Drop, charge, and lose the cords
- Average user rating: 2.5 stars out of 17 reviews Back to product review
- My rating: 0 stars
Full user review
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5 out of 6 people found this review helpful
2.0 stars
"I returned it, here is why."
Pros: Mounting hardware, satellite acquisition speed
Cons: Poor user interface & confusing buttons.
Summary: I tried a Magellan 3000T GPS while on vacation in L.A. I returned it Radioshack and then bought a Garmin C550. I had been a passenger in a car with a Garmin C330, but mistakenly thought that one brand of GPS was as good as the next. Getting around Los Angeles was difficult, and the RadioShack by the hotel had only had Magellan and Tom Tom, units. I had no time to shop around. The Magellan was on sale and was recommended by the sales representative. My assumption that one brand was as good as the next could not have been more wrong. This purchase was a mistake.
Let me start by saying something nice about the Magellan, it has an excellent mounting mechanism, that is more flexible, more secure, and bigger than the Garmin. The Magellan also acquires satellites faster.
For me, the make or break feature in a GPS is user interface. On the Garmin, the interface is so simple there is no need to read the manual. Everything you ever do on the Garmin ( C330, C340, C550) is done with the touch screen. The menus are intuitive and nothing is buried deep in multiple sub-menus. With the Magellan, you have to click on numerous buttons and its hard to tell which button does what. Reading the manual, preferably twice, is a necessity. If you are lost with the Garmin one red traffic light is all you need to input an address and be on your way. I have inputted addresses while driving but this in not recommended or particularly safe. With the Magellan, you are going to have to pull over and park.
The display on the Garmin is much better. On the Garmin your vehicle appears on a 3-D map as a car icon facing in the direction you hare presently heading. On the Magellan you are a flat triangle on a pretty much 2-D map. When you make a wrong turn the Garmin is quicker to realize your diversion from its plan and quicker to recalculate a new route.
Having used both, the Garmin is much easier to input addresses and searches for points of interest, (restaurants, gas, etc), it has a more up to date list of restaurants well organized by category, its maps are more accurate / up-to-date (at least in L.A. and South Florida), and it is easier to understand where you are and where you are going.
Where to buy
Magellan RoadMate 3000T:
$359.99
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Amazon.com Marketplace
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$359.99 | See Site |
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