The Magellan RoadMate 1440 is a nice little GPS unit, affordably priced. Since all GPS units have come down in price, I now consider them a "must-have" in every car. But with all the choices out there, how on earth does one decide????
Out of the box, the 1440 comes with the receiver, pre-loaded maps of the US, Canada, Puerto Rico, windshield mount, adhesive disc for dash mounting, power adapter, USB cable, user handbook, user guide on CD Rom.
In our household, we also have a Garmin Street Pilot, a Garmin Nuvi 350 and a Garmin Nuvi 360. The 1440 would probably be closest to the Nuvi 350 (the 360 has bluetooth connectivity, pretty much the only difference).
Ease of use: Go outside, turn it on, and set home. After that, its pretty intuitive. While I appreciate the importance of reading user guides, its my own ridiculous personal habit not to refer to them until I get in trouble. Haven't had to pull out the user guide on this one yet, so that is a positive. The OneTouch feature enables you to keep your favorite places loaded and easy to find without a lot of searching around. The question I always have is, if its a favorite place, won't I already know how to get there?
Screen: the 4.3 inch screen is larger than the 3.5 inch Nuvi and while not a selling point for me, might be very important for some people. I don't want to have to even look at the GPS, as I'm hoping it is going to tell me what to do without having to look at the map. But a larger screen size definitely makes the glances at the GPS more fruitful. Good resolution, and easy to zoom in and out. The touch screen works well, one touch and you return to main menu. As with the Nuvi, I like knowing how many miles left to my destination.
Voice: I can't figure out how to change the voice. She is annoying and sometimes hard to understand. For the most part, not a deal breaker. I do prefer the nice Australian on my Nuvi though.
Multipoint routing: has it, so does Nuvi. Its not often I need to program in several stops. The nature of a "stop" is that it is actually your destination. Then you go to your next destination. Not a big deal for me.
Built in tour book: similar to the Nuvi, if you are looking for a restaurant, hotel, or gas station, the RoadMate helps you find it. This is actually a must-have feature of a GPS. You are in an unfamiliar town and need a Starbucks? Have no fear, the RoadMate will direct you right to the closest one.
Suction cup: OK, I must admit I feel silly talking about this in my review. But if you've ever had your GPS fall off your windshield, this becomes major. The RoadMate window mount is amazing. In fact, it is now a permanent fixture in one of our cars. I actually prefer friction mounts and would recommend getting one with whatever GPS you choose. I like this one: Bracketron UFM-100BL Nav-Mat GPS Friction Dash Pad, but there are a few out there.
How to get where you're going: similar to Garmin, Magellan enables you to choose how you like to get where you're going. Freeway? Shortest route? Fastest route? Choose your mode. Its important to select the mode that suits you. We had this unit programmed in "fastest" mode. It then was going to take me 4 miles out of my way to get me to a freeway when I knew the backroads would be easier. Yes I know a freeway is "faster", but not if you have to drive through heavy traffic to get to it.
Text to voice: This is an absolute must have for any GPS you are ever going to buy. If it doesn't have it, don't buy it. You need your GPS to tell you where to turn, and where to go. Hopefully it will do this in an understandable voice. Your GPS is the person reading the map in the passenger seat. You wouldn't want that person to write notes and shove them in your face now would you?? The RoadMate has text to voice, and it works well. Sometimes too well, as it seems as though the many reminders of what is coming up next make me think I might have missed something.
Highway lane assist is a handy little feature where the unit tells you what lane you need to be in for your upcoming exit. Useful in your hometown, probably essential if driving in a strange place.
Accuracy: If you purchase a GPS from a high volume GPS retailer (read: Amazon) it will come preloaded with the most current maps. After that, if you feel as though your maps are outdated, you can download new ones. (I've never done this and figure by the time my maps are that out of date, my GPS will be too.) I have not been "steered wrong" by the RoadMate, but I'm sure with enough use it would happen someday. They all do it, probably more a function of poor mapping on someone else's part than GPS malfunction. I like that this unit comes with Canadian maps, since I"m 2 hours from Canada. If I were travelling to Europe or Asia, I'd probably download those maps.
Traffic: the 1440 is compatible with Magellan Traffic Link, which will steer you around traffic jams. You must purchase traffic link, but the service is "free" (there are little ads). If you frequently commute through heavy traffic, this would be a nice feature, but I haven't used it so can't really comment. I do know when I'm stuck in traffic, I wish I had it.
Bluetooth: the 1440 does not have bluetooth connectivity. My Nuvi 360 does, and I use it for hands free phone use when driving. I like it, but its not essential.
Overall, this is a nice little unit. I personally prefer my Nuvi 360, but when writing this review and comparing prices, think this RoadMate is a pretty good deal. Use their website to compare features, in order to select the unit that is right for you. The 1440 is good value, worth every penny.
Extras: in addition to the above mentioned friction mount, I highly recommend this little carrying case: Lowepro 4.3-Inch Navi Sleeve GPS Carrying Case (Black)Get more detail about Magellan RoadMate 1440 4.3-Inch Portable GPS Navigator.
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