Magellan RoadMate 1475T 4.7-Inch Portable GPS Navigator Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)Unlike other reviewers who have predisposition to certain brand, e.g., someone who used a Garmin for long time and now came to criticize the Magellan, I am a long-time user of GPS of both Magellan and Garmin since 1998. My first Garmin cost me about $1500 and my first Magellan cost me about $2000. My later Garmin and Magellan cost me $800, $500, $300, etc. When the baby TomTom came to market, I also tried it.
One thing that is lacking in most of the previous reviews of this product is an objective opinion. People usually write the review based on their predisposition, not based on objective criteria.
The biggest advantage of any Magellan is its routing capability. For example, when you only have vague idea of the address of your destination, a Magellan would provide adequate context for you to figure out where you need to go. One time, I had forgotten the street number and exact spelling of the street name. I simply type in whatever part that I could remember and the Magellan gave me a list of the road names to choose from. Eventually it took me to where I need to go. Based on that experience, I formulated a test for evaluating any new GPS unit I buy. All the Garmin I tried failed that test. A TomTom unit I tried passed that test.
Another marvel of a Magellan GPS unit is its bell sound signaling the turning point or highway exiting point. This is extremely useful in the complicated highways like in New Jersey, I never miss a turn with a Magellan GPS, but often take a too-early turn with other brands.
The spoken language of Roadmate is clearest of all the GPS units over Garmin or TomTom. When I used Garmin nuvi 680, it would mispronounce "state road 1" as "stage road 1"
I also like the seamless integration of the traffic information into the routing. It only provides the traffic incidents related to your route, or if you do not have a route, it provides only the incidents within 15-mile radius of the current location. It does not provide too much traffic information to burden you unnecessarily. With Roadmate 1475T, the traffic is free forever. In contract, with a Garmin nuvi 680, I had to pay $19/year for traffic subscription! And in nuvi 680, the traffic information is completely separate from the routing, and I have to make decision of which traffic incidents are relevant to my trip.
Other strong points of Roadmate 1475T are its large screen size, clear view of the screen, and its customization of the screen menu to fit anyone's taste.
However, Magellan does share some weakness of all the GPS units. For example, the less perfect map accuracy. There are occasions that a Magellan would say the destination is on the left side of the road when actually the destination is on the right side, and so do all Garmin or TomTom units. One time, my Garmin nuvi GPS attempted to direct me to drive into the middle of a lake! Another weakness of any GPS is the confusion of which direction (left or right) to go at the beginning of the route, and the efficiency within a city. My suggestion of using any GPS is to also print a routing map from Yahoo Maps or Google Maps before you go on a trip so that you have some idea of the routing.
Update on Nov 30, 2009:
I also published a comparison of Magellan Roadmate 1475T and Garmin nuvi 1490T under real-time situations in my car side-by-side. It contains more details of the feature comparison of these two GPS units. To read that review, please click the link "See all my reviews" above next to my name.
More explanation of the bell sound of Magellan GPS I mentioned above: it makes a distinctive bell tone depending on the kind of turn you will be making: a "Dong-Ding" for a right turn, a "Ding-Dong" for a left turn, and a "Ding-Dong-Ding" for a U-turn if allowed.

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The Magellan RoadMate 1475T device boasts the acclaimed OneTouch menu, a 4.7-inch color touch screen, Traffic Link, and an ultra-thin design. Preloaded maps and points of interest for the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico make the Magellan RoadMate 1475T unit ideal for both business trips and vacations. Easy-to-use, premium features give you confidence on the road and deliver a powerful navigation experience.


The Magellan RoadMate 1475T includes many premier features, starting with Magellan's exclusive OneTouch favorites menu, QuickSpell with SmartCity search, Traffic Link, and highway exit point of interest (POI) search, to name a few. Magellan's attention to detail delivers a superior user experience.

Intuitive and robust navigation The RoadMate 1475T lets you bookmark your favorite destinations and searches with the OneTouch favorites menu so you can access them anywhere you travel. With a single touch, find your favorite cafe or restaurant when you're traveling within any city.

