Excellent GPS Navigation for a very good price
shoes woman Magellan RoadMate 2045T LM Portable Navigator
I have had two Garmin Nuvi 600 and Nuvi 660. The original Nuvi cost $500. The 660 a couple of years later cost me half as much. This Navigator comes in at a fraction of those models, and it has a more robust menu system, better screen brightness/resolution and features that make my Nuvi's antiquated. The integrated GPS in my Acura MDX is not even as user friendly as this model.
What comes in the box:
Navigation device
USB Cable
DC Charger
Cradle
Pros
Intuitive design
Fast startup
Easy to follow map and turn guidance prompts
Extensive menus
Expansive Points of Interests (POIs)
Lifetime map updates
Lifetime traffic alerts
Cons
Only one voice
No other selectable icons
Carrying case is not included
Setup:
For me, I have a Mac OS system which is not supported. I resorted to charging the unit and turning it on. The cradle is cumbersome. The power cable must be placed in the slot of the cradle and then the GPS must be guided along a track to snap into place. This is a two handed operation, unlike my Nuvi which can be released rather easily with one hand.
Use
First time the unit powers up, the satellite localization takes no longer than its competition (except for when it is compared to an integrated GPS in a vehicle). Subsequent startups are rather faster than a Garmin.
Finding points of interest (POIs) is rather easy, as well as entering destinations by address. The estimated time of arrival is at the bottom left of the screen, the toolbox for settings is in the bottom center of the screen, and the menu is accessible in the bottom right hand corner. Orientation of maps are heading up and north up, as well as 2 dimensional and 3 dimensional screens. One negative is the inability to change the icon from anything other than a triangle. The voice cannot be changed, either. Aside from those minimal quirks, this system is great.
Searching POIs by categories closest to your location is intuitive and really makes a great tool in those times necessitating spontaneity. Even searching for POIs by name worked with some obscure businesses in my smaller city. I was truly impressed with how quickly this works and I have found it to work for me when indoors (unlike my Nuvi).
On the screen, you can display certain icons to represent categories of POIs (such as Emergency, Shopping, Gas). As you drive, icons appear for shopping centers. If you click upon the icon, you can see what stores are in the certain shopping centers, including the telephone numbers. One of the most impressive features of this system is the AAA Tourbook which gives ratings and descriptions of POIs.
The free lifetime traffic alerts is a valuable feature. It gives guidance to avoid traffic when traveling. This won't work for those on a daily commute but it will help when traveling through areas that a user is unfamiliar. My area is not covered but my travels to areas that are covered will help when average speeds go down. Note that traffic is only available with the OEM DC power cable. If you don't use it, it won't work.
Turn by turn guidance is clear and a door chime notifies you exactly when to turn. At the top of the screen, the next turn is shown with the distance is displayed. Redirects are relatively quick but not as responsive as a Garmin Nuvi. Again, this is not a dealbreaker for a device at this price point.
Aside from serving as a GPS navigator, this unit is small and lightweight enough to be used on walking tours.
Construction:
The power button is located in the top center that slides to the left. The screen is 4.3 inches, bright and the touch screen is responsive. The housing is hard plastic which is durable feeling but it doesn't appear to be impact resistant. If dropped, this will likely break very easily.
Overall:
This device is a great value at its price point for lifetime maps, traffic updates and features.
Get your Magellan RoadMate 2045T LM Portable Navigator Now!
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Replace after in old Magellan the screen was not responding well. Updates are free and traffic as well (Atlanta). It is lighter and slimmer than old unit. Mounting is better too. The suction cup falls off sometimes (my wife's car too) but all of them do so I plan to use some glicerine or vaseline. Greast GPS and sensitive enough to work in downtown and mountains in the rains and storms.
Love this product, works great and with all the new highway and street changes the lifetime map updater is right on target.
This GPS is probably the 9th or 10th gps I have owned including several Magellans,1 Garmin and 2 MIO's. When I first used this unit I thought it was more difficult than previous Magellans, however, once I got used to it I realized it is not that difficult and has more features than the older models. I would say that when Magellan started using the SurfStar chips the map accuracy was amazing. I find that it is probably the most accurate GPS I have owned. The MIO's were so inaccurate the were useless. If Magellan keeps up the free map updates this is a real buy.
