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The Magellan RoadMate GPS system : What a great tool !

The Magellan RoadMate is a wonderful tool ... and a great friend when travelling on the road. I am a sales and marketing manager and I do need to cover a fairly large territory while behind the wheel. Do I have problems finding my way ? All the time.

I used to check maps, stop at gas station ... even ask policemen. This was very inefficient, costly and frustrating. I needed a tool that would allow me to focus on sales not on road maps!

I found the Roadmate and boy was I ever glad I did ! No more fooling around. No waste of time. How do you spell efficiency ? Ok I am getting a bit carried away here. Seriously, the Magellan Roadmate has great features and benefits. Let me summarize the ones I like the most :

  • No complicated set-up and no downloading information. Just right for a technical newbie
  • Quick and automatic detection of the car's position
  • Ability to store a destination in memory, for future use
  • Yard by yard voice instructions allowing you to keep your attention on the road
  • Handy "Repeat" button to play back instructions you have missed
  • Ability to find alternate directions in case you get into traffic jams, road blocks, etc.
  • Easy-to-read screen, with views designed for use in both light and dark conditions
  • Neat 3-D visual representation of your location

For the more "detailed oriented" person here are the full product characteristics of the Magellan Roadmate model I use, courtesy of
JC Whitney :


Roadmate 8000 Vehicle GPS Navigation

Magellan Roadmate 8000 Vehicle GPS Navigation

MAGELLAN ROADMATE™ 800 PORTABLE GPS NAVIGATION SYSTEM Easy turn-by-turn GPS guidance PLUS a built-in MP3 player and photo viewer makes the 800 a powerful navigation and multimedia system! SayWhere™ text-to-speech technology that tells you the upcoming street name as well as distance to the turn! TrueView® 3D visually indicates your next move so you can confirm direction at a glance—PLUS bird's eye view offering the detail of a driving simulator SmartDetour™ feature automatically reroutes in the case of construction and traffic jams Preloaded maps of the U.S., Canada, U.S. Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico feature 7 million points of interest (POIs) Accepts up to 1 million custom points of interest from your PC Getting around town or taking a long trip has never been easier or more fun! The 800 has a 3.5" color monitor and features simple touch-screen menus, QuickSpell™ (enables fast entry of addresses and cities) and state-of-the-art features such as SayWhere, SmartDetour, TrueView 3D visual direction and MP3/WMA/Photo Viewer. The integrated rechargeable battery allows you to listen to your favorite MP3s and view your photos away from home even when you don't have access to power. Enter multiple points of destination including city centers, street addresses, intersections and Multi-destination Route Optimization will calculate the quickest way (save up to 200 destinations in your address book). Touch one of the overlaid points-of-interest icons on the screen and the 800 takes you there! In the event you miss a turn, your route will automatically be recalculated. A home button allows instant navigation to a saved address while the Instant Locate button shows your present location to direct emergency or roadside services. Features: MP3/WMA storage and playback; digital photo storage and viewer; digital media card slot (or Smart Digital Card or MultiMediaCard); seven million points of interest (restaurants, hotels, tourist attractions, ATMs) within North America; pre-loaded with maps of 27 European countries that may be unlocked for a fee; built-in antenna; jack for optional external antenna; built-in rechargeable Lithium-ion battery; selectable route options; automatic route recalculation; map zoom; 4 different guidance screens (map with traditional 2D and 3D bird's eye, TrueView3D and maneuver list); built-in speaker and headphone jack; automatic night display mode; automatic volume boost over 45 mph; capable of receiving address information wirelessly from PDA; will accept custom points of interest from PC; 20GB hard drive for map storage (4/5GB dedicated to music, photos, custom POI storage). Includes suction cup windshield mounting bracket (easily transfer 360 between vehicles), USB cable and home and vehicle adapters. 6-5/16"W x 3-3/16"H x 1-9/16"D. Manufacturer's 6-month warranty.




The Magellan Roadmate system is a great tool. I strongly recommend it for people that spend a significant amount of time on the road. With the esclating gas prices, this GPS system is a sound investment.

The Magellan Roadmate is available at JC Whitney.
Click here for more information



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