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Product Specifications
Display Size4.7 inches
Warranty1 yr
Battery Life3 hours
Technical Details
- Wide 4.7-inch color touchscreen and ultra-thin design for powerful navigation in a compact package
- Includes maps of United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico with 6 million points of interest
- Features multi-destination routing, highway lane assist, spoken street names, AAA TourBook, and Roadside Assistance menu
- Personalized search icons let you easily bookmark favorite destinations so you can find them anywhere you travel
- One-year limited warranty
Product Details
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Product Description
Amazon.com Product Description
The Magellan RoadMate 1470 GPS device boasts a unique 4.7-inch color touchscreen and ultra-thin design, delivering powerful navigation in a compact package. This easy-to-use device gives you confidence while on the road with premium features, including AAA TourBook, highway lane assist, spoken street names, multi-destination routing, and pre-loaded maps of North America.
 Powerful navigation in a compact package. Click to enlarge. |
The exclusive Magellan OneTouch personalized search icons let you easily bookmark favorite destinations so you can find them anywhere you travel. Find your favorite café or restaurant in any city with a single touch. The RoadMate 1470 device delivers your favorites at your fingertips. Features include:
- Ability to personalize OneTouch search icons with your favorite places
- Announces street names and directions at each turn
- Ultra-wide 4.7-inch touchscreen display
- AAA TourBook and Roadside Assistance menu
- Permits multi-destination routing
- Maps of United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico
4.7-Inch Color Touchscreen
The large wide-format color touchscreen shows your position on the map, route, destination, ETA, surrounding Points of Interest (POI), signal strength, next maneuver, street names, and more--all at a glance.
6 million Points of Interest
Easily find what you need. Gas stations, restaurants, hotels, ATMs, and hundreds of other businesses and services are intuitively categorized and searchable from the built-in POI database. Most include the phone number.
Expanded Maps
Travel the entire United States, Puerto Rico, and Canada with all the maps you need, pre-loaded on the device.
 Brilliant 4.7-inch touchscreen. Click to enlarge. |
 Announces street names and directions at each turn. Click to enlarge. |
 Easily find what you need from the built-in POI database. Click to enlarge. |
 Add Traffic Link for live traffic info. Click to enlarge. |
Text-to-Speech
Hear street names with every voice direction and have a clear understanding of when to make the next turn while you keep your eyes on the road.
Intuitive User Interface
Bold, intuitive menu options make it easy to pick destinations and choose how you navigate, without even reading the instructions.
Ultra-Thin Design
Uniquely stylish and compact, it's easy to transfer your Magellan GPS between vehicles, or toss it in a suitcase to take anywhere.
QuickSpell with MultiCity Search
Enter destinations with a few keystrokes. QuickSpell searches locations and checks spelling to provide you with a simple list of available destinations.
Auto NightView
Color and contrast adjusts automatically for easy viewing at night.
Multi-Destination Routing
Select several destinations and choose the order to plan a trip in advance and repeat the same trip again. Easily reorganize, add, or remove destinations.
Add Traffic Link for Live Traffic Info
Stop sitting in traffic waiting for traffic updates on your favorite radio station. Traffic Link will alert you on current traffic conditions for the area in which you are travelling. Simply plug in the Traffic Link device to your compatible Magellan GPS device, and you'll receive free information on the type of incident (e.g., accident or slow traffic), status of surrounding freeways/interstates, and approximate time until you come upon the issue. With the touch of a button, Traffic Link will provide you with an alternate route so that you can avoid delays, saving time and money.
With the Traffic Link service, you'll also receive special offers from premium vendors. Simply touch the information on the screen to obtain details on how to take advantage of the various deals being provided. Stop sitting in traffic. Get Traffic Link, turn it on, and go! Features include:
- Free automatic traffic updates for life!
- Intuitive user interface clearly displays traffic events
- Reroutes you around reported traffic jams
- Valuable promotional offers from premium vendors
What's in the Box
Magellan RoadMate 1470 GPS receiver; pre-loaded maps of United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico; windshield mount; adhesive disc for dash mounting; vehicle power adapter; USB cable; user handbook; user manual on CD-ROM
Available Warranties for This Item
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
409 of 417 people found the following review helpful
Amazon Vine™ Review
(What's this?)
I've been a Magellan user for several years - have owned four of their GPS systems, and always appreciate how they have improved their products. This unit is my 5th, and replaces a Magellan 4040. After using it for a while I've confident in saying this is the best one yet!
