Don't bother buying unless its at a garage sale.
Written: Sep 14 '06
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Prices are dropping.
Screen size is nice.
Cons: Software blows
mounting arm wobbles
lacks value
The Bottom Line: Buy a preloaded unit with built in antenna and solid mounting system.
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| louisianadude's Full Review: Magellan RoadMate 300 Car GPS Receiver |
I bought the Magellan Roadmate 300 at Radio Shack in November 05 for $499. I took a roadtrip with it to Austin where I immediately spotted it on sale $399. Damn, I just wasted $100 I thought. I was very impressed at first with the features. Then I realized I not only had purchased the wrong unit for my needs, but I overpaid the darn thing.
The maps for the unit must be loaded via USB cable for the specific area you ae traveling. Im not sure what the built in memory is but it wasnt enough to hold the state of Texas, and I planned on driving across 3 states. Not impressive.
The Screen on the Roadmate is not as easy to read as the Garmin units I've seen. The software is not as friendly, and the location for the power plug will really annoy you. Its on the left side of the unit and often times in most vehicles created an awkward tension between the unit and the cigarette lighter. This would keep the unit off center. Later models moved the power supply hole to the bottom.
To upgrade to a preloaded memory card, you have to special order them from Magellan at a cost of nearly $60.
Also, the suction cup mounting arm, is worthless. Driving down the road the unit wobbles on the arm and makes it impossible to read anything on screen.
It only makes sense to spend more and get a preloaded unit like the Garmin or TomTom. And they both have stronger mounting brackets to make viewing the screen easier. And the software is much easier.
Recommended:
No
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Epinions.com ID:
louisianadude
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Member: Darren
Location: West Monroe, LA, US
Reviews written: 5
Trusted by: 0 members
About Me:
SWM, 33, B.A. in PR, Work in Tourism
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