QuickSpell and Smart City search help you quickly enter addresses and narrow your address and city searches, making destination entry easy. Multi-destination routing with route optimization lets you plan your trip with multiple stops in the order you want or optimize a trip for the most efficient route, helping you save time and money.

Traffic Link is included It's frustrating to sit in traffic, waiting impatiently for traffic updates from your favorite radio station. Get out of grid lock- even avoid it before you reach it - because you've got the Traffic Link vehicle power adapter to give you subscription-free, live traffic updates.

Safety first on the road You can keep your eyes on the road as you drive because spoken street name guidance announces the street name along with audible turning cues. Highway lane assist offers visual aids to point you in the right direction and ensure that you'll choose the correct lane well before your next turn.

Should your vehicle unfortunately break down as you travel, the AAA locate screen provides your location so help will know where to find you. Get support fast with the AAA Member Roadside Assistance1 phone number and your location displayed on the RoadMate 1475T screen.

Ready to roll You're ready to travel with preloaded maps and points of interest for the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico that make the Magellan RoadMate 1475T ideal for both business trips and vacations. (Mexico map activation available for purchase on www.magellangps.com).

With millions of points of interest at your command you can easily locate gas stations, restaurants, ATMs, coffee shops, and much more. If you need more information or you want to save money, select the AAA search menu after your search entry. AAA TourBook provides ratings and descriptions on AAA approved places to stay, play, dine, and save.

When you're traveling down the Interstate and need to find gas, food, or lodging in a hurry, touch the highway exit POI icon to see which upcoming highway exits have the services you need.

Turn it on and go! The Magellan RoadMate 1475T is loaded with premier features you'll need to get you where you want to go.



Magellan RoadMate 1475T Features
OneTouch favorites menu affords instant access to your personalized bookmarks of favorite places and searches anywhere you travel. With a single touch, find your favorite cafe or restaurant when you're traveling within any city.
Traffic Link provides subscription-free, live traffic updates.
Redesigned 4.7-inch color touch screen provides powerful navigation that's easy to view and use.
AAA TourBook provides ratings and descriptions on AAA approved places to stay, play, dine, and save.
AAA Member Roadside Assistance gets you help fast with a toll-free member service number to assist you in finding an AAA approved tow truck or repair shop. The menu also shows your exact GPS location so you can provide precise information to your location.
Highway lane assist signs show highway signs to point you in the right direction when approaching interchanges and exits, and ensure that you'll choose the correct lane well before your next turn.
Spoken street names and directions so you can hear and see where you need to turn next.
QuickSpell with SmartCity search narrows your address and city searches, making destination entry easy.
Multi-destination routing with route optimization lets you plan your trip with multiple stops in the order you want or optimize a trip for the most efficient route, saving you time and money.
Preloaded maps give you information and directions as you travel the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. (Mexico map activation available for purchase on www.magellangps.com).
Millions of points of interest (POIs) help you easily find gas stations, restaurants, ATMs, coffee shops, and much more.
Highway exit POIs search shows you gas stations, restaurants, hotels, and more near upcoming highway exits.
Branded POIs display your favorite coffee shops, restaurants, and more by their respective logos.
Traffic Link provides live, onscreen traffic notification updates. (This accessory is sold separately).
Customizable route method lets you select the shortest distance, fastest time, most use of freeways, or least use of freeways to customize your route.
Address book enables you to create and store contact information.
Auto night view adjusts your screen's color and contrast for easy night viewing.
Automatic re-route lets you quickly get back on track in case you missed a turn.
Plan route on map by simply touching a destination on the map screen and then directly routing to it.
Rechargeable battery gives you the freedom to drive wireless or plan your trip when your vehicle's engine is turned off.

What's in the Box RoadMate 1470 GPS receiver, Pre-loaded maps of the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico, Traffic Link vehicle power adapter, Windshield mount, Adhesive disc for dash mounting, User handbook, USB cable

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Magellan Maestro 3140 3.5-Inch Bluetooth Portable GPS Navigator Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)I have the pleasure of testing both this unit and the Garmin 370 (basically the Garmin 370 is a bluetooth 360, just with European maps included....and $150 more for me than the 3140).