The most visible change is the actual size of the unit. The screen size has been increased, but the unit is thinner and lighter. Very sleek appearance, and the screen is a real joy -- sharp, clear graphics even in the sun, and bigger on-screen buttons for easy use. The mounting system has also been streamlined, and looks and works well. It mounts very easily on a NavMat holder (basically a bean-bag system that I got on Amazon. I'm a huge Navmat fan - makes it a snap to hide the GPS with narry a trace. Best accessory by far for any GPS).
The power connector was not well thought out, however. You have to connect it to the GPS unit AFTER you mount it in the holder. They should have moved the connector it a wee bit to the side to avoid that.
The only button is a slide-type power button on the top. Boot-up time is OK -- not speedy, but not a huge delay either. It does not have a "sleep" mode, so you have to do a cold boot every time. Not a problem in real world use - by the time you get situated in your car, the unit is ready to go.
Voice is clear and easy to understand. Not as natural sounding as a TomTom, but understandable.
Pretty much any recent GPS unit will get you where you want to go. I've found the routing on the Magellans to be very similar to Garmins - could be because they both use the same mapping set (Navteq). The Magellan shines, however, in features that I find helpful. The direction of the next turn is always visible regardless of how far away the next turn will be. Up until recently, Garmin did not offer this (they do now on some of their units). Sounds like a small issue, but I find it very helpful. The Magellan also allows you to very easily exclude a route (or portion). That's a fairly standard feature nowadays, but Magellan allows you to do it in a snap.
In terms of routing, Magellan offers four options (fastest, shortest, most use of freeways and least use). You can see all four options on the map (as a summary) at the same time so you can pick the best one for your needs. Perfect!!
Love the AAA Guidebook, which is a unique Magellan feature. Lets you get details about restaurants and other points of interest just like the paper version from AAA. I used it a lot in my 4040, especially when traveling out of town.
Other unique Magellan features I appreciate is the "ding dong" sound right before a turn (incredibly accurate!) and the fact that the software reminds you to "stay on the current road" when you encounter major exits. Some find that to be nagging, but it has saved me from inadvertently exiting on more than one occasion.
A new feature for Magellan is the lane guidance. Very nicely done. I've used this feature on Navigon units, and found it rather unhelpful. Magellan's implementation is far more useful, with better, clearer graphics. However, lane guidance is not available for every road.
The software is also nicely done - very logical to use. If you're a past Magellan user you can pick this up and use it in a second. If not, there's a short printed user's guide in the box (plus a CD-ROM with more in-depth info) that gets you up to speed quickly. The box also includes the mount, power connector for the car, and a USB cable. It does not include an AC adapter.
OK, now for the bad news. When it comes to customer service, Magellan has been horrid. We're talking so bad it's almost funny. I'm hoping this situation will change - the company was bought by Mitac late last year, and perhaps this will signal a change for the better in terms of customer support. Lord knows, they couldn't get any worse.
The leader, in my opinion, for customer support is Garmin. They are nice to deal with on the phone, answer emails promptly, and offer regular firmware updates. Whenever I buy a GPS as a gift I always buy Garmin since I don't want to saddle the recipient with the miserable service that Magellan offers. It's a shame, since Magellan offers some real benefits over Garmin, and more value for the money. Tom Tom is also decent when it comes to support, but they use TeleAtlas maps which are less complete than NavTeq (sp?).
Bottom line -- if you're looking for a straightforward GPS at a good price, this should be on your short list. It lacks features such as Bluetooth and an MP3 player, but for me, I want a GPS to offer guidance and not entertainment. This has a very robust feature set, great screen, and well-designed software. It also has traffic capabilities -- did not test that feature out, so I can't comment on it.
The "safe" bet continues to be Garmin. You'll pay a bit more, and get less features, but you can be assured of solid support. Whether Magellan's new owners will put them back on the right track (if you'll excuse the horrid, but unavoidable pun) in terms of customer service is not yet clear. I hope so -- they make a great product!
UPDATE: 5/21/09 There's a firmware update on the Magellan site. No new functionality (in terms of new features) but, according to the release notes it improves overall performance. Easy to install - just follow the included step-by-step instructions. It seems like it makes the unit a bit faster, but that could just be my imagination.
The most visible change is the actual size of the unit. The screen size has been increased, but the unit is thinner and lighter. Very sleek appearance, and the screen is a real joy -- sharp, clear graphics even in the sun, and bigger on-screen buttons for easy use. The mounting system has also been streamlined, and looks and works well. It mounts very easily on a NavMat holder (basically a bean-bag system that I got on Amazon. I'm a huge Navmat fan - makes it a snap to hide the GPS with narry a trace. Best accessory by far for any GPS).
