Magellan RoadMate 3050T

Summary: After testing out the Fujitsu 10 in-dash models, TOM TOM and Garmin, I found the $499.99 Magellan 3050T to be the BEST BUY at Costco. It comes with a 3-month trial of TrafficKit Management, and after the trial the cost is apx. $60.00 per year. This model has SD flash card slot for photos and iTunes. I do not want these options, but they are there. I do not need Blue Tooth, since I use my cell phone hands free. And MP3 music playback through a auto GPS is plain silly.

I like the split which displays the next intersection in large text and pleasant female voice to communicate in perfect clarity all route info, streets ahead of turns, exits, interections, and give new routing info far ahead of Traffic Jams, bad weather and accidents. On the other side of the split screen there is your map and car at the intersection.

The glare free screen and mount hardware are perfect. There are buttons to press to zoom in and out in top. There are buttons off to the edge, when marked and lit for other functions. I dislike soft-touch screens. The extra FM antenna for the Traffickit is easy to install. The unit runs 4-5 hours without a recharge, and has a sleep function. Taking the display off the mount is easy for hiding.

The 3050T comes preloaded with up-to-date map data. Upgrades are either by USB cable on-line or via CDs.

For what I need, this 3050T is perfect...fast too! Customer service took 10 seconds to pickup and Technical Support took 20 seconds!

This model has more sensitivity over the 6000T model!

Good luck in your quest for an easy to use, accurate quick and safe auto GPS!