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Product/Link:
Magellan RoadMate 700
Synopsis: With a database of US and Canadian roadways you will never get lost again.
Requirements: A car with a cigarette lighter.
Price: $1,299.99
Rating: Even better than sliced bread, but somewhat more expensive.
Comment:
Why would you spend $1,300.00 for what is basically a stack of road maps? Like so many things I suspect it boils down to convenience. This incredible little device, by using the Global Positioning System, can tell you where you are within 10 feet.
All you have to do is enter the address of your destination (touch screen) and drive. The RoadMate 700 gives you travel directions in a male or female voice. You don't have to hunt for road signs or street numbers or even look at the RoadMate's screen. Just listen for your instructions:
"Turn left in .5 miles." "You are approaching your left turn." Then a little bells sounds to tell you to turn. At the end of your trip you hear: "You are approaching your destination on the left." "You have arrived."
You have arrived indeed! But what happens if you make a wrong turn? Nothing bad. The RoadMate immediately recalculates new directions to your destination. Relax.
My wife said, "For $1,300.00 this thing better be more than your latest toy." So I started a list of ways the RoadMate could help us and you.
1) Anytime at night. My night vision ain't what it used to be.
2) Finding my son's soccer fields in adjoining towns. Oh, please!
3) Finding myself in a horrific traffic jam but being afraid to try
another route for fear of getting lost. No longer a problem.
4) Just going for a Sunday drive or visiting open houses without worrying about getting lost. You merely put in your own address to get home. Hey, it's better than dropping little stones behind you.
5) My daughter travels to horse shows all over New England.
6) I know my way from home to Harvey's hardware store in Needham and I know my way from home to Staples in Natick but I don't know the fastest way to go directly from Harvey's to Staples. (With RoadMate I do)
7) With over 2 million points of interest in the RoadMate's database you can find the nearest gas station, hospital, ATM or restaurant in no time.
8) Renting a car in another city? Don't forget to pack your RoadMate.
9) Trying to find a new golf course? I'm looking for a new swing.
10) Unlike built-in units the Magellan can be transferred to the car that needs it.
11) Know exactly where you are when the car brakes down.
Don't tell my wife but there are some downsides to the RoadMate.
1) $1,300.00!!! Perhaps, like digital cameras, the price will drop.
2) It may or may not be easy to securely mount it in your car.
3) It's got "Steal Me!" written all over it. I hide it under the seat
before leaving my car.
4) Occasionally when you turn it off only the screen shuts down leaving
the rest of the unit on. To restart it you must unplug it first.
5) To get a quicker fix on satellites pull out of your garage and
stop first before turning the unit on.
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