The power connector was not well thought out, however. You have to connect it to the GPS unit AFTER you mount it in the holder. They should have moved the connector it a wee bit to the side to avoid that.
The only button is a slide-type power button on the top. Boot-up time is OK -- not speedy, but not a huge delay either. It does not have a "sleep" mode, so you have to do a cold boot every time. Not a problem in real world use - by the time you get situated in your car, the unit is ready to go.
Voice is clear and easy to understand. Not as natural sounding as a TomTom, but understandable.
Pretty much any recent GPS unit will get you where you want to go. I've found the routing on the Magellans to be very similar to Garmins - could be because they both use the same mapping set (Navteq). The Magellan shines, however, in features that I find helpful. The direction of the next turn is always visible regardless of how far away the next turn will be. Up until recently, Garmin did not offer this (they do now on some of their units). Sounds like a small issue, but I find it very helpful. The Magellan also allows you to very easily exclude a route (or portion). That's a fairly standard feature nowadays, but Magellan allows you to do it in a snap.
In terms of routing, Magellan offers four options (fastest, shortest, most use of freeways and least use). You can see all four options on the map (as a summary) at the same time so you can pick the best one for your needs. Perfect!!
Love the AAA Guidebook, which is a unique Magellan feature. Lets you get details about restaurants and other points of interest just like the paper version from AAA. I used it a lot in my 4040, especially when traveling out of town.
Other unique Magellan features I appreciate is the "ding dong" sound right before a turn (incredibly accurate!) and the fact that the software reminds you to "stay on the current road" when you encounter major exits. Some find that to be nagging, but it has saved me from inadvertently exiting on more than one occasion.
A new feature for Magellan is the lane guidance. Very nicely done. I've used this feature on Navigon units, and found it rather unhelpful. Magellan's implementation is far more useful, with better, clearer graphics. However, lane guidance is not available for every road.
The software is also nicely done - very logical to use. If you're a past Magellan user you can pick this up and use it in a second. If not, there's a short printed user's guide in the box (plus a CD-ROM with more in-depth info) that gets you up to speed quickly. The box also includes the mount, power connector for the car, and a USB cable. It does not include an AC adapter.
OK, now for the bad news. When it comes to customer service, Magellan has been horrid. We're talking so bad it's almost funny. I'm hoping this situation will change - the company was bought by Mitac late last year, and perhaps this will signal a change for the better in terms of customer support. Lord knows, they couldn't get any worse.
The leader, in my opinion, for customer support is Garmin. They are nice to deal with on the phone, answer emails promptly, and offer regular firmware updates. Whenever I buy a GPS as a gift I always buy Garmin since I don't want to saddle the recipient with the miserable service that Magellan offers. It's a shame, since Magellan offers some real benefits over Garmin, and more value for the money. Tom Tom is also decent when it comes to support, but they use TeleAtlas maps which are less complete than NavTeq (sp?).
Bottom line -- if you're looking for a straightforward GPS at a good price, this should be on your short list. It lacks features such as Bluetooth and an MP3 player, but for me, I want a GPS to offer guidance and not entertainment. This has a very robust feature set, great screen, and well-designed software. It also has traffic capabilities -- did not test that feature out, so I can't comment on it.
The "safe" bet continues to be Garmin. You'll pay a bit more, and get less features, but you can be assured of solid support. Whether Magellan's new owners will put them back on the right track (if you'll excuse the horrid, but unavoidable pun) in terms of customer service is not yet clear. I hope so -- they make a great product!
UPDATE: 5/21/09 There's a firmware update on the Magellan site. No new functionality (in terms of new features) but, according to the release notes it improves overall performance. Easy to install - just follow the included step-by-step instructions. It seems like it makes the unit a bit faster, but that could just be my imagination.
247 of 261 people found the following review helpful
Amazon Vine™ Review
(What's this?)
I've used a number of GPS navigators, typically Garmin and TomTom units. I am currently using a Garmin Nuvi 265WT and I generally find Garmin to give me the best set of features and performance for the price, although I've not found their systems to be particularly reliable, my first needed to be sent for repairs twice and the one I am using currently often reboots itself randomly, particularly right when I start it up, and often the sound fades out for no reason. So I'm always on the hunt for something that will work even better. This is my first experience with a Magellan RoadMate model, and I was interested to see how it compared. I've only been using it for a few weeks, so I cannot report on long-term reliability, but will post follow-up comments if I run into any problems in the future.
