Review on Magellan RoadMate 1470

Design:

Magellan has released its new RoadMate 1470 which is a GPS navigator and is used mainly in cars. This 1470 doesn’t depart from any of the handy navigation device. This device is a pocket-able one because of its thinness. The height of this device is 5.2inch with 7inch wide and the depth of the gadget is 3.3inches. RoadMate has a color touch-screen with a screen display of 4.7in. The bezel of this device has a matte finish which doesn’t allow any glaring of the screen. The backlight of this device is vivid which makes the device useable during bright sunlight too.

There is a power button at the top of the RoadMate 1470. Neutral position is attained when the slider is returned; the device gets actuated and thus controls the gadget off / on. If you wanna shut down or cancel right away then 5secs countdown option will be given after powering off the device. If any of these options are not selected, then the RoadMate 1470 completely shuts down. Similarly, the same countdown option for 30secs is shown when the device is disconnected from its charger. There is a slot for microSD card and port for mini-USB used for connecting this unit to a computer and for charging, at the bottom of this unit.

There is a speaker and a connection to the windshield suction cup mounting at the rear end of the unit. To power this device in the car, this unit has been shipped with a 12 volt charger / Mini-USB and also there is a cradle like tongue-in groove connection suction cup to get attached with the windshield. There is a disk which is adhesive for the dashboard mounting, user’s guide and a Mini-USB computer connecting cable with this package. The cradle of the windshield mounting falls short to cooperate with the vehicle charger.

First the device has to be mounted on the cradle and then the Mini-USB or the power stripe has to be connected at 90-degrees. This might feel like a very minor issue but this is really frustrating and fussy. The suction cup is not that much strong and is prone to fall off from the glass very often. Only thing that should be known here is the knack of fixing the unit on the windshield and this comes only with the experience. The home screen of the RoadMate consists of main menu’s like View map, Go To and local options and also there is a strip at the bottom consisting the settings menu and an icon for cancel route.

The Go To main menu takes you to the selection destination menu where the address can be entered, address book can be browsed or POI search can be done. Searching or entering an address is quick with POI and the touch-screen which is responsive and also with the system of QuickSpell, words which are typed can be predicted and the invalid numbers and letters are blanked out to avoid mistyping. The screen of keypad which has alphabetical layout takes slow input when compared to the QWERTY layout.

After the destination is selected, if the huge GO toggle is hit after confirmation of the destination then the route starts and even different potential routes can be got. Some of the options which are available are shortest distance, fastest time, and least use of freeways and mostly used freeways. For each of these routes, the estimated time can be set and all other 4 routes can be compared with this one. These granular options of routing are concealed in the cavernous of menu arrangement. The View map switch is the second one in the main menu.

There is a icon for volume to the right of the View map screen which opens up the volume slider. Beneath the screen are the soft buttons amongst those one can be customized to show off the current time, current speed, remaining time on route, elevation, traveling direction and arrival estimated time. There are keys for zooming out and in and also a button for menu. Exploration mode is got only when the tapping on the view map is done twice anywhere. Changes can be done between 2D and 3D views, slide and touch to maneuver around the map and zoom in and out.

In the View Map mode, if tapping is done on any location then the pin-code drops out with the display of address at the top of the screen. If a point next to the address is chosen then the device will consider that position as destination and takes you to the confirmation destination screen. Local option is the third and last option on the home screen. The sub-menu displays the current position of the device with a street address with complete information on the nearest cross streets and GPS coordinates. Browsing can also be done with the database of attractions, events, gas stations, restaurants, destinations and contact information near to the current position.

Features:

Some of the features of this RoadMate 1470 are similar to the PNDs which are available at the same price. The turn by turn text to speech directions has enabled the entity to read the street names aloud. English, French and Spanish languages are supported with only one voice for each language. The complex freeways interchanging navigation are guided by the graphic lane which is displayed with a representation of the highway and intersection signs and thus indicating which routes are valid at that particular moment.

1470 includes a AAA database from an approved auto repair shops, TourBook destinations, AAA branch offices and POIs which offer discounts to AAA members. Roadside assistance can be got if only you are an AAA member. One feature is unique and most useful one in the RoadMate series i.e., OneTouch Menu. This is a shortcut customizable menu where 6 quick links can be stored to access the common locations and searches. Permanent links to Home, Local Info, previous destinations, emergency services and GPS are also featured in OneTouch. This icon can be reached at the right upper corner. On a simple tap, the OneTouch menu drops down. Traffic monitoring is not in the box but FM receiver can be upgraded with an add-on.

Performance:

30secs is taken to toggle the display of the home screen. 34secs extra is taken in waiting to select the View Map and for confirmation of the position which is quite impressing. In 5secs the GO key is presented with an ETA of 12mins. 4 color coded routes are displayed when the preview map badge which is at the right bottom corner is pressed. Calculating the time taken by all routes is done fabulously. This complete search is done in a span of 2mins which is the efficiency of the RoadMate.

Outline:

The RoadMate 1470 can be appreciated for providing the added real estate interface on the large 4.7in screen. Granular controls over the routes in the maps are really a good deal by the RoadMate 1470. The huge icons interface features are provided for the most commonly used functions in this unit. The OneTouch menu provision makes the interface easy to maneuver. This RoadMate 1470 is cheaper than Tom Tom kit and many others and saves about $20-$40 on the MSRP. For such a less money, large screen and hub functionality can be obtained. This Magellan device is a pretty good deal only if the wonky car mounting can be handled!!