After purchase I took a 3,500 mile road trip around eastern U.S. I found this product very easy to use and would recommend it to anyone who needs to navigate their way.
I bought this for my boyfriend as he recently moved to the area and it has been really helpful. The lifetime map and traffic is an added bonus!
I have had two Garmin Nuvi 600 and Nuvi 660. The original Nuvi cost $500. The 660 a couple of years later cost me half as much. This Navigator comes in at a fraction of those models, and it has a more robust menu system, better screen brightness/resolution and features that make my Nuvi's antiquated. The integrated GPS in my Acura MDX is not even as user friendly as this model.
What comes in the box:
Navigation device
USB Cable
DC Charger
Cradle
Pros
Intuitive design
Fast startup
Easy to follow map and turn guidance prompts
Extensive menus
Expansive Points of Interests (POIs)
Lifetime map updates
Lifetime traffic alerts
Cons
Only one voice
No other selectable icons
Carrying case is not included
Setup:
For me, I have a Mac OS system which is not supported. I resorted to charging the unit and turning it on. The cradle is cumbersome. The power cable must be placed in the slot of the cradle and then the GPS must be guided along a track to snap into place. This is a two handed operation, unlike my Nuvi which can be released rather easily with one hand.
Use
First time the unit powers up, the satellite localization takes no longer than its competition (except for when it is compared to an integrated GPS in a vehicle). Subsequent startups are rather faster than a Garmin.
Finding points of interest (POIs) is rather easy, as well as entering destinations by address. The estimated time of arrival is at the bottom left of the screen, the toolbox for settings is in the bottom center of the screen, and the menu is accessible in the bottom right hand corner. Orientation of maps are heading up and north up, as well as 2 dimensional and 3 dimensional screens. One negative is the inability to change the icon from anything other than a triangle. The voice cannot be changed, either. Aside from those minimal quirks, this system is great.
Searching POIs by categories closest to your location is intuitive and really makes a great tool in those times necessitating spontaneity. Even searching for POIs by name worked with some obscure businesses in my smaller city. I was truly impressed with how quickly this works and I have found it to work for me when indoors (unlike my Nuvi).
On the screen, you can display certain icons to represent categories of POIs (such as Emergency, Shopping, Gas). As you drive, icons appear for shopping centers. If you click upon the icon, you can see what stores are in the certain shopping centers, including the telephone numbers. One of the most impressive features of this system is the AAA Tourbook which gives ratings and descriptions of POIs.
The free lifetime traffic alerts is a valuable feature. It gives guidance to avoid traffic when traveling. This won't work for those on a daily commute but it will help when traveling through areas that a user is unfamiliar. My area is not covered but my travels to areas that are covered will help when average speeds go down. Note that traffic is only available with the OEM DC power cable. If you don't use it, it won't work.
Turn by turn guidance is clear and a door chime notifies you exactly when to turn. At the top of the screen, the next turn is shown with the distance is displayed. Redirects are relatively quick but not as responsive as a Garmin Nuvi. Again, this is not a dealbreaker for a device at this price point.
Aside from serving as a GPS navigator, this unit is small and lightweight enough to be used on walking tours.
Construction:
The power button is located in the top center that slides to the left. The screen is 4.3 inches, bright and the touch screen is responsive. The housing is hard plastic which is durable feeling but it doesn't appear to be impact resistant. If dropped, this will likely break very easily.
Overall:
This device is a great value at its price point for lifetime maps, traffic updates and features.
The display is bright and sharp. The maps are accurate, and the traffic updates are very helpful. This unit is a great value.
I've been through 3 other models, one of which I had to ship back due to it not working properly. I like this model the best. Works great, Good price, and I like the way it shows the lane you are in when you are driving. Its comes in handy, esp. for my mobile notary business! I ended up ordering another for my cousin who just moved here to get around, she loves it as well.