PLUSES
Beautiful, bright screen. Easily one of the best GPS screens I've seen. Very sharp and bright and still visible even in bright light. Typical reverse screen for nighttime viewing.
Good maps, accurate directions. Haven't run into any problems yet where it took me a goofy route....although I've yet to use a GPS that doesn't do it once in awhile! I also like that you can use a zip code when entering addresses. My Garmin unit makes you enter both the city and state and thus makes setting destinations a bit more tedious than need be.
The sound and text-to-speech on this I found very good. I often have volume problems with my Garmin (sometimes it just seems to completely fade out), no problems at all with this. I didn't even need to turn it up all the way to hear it easily. The voice I found pleasant enough and not too computer-generated sounding. It also has nice tones for signaling the turns (which you could select from) and the timing for these was spot-on.
Quick launch screen which allows you to set a bunch of favorite locations, or even better, favorite searches. So if you typically are looking for the local coffee shop when you travel, rather than going through the screens to set up the search each time you can save it as a favorite. Very useful and has a number of these already set up for you like closest gas station.
The number of POIs was quite impressive, I found a lot more local stores in my area than with the Garmin. Still not everything though....my church was one that was not included, even though its one of the largest in my town.
Included AAA information. Very cool search for local events, attractions, etc. with detailed information. Not sure how much I'd use this (typically I'd research such information before leaving!) but it was a nice touch.
Multi-destination routing. Allows you to set up a complete trip with several stops. This was very easy to use, to reorder your stops, etc.
Includes maps for Canada. Not all GPS units in this price range include Canada. Not that I travel there, but nice to know I have the maps if I do!
It's also nice that it uses a standard UBS cable. This seems to becoming more standard with GPS units and makes life much easier than having a proprietary cable. I'm careful to label it however, just so I don't accidentally mix it up with all my other similar cables.
MINUSES
Slow startup! I've really gotten spoiled by my Garmin Nuvi that started up in seconds and was ready to navigate just as quickly. This thing takes considerably longer to start, leaving me waiting for it before I can set my destination and drive off.
Also, the location of the plug for the USB/power cord is just dumb! It completely blocks the mount, so that you cannot have the unit plugged in until you slide it on. This also means you then can't see where you are plugging it in, versus being able to just hold the unit, stick in the plug, and then mount it. I could deal with this if there seemed to be some reason for doing it....but simply moving the plug from the left side to the right side of the mount would have completely solved this problem. It just seems like it was put in the one spot that would annoy people!
No bluetooth or voice command, no music or audiobook support. Basically very barebones on extras. This was a big step down from the Garmin Nuvi which cost almost the same, with just a slightly smaller screen. At the very least, I really would have liked to have seen BT at this price point. The touch screen also doesn't always respond and needs a second or even third tap sometimes. This seemed particularly prevalent on the Back button. Also, why do they not include a quick jump back to the main menu or map? My Garmin has this issue as well, and it's really annoying when you are searching for something that you can't just "cancel" and go back to the main screen, but have to keep backing page by page to return. Garmin also now has all kind of features you can customize that really add to the value of their devices. I love the ability to find an address on Google Maps and send it to the GPS over USB. You can download a custom car which is a cute touch (okay, so I no longer own a big SUV, but at least I can see myself drive one virtually!) There are all kinds of custom routes you can download, if you are the type that likes to play around with your gadgets. The Magellan doesn't appear that have support for any of this kind of additional stuff, and is definitely falling behind Garmin and TomTom in this area.
Some things are not very intuitive and the manual is very bare bones, so not much help. For instance, there was an option in the settings for the display, but on changing it, I found that I was stuck with just 2D display options. It took me awhile to figure out how to get it back to 3D (clicking on the main map screen). Not including the 3D setting in the same place is quite confusing.
One thing that really bugged me was that it wouldn't save a location based on solely the GPS location. I've never had a GPS unit that wouldn't do this....you just save the location and rename it to something meaningful. On the Magellan though, while it would let me "save" I still had to actually enter an address! Seems kind of silly to require this when you are using a GPS which should be able to just save the location automatically, address or no. If there *is* a way to do this, it certainly isn't very obvious! I also found it needed to really get right to the location that you were navigating to in order to consider the trip completed. Very frequently when I turn it on it wants to resume the same trip, even though that's where I am! It should be less picky about this.
