Magellan RoadMate 500 3-Inch Portable GPS Navigator

by Magellan

Product Details

Product Manual [360kb PDF]

• Shipping Weight: 3 pounds
• Shipping: Currently, item can be shipped only within the U.S.
• ASIN: B0001O2594
• Item model number: 980652-02
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Discontinued by manufacturer: Yes

Product Description

Amazon.com Product Description

Imagine having a personal assistant in your car, guiding you turn by turn, with a friendly voice and visual signals, even when you don't know the address. That's exactly what you get with the Magellan RoadMate 500 Plus portable GPS auto navigation system. The unit comes with an extremely detailed map of the United States and major metropolitan areas of Canada on CD-ROM, from which you can select and load different regions to the included 256 MB memory card. With the RoadMate 500 Plus, you can download details for as many areas as the card will store, letting you pick and chose from regions that interest you (the RoadMate 500 limits you to 100 MB at a time).

Lightweight and truly portable, the RoadMate 500 Plus goes wherever you go, from your personal vehicle to your business car, to your RV. Built on the same Magellan technology found in the Hertz NeverLost system (proven and road-tested by over 4 million drivers), the RoadMate 500 Plus makes your driving adventure easier and more enjoyable. The unit has access to over 2 million points of interest, making it a cinch to find your destination. Search by name or category for gas stations, restaurants, hotels, sights, amusements, and more, whether you're driving cross-country or to an unfamiliar address across town.

Dynamic turn-by-turn guidance with TrueView 3D navigation and friendly voice prompting indicates when to make your next turn. The voice prompt tells you when to turn and you can confirm the direction at a glance. There's no need to watch the screen. The RoadMate 500 Plus finds your location and the map continues to move with you by tracking up to 12 GPS satellites simultaneously. Assisted by the Wide Area Augmentation System (WAAS) and the European Geostationary Navigation Overlay System (EGNOS), the RoadMate is accurate to within three meters or better.

You can select your route from one of four ways: by shortest time (an advanced algorithm calculates your route using shortest distance and speed-limit factors), by shortest distance (determines your best route by the shortest distance traveled), by the least use of freeways (calculates your route through city and side streets, letting you stay off highways when possible), or by most use of freeways (provides directions over freeways, highways, and interstates). You get three guidance screens: True View (shows a detailed view of actual road layout), Map View (a bright, high-resolution display with bold, easy-to read icons and text; choose your favorite from nine different color combinations), and Maneuver List (which details when and where to expect turns along your route). Want to avoid a certain road or maneuver? Simply press a "route exclusion" button, the Magellan RoadMate 500 Plus will find another route. It also automatically calculates a new route when you decide to take a detour because of heavy traffic or a closed road. QuickSpell intelligently sorts, searches, and checks spelling for rapid address entry with minimal keystrokes, accelerating your data entry by matching letters to available destinations. Store up to 100 personal or business destinations per user for a total of 300 addresses. Each user can even personally select their top three destinations to keep them handy. Instant Locate provides information about your present location so you can easily direct emergency services and roadside assistance. Best of all, the unit turns on when you start your car. Just turn it on and go.

What's in the Box
RoadMate GPS, 4 CD-ROM map discs, a 256 MB Magellan-authorized CompactFlash memory card, a windshield mount, a 110V AC power adapter, a DC vehicle power adapter, and a user's manual.

Product Description

This RoadMate 500 comes with a 256 MB Compact Flash card in the box. It also includes a new windshield mount and features updated software to improve stability and performance.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great product with a few shortfalls, June 29, 2004

By 

DreamTheater (Cyberspace) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Magellan RoadMate 500 3-Inch Portable GPS Navigator (Electronics)

This product is great but has a few shortfalls:

PROS:

* Clear precise voice prompts
* Large, clear display
* Excelent mapping and on-screen drawing of maps
* Quick routing and re-routing
* Night display mode is great

CONS:

* No EXIT numbers for Freeway exits
* No sub-categorization - say if you select a restaurant, it doesn't sub-categorize into types of restaurants, which the GARMIN does very well. Same goes for other categories.
* Couldn't find shopping centers like Best Buy or Home Depot
* The auto-contrast and auto-brightness doesn't seem to work too well, at night the display is too bright for comfort and you need to manually dim it
* Couldn't even find Showcase Cinema using POI
* Map is backdated - even my 2 yr old GARMIN seemed to have a more updated POI

Customer Support is awefull by the way!

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Very Good product but....., August 3, 2004

By 

Anechka "A Russian Mom in NY" (New York, NY) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Magellan RoadMate 500 3-Inch Portable GPS Navigator (Electronics)

............. but you can only download one region at a time on 128MB card (actual space available is around 100MB. Region of VT, NH and ME is only 25.7 MB while MA, CT and RI are 52.3 MB. You are lucky if you need this regions - it can fit on 128 mb Card. If you in Texas - NE part is 100MB while SW only 16MB but you will not be able to load both on 128MB card.

You can only use a certain brands of compact flash cards also. Look for SanDisk and Toshiba. Magellan will give you one unlock code for $50.00.

Now about "FREEZING ISSUE" and "buggy Software" that I've read in one of reviews here. I thought that I got the same problem. Every time I checked Task Manager on my PC it shows me that program is "Not responding". Magellan Support Service explained to me that I have to let it run for aprox 10 min and yes, even though it look like its froze its actually uploading.

Accurate mapping. User uploads areas of choice with unlimited access to change later. Voice directions allow driver to focus on road and mentions back to back turns to lessen confusion. Touch screen and spelling assist eases data entry. Unit quickly reroutes if driver deviates from original route. Crisp display with nice lighting layout to allow full use at night. Vent mount is quick and provides a clean looking installation.

I ordered SunDisk 512MB CF card for 60$ (plus 50$ authorization) and I can use all Atlantic coast region (from Maine to Florida) from single card.

I can't rate it 5 out of 5 just because Magellan charging money for extra CF card activation. It's a great product with great features.

Outpost.com selling it for 549$ and its a great price since they send you windshield mount kit.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Magellan has removed the 45 day trial !, February 12, 2005

By 

RW (San Diego, CA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Magellan RoadMate 500 3-Inch Portable GPS Navigator (Electronics)

After reading a review stating that you only have 45 days to load the maps and then you can't reload additional maps, I simply could not believe it. I bought the 500+ anyway. I read in the directions that I only have 45 days to load the maps and after 45 days I need select 100mb of maps that cannot be updated. I called Magellan and they confirmed that this is not correct. They original planned to do this, but scrapped the idea. They confirmed that you can buy up to a 1gig CF card and reload the maps as many times as you want without a time limit. You still have to unlock the card, but the first card is free and additional cards cost $50 to unlock.

I have used the 500+ for a week now and love it. The WAAS system has a better reception that the older models. The only times I have gotten poor reception was in the end of long tunnels and in my garage. The route configuration is right on and it loads extremely fast. The new firmware update has a split screen option for directions.

The common question is why not the 700. First and foremost, the 700 is more expensive. Second, the CF loads faster than the 700 hard drive.

Five stars from me........Good luck..,.