Customer Reviews

Magellan RoadMate 1420 4.3-Inch Portable GPS Navigator

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(10)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

Let me first say that I picked this up as a Deal of the Day for $79 and overall, I'm pleased. For what I paid, I think I received a comparable product. Once received I downloaded the content manager from Magellan, installed in on my PC and once it fired up, it told me I had a new software version and maps to install all for free! Very nice.

This thing is super thin, fast to pick-up satellites, and comes with everything you need right out of the box. The battery can last 2 hours on a full charge (which takes 4 to 6 hours). The large screen is very, very nice and the colors are vibrant. It's also very easy to read the street names as you drive by them. I was pleasantly surprised to see the names of lakes and parks on this unit as I drove by them.

Now for the not so good. The voice prompts can get kind of "warbled" at times. Hard to describe, but my family made fun of the voice on several occasions on a trip of about 140 miles recently. The maps while, vibrant, don't look very professional. The streets for turns have jagged lines, a circular turn is by no means circular according the the Magellan maps...more like a diagonal, then another diagonal etc. It looks odd, and not a huge deal, but it could be cleaner. No speed limits on interstates or freeways or highways. I didn't know this going in, even the Magellan product for my iPhone has speed limits and that only cost $49. So I assumed this would as well and once you have it, you really miss it. Also, this unit never picked up the correct time zone for me out of the box. I waited and waited and it never moved, so I had to manually go in and set the correct one. The manual says it gets it from the satellites, but it didn't get the right one :)

Perhaps the biggest let down on this unit is how far behind it lags in real time. I can be 2 even 3 seconds past a street and the unit will show me just crossing it. I understand it can't be exact real time, but 3 seconds seems to be a little much. I've made turns and it reports, take next right...that is annoying. I can be stopped at an intersection and this thing shows me fairly far back from it...even when I'm the the first one at the light. Are all GPS units like this, or does this seem to be just a Magellan thing?

All in all, for $79 I probably won't return it. It will get us where we want to go and while I'm no perfectionist, it could be a little more accurate. Only 3 stars since their iPhone version is actually better than this one and costs nearly $60 less than the retail listed here.

A GPS unit is something that I have contemplated purchasing for a while. The only reason that I have held off is because I know where I am going (most of the time). Now, my husband would tell you that I am going insane, which is highly likely, but when Amazon had this unit on sale for $70, I jumped at the chance to own it.

Thus far, I am very satisfied with the device. I want to be clear: I have no experience with other GPS models, so my review is based solely upon this product.

Durability and Design

The Magellan RoadMate is a lightweight GPS device that is easy to install in your vehicle. The product comes with a mounting brace, a spare suction cup, a cigarette charger, and of course, the device itself. All are designed of a sturdy plastic, and feel durable.

In terms of the installation, the suction device also has a pressure lock to ensure that the holder does not fall off of your windshield. If you are not able to mount the device on your windshield (there are some states which have ordinances which prohibit objects being mounted on your windshield), the unit also gives the option of mounting to your dash. Unfortunately, my vehicle has a textured dash, so I was unable to place the holder anywhere except my windshield. However, the device is small enough that the mounting location I selected (to the left of my rearview mirror) does not result in a large blind spot.

Overall, the product is sturdy and well-made. I do not trust that dropping the GPS unit itself would be a good idea, but if it were to spontaneously throw itself off of my windshield, I do feel that it would survive the fall to my seat/dash/floorboard.

Function

The beautiful part of this GPS unit has to be the functionality. Obviously, the unit has maps. They are colorful and easy to follow. The top of the screen lists the name of the street/road that you are currently travelling; the bottom shows the direction (alternately, the time, distance, or your velocity), the ability to zoom in or out, and the menu button.

The menu button is where the power of this device comes in. In addition to being able to provide directions from point A to point B (eat your heart out, Google maps!), the device is pre-loaded with local restaurants, stores, and variety of parks/tourist attractions. You can even input your AAA membership to call for assistance! And, to top it all off, operation of the Magellan RoadMate is easy and intuitive. The touchscreen is responsive, bright, and easy to navigate (see the pun that I made? Navigate a GPS unit? I kill myself!). During the day, the maps are green with clearly labelled roads in brown/black/red. At night, the screen goes black and the roads dim a bit. I find this part especially useful; the unit will not blind either the driver or anyone behind me!

Programming frequently-visited locations is also very simple. You start out by typing the name of the city, and then the street, and finally the street address. The great part about this is it is virtually impossible to enter erroneous information. The GPS database locks out letters that cannot be used. For instance, we live in Painesville, Ohio. When entering the address for our local Taco Bell, I type out P-A-, and the keyboard locks out letters that are not possible, such as Z or Q (there are no cities in northeast Ohio spelled PAZ- or PAQ). Going further, once the city has been inputted, you cannot enter street names that do not exist within the named city. This may not seem like a "huge" thing, but for someone who is new to a location, this would undoubtedly prevent the user from obtaining incorrect address information. For this, I give the Magellan RoadMate high marks.

Finally, the Magellan RoadMate focuses on user safety. Whenever the unit starts up, a warning appears reminding the user to not use the unit while operating a motor vehicle. The device will not, however, lock the screen when the vehicle is moving (the device can detect velocity; it will display your corresponding rate of movement if requested). While I do not necessarily think that the unit should lock out when moving (the unit could be used by a passenger and not necessarily the driver), it is relatively easy to be distracted by the screen.