The headsup display was not one of my favorites. With the Garmin, I was able to see my upcoming turn, estimated arrival time, current speed, and even would display the local speed limit (when available). The Magellan was much more bare bones. I could get the next turn, and the time of arrival, but it uses the same space to show my current MPH so I have to toggle back and forth (while driving) if I want to see this. I really like using my GPS as a digital speedometer so this was a big negative for me. This is definitely personal preference though. Some people may prefer the more minimal information on this screen and more surrounding map visibility.
I also didn't care for how it displays the phone number separately from the address when viewing POIs. I'm not sure why you wouldn't display the phone number on the same screen as the address, this just seems unnecessarily complicated to have them in different places. I really like the Garmin info display which includes everything on one page, and also includes call buttons (since that device supports bluetooth phone calling).
I did not receive the TrafficLink with this unit, so am not able to review how well that works. If you are not able to find a deal on this that includes the TrafficLink for free, that really does hurt the value a bit. My Garmin unit included free traffic on the device (albeit with some ads) so if I lived in an area where I wanted the traffic support, that extra $80 cost would definitely play a part in my decision as to what device to go with (comparisons of how good each traffic service are notwithstanding).
Overall, you'll want to evaluate it against other devices at the same price. If you can find a good deal on it, it might be worth considering for the excellent display and strong database of POIs. But for me, it's just not in the best-of-class category.
PLUSES
Beautiful, bright screen. Easily one of the best GPS screens I've seen. Very sharp and bright and still visible even in bright light. Typical reverse screen for nighttime viewing.
Good maps, accurate directions. Haven't run into any problems yet where it took me a goofy route....although I've yet to use a GPS that doesn't do it once in awhile! I also like that you can use a zip code when entering addresses. My Garmin unit makes you enter both the city and state and thus makes setting destinations a bit more tedious than need be.
The sound and text-to-speech on this I found very good. I often have volume problems with my Garmin (sometimes it just seems to completely fade out), no problems at all with this. I didn't even need to turn it up all the way to hear it easily. The voice I found pleasant enough and not too computer-generated sounding. It also has nice tones for signaling the turns (which you could select from) and the timing for these was spot-on.
Quick launch screen which allows you to set a bunch of favorite locations, or even better, favorite searches. So if you typically are looking for the local coffee shop when you travel, rather than going through the screens to set up the search each time you can save it as a favorite. Very useful and has a number of these already set up for you like closest gas station.
The number of POIs was quite impressive, I found a lot more local stores in my area than with the Garmin. Still not everything though....my church was one that was not included, even though its one of the largest in my town.
Included AAA information. Very cool search for local events, attractions, etc. with detailed information. Not sure how much I'd use this (typically I'd research such information before leaving!) but it was a nice touch.
Multi-destination routing. Allows you to set up a complete trip with several stops. This was very easy to use, to reorder your stops, etc.
Includes maps for Canada. Not all GPS units in this price range include Canada. Not that I travel there, but nice to know I have the maps if I do!
It's also nice that it uses a standard UBS cable. This seems to becoming more standard with GPS units and makes life much easier than having a proprietary cable. I'm careful to label it however, just so I don't accidentally mix it up with all my other similar cables.
MINUSES
Slow startup! I've really gotten spoiled by my Garmin Nuvi that started up in seconds and was ready to navigate just as quickly. This thing takes considerably longer to start, leaving me waiting for it before I can set my destination and drive off.
Also, the location of the plug for the USB/power cord is just dumb! It completely blocks the mount, so that you cannot have the unit plugged in until you slide it on. This also means you then can't see where you are plugging it in, versus being able to just hold the unit, stick in the plug, and then mount it. I could deal with this if there seemed to be some reason for doing it....but simply moving the plug from the left side to the right side of the mount would have completely solved this problem. It just seems like it was put in the one spot that would annoy people!
No bluetooth or voice command, no music or audiobook support. Basically very barebones on extras. This was a big step down from the Garmin Nuvi which cost almost the same, with just a slightly smaller screen. At the very least, I really would have liked to have seen BT at this price point. The touch screen also doesn't always respond and needs a second or even third tap sometimes. This seemed particularly prevalent on the Back button. Also, why do they not include a quick jump back to the main menu or map? My Garmin has this issue as well, and it's really annoying when you are searching for something that you can't just "cancel" and go back to the main screen, but have to keep backing page by page to return. Garmin also now has all kind of features you can customize that really add to the value of their devices. I love the ability to find an address on Google Maps and send it to the GPS over USB. You can download a custom car which is a cute touch (okay, so I no longer own a big SUV, but at least I can see myself drive one virtually!) There are all kinds of custom routes you can download, if you are the type that likes to play around with your gadgets. The Magellan doesn't appear that have support for any of this kind of additional stuff, and is definitely falling behind Garmin and TomTom in this area.
