Be the star of your Geek Squad
Written: Jan 31 '01 (Updated Jan 31 '01)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Relatively cheap, easy to use, good sized
Cons: No Maps, DataCD and cords extra
The Bottom Line: Its a good cheap GPS without any other higher-end features such as maps.
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| Roark_8's Full Review: Magellan GPS 315 |
GPS's are fun geek toys. Most likely, they aren't going to ever save your life. They do, however, come in handy more often then one might think, especially if you travel often like me. If you haven't read or heard anything about them, a GPS (Global Positioning System) will tell you exactly where you are on the planet by computing its position in relation to satellites. I say exactly and I mean exactly. The US Government just recently (May 2000) gave the public a clear signal. This means most of the time you can get your position within 3 feet (3 feet!!). A GPS is quite helpful hiking, for example. It allows you to mark where you parked you car so you can find your way out of the forest. It's helpful in fishing as you can mark the spot in which you found the walleye hole. It helpful in traveling because you can always know where your hotel is. Plus all of your friends will want to play with it at least once. There is also a new subculture forming, go to http://www.geocaching.com to join the fun. Okay, now to the Magellan.
I bought the Magellan 315 for a couple of reasons: it was cheap but it had the ability to send and receive power/data through a port in the back. Overall, I have been happy with it. First, its easy to use. The screens are easy to navigate through and well laid out. Second, it has most of what I want. It has a screen that will give all the necessary data when traveling (ETA, elevation, velocity, etc), but it also has screens that will help for hiking (your path is tracked on a 2D map). Third, its conveniently sized; it fits well into your front pocket. Lastly, its relatively cheap. I got mine for alittle over $100, not bad as far as GPS's go.
There were a couple of complaints that I had about it. First, it doesn't contain maps, meaning it will tell you were large and medium sized cities are, but it doesn't contain streets and Interstates on its plots. This would be infinitely more helpful when I use it in the car. I thought you could upload maps onto the Magellan later, but I was sadly mistaken. Most of the Garmin GPS's have this feature I believe. It costs a bit more, but trust me, you will be glad that you paid for this feature. Second, the power/data cord and DataCD are extra. They aren't cheap either. I think I bought the cord for $39.99 and the CD for $49.99. The external power cord is really nice to have, especially when using it on long trips in the car. I cannot really give a review of the DataCD as I have yet to get the connection from my computer to the GPS to work. But supposedly, the DataCd will upload important locations (ATM's, Hotels, Golf Courses, Parks, Rest Rooms) to your Magellan. So basically, once you pay for the extras, you are in the same price range as the Garmins which already have the maps loaded in!
I would recommend getting a GPS. They are fun and useful to have. As for a Magellan 315, I would recommend it if you are going to use it for hiking and other outdoors use. I would also recommend it if you want a cheaply priced GPS. However if you want more out of it, look into the Garmin or a higher priced Magellan.
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
Roark_8
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Location: Twin Cities, MN
Reviews written: 22
Trusted by: 43 members
About Me:
I pity da fool who don't write good reviews.
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