GadGets

Nice design,pretty simple to use. And they remind you that the GPS unit can NOT be left in the car in summer or winter if the temperatures are hot or cold as this will affect the unit.

Also make sure the window surface where its mounted is clean and does not obstruct the drivers view. Common sense I know, but there are some people who don’t read the manual and then wonder why they had an accident.

Not sure how long the internal battery they have with the unit will last, but the manual says the unit is charging whenever its on. And that in the beginning it needs up to 4 hours to fully charge. This unit is a nice size and easy to use.

Should note that this is the first portable GPS I have owned, so don’t have anything to compare it with.

Also need to not that a windshield repair guy told me that if you have even a slight nick in the windshield that you need to be warned that the suction holder may make the nick bigger depending on wind, hot/freezing weather conditions.

Unlike the installed GPS in the vehicle I have been in, the screen on this product and most other portable GPS units, is small. Which could be a concern for someone older or younger with vision issues. Go over the speed limit and the unit may hick up, when it comes to turn left, turn right etc directions.
Rating: 5 / 5

When I bought my Garmin, I had no idea they were considered the best GPS. So when I had the opportunity, I was curious to do a side by side test with this new Magellan and see if Garmin deserves the hoopla. I’ll briefly walk through the basic differences:

First off, in all fairness to Magellan, this RoadMate 2035 is really more of an entry level GPS. I have a Garmin nüvi 5000, which isn’t top of the line, but it has many bells and whistles this RoadMate 2035 doesn’t possess, so I’ll only compare GPS functionality between the two.

GPS Accuracy:

Garmin beats Magellan on this one. And by accuracy, I don’t mean how new the maps themselves are — I mean the accuracy with which the GPS itself pinpoints and tracks my location and movements.

Magellan’s internal antenna seems quite accurate and is pretty fast at locking in on my location. But the Garmin’s response time and accuracy blows this particular Magellan away. And no, I don’t think it has anything to do with internal processor speeds. Actually, my Garmin is an older model and can be a bit clunky when it comes to searching for locations by name — the internal processor easily gets bogged down and runs like a computer than needs more memory if searching for locations by name — so I’m positive this Magellan has a MUCH faster internal processor. Yet somehow, my old Garmin is WAY more responsive with pinpointing my location or knowing I’ve missed a turn.

The Garmin’s map will actually turn and move with every move of my steering wheel, accurately pinpointing the direction my car is pointing, even if the turns are subtle. This Magellan, on the other hand, is much more broad by comparison. Many times, the map was lagging well behind my movements and turns — several seconds behind Garmin, and at times, not registering movements at all. Yet my Garmin with the slower processor was redrawing my maps quickly and accurately, matching my every move with speed and precision. Personally, I think that says a lot given the age difference in these products.

The Magellan’s response time is fine in and of itself, and I probably wouldn’t even have made an issue of it had it not been for the side by side comparison. But when I see how fast and accurate my old Garmin is, it’s clear their GPS pinpointing is running circles around this Magellan.

Reliable Directions and Navigation Accuracy:

It’s a dead heat on this one. Both Garmin and Magellan performed exactly the same in this regard, each giving accurate turn by turn directions. Actually, both units mapped out the exact same route to my destinations. Only rarely did the routes differ, but when they did, I tended to prefer where Garmin was sending me over Magellan. But maybe that’s just because I’m used to the Garmin.

Map Layout and Appearance:

Again, maybe I’m just used to it, but Garmin has it all over Magellan on this one. Garmin’s maps are drawn better and are more pleasing to the eye. The color scheme and layout just works, hands down. (Actually, I have a friend with a $100k Porsche, and my $200 Garmin runs circles around that GPS too — go figure!) The maps on the Magellan are newer than my Garmin, so I have no doubt they are more accurate. But the Garmin is just easier for me to read and decipher, especially while driving. I truly think there’s more to it than me just being used to Garmin’s layout. I just think they did a better job overall. Magellan’s maps look good, but Garmin’s is more inviting, better laid out, and pleasing to the eye.

Navigation Voice and Audio:

Again, Garmin beats Magellan. The Garmin has several voices to choose from and lets you chose additional features, such as, announcing additional street names. Magellan’s volume goes much louder, but interestingly enough, the voice sounds a but garbled compared to Garmin. The voice on the Garmin is much easier to understand, whereas Magellan’s voice sounds like she’s mumbling by comparison. Just like the maps, Garmin is just much clearer and unmistakable. On the flip-side, I had to really focus on hearing and understanding what the Magellan was saying.

Recalculating for Missed Turns:

If I miss a turn, Garmin says “recalculating” loud and clear, then announces my new route. Magellan, by contrast, just sounds a subtle bell, and recalculates with little fanfare. Personally, I prefer Garmin on this one. The Magellan is so subtle about wrong turns that I could easily not even know my route had changed at all. Not cool. I need to know if I messed up and that I’m in the midst of a course correction.

Search by Name:

Magellan beats my Garmin here. As I said, my Garmin is a bit old, and it definitely shows when trying to search destinations by name. It works, but it’s definitely clunky. Magellan, on the other hand, is fast and responsive with its searches. And I really like how it intuitively eliminates numbers and letters as you type, making it easier to spell names and numbers on the fly. Very nice!

Free Traffic Reports — But Annoying Advertisements:

The Magellan offers lifetime free traffic reports, whereas Garmin charges extra for that feature. Free traffic reports sounds great at first, but then I found out why it’s free — because there’s actually text ads that appear on the Magellan’s screen, advertising restaurants and such — NOT cool. I don’t want any distracting ads popping up while I’m driving, it needlessly convolutes the whole purpose of a GPS. Just give me clear, accurate directions and don’t clutter the issue with BS ads. I’d rather skip the traffic reports entirely than be bothered with erroneous information. What’s next? Onscreen commercials interrupting my drive?? No thanks!