Some things are not very intuitive and the manual is very bare bones, so not much help. For instance, there was an option in the settings for the display, but on changing it, I found that I was stuck with just 2D display options. It took me awhile to figure out how to get it back to 3D (clicking on the main map screen). Not including the 3D setting in the same place is quite confusing.
One thing that really bugged me was that it wouldn't save a location based on solely the GPS location. I've never had a GPS unit that wouldn't do this....you just save the location and rename it to something meaningful. On the Magellan though, while it would let me "save" I still had to actually enter an address! Seems kind of silly to require this when you are using a GPS which should be able to just save the location automatically, address or no. If there *is* a way to do this, it certainly isn't very obvious! I also found it needed to really get right to the location that you were navigating to in order to consider the trip completed. Very frequently when I turn it on it wants to resume the same trip, even though that's where I am! It should be less picky about this.
The headsup display was not one of my favorites. With the Garmin, I was able to see my upcoming turn, estimated arrival time, current speed, and even would display the local speed limit (when available). The Magellan was much more bare bones. I could get the next turn, and the time of arrival, but it uses the same space to show my current MPH so I have to toggle back and forth (while driving) if I want to see this. I really like using my GPS as a digital speedometer so this was a big negative for me. This is definitely personal preference though. Some people may prefer the more minimal information on this screen and more surrounding map visibility.
I also didn't care for how it displays the phone number separately from the address when viewing POIs. I'm not sure why you wouldn't display the phone number on the same screen as the address, this just seems unnecessarily complicated to have them in different places. I really like the Garmin info display which includes everything on one page, and also includes call buttons (since that device supports bluetooth phone calling).
I did not receive the TrafficLink with this unit, so am not able to review how well that works. If you are not able to find a deal on this that includes the TrafficLink for free, that really does hurt the value a bit. My Garmin unit included free traffic on the device (albeit with some ads) so if I lived in an area where I wanted the traffic support, that extra $80 cost would definitely play a part in my decision as to what device to go with (comparisons of how good each traffic service are notwithstanding).
Overall, you'll want to evaluate it against other devices at the same price. If you can find a good deal on it, it might be worth considering for the excellent display and strong database of POIs. But for me, it's just not in the best-of-class category.
54 of 55 people found the following review helpful
Amazon Vine™ Review
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My previous experience with GSP navigators has been in rental cars when traveling many years ago. I've forgotten who made the units, but I thought they were more trouble than they were worth, trying to figure out how to use them and then dealing with all their weird little quirks.. I remember one time up in the Seattle area being on the freeway when the device told me to get off at an exit that was about 20 feet away with 3 lanes of traffic between me and the exit - no warning prior to that. Then it kept repeating over and over again that I had missed the exit. I was ready to pour my Starbucks coffee over the thing and I never wanted a GPS device after that.
But now I've had the opportunity to try this Magellan RoadMate 1470 and you would have to pry it out of my hot little hands to get it away from me. This thing is so different from the units I've tried in the past. This one is actually fun. First of all, it's super simple to set up. I hate to read manuals (and rarely look at maps until I'm so lost and out of time that I'm forced to do so) and was pleasantly surprised at how simple and intuitive this unit is, even without reading any instructions. I mounted the holder on the dash of my PT Cruiser, which was the perfect spot for it, plugged the USB power cable into the unit and then into my cigarette lighter and it was ready to go. It found my location in just a couple of minutes. Then, I pressed the "Go to" button on the touchsreen, selected "Address" and typed in the city and street that I wanted to find. It has the smart type thing which fills in the word after a few letters or gives you some suggested choices so you don't end up having to type a whole lot. It found my destination right away and I was ready to go.
The screen is nice and bright and you can easily see where you are going. It's zoomed in about a quarter mile, but you can zoom in and out if you want to see the bigger picture. The voice is pleasant and it's loud enough to hear even with the radio on. You can adjust the volume. The thing I like best is the lane assist and the several advance warnings about when you're going to turn and what lane you need to be in. There was plenty of time to be where I needed to be without having to rush across several lanes or elbow out other traffic on the freeway.
I tried several different destinations and it found all of them without a problem. It said the area that I live in wasn't covered, but it turns out that it is. There are all kinds of POI's (points of interest) already loaded in and there's also a AAA tour book feature that will be really helpful when traveling.