While I may sound like a broken record, I cannot stress the importance of paying attention to the road when driving a vehicle and using the GPS unit. If you are using the Magellan RoadMate to find a business, program the device BEFORE you pull out of your driveway/parking spot. If you need to access one of the menus on your GPS device, please do so when your vehicle is not moving; if necessary, pull off of the road. Finally, adjust the volume on the unit to ensure that the recorded voice is not overly distracting. Straight from the box, the voice for the unit is a bit loud and grating; I had to turn it down a bit to prevent it from giving me a headache. I do not recommend turning the voice off completely, though. This recorded voice will give turn-by-turn instructions to coincide with your requested directions, decreasing your need to look at the GPS unit. This, of course, helps a driver to focus on traffic and operate their vehicle safely.

Final Word

To be perfectly forthcoming, I highly recommend this GPS unit. It is easy to use, durable, and is chock-full of features. The ease of use and the AAA Roadside Assistance (and reviews of tourist destinations) really sealed the deal for me. If you want a device that does more than get you from point A to point B and ready to go out of the box, this is for you.

As a final bit of advice, make sure that you are familiar with your local laws regarding the mounting of a GPS device. I mentioned this earlier in my review, but some states/cities prohibit vehicle operators from mounting devices (GPS units/radar detectors) to their windshields. While this unit can be mounted on your dash, I find it a bit easier to read from the windshield.

This is the second Magellan RoadMate 1420 4.3 in GPS Navigator I have purchased, my wife and I both have one. The 1420 GPS is very light and only 1/2 inch thick. It has an easy to use and read touch screen. I bought a bean bag mount and can easily remove from car to prevent thieft.

I received the Magellan 2 days ago, so I'm still figuring it out and making my mind up. I have had a TomTom for 3 years and loved it for the most part (how I got around before one completely dumbfounds me!). Unfortunately, TomTom began gradually failing (taking 10+ minutes to register) and sending me on some bizarre routes. My state has recently initiated a poorly-written law against texting while driving - so that if I referenced my cell phone for a 2nd opinion - it'd be potentially 'ticketable'. It was time to retire TomTom.

The manual for the Magellan is not very helpful. I have not taken the time to see what online resources are out there, but I have figured some things out. I will compare versus the TomTom - some things that I miss (or haven't been able to determine the Magellan offers as of yet since it wasn't covered in the manual)

Trip time - my TomTom always showed the ETA. I have only been able to see the ETA when I am selecting a location. (As traffic varies, I like being able to get an update on that.)

Voices - TomTom gave choices of different voices. You're stuck with this lady. She's nice, but it would be great to have an alternative.

Every time I power the GPS on, I have to click ok that I acknowledge the warnings. (Sort of like agreeing not to blow dry your hair in the shower...) It's a pain. TomTom would have me acknowledge it once every few months.

The larger screen seems like a good idea, but when I placed it in the same location as my TomTom, I felt it obstructed my view a smidge. I guess the larger screen would be helpful for someone with vision problems...

It registered immediately and when I made an 'executive decision' to not follow the route exactly, it updated quickly. The visuals were easy to follow.

It is thin and lightweight but doesn't particularly feel 'cheap' to me as other reviewers mentioned.

Another reviewer mentioned updating - this one does not have the cord to attach to your computer (I have others that will work) - my version is more than a year old because it references WAMU as local banks when they were converted to Chase banks more than a year ago. If I cannot find updates, it makes me concerned about reliability if I have to pay for updates (which I read somewhere in the manual).

However, I am most likely going to return this one if I am unable to have a view that includes the ETA while driving and bypass the warning each time I start it.
***Update***
I did some reading on the Magellan website and decided that I'm returning it. I'm going back to TomTom.

I have never used a GPS unit before and this unit was easy to use and understand for a beginner.

This is my second GPS and it is great! It catches satellites before I've even left my driveway and gives a little beep just before you have to turn.

This is my first GPS and we used it on a recent trip. It's got a lot of nice features and is very easy to use.

I bought this item on the recommendation of "Instapundit," as I needed a replacement for an IWay that had lost its data card info. It was inexpensive enough, but certainly not worth more than the 79$ I paid for it.

As with many electronics devices, the manual for the Roadmate is terrible. I've always thought that a product deserves an outstanding manual, if it is to be considered worthy. The Roadmate manual sucks pond water.

The Roadmate is not a hardy-feeling product. Some may consider that a positive, but I like my devices to have some heft, generally indicating solid quality.

The Roadmate adjusts routes pretty quickly and seems to give accurate alternative directions after making adjustments. That is admirable in such an inexpensive device.

The map on my Roadmate is mediocre. Not a lot of detail, and seems to display pretty low resolution. Although a good amount of travel info (ground speed; eta; distance to destination; etc.) is available, it cannot be shown all at once on a single screen. You must tap the screen to have it cycle through your chosen info items. I don't care to have my hands off the steering wheel that often...........

All in all, an economical, useful vehicle GPS, but if you can afford to spend extra bucks for a few more bells and whistles, I'd probably recommend that route.

I had recently purchased the Magellan 3030LM and had been pretty happy with it (less the one bug I found which happened once and did not repeat so far). I purchased this unit when Amazon had it on sale to replace an older GPS. I used it for 2 trips and found issues. I am returning it to Amazon. The basic navigation works fine and the screens that works are generally responsive. But I found a few issues with the unit.

1) The text input screen is not very responsive. Even though the audio feedback indicated that I have inputted the correct text, the unit did not register as such as it drops some characters.

2) The back button on the top of the text input screen is very hard to press. Even when pressed, it does not always register. Probably related to the problem above. This made it very hard to input text and correct unintended problems created by the unresponsive keyboard.

3) It was just a little annoying that the auto-time zone feature did not work, even when I have the GPS locked. It kept putting me in Pacific time zone when I am in Eastern time zone. I had to manually choose a time zone to override it.

4) The day-light saving time did not work.

Much better than the old "hugh" GPS - this one is small (even protable or hand-held). And, the screen is very readable.