Magellan RoadMate 3050T 3.5-Inch Portable GPS Navigator Review

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(More customer reviews)See update at end..
I purchased this unit, the Magellan RoadMate 3050T, which is the 3000T, but with the receiver for Traffic-enabled info. For what I paid for this unit and the features it has, I believe it to be a very good deal.
The windshield suction cup mount works ok, but I wish it was a little stiffer. On bumpy roads the GPS can bounce up and down a little. With the unit mounted, the first time I tried to power it up I thought I got a bum unit. You have to hold the power on button for up to 15 seconds the first time, about 3 seconds after the first to have it spring to life. I think Magellan should state this right on the plastic protection sheet they have on the face of the unit. It would have saved me some startup anxiety.
Once I got it working it zeroed in on the satellites very quickly. In the windshield mount, the gps maintains an excellent signal. In fact, much better then my Garmin Maps 76S. Even with heavy over cast and in tree cover I have full signal bars on the upper right of the display.
Speaking display, this unit is very bright, even in full sun. In fact, at night, with the brightness turned all the way down, it is a little brighter then I really like.
The display makes use of a lot of icons. I had to breakout the manual to figure what some of them meant.
I am a stickler for wanting to know what direction I'm traveling. I planned to purchase the Garmin Streetpilot C550. I changed my mind after finding the Garmin does not display the normal compass heading on the main map display. The Magellan 3000T displays the heading full time in the map mode in the lower left corner. It uses the N, NE, E, SE, SW, W, NW headings.
A very good sounding lady gives voice directions. It is very clear, and volume level is also very good. This unit does not have the "text to speech". However, after using the Magellan 3000T, I really don't care that it doesn't speak the road name. What it will do is tell you when a turn is coming up and which direction you will need to turn and on the display it gives you the name of the street. The directions are clear and understandable leaving no doubt what you need to do. The maps are from Navteq. I feel Navteq is the best out there.
Update speed of this unit is very good. The display refreshes quickly and I never feel it is lagging behind. The route calculator waste no time as well. Most route calculations take less then 5 seconds to complete.
With the TrafficKit, this gps can find you a way around most traffic flow issues like slowdowns, accidents, construction, and other reasons. Around the metro Detroit area it seems to work pretty well. However, on a trip up north, it didn't work as well. I believe this to be more of an issue with the service provider then a problem with the gps. I'm sure with time this will improve. One detour it took me on saved us over an hour in stop and go traffic with just a few miles added to the distance. For one year of service it cost about $60. I don't like how the TrafficKit attaches to the gps. The cables end up going all over the place and the antenna for the receiver is long. Seems they could have come up with a better design. I ended up leave the antenna lying on the dash. It just looks messy.
The software that comes with the unit seems a little lame to me. You really can't do much with it. I wanted to be able to download the trip computer to my laptop. I have not found a way to do this. I'll be calling tech support to see if I'm missing something.
I have not tried the mp3 player or picture functions as I really don't care to have pictures on the unit. I'll try the mp3 in the near future.
For me, this unit is a keeper.
Pros: Easy to see, easy to use once I learned the system, pleasant command voice, easy to remove and install into its mount,you have a choice of using the touch screen or navigation buttons.
Cons: Power-on confusing the first time I used it, trafic receiver attachment messy, I had to upgrade the firmware to bring it up to date (no big deal though)
Update as of 12-20-06
Cons and Pro addition to date: Can't use the MP3 player at the same time as navigating. POI database is wrong for southern Florida areas. Items in the database not where the gps shows they are in the state of Florida. POI very good for Michigan. All in all I still like this unit and find it as good or better then other brands in the same price range on the market.
The traffic alert system works fine when it has a signal, but the info being fed to it is out of date/time and not many areas have reporting. This is a disappointment. I will not renew the subscription until I hear they have improved the service.

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For a remarkable, intelligently-designed multipurpose GPS navigation system that packs everything but the kitchen sink into a portable device, you can't go wrong with the Magellan RoadMate 3050T for North America. Equipped with preloaded software for use in the United States, including Puerto Rico, and Canada, the 3050T delivers comprehensive navigational coverage in an easy-to-use package to give you the best driving routes. The 3050T also provides a number of viewing and entertainment features to make your driving experiences the best they can be.
Made to be user-friendly, the Magellan 3050T has a 3.5-inch touch sensitive screen that displays vibrant colors and sharp images. Simple menus and smart keys provide quick access to the 3050T's features, which include preloaded detailed maps, bird's eye 3D viewing to give you a clear sense of your surroundings, and over six million points of interest such as gas stations, restaurants, ATMs, airports, parks, historic sites, museums, and much more. The 3050T lets you select up to 20 destinations and optimize the most direct route between them, as well as store your favorite locations for the trips you take frequently. You can also customize mapping selection with the 3050T, which lets you select routes based on driving time, distance, and traffic congestion, or exclude routes you prefer to avoid, such as toll roads.The 3050T fits easily into any vehicle without the need for special installation and works at any hour of the day. The auto night view feature adjusts brightness and contrast for easy viewing at night, and the voice guidance option provides friendly turn-by-turn instructions to get you to your destination. With SmartVolume adjusting the sound level of your system when you speed up or slow down, the 3050T makes sure that the directions you get are clear and easy to understand. And for the first three months after your purchase of the RoadMate 3050T, you'll have a free subscription to Magellan's LIVE traffic reports. With detailed, up-to-date traffic incident reports at your fingertips, you'll be able to find alternate routes and avoid traffic congestion created by accidents, road construction, special events, and more.In addition to having the features that make it a first-class navigation system, the 3050T is also a music player and a picture viewer. Through the integrated speaker, the 3050T plays MP3 and WMA music files for your entertainment. And if you're outside your vehicle, you can also plug in a set of earphones to listen. (For safety reasons, please remember never to use earphones while driving.) The picture viewer is ideal for road trips with friends or family as well as for gatherings such as parties and picnics. Upload the pictures you've taken with your digital camera and you'll be able to share a slideshow with everyone right away.Housed in a high-impact plastic case and able to operate in a temperature range of 32 to 113 degrees Fahrenheit (O to 45 degrees Celsius), the 3050T is versatile and durable enough to go where you want to go. At 8.64 ounces and measuring 4.8 x 3.8 x 1.4 inches, the navigation system is extremely portable. The powerful 2100 mA rechargeable lithium ion battery provides up to six hours of continuous use. Multilingual options make the 3050T perfect for speakers of English, French, German, Spanish and Italian.

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