I never realized how nice it would be to just get in the car, set the destination, and not have to worry about paying attention and watching for streets when going to a new place. Did you ever try to find a location where you have to make a lot of turns on city streets that have little signs blocked by trees or hidden behind big trucks? You know how it is, trying to pay attention to traffic and slouching along, annoying other motorists, trying to see those little signs? With the Magellen 1470 you won't have to worry about any of that, it tells you when the street is coming up and when to turn. There's even a little "ding ding" when you need to actually turn. It gives you a sense of freedom. I travel a lot for work and this is going to make things so much easier for me! This unit has a good size screen and is slim and light, but still a small enough unit overall that I can put it in my medium sized purse or briefcase when I leave the car. And everything you need is right there in the box: the dash or window mount, cables to connect it to the computer for updates, power cable connectors for the car and even an alcohol swab to clean the dash or window before attaching the mount. (I have this Case Logic Compact Portable Hard Drive Case (Black) that I'm stealing from my external hard drive because this Megallan 1470 fits into it nicely. I posted some pictures of it in the case on the first page and also some pics of it mounted on the dash of my PT Cruiser.
The only flaws I can find so far are that sometimes the touch screen doesn't respond right away and you have to press a button more than once. This is usually when I'm rushed and hitting one thing after another very quickly. The other is the USB power cable connector location, which is right next to the little slot where you mount it so that you have to mount the unit prior to plugging in the power cable. The space to plug it in is small so it can be a little difficult. I'm sure there's some hack to make it easier.
All in all, it's a unit that I'd recommend to anyone looking for a GPS device with a sleek design, nice sized touchscreen that's simple to use right out of the box, but still has enough bells and whistles to keep it interesting. Two thumbs up for this unit!
Update 5/13/09 - I've had a chance to use and compare the Garmin nüvi 760 4.3-Inch Widescreen Bluetooth Portable GPS Automobile Navigator that I bought for my husband a couple of months ago to this Magellen. The screen on the Magellen looks significantly larger even though it's only a fraction of an inch. I like the "ding ding" on the Magellen when I'm at the point where I should turn or enter onto a freeway. I prefer the data entry on the Magellen where it dims out letters that you probably don't need once you start typing. This lessens the chance of hitting the wrong key and makes entering data quicker. The Garmin has bluetooth where this one doesn't, but since I use an earpiece for my phone, that isn't a factor. My PT Cruiser is kind of noisy on the road so the noise cancelling earpiece works better for me anyway. Another thing I prefer about this unit is that it has the little gas icon right on the side of the main map, so if I need to get gas I don't have to go hunting through as many menus.
If I had to choose for myself between the two units I would choose this Magellen.
But now I've had the opportunity to try this Magellan RoadMate 1470 and you would have to pry it out of my hot little hands to get it away from me. This thing is so different from the units I've tried in the past. This one is actually fun. First of all, it's super simple to set up. I hate to read manuals (and rarely look at maps until I'm so lost and out of time that I'm forced to do so) and was pleasantly surprised at how simple and intuitive this unit is, even without reading any instructions. I mounted the holder on the dash of my PT Cruiser, which was the perfect spot for it, plugged the USB power cable into the unit and then into my cigarette lighter and it was ready to go. It found my location in just a couple of minutes. Then, I pressed the "Go to" button on the touchsreen, selected "Address" and typed in the city and street that I wanted to find. It has the smart type thing which fills in the word after a few letters or gives you some suggested choices so you don't end up having to type a whole lot. It found my destination right away and I was ready to go.
The screen is nice and bright and you can easily see where you are going. It's zoomed in about a quarter mile, but you can zoom in and out if you want to see the bigger picture. The voice is pleasant and it's loud enough to hear even with the radio on. You can adjust the volume. The thing I like best is the lane assist and the several advance warnings about when you're going to turn and what lane you need to be in. There was plenty of time to be where I needed to be without having to rush across several lanes or elbow out other traffic on the freeway.
I tried several different destinations and it found all of them without a problem. It said the area that I live in wasn't covered, but it turns out that it is. There are all kinds of POI's (points of interest) already loaded in and there's also a AAA tour book feature that will be really helpful when traveling.
