May 31, 2006

Magellan RoadMate 3000T review

UPDATE: The Magellan RoadMate series has been officially discontinued. For a more current model, check out our Magellan auto GPS comparison chart or our list of current Magellan receivers.

The Magellan RoadMate 3000T features built-in maps of the U.S. and Canada, a digital music player (MP3 and WMA compatible), a photo viewer and the SiRFstar III chipset. A built in li-ion rechargeable battery makes it easier to use these features away from your car. Stepping up to the Magellan 3050T adds Magellan TrafficKit™ (available as an add-on to the 3000T), which provides live traffic incident reports. A subscription is required, of course.

Compare prices on the Magellan RoadMate 3000T


Before we hear from others, here's what Amazon has to say in their Magellan RoadMate 3000T review:

"It's time to really get in the driver's seat with a new generation of vehicle navigation devices from Magellan. With a large, 3.5-inch color touch screen and buttons for one-touch access to key features, the Magellan RoadMate 3000T is intelligently designed to make GPS navigation easier than ever.

Enter an address and get turn-by-turn voice guidance, while the built-in dynamic map shows your location, destination and route in traditional or "birds-eye" 3D for a clear view of your surroundings. Touch an on-screen icon for information about nearby services and get routed there instantly. Magellan's SmartDetour technology routes you around stopped freeway traffic. And because the 3000T is traffic-ready, you can simply add the Magellan TrafficKit to get live traffic incident reports. Plus, the unit features a built-in music player, photo viewer and rechargeable battery so you can take your entertainment on the road. (Read more from Amazon's Magellan 3000T review)

Here's what others have to say about the Magellan RoadMate 3000T:

I'll be posting more hands on reviews as they appear, but in the meantime, here are some other helpful resources:

Compare prices on the Magellan RoadMate 3000T at these merchants:

From the official Magellan RoadMate 3000T web page:

Avoid traffic and get turn-by-turn voice and visual directions to virtually any destination with advanced, easy-to-use GPS navigation.

The Magellan RoadMate 3000T is intelligently designed for both right and left hand driving, making navigation easier than ever. The new industrial look compliments any vehicle and the convenient controls offer quick access to the simple menus and key features. Use the large color touch screen to enter an address or select from over 6 million pre-programmed points of interest to find nearby gas stations, restaurants, ATM's, airports and much more. Touch an on-screen point of interest icon for information about nearby services and get an instant route.

The built-in map shows your location, destination and route in traditional “birds-eye" 3D for a clear view of your surroundings. See the distance to destination, estimated time of arrival, GPS signal strength and distance and direction for the next turn all at a glance.

SmartDetourTM automatically routes you around sudden slow-downs on the freeway. Simply add Magellan TrafficKitTM to get LIVE traffic incident reports and easily avoid accidents, road work, lane reductions, severe weather conditions, road closures and more.

Plus, built-in music player, photo viewer and rechargeable battery let you take entertainment wherever you travel.

Features:

  • Easy-to-use - Quick access to features through simple touch-screen menus and keypad
  • Intelligently designed - Designed for easy right or left hand driving, with simple menus, convenient keys and a large 3.5" color touch screen, the industrial look compliments any vehicle.
  • Traffic-ready - Add Magellan TrafficKit to receive LIVE traffic incident reports and avoid accidents, road work and more. Incidents appear on screen with detailed information
  • Turn-by-turn voice and visual guidance - BE THERE™ quickly and safely
  • Built-in maps - 50 United States, US Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, Canada.
  • Bird's eye 3D view - Clearly see your surroundings
  • Digital Music Player - Play your favorite music through integrated speaker or headphones (not included)
  • Photo Viewer - View your vacation pictures while you're still on vacation
  • Rechargeable battery - Navigate and enjoy music and pictures away from your vehicle
  • Multi-destination Route Optimization - Select up to 20 destinations and optimize the most direct route between them
  • SmartDetour - Customize the settings to automatically route you around slow freeway traffic
  • Auto Re-route - Never miss a turn and quickly get back on track whenever you take a detour
  • SmartVolume™ - Turns up the speaker at 45 MPH
  • Auto night view - Adjusts color and contrast for easy night viewing
  • QuickSpell™ - Easily enter addresses with unique auto-complete feature
  • Complete mobility - Transfer to any vehicle with no installation
  • Over 6 million points of interest (POI) - Easily find gas stations, restaurants, ATMs, airports, parks and more
  • Interactive POI icons - Touch an onscreen icon for a nearby destination; see phone number and get an instant route
  • Customizable route method - Shortest time, shortest distance, least use or most use of freeways, avoid toll roads
  • Route exclusion - Select street or freeways to avoid
  • 4 easy views - Map View, Bird's eye 3D map, TrueView™ split screen, Maneuver List
  • Address Book - Create and store personal points of interest for easy reoccurring trips
  • Instant locate - One touch shows your location; quickly advise roadside assistance or emergency services

