 300 and had no issues. If I shut it off and drove around and while driving turned it on it took maybe 5-10 minutes. If I did the same thing as before but stopped when I turned it on and stayed stationary it only took like 1-2 minutes. Food for thought. The other complaint is sometimes it is off a little bit, maybe a little more about how GPS works should be read and then it would be understandable. It said the street was further up then it was. All GPS can be off by some type of distance, it is not 100% accurate all the time. Someday it might be off and most jump to, it is fault in the system used. Especially if it was done during first uses. As for loosing a signal... Well, same thing, understand how it works and it could explain why a signal was lost. If you haven't read about GPS it is almost like Satellite TV. I did find it did work in places where the satellite TV isn't able, so it isn't as picky. TUNNELS I would imagine could cut signal out. I have no tunnels but plenty of trees and mountains and had no issues. Yes some units have a system that if signal is lost it will continue its/your way. You have to have it connected to your speedometer or such so it can do so, only way for it to know what you are doing. As for how it worked for me. My dads new Lincoln is touch screen and I find that both units react the same way. In comparison to both my parents vehicles the respond direction wise and re-calculating the route if you went a different way took the same time and the main functions that I would want worked the same way. The only difference I've detected so far which is a pain is that with the Roadmate I'll have to download maps where the installed in parents vehicle was on a disc. I could get the Roadmate 700 but why when I am capable of putting them on an SD Card and save. Some things are not done automatically but again to save money I can do it myself! Or to save the money I don't need it. Like the time display, or the speed you are moving at. I have a clock in the car and a speedometer! I want turn left here and I want to hear it nice and clear and I want to know the new way I need to go when I hit a detour. This has it!!! Also some extras. There are also other ways you can mount the unit if you shop around for different accesories. I've hears some complaints about the window mount. The one I borrowed he had a dash mount that was easy to move to different spots/vehicle if you so wished. I did think about getting one installed in the minivan. Then decided I like portable better. This way when we take the truck because we are towing our camper we still can use the GPS. Again all in all I did research, like you read reviews. I also sent emails with questions to Magellan. When I borrowed the Roadmate 300, I fell even more in love the price is perfect as well. Being a directionless person I actually felt FREE and able to go places. The kids and I went to some parks I wouldn't tempt before! Yes, I could always print directions but it is always my luck A ROAD WOULD BE CLOSED!!!! Hope this helps! User Review: - Magellan Roadmate 300 rocksMy father-in-law has a Roadmate 700 and I can confindently say that the baby brother Roadmate 300 is just as good. Sure the screen size is a little smaller, has a cheaper touchscreen, no cradle but in operation, speed, useability its exactly the same. People complain about satelite aquisition time but other than the original fix which took around 15-20minutes, since then we're up and running within 1 minute. Like all GPS systems though occasional usage means that effectively each time you turn it on - its a brand new aquisition. For me, I can load up sufficient mapping to cover my everyday (and not so everyday)usage on the internal memory, no need for SD cards. The Magellan included mapping software is easy to use, if a little dated, with some missing roads and Points of Interest. Its a shame you can't add your own POI and missing roads with the software on the PC. Building and uploading the maps I wanted took around 30 minutes on a steam driven Pentium III 500MHz with USB1.1. The unit is very easy to use, the manual is on the CD but I defy anyone to not find the interface intuitive and simple. One trick I like is programming the unit to speak to me in UK English female which sounds far more appealing than the default US voices barking instructions at me. Of course interstates become motorways but I'm English so I can cope with that. If you're looking for versatile, economical in car GPS, I don't think you'll be disappointed with the 300. User Review:  - Takes forever to acquire GPS signalThe unit works fine once it acquires a GPS signal. Problem is it ALWAYS takes 7-10 minutes to acquire a signal. I have followed all the directions. My hand held will acquire in seconds. The magellan, once it acquires a signal, works fine. Their customer service was useless. They cut and pasted the same words from their user manual when I asked them about it. I set the location, I waited many minutes before departing, the unit had a clear view of the sky etc ... I suspect that the cost differences between this unit and the 500/700 have to do with the quality of the signal acquisition circuits. Of course I will not find out as I will go elsewhere. The GPS status screen showed multiple satalites with good signal but the unit still took minutes to lock the position. If you want the feel of the typical neverlost you get in rental cars this is not the unit for you ... you will get to your destination before the Magellan 300 acquires a GPS lock. User Review:  - Its growing on me...After 2 months of owning the GPS and growing all but frustrated with LARGE delays associated with rerouting, Magellan surprised me! Several months after release, the company seems to still care about its products. Several days ago, I received an email from the company alerting me to an update to their software (v1.65) which took care of the major complaint I had with the unit. The unit is now faster to reroute me when I miss that precious turn in unknown territory, and appears to run solidly. I must say I am now enjoying the full potential of the unit and am happy with the purchase! User Review: - FlawlessThis Road Gadget is a TRUE performer and a steal for tha price compared to other GPS systems...Once this thing INITIALLY locks onto a spacelite (10 to 15 mins),,u are free to roam and hang your hat at any address u wanna go..'cause it's not letting go of the signal 98% of the time (nothing is perfect)..All following satalite lockups takes seconds...I'm a regional roamer ,so this is a great mate for me in tha GA & FLA area..It's good to know I have Detailed maps of tha U.S on Cdrom & CPU in case I wanna go Cross Country...I'm good with Ga,,Fla for now. Magellan 300 is a flawless steal of a deal.. |
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