I never realized how nice it would be to just get in the car, set the destination, and not have to worry about paying attention and watching for streets when going to a new place. Did you ever try to find a location where you have to make a lot of turns on city streets that have little signs blocked by trees or hidden behind big trucks? You know how it is, trying to pay attention to traffic and slouching along, annoying other motorists, trying to see those little signs? With the Magellen 1470 you won't have to worry about any of that, it tells you when the street is coming up and when to turn. There's even a little "ding ding" when you need to actually turn. It gives you a sense of freedom. I travel a lot for work and this is going to make things so much easier for me! This unit has a good size screen and is slim and light, but still a small enough unit overall that I can put it in my medium sized purse or briefcase when I leave the car. And everything you need is right there in the box: the dash or window mount, cables to connect it to the computer for updates, power cable connectors for the car and even an alcohol swab to clean the dash or window before attaching the mount. (I have this Case Logic Compact Portable Hard Drive Case (Black) that I'm stealing from my external hard drive because this Megallan 1470 fits into it nicely. I posted some pictures of it in the case on the first page and also some pics of it mounted on the dash of my PT Cruiser.
The only flaws I can find so far are that sometimes the touch screen doesn't respond right away and you have to press a button more than once. This is usually when I'm rushed and hitting one thing after another very quickly. The other is the USB power cable connector location, which is right next to the little slot where you mount it so that you have to mount the unit prior to plugging in the power cable. The space to plug it in is small so it can be a little difficult. I'm sure there's some hack to make it easier.
All in all, it's a unit that I'd recommend to anyone looking for a GPS device with a sleek design, nice sized touchscreen that's simple to use right out of the box, but still has enough bells and whistles to keep it interesting. Two thumbs up for this unit!
Update 5/13/09 - I've had a chance to use and compare the Garmin nüvi 760 4.3-Inch Widescreen Bluetooth Portable GPS Automobile Navigator that I bought for my husband a couple of months ago to this Magellen. The screen on the Magellen looks significantly larger even though it's only a fraction of an inch. I like the "ding ding" on the Magellen when I'm at the point where I should turn or enter onto a freeway. I prefer the data entry on the Magellen where it dims out letters that you probably don't need once you start typing. This lessens the chance of hitting the wrong key and makes entering data quicker. The Garmin has bluetooth where this one doesn't, but since I use an earpiece for my phone, that isn't a factor. My PT Cruiser is kind of noisy on the road so the noise cancelling earpiece works better for me anyway. Another thing I prefer about this unit is that it has the little gas icon right on the side of the main map, so if I need to get gas I don't have to go hunting through as many menus.
If I had to choose for myself between the two units I would choose this Magellen.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
Best GPS We Ever Had!
After trying Tom Toms and Garmin, we purchased a Magellan RoadMate 1470 and have had it for quite a long time with no problems. Read more
Published 1 day ago by Captain Annie
Many Good Features But Not Accurate
There are many nice features to this unit, but it fails on the most important one, accuracy. I travel in mostly rural areas, and it is here that the maps fail on almost all... Read more
Published 25 days ago by Mario
Won't work
This item decides on its own when and if it will operate. In the past 6 months, I have experienced a few instances (including today when it was absolutely necessary) when the GPS... Read more
Published 26 days ago by Rob
Freezes on loading screen... DONT BUY IT
This gps is a waist of your money, I bought mine at sears for $200. I used it maybe 10 times and now it wont go past the loading screen. Read more
Published 1 month ago by Jennifer
Worst GPS I've Ever Used
Magellan really dropped the ball here. I purchased this GPS originally to replace my Magellan Maestro 4040. This is a step in the wrong direction. Read more
Published 3 months ago by James Cook
OLD MAP ON BRAND NEW UNIT!!!!!
Unit was purchased brand new in December 2011. Will not even find my neighborhood which has been built for over 5 years!!!!! Read more
Published 4 months ago by Avid Shopper
I CAN FIND STARBUCKS!!!!!!!
I CAN HAVE IT FIND THE CLOSEST STARBUCKS!!!!!! ISN'T THAT THE MOST IMPORTANT THING???
It is a nice and small navigator. Read more
It is a nice and small navigator. Read more
Published 7 months ago by Patricia L. Brouillette
Very nice lady built in
I have really enjoyed this unit. There is a very nice lady that gives directions and I have actually found some good short cuts to places I go.
Published 8 months ago by Charles L. Baldwin
Read before buying!! No out of warranty support!!
Magellan 1470 GPS. I have had this unit for almost 3 years. I have used this unit occasionally within the 3 years. Read more
Published 8 months ago by Rognet
I'm-a-gellan with a Magellan Roadmate GPS
Magellan RoadMate 1470 4.7-Inch Widescreen Portable GPS Navigator
We like our Magellan GPS.... Read more
We like our Magellan GPS.... Read more
Published 8 months ago by GrammyJ
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