15. Installing the Magellan RoadMate Tools PC Application Software

The Magellan RoadMate Tools Application CD includes software that allows you to connect your 6000T to your PC and manage custom POI's, photos, and music. Installing the software is straight forward, although currently there is no Mac support.

Figure 37: Moving files from the PC to the RoadMate 6000T is easy enough, No complaints here, although I really don't use my GPS for photos or MP3 playing, but I know some people like these features.

Figure 38: The custom POI manager is a nice tool that makes it relatively easy to enter custom points of interest into the RoadMate.

16. Integrated Real-Time Traffic

The RoadMate 6000T includes real-time traffic capabilities. To get traffic data on the MRM 6000T you will need to activate a traffic subscription. The unit includes a free 3-month subscription. When the subscription is close to expiring, the 6000T will prompt you to renew the subscription, which can be done at www.magellanGPS.com.

Once you have a valid activation code for enabling traffic, you access the TMC Options menu within the Nav Options Menu (Main Menu -> Navigation Options -> Subscriptions -> New Subscription).

According to Magellan, the RDS (Radio Data System) traffic service can receive information about:

• Slow Traffic
• Lane Reduction
• Road Work
• Accident
• Road Closed
• Severe Weather
• Special Equipment Requirements (i.e. snow tires or chains required)
• Vehicle Related Restrictions

Next you need to tell the MRM 6000T what to do with the data. In Alert Mode, the information is just displayed but no actions are taken. In Re-Routing Mode the unit will reroute you if a traffic event impacts the route, and a faster alternative route is available.

In order to use the traffic data on the 6000T, it's important to understand how Magellan has implemented the service:

1. You can enable and disable TMC event categories. By default, all categories are enabled.
2. Selected TMC events will either alert and/or re-route you depending on the operating mode.
3. All selected event categories will be displayed on the map screen in the form of traffic event icons.
4. If you are not routing to a destination, the RDS function will only display TMC events on the map screen.

When you are in the Re-routing Mode, the following will occur whenever a TMC event that affects
your route is received:

• A “Re-calculating the route” message will pop up on the screen along with the reason for the re-calculation (i.e. accident).
• Once the 6000T has computed an alternative route, it will compare the alternative route with the original route, and will decide which is the best route to follow, taking time and distance into consideration.
• If the original route is still the best one to follow, the route will be unchanged, and the time portion of the status bar will be updated to reflect the delay. In this case you will see the event in the maneuvers list when you get closer to its location.
• If the alternative route is the best route to follow, the Magellan RoadMate will start guiding you along this route.
• The map screen will also show road signs corresponding to TMC events, including those not affecting the route.
• Events that affect your route will also appear as road signs in the maneuver list.

Overall I found the implementation of traffic data on the Magellan RoadMate 6000T more complex than on other GPS units, such as the Garmin StreetPilot c550. The 6000T is a powerful GPS with many options, but configuring and using traffic data definitely requires reading the manual. By comparison, if the Garmin StreetPilot c550 detects a traffic-related problem along your route, it simply pops up a message that says a better route has been detected, and asks if you want to use the alternate route instead.

17. Bluetooth

Figure 39: Pressing the Phone button on the 6000T brings up the Bluetooth menu.

Pairing my Bluetooth enabled cell phone to the RoadMate 6000T was pretty simple: the first time you enter the BlueTooth menu (by pressing the phone icon on the unit), the MRM 6000T automatically enters "pairing mode" looking for a Bluetooth enabled phone.

Once the phone is connected to the 6000T, you have access to your address book, and can place and receive calls through the 6000T. My only real complaint with the Bluetooth / Hands-Free Calling implementation is that the menu (shown above) only displays icons. The icons are nicely designed, but it's still not always clear what each button does: I would have liked to see both an Icon as well as a small text description of the button.

18. Music Player and Photo Viewer

I'm not a big fan of listening to music or viewing pictures on my GPS, but I know it's a feature many consumers want and the MRM 6000T has both.

To access the music player, you press the Menu key and then select "Music Player". The MRM 6000T supports mp3 and WMA music formats. In order to listen to music, you must first install the Magellan RoadMate Tools CD and transfer the music files onto an SD card using the Magellan RoadMate Music Manager.

Once the music is transferred onto the memory card, entering the music menu will bring up the music player control pad:

Figure 40: The Music Player Menu. From here you can play individual songs, create playlists, set the unit to repeat, normal, or random play mode, and other basic music playback functions.

The Photo Viewer functions much the same way. You transfer the photos onto the MRM 6000T via the PC tools first, then you view the pictures via the photo menu.

Figure 41: Transferring Photos onto the MRM 6000T

19. The Good

• SiRF Star III Receiver makes for outstanding GPS performance
• NAVTEQ Mapping data
• Nice having physical buttons as well as the touch screen
• Physical volume control
• Inclusion of a Mute Button
• Magellan's Locate feature is handy
• Windshield mount is much improved over previous generations of RoadMate mounting hardware
• Well thought out map view. Shows lots of information in an intuitive way
• Maneuvering List view is useful
• Easy to force the unit to re-calculate or cancel a route
  

20. The Bad

• Awkward placement of zoom buttons makes unit hard to handle
• Design wastes a lot of space - screen could be larger or area around the screen could be smaller
• Easy to lose rubber cap that covers the 16-pin connector on the bottom of the unit
• Confusing power on/off procedure
• Overall the unit isn't particularly good looking
• More complex to operate than similarly priced offering from Garmin or TomTom
• Slightly sluggish to operate
• 3D aspect ratio is too steep
• Multi-destination routing is confusing to use
• Poor quality text-to-speech (compared to TomTom or Garmin)
• Cannot route to lat/long coordinates (without using pc software to save a custom POI)
• Integrated traffic features are more complex than competitor's
• Icons-only Bluetooth menu is cryptic
• Instructions manual is overly complex; Magellan's fantastic UI is getting cluttered with too many features that feel like after thoughts rather than well integrated additions. I'd rather see less features and simpler UI

21. Conclusion

The Magellan 6000T left me feeling slightly disappointed. It does everything it's supposed to fairly well, but it just feels utilitarian. Where's the innovation and passion that once made Magellan the undisputed king of GPS navigation? Magellan used to be my favorite GPS maker (back in the days of the 750NAV and RoadMate 700). But the UI is getting cluttered, and it feels like features are making their way into the system without a lot of thought on how to integrate them in an intuitive way.

The 6000T does have a lot of useful features that other units don't have. But the once elegant and simple UI is now cluttered and complex. You used to be able to buy a Magellan automotive GPS, give it to your mom, and tell her just to turn it on and it would be obvious how to operate it. That's definitely not the case on the 6000T. You need to read the manual and get familiar with the 6000T before you can really use it properly.

Given the RoadMate 6000T's price point of around $500, unless the 6000T has specific features you can't live without, I'd recommend either the Garmin nuvi 360, Garmin StreetPilot c550, or Magellan's RoadMate 2200T instead. Also, magellan has moved to a new form factor. The RoadMate 2000 and 2200T and CrossoverGPS all use the new style. The 6000T isn't technically end-of-life yet, but it's a pretty safe bet it will be soon.

Don't get me wrong, the 6000T is a decent GPS, but it's not a groundbreaking product. Magellan used to set the playing field for GPS navigation -- these days they're just trying to stay in the game. Magellan was recently acquired by Shah Capital Partners. Thales Navigation, Magellan's previous owner, let Magellan die a slow and under-funded death. Here's to hoping SCP can breathe some new life into the once great Magellan.