Bottom Line:

The Magellan RoadMate 2035 is a good entry level GPS. It beats draining your cell phone battery by using a GPS app, but it’s nowhere near as good as my 3 year old Garmin Nuvi 500, and the Garmin doesn’t even have an internal battery! But then, this Magellan is much more affordable too. Given the price point, there’s really no reason for anyone to do without a GPS. And for what it is, this Magellan is a good starter unit for just about anyone. Not the greatest, and no bells and whistles — but certainly a good, basic GPS.

Rating: 3 / 5

We popped this unit in the car and started using right away. No problems. Not complicated. Instructions simple. We travel a lot and are sure getting addicted to GPS!

I have the TomTom XXL 540T 5″ which I like a lot; my wife prefers this one because it’s smaller, easier to pack in her purse or store in the vehicle. The One Touch makes it simple for her to pull up tons of info especially off Point of Interest(POI) icon. You, of course, can set-up buttons according to your preferences. Touch the screen: zoom in/out, POI’s are shown only on highways, create/cancel a route, emergency button for where to seek aid. It has the QuickSpell system which simplifies entering names of streets and cities.

The set-up, reception, and reaction time all work fine. We haven’t noticed any map errors yet. Locally, one usually knows the best route, but it appears very quick to adjust to your changes, and warns you both verbally and with a bell sound of transitions, i.e., turns, road changes, etc.

I like that it not only list long./lat./time but also altitude since we live near the mountains. It also touts a 2 hour battery, but for traffic service, you’ll need to keep it plugged in.

Comparing our 2 units, overall they offer similar functions, and we like them both. TomTom, e.g., offered different voices male & female; showed highway speed limits, has the IQ routes(for quickest traffic), lots of additions via their website. I would say if I had to buy one or the other, the Magellan’s a bit cheaper.

Rating: 5 / 5

In the interests of full disclosure, I have used a total of three (3) GPS devices. One was a Dell Netbook (which was worthless, and can barely get a signal, outside, when you are holding still). One was a Garmin nüvi 295W 3.5-Inch Widescreen Wi-Fi Portable GPS Navigator (which was super fantastic, best GPS I’ve ever used). And the third one was this (obviously).

So, for a straight-up GPS, you really only care about three things.

First, how is the reception? For this category, this GPS receiver didn’t do so hot. Standing next to a bank of floor to ceiling windows in my building, I was unable to get a signal. Only once I was outside was I able to get one. In the car (a Toyota Carolla), I was able to get signal without placing this on my windshield. So a passenger/navigator is a possibility. So, the reception was a bit spotty, and tends to be a bit weak in Southeast Wyoming for any GPS (although the Garmin worked beautifully).

Second, how fast and how easily does it reroute? On a pedestrian function, it did miserably, telling me to turn around and take a different route, even after I was within 100 feet of my destination. However, on a highway setting in an automobile, it rerouted faster than I could safely look at it, so in less than thirty seconds. The rerouting was simple, but I have to believe that a complicated reroute wouldn’t have taken much longer. And, as A. Boston pointed out, there is no obnoxious “Rerouting…” statement, which apparently offends some. (Drivers of nearby vehicles probably would have been more flustered by me, yelling at the GPS that I was not interested in taking a particular, scary, highway. So…)

Third, how visible is the screen. This is where this one actually has a SLIGHT edge on the Garmin. As you can see from the stats, the screen is nearly a full inch larger. This means that it is a bit easier to see your upcoming turn. (Although the Garmin notifies you more directly, which I favor infinitely more. It will say, “Turn left at the next street, Elm Street”, rather than the simple tone of the Magellan.) Moreover, the larger screen makes typing much, much easier. I spent a lot of time trying to type on the Garmin, but I have fat finger syndrome, so a stylus would have easily solved it, and practice made the problem nearly disappear.

So, which would I recommend? If you are a budget shopper, looking ONLY for GPS functionality, and price is your number one concern, the Magellan will probably serve your needs. BUT, if you can afford to upgrade to the Garmin, I would do it, and you probably will never look back. That unit has WiFi (in addition to GPS) and email and internet capabilities, which, if you are searching for a store, can be infinitely more useful…). But, this is definitely a good GPS for the value.

Harkius
Rating: 4 / 5

The Magellan RoadMate 2035 4.3-Inch Widescreen Portable GPS Navigator with Lifetime Traffic arrived today, so my daughter and I took it for a test drive as we did the weekly shopping – and we were mostly impressed. (BTW, we were comparing this to my daughter’s TomTom.) The Roadmate is very lightweight and the windshield mount is easily adjusted – a very nice feature. While there is no option other than the one voice, the voice the gadget provides directions in is very pleasant, not the least abrasive, and the data loads up quite rapidly. We also liked the larger screen.

There were several things that we did not like. First, the Roadmate does not come with either a USB cable or a power cord that allows you to charge the device in your home. If you want to download the software updates, you’ll have to provide a USB cable yourself. We decided to subtract a full star for that oversight.

We programmed the navigator to take us to Walmart. The Roadmate insisted that there is a road connecting to the back of my driveway and was adamant that we drive through the backyard. When it finally got the idea that we were on what it considered the “wrong” street it insisted that we U-turn in the middle of the highway. Eventually, however, the thing did get the idea that we were not going to do that and provided directions to Walmart via a road that we had not been on. This IS New England (don’t even try to get accurate directions to the Boston Aquarium!) and that road is not paved – but the view was stunning and we shaved about 10 miles and twice as many minutes off the usual route.

All in all, you’ll not go wrong for the price.
Rating: 4 / 5