Related posts:

May 31, 2006 11:42:00 PM | GPS Reviews, Hardware, Magellan

2 Comments

Bill Rusk

No complaints with the Magellan RoadMate 3000T itself, but upgrading software proved impossible. After delivery of the v2 upgrade, could not install it because the installation kept rejecting the "Authorization Code." After 8 calls and speaking with very poorly English speaking Indians, I have finally given up. Each promised to email me the correct authorization within "24-48" hours, but, alas, after 6 weeks, still no email or authorization code. Attemp at calling California headquarters office for help ended after going into long voicemail hell. Could never reach a human. Bottom line: Don't purchase a Magellan if you ever want to upgrade the mapping software.

Posted by: Bill Rusk | December 21, 2007 at 05:48 PM

Rich Owings

Thanks Bill. Good advice.

Posted by: Rich Owings | December 21, 2007 at 08:34 PM

The comments to this entry are closed.

NEXT POST
GPS in the competitive marketplace Strategy Analytics has released a report entitled "Portable Navigation: Vendors Face Consolidation and Automotive Fightback." Electronic News has an article on this report about the GPS marketplace that says: "The firm concludes that investment and competitive pressures are also expected to drive consolidation among portable navigation vendors in the next 12 months." All Points Blog's read on the report is that cell phones are going to eat into market share for portable/personal navigation device (PND) manufacturers. I've got a couple of comments on this. First of all, I read an article this weekend (which I wish I could find and link to) that said that U.S. consumers, unlike others around the world, are dissatisfied with overly complicated cell phones. Do they really want their phone to be their PND? And how long will it take the providers to come up with an intuitive interface that isn't a pain in the butt? I'm not buying the fact that cell phones are going to hurt Garmin, TomTom and Magellan. Not anytime soon. The Electronic News article goes on to say: "There are now indications that portable navigation device (PND) growth is slowing, and the demand from the smaller but highly significant segment...
PREVIOUS POST
UPDATE: Two fatalities in GPS treasure hunt Updating yesterday's story entitled "Two fatalities in GPS treasure hunt," I was able to glean this information from Bakersfield.com, the website of the Bakersfield Californian: "Two GPS treasure hunters were killed sometime over the Memorial Day weekend when their four-wheel-drive vehicle struck the side of a canyon wall near Onyx and they veered over a 900-foot, granite-ribbed cliff... ...The two men had been participating in an organized cross-country treasure hunt, believed to have originated in San Bernardino County, using global positioning system coordinates, according to the CHP. Typically in such competitions, participants locate a hidden marker, then move on to the next item on their checklist... ...Based on debris and skid marks at the scene, investigators believe the men, driving westbound on Cook Peak Road in a 1991 Jeep Cherokee, struck the side of the canyon wall and then veered back across the road and over the side of the west embankment. The cliff is lined with granite boulders, and as the Jeep tumbled 900 feet to the bottom, it was crushed." So the GPS did not lead them off the cliff, despite the previously cited headline -- GPS game: Men drive off cliff, die." There is no evidence that...

Rich Owings

The Typepad Team

Search

Recent Comments