GPS Tracklog

Aerial imagery on a Magellan Triton

It's now possible to add aerial imagery to most of the Magellan Triton line, thanks to National Geographic's new TOPO! Explorer application. You can download a "SuperQuad" that includes aerial imagery and a 1:24,000 scale USGS topo map for a dollar at their Map Store.

Magellan Maestro 5310 review

The Magellan Maestro 5310 is Magellan's first GPS with a 5" screen. It has preloaded maps of the U.S. and Canada, six million POIs and text-to-speech, so you'll hear "approaching right turn, Maple Street" instead of just "approaching right turn."

Screen visibility problems on the new generation of handhelds

The new Garmin Colorado and Magellan Triton series have higher resolution screens than anything we've seen before in handheld GPS receivers. But those gorgeous and detailed displays come at a cost. Many early adopters have been surprised by the decreased visibility of these units in their natural habitat -- the great outdoors.

Tritons pulled from REI

Magellan Triton handhelds have disappeared from REI stores and from the REI.com website. The problematic units were pulled, depending on who you ask, at REI's request or as a result of a Magellan recall. Since other sites are still selling them, I'm betting REI leaned on Magellan to take them back. This post on the Groundspeak forum seems to confirm this. Reportedly, the units will be back in stock after getting a firmware upgrade.

Magellan Triton 1500 review

The Magellan Triton 1500 is one of a new series of handheld GPS receivers from Magellan that can display USGS topo maps (raster imagery) from National Geographic. I've had the unit for over six weeks now and have put it through its paces.

Before we get into the details of my review, lets take a quick look at the Triton series. The 1500 and 2000 both have 2.7" touch screens, an MP3 player, an LED flashlight, and a speaker and microphone for recording field notes. Step up to the 2000 to add a barometric altimeter and tri-axial electronic compass, along with a 2 MP camera that geocodes photos.

CES 2008 - Conversations with Magellan

Here are a few odds and ends to report from my time at the Magellan display at CES:

• The Maestro 3270 is billed as eliminating “… the plastic bezel housing common to portable navigation devices. The result is an edge-to-edge, completely flat touch display…” But the image above shows that it doesn’t quite live up to the hype.
• Look for a Triton 1500 firmware update within the next week.
• The Maestro 3220 and 4220 units with Mexican maps were on display and should be available for sale soon.
• Tech support will move out of India, into another country that has a better grasp of American culture and language. Rumor has it landing in the Phillipines. I saw on a message board recently that the move would occur by May.

Magellan announces nine new models at CES

UPDATE: Read my Magellan Maestro 5310 review

Magellan today announced nine new models of GPS receivers. It's late and it's been a long day getting to CES, which is like a city unto itself. I'm meeting with Magellan tomorrow and will have more to say about their new releases after that. For now, here are some links to the official announcements:

• The previously mentioned Magellan Maestro Elite 5340+GPRS, which will also come in a non-GPRS model.
• The 5" wide screen Magellan Maestro 5310.
• The Maestro Elite 3270, which eliminates the plastic bezel housing for an all-screen appearance.
• And five new Magellan RoadMate models.

Magellan Maestro Elite features two-way connectivity

AP is reporting that the Magellan Maestro Elite 5340+GPRS will be announced at CES next week.  The unit will reportedly feature two-way connectivity, ala Dash Navigation, allowing users to search Google Local from the road. The reported price is $1299 with a yet to be disclosed monthly fee, with availability slated for March.

There is no mention of traffic being reported via anonymous cell phone data. Even if there were, I can't see why anyone would pay so much more for this unit than a Dash Express.

Magellan Triton 1500 - First impressions

UPDATE: Read my Magellan Triton 1500 review.

I’ve had a few days to try my new Magellan Triton 1500 and have decided to post some initial impressions, since a full review isn’t likely till after the holidays.

Cable snafu

After a stumbling introduction, Magellan seems to be going the extra mile to assist folks who received units without cables (short of moving their tech support back to the U.S.!). If you were one of the unlucky recipients of a Triton 1500 sans cable, email me at rich at makeyourownmaps dot com and I’ll try to put you in touch with someone who can help.

Hardware

The Triton 1500 fits nicely in my hand and feels solid. I like the touch screen and am finding it relatively easy to move back and forth between it and the button controls. I am not finding it necessary to use the stylus that often.

The buttons are stiff, and will take a little getting used to. They are backlit, which is a nice feature. One of the worst things I can say about the hardware at this point is that the screen isn’t that bright. You have to hold it at the proper angle to view it in sunlight, and even then it is difficult. It is nowhere near as bright as my Garmin 60CSx. I’m assuming that Magellan made compromises here to save some money and to be able to bring the unit to market at a lower price point.

Magellan Maestro 3250 review

The Magellan Maestro 3250 is one of Magellan's new thinner (0.7") line of Maestros. Like the Maestro 3210, it has a 3.5" screen, six million points of interest (POIs), pre-loaded maps of the U.S. and Canada, and the SiRFstar III chipset.

The Maestro 3250 adds to this feature set, providing Bluetooth for hands-free cell phone use, live traffic info and voice commands. It also has text-to-speech, so you'll get "turn right on Oak Street in 200 feet" rather than just "turn right in 200 feet."

To see how the 3250 compares to other units in the Maestro line, check out this Magellan Maestro comparison chart at TigerGPS.