Remanufactured Magellan RoadMate 700 20 GB Vehicle GPS Navigation System with Windshield Mount

by Magellan

Product Details

• Product Dimensions: 3.1 x 6.2 x 1.1 inches ; 2 pounds
• Shipping Weight: 3 pounds
• Shipping: Currently, item can be shipped only within the U.S. and to APO/FPO addresses. For APO/FPO shipments, please check with the manufacturer regarding warranty and support issues.
• ASIN: B0009SY78Y
• Item model number: RF980652-03
• Average Customer Review: 3.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (51 customer reviews)
• Date first available at Amazon.com: November 14, 2003

Product Description

Amazon.com Review

The remanufactured Magellan RoadMate 700 GPS navigator just keeps gaining in popularity. Bestowed the honor of being named one of "Oprah's Favorite Things for Holiday 2004," this version of the RoadMate 700 includes the accessories that previous incarnations omitted, including a windshield suction cup mount, a 12-volt DC vehicle power adapter, an AC power supply, a USB data cable, a universal cradle, and, of course, a user's manual.

The Magellan RoadMate 700 offers a powerful dash-mounted navigation tool with turn-by-turn voice prompts, making it easy to get to new and unfamiliar locales anywhere in the lower 48 U.S. states and Canada (for a fee, you can visit the Magellan Website and load the navigator with European maps via the included USB cable). It also features a bright color TFT LCD screen (2.25 by 3 inches), touchscreen input, WAAS reception (for 3-meter accuracy), and multiple ways to select your route and then view it onscreen.

TrueView 3-D navigation shows you the actual road layout.

The RoadMate 700 is one of the few GPS devices that's ready to go as soon as it's unpacked. Its whoppingly huge 20 GB internal hard drive comes preloaded with detailed road maps for all of the U.S. and the southern (most populated) section of Canada, so you won't have to fiddle with selecting map regions from a CD-ROM and transferring the data from a PC. If you keep your addresses on a PDA with IrDA capabilities, you'll enjoy the RoadMate's ability to upload the addresses wirelessly and point you right to your destination. In fact, each of the three tracked profiles is allotted space for 100 addresses, resulting in a total of 300 available addresses. Of course, the most important address--home--can always be accessed with just a few clicks from any menu. Once selected, the RoadMate 700 will guide you back with ease.

You can also choose a map view or the maneuver list.

If you are planning on using the RoadMate 700 with an older car, make sure it has a cigarette lighter power adapter. As an alternative, you can fully charge it in your hotel room or office with the supplied AC power cord. This also means that you won't be able to use the RoadMate 700 as a handheld device outside of your car. As for mounting, the included suction cup mounting hardware is quite easy to use and allows you to mount the unit on any glass surface in your car. The RoadMate unit easily clips into the provided windshield bracket and can be tilted and turned via its adjustable arm so you can see it easily and safely while you navigate.

Quickly locate points of interest and amenities along your route.

One of the benefits of the windshield mount is that you can move it in seconds from car to car with no problems at all. The suction cup model is an improvement over the older three-pronged mount that used to come with the RoadMate units, which never provided a very secure fit.

The RoadMate 700 shines as a virtual co-pilot. During our tests, it consistently acquired a satellite lock quickly (within a minute) and displayed our current position. From there, we searched through the vast library of POIs (points of interest) to find our destination (Seattle's baseball stadium). The RoadMate 700 has four different modes to get you to your destination--shortest route, shortest distance, least use of freeways, and most freeways. Selecting the shortest route got us to this venue using very practical directions that weren't far off from what we would normally choose.

If you're traveling to a destination that's not a widely known POI (such as a friend's home), no problem. You can enter the exact address into the RoadMate 700 using the touchscreen--simply tap the correct letters and numbers into one of the many search screens--and create a route. You can also save 100 destinations in the address book.

QuickSpell minimizes typing.

The voice prompting was clear and audible thanks to the two built-in speakers, and we were given ample warnings for upcoming turns. One of the RoadMate's nicest features is the Repeat button, which is smallish but is easy to find (it's the only button on top of the device). If you miss a turn, simply press the button to repeat the previous voice prompt. Of the three view modes, True View was our favorite--it displays a 3-D street-level view that helped us orient ourselves to our surroundings.

Overall, we were quite thrilled with the RoadMate 700's features: the color screen was bright and readable even in direct sunlight and the voice prompts were clear and not distracting to our driving. Best of all, the UI (user interface) screens are easy to navigate and--thanks to the large hard drive and map database--the RoadMate 700 is ready to go as soon as you open the box. While the price is not for the faint of heart, it's a valuable tool for many drivers--from business folk to parents--who need to get to unfamiliar locations quickly and smoothly. --Agen G.N. Schmitz

What's in the Box
RoadMate 700 GPS, windshield suction cup mount, 12-volt DC vehicle power adapter, AC power supply, USB data cable, universal cradle, user's manual.

Product Description

Magellan Roadmate 700 is the first affordable, easy-setup,easy-to-use vehicle navigation system. It features: touch screen input, turn-by-turn visual and voice guidance with TrueView 3D navigation showing upcoming maneuvers. It will automatically calculate a street route or help find one of 2 millions points of interest, including restaurants, ATM machines, gas stations, parks, etc. The unit comes completely pre-loaded with NAVTECH street and address data for the Continental US and Canada and includes a DC vehicle power adapter, AC power supply, data cable and a user's manual.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

103 of 106 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Don't buy the remanufactured unit, July 31, 2005

By 

Alvar L. Gonzalez "Alvar" (Southern California) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Remanufactured Magellan RoadMate 700 20 GB Vehicle GPS Navigation System with Windshield Mount (Office Product)

I received a defective unit. Think this was odd, wrong! :-(

The sound did not work, something that you can tell as soon as you turn it on! The plant who did the refurb would know this if they tested the unit before they put in the box. (There are built in diagnostics, you could just try those before you put it in the box and ship it as "Like New Condition")

After over 2 hours on hold, Magellan quickly confirmed that the product was indeed defective and that their remanufactured units are often shipped with operational defects. The description "remanufactured to like new condition" is not true for these units. Oddly the support tech confirmed that the over $600 price was reasonable for these remanufactured units.

Also the 90 day warranty period means that you will get only 2 tries to ship the unit back and try to get a working unit. They said that they would take 4-6 weeks for an exchange, and that it would not re-start the 90 day warranty. They offer a 1 year warranty for an additional $ 130, but the new one is only $200 more and has the latest maps and software in it, why would you buy remanufactured?

I do believe the Roadmate is a good product, but remanufactured is not OK., and their support and warranty for Remanufactured are intended to keep you from buying them.

It all seems rather unethical to me.

67 of 72 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Ships with older version of software (3.20)., August 22, 2005

By 

R. Chlopan "sysrick" (Lexington, KY) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Remanufactured Magellan RoadMate 700 20 GB Vehicle GPS Navigation System with Windshield Mount (Office Product)

Ships with version 3.2 software -- you face an immediate $99 upgrade charge to get to the current version 4.20.

27 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Dont bother..., March 27, 2006

By 

Mark Hinterlong "Elvis90210" (Il, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Remanufactured Magellan RoadMate 700 20 GB Vehicle GPS Navigation System with Windshield Mount (Office Product)

I ordered the refurb model to save the $100 from the new...it was not worth it.
The model showed up SHOWING signs of it's used condition, and of course; the sound didnt work.
I boxed it back up and shipped it back the very same day.
I went to another website and ordered the new one. [...]