Comparing both, here are MY experience/conclusions:
1.) 3140 has the brighter/saturated screen (about 2 notches better on a sliding scale--at the expense of battery life, of course) AND *louder/crisper/clearer* (less rattly) speaker (it can be a *BIG* factor if you're hard of hearing or have a noisy car).............However, this brightness/saturation is rather moot as strong direct sunlight will do a good job of markedly washing out the screens of both units (still useable though). At night, both screens do the job just fine as they switch to BLACK in "night mode", so brightness doesn't factor as much.
2.) 3140 is made of sturdier plastic. Definitely more bulletproof, but at the expense of being a little thicker and heavier. Also, antenna is built-in vs. the garmin's flip antenna which could be foreseen breaking off at some point.
3.) TTS is less robotic sounding on the 3140. It has only a female voice option, but it's very natural! Thusly, the pronounciations also are clearer and MORE pleasing (less grating) than the 370.
4.) Touchscreen inputs are easier on the 370 b/c the electronic keyboard is bigger--less input mistakes (note, however, that I'm 6'4" with large hands). Also, the 370 allows you to scroll around the map with your finger (sort of what like Google maps allows you to do) -- *AWESOME* for getting a lay of the land!! The Magellan anchors your map and only allows the typical zoom in/out feature found on most GPS units.
5.) While both use Navteq maps (what Google Maps uses), the 370 has a SLIGHTLY better sense of "intelligently" routing you. This is, of course, on a case-by-case basis of your area (your results will be different than my specific areas)! For instance, going to work in my area of San Jose, the 370 takes you off the highway at the correct exit. The 3140, on the other hand, takes me off the highway an exit early and routes me through the final portion of the expressway to my destination--a good route nonetheless, but it ISN'T "FASTER" than the Garmin's suggestion (i.e the route I choose all the time) due to the insane streetlight clog-ups during the morning commute (i.e. highway is generally always better than expressway in my area). Regardless, both units will get you to your place in one way or the other...
6.) The 3140 gives you *MORE* flexible access/choices for routing (faster, shorter, more hwy, less hwy, avoid toll roads). Also, the "Detours" function is more customizable as to *WHEN* to route you back onto the freeway (3mi, 5mi, 10mi, 12 mi, custom). The 3140 screen also SPLITS telling you when to get off the freeway--better to have this for sure, but not necessarily better as the Garmin picture routing is simplistically very effective.......BTW, Re-routing calculations are CRISP/Fast on both units.
7.) The 3140 map is more detailed and not as simplified the 370. I like this! But again, not instrumental in getting the job done (Garmin's philosophy is: less is more). However, more street detail allows you to use your brain on how to guide yourself when the computer will inevitably put you on a ridiculous route or stumble you onto a clogged streetway (which is bound to eventually happen on any GPS!)
8.) Satellite lock is FAAAST (~10-40sec) on 3140.....markedly faster by minutes (~1-3 minutes) than the 370. This difference can make a BIG difference when coming out of a car park in a strange hustle/bustle city. The antenna sensitivity is also *BETTER* on the 3140 by a GOOD margin--surprising, since it's built-in! In the middle of a huge warehouse store, the 3140 (and other Magellans) had several satellite locks (6-7 sats), while no other unit from any maker aside of the Tomtom (1 sat weak signal) could get a signal. Inside my home, the same is true. The 3140 gets 7-8 satellite locks, the 370 gets about 3 locks. In the car, the Magellan gets more satellite locks as well.
8a.) Satellite *accuracy* is also higher on the 3140. For instance, in my house that's at the "U" of a dead end street, the 3140 will pick up my location from my house. The 370, on the other hand, thinks I'm at the house on the other side of the "U" of the dead end street and plots a route from that location. Of course, the 370 corrects itself when you get in the car and go on your way.....But still, in one case, when getting on the hwy at a critical multifacted juncture, the 370 mistook a parallel road next to the hwy and guided me on that road giving me confusing misdirections (I used my brain to 2nd-guess the computer's advice)--it took over a ~3 minutes driving on the hwy for the 370 to correct itself (my wife found that error unforgiveable due to the separation distance of the parallel road to the hwy.)--this type of error hasn't happened on the 3140 b/c it's proven to me time and again to be more *PINPOINT*! Another great thing of the 3140.....if you're stuck in the middle of nowhere, it's nice to be able to call AAA (for which the Magellan has a handy "all in one" icon with AAA phone #/plot-point data on the screen) and give them EXACT longitude/latitude and not more effy plot points the Garmin gives me.
9.) POIs: I get more hits with the 370 in MY AREA (your results may vary). Not surpisingly, it could be b/c the Garmin has a 6m+ POIs vs. the Magellan's 4.5m POIs (which is huge regardless & very competitive in the marketplace). HOWEVER, the 3140 does have the AAA Guidebooks which is *FANTASTIC* for roadies!!!! BUT!...The AAA POIs do need to be *INTEGRATED* into the 3140 POI database! Both are accessible only by pressing time wasting *separate* buttons/screens--hopefully, in the future Magellan will address this issue with future software upgrade??!! Magellan are you listening??......So again, it depends on what YOU value most from each of these units. One way or the other, it's all about tradeoffs folks! If Magellan brings up the POIs to 6m+ in an update and integrates the AAA databse then that would be fantastic!
10.) Bluetooth is gimmicky on both units. Quality of call from both ends ain't that great--but doable. Battery life takes a good hit when bluetooth is on.
11.) Accessories is better on the 370. The 3140 lacks an AC charger or pleather case, albeit with that $150 price difference you could purchase these things in auction....and then some! BTW, the $30 Garmin dashboard beanbag (portable friction mount) for the Nuvi units is awesome(!)--especially for us Californians who aren't allowed to suction cup things to the windshield--lest we get a ticket!
12.) Maps can always be upgraded with Garmin and customer service is second-to-none among GPS mfgrs. The Magellan? Where are your European maps? How about upgradeability and more readily **accessible**/knowledgeable customer service? The 3140 does have an SD card slot so I'm sure product is coming out for its use, but as of this writing, I'm not aware of any 2008 Europe maps.
Which leads me as to why I'm choosing the Garmin 370 for MY NEEDS. I travel to Europe on a constant basis and the 370 has the Europe maps included, so my choice, BY DEFAULT, is obvious........FWIW, to add Garmin Euro maps to your non-370 unit, it costs $300(!!) from Garmin! So if you ever think of roadtripping Europe more than once, it's *MUCH* better paying the price premium on the 370 over the cheaper 360 (you'll save money in the long run).........If Magellan had Euro maps, then it'd be a different story--also, hopefully much cheaper(!!) than Garmin's ridiculous eye-gouging pricing of its maps (indeed, for $300, it's better then to get a latest technology Europe-specific GPS)!!
If you don't need Europe maps, then it's a TOTAL no-brainer to take the cheaper 3140 over a Garmin 350/360. Aside from Garmin's ~1-2% more sensible routing in certain parts of my area (though LESS satellite accurate leading to errors, as explained above), the basic performance or price premium difference isn't warranted in the least....and even if they were at the same price, then it would become a matter of which gimmicky side-features you value more....To me, a MARKED advantage to the Magellan--if only for those AAA guides! (who here nowadays doesn't already have a much better sounding/more functional MP3 player than the Garmin anyway??!)
I have faith Magellan will come out with Europe maps/updates in the Fall. But until then, if you frazzle easily with electronics or need your Europe fix *NOW* (like me) then Garmin will hold your hand much better as a customer....at least for the time being. It all depends on your specific needs and comfort level with these GPS devices.
All in all, the 3140 is an extremely solid, simple to use unit and isn't shamed in the least by the famed more expensive "Mercedesesque rep" of the Garmin Nuvis.

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The Magellan Maestro 3140 is the only portable auto GPS system with a compact, 3.5-inch touch screen, and built-in AAA TourBook® travel information and member roadside assistance details. Compact, powerful, and re-engineered for easy use, this device combines advanced features and a simple design to make driving more pleasurable and less stressful. A few simple touches are all the Maestro 3140 needs to audibly guide you with turn-by-turn street name directions to virtually any destination in the United States and Canada. You can even customize your navigation method or route to get there quickly and stress-free.
AAA-enabled With built-in AAA travel information, the Maestro 3140 gives you instant access to the most trusted source for trip planning, searchable AAA TourBook® listings, Show Your Card & Save® locations for member discounts, approved auto repair facilities, attractions, events, and more. The Maestro 3140 also provides AAA members roadside assistance details, with exact location and a toll-free number. Plus, the Maestro is Bluetooth-enabled so you can connect your Bluetooth cell phone directly to AAA for immediate help when you need it most.
Note: AAA member roadside assistance requires AAA membership.
Easy-to-Use Navigation Enter virtually any address on the freshly designed graphical touch screen, or select from 4.5 million preprogrammed points of interest and get turn-by-turn voice guidance to anywhere in the entire United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico, right out of the box. Just turn it on and go. SiRFstarIII™ gives you the fastest GPS position accuracy in the industry, while SayWhere™ text-to-speech tells you the street name for each maneuver so you can focus on driving. Smart buttons and Magellan's unique QuickSpell™ function enable error-free spelling to minimize steps and give you a customized route to your destination with just a few screen touches.
Bluetooth, Traffic Updates, and More The Maestro 3140's Bluetooth wireless technology lets you make hands-free phone calls with your Bluetooth-enabled phone. You can also store or sync numbers and contact information through the Maestro 3140's touch screen. Add the optional Magellan TrafficKit™ to this device and you'll be equipped with live traffic incident reports, so you'll never get stuck on the freeway.
Additional Product Features
Sophisticated and simple: Streamlined touch-screen buttons minimize steps to locate a destination
Sleek design: Integrated GPS antenna provides excellent satellite reception in a slim and compact design
Graphical interactive maps: Maps and destinations for the U.S., Canada, and Puerto Rico are built-in, so you can travel all over the US and Canada and always know where you are and where you're going
Traffic-enabled: Add the Magellan TrafficKit™ to your Maestro 3140 to get live traffic incident reports; activation and subscription fees apply
Bird's-eye 3D view: Clearly see your surroundings in 2D or 3D; also choose between Map View, TrueView™ 3D split screen, and Maneuver List
Rechargeable battery: Navigate even when you don't have access to power
Multi-destination routing: Select up to 20 destinations and choose the order that best fits your needs
SmartDetour™: Automatically prompts you to route around suddenly slow freeway traffic
Auto re-route: Never miss a turn and quickly get back on track whenever you make a detour
Auto night view: Adjusts color and contrast for easy night viewing
QuickSpell™: Easily enter addresses with unique auto-complete feature that even corrects spelling
Complete mobility: Transfer to any vehicle with no installation
4.5 million points of interest (POIs): Optimized database to easily find gas stations, restaurants, ATMs, and more. And with smart location you can search by name, category, and region. There's even a Coffee category so you can quickly find caffeine whenever you need it.
Interactive POI icons: Touch an onscreen icon for a nearby destination, see name and address, and get an instant route
Customizable route method: Fastest time, shortest distance, least or most use of freeways, avoid toll roads
Route exclusion: Select streets and freeways to avoid so you can get there your way
Address book: Create and store personal points of interest for easy reoccurring trips
Instant locate: One touch shows your location; quickly advise roadside assistance or emergency services
What's in the Box Magellan Maestro 3140 Portable Auto GPS System, flexible windshield mount, dash mounting adhesive disk, cigarette lighter power adapter (12-24 watts), quick reference guide, reference manual CD, and USB cable.

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