Flech

Excellent write up as always and I think you covered most of the pros and cons of this new and improved Magellan RoadMate 1470 units.

Something's you did miss is the Smart City search help you quickly enter addresses and narrow your address and city searches, making destination entry easy! It will sort by the nearest city to your GPS location and also remembers the most frequently visited cities and bring those up first.

You noted that there are 6 Million Points of interest but that is not the case here anymore, Magellan list Millions of POI's but it is no longer 6 M POI's.

Gone is the simulation mode which is not a big feature for most, but it's nice to show someone how a PND functions in a simulation mode, and this is no longer available also.

The patented Magellan chime or bell before each turn execution is a wonderful tool, it's another way to remind the user to make the turn just before the intersection or corner. This is a feature that is not found in any other PND units.

The Trip computer option have been removed also, no more keeping track of business trips mileage etc although most of the time they were not accurate anyways.

With AAA tourbook, I am sure they are make up for some of the missing POI's up. Show your card and save is a big help also for those that are patronizing stores that are giving discounts to AAA members.

Lane assist is very nice feature that is not normally found in the lower cost PND units, this should be highlighted along with the TTS which is probably the two most sort after features nice to POI and accuracy in routing.

You did not perform a GPS test, TTFF, map matching etc. Why?

We noticed you a;sp did not perform the normal routing comparison that you normally do when you review a PND unit. Magellan bringing back the least use of Freeway routing option is a great improvement since that feature was removed with the Magellan Maestro 4350 / 4370 unit utilizing the Nav N Go back end software.

The traffic feature you did not test, it's a hit and miss deal much like most traffic service, I guess it's better than not having any traffic service but is not perfect by far. And you did not mentioned the advertisement that pops up and stays up while the traffic receiver is receiving traffic signal for long duration of time. The Garmin PND traffic ads normally pops up during stops, the Magellan product tent to stay on for longer duration of time while vehicle is in motion.

The street names follows the flow/direction of the street instead of all the street name being display horizontally which could be confusing sometimes. This has been improved over the pervious model from the RoadMate 1430 or the Maestro 4250 units. The text size is also larger.

This unit does not require the user to switch map regions which is a big help, the #1 question we have from users is when someone else switch the region lets say from lower 48 to Alaska or Puerto Rico, Hawaii, Canada etc that they can't find their address or streets, this all inclusive region detail mapping feature is a big help.

The ability of seeing Elevation, Direction, Speed and Time when not routing and ETA, Time remaining, Direction, Speed, and Distant to Destination can be viewed at the lower left corner.

The refresh rate and redraw rate is far superior than some of the competition models.

You didn't mentioned that the unit can be updated with maps of Mexico and in the future other countries, this feature allows world travel with a Magellan unit and this has not been the case since the Magellan RoadMate 700/760 or RoadMate 800/860.

I have been testing this RoadMate 1470 unit against the Maestro 4350, 4250, RoadMate 1430 and the Nuvi 765T. Interesting results and maybe you should perform this test also.

The 4.7' screen is fantastic, it is bright under sunlight and the audio quality is much better than the older Maestro 4350/4370 units.This unit is not much larger than the Maestro 4350 but thinner, it is truly a thinner better design that feels very solid in your hand.

The Bluetooth, 3D buildings, Pedestrian mode, Voice command features that are missing on the RoadMate is to differentiate the product lines of Maestro and RoadMate. Much like Garmin lower end Nuvi 2x5 compare to the Nuvi 8x5 units. I am sure that these features will show up on the next model of Maestro units Magellan offers in the near future.

My personal opinion is that Magellan introduce a real winner here with this Affordable priced for a feature rich PND products such as this Magellan RoadMate 1470, this unit is very worthy of the price they are asking for. I think it's a great deal and the end user wins with this product!

I can go on for pages like you Fletch, but this is your forum and I am just here to help so hope you don't mind.

Great review as always, thank you again

GPS4ME aka PND4ME

Forgot one thing Fletch

I can understand you endorse Amazon.com over local retailers, well kind off but your price is way off the mark and I don't think Amazon.com needs any help like us small retailers.

This unit sells for $229 and probably will be in the $200 range by most retailers and you listed it on your review as $299 which is not a good reflection on price vs features.

Can you make this correction pleases and don't forget your friends that are watching your back also.

GPS4ME aka PND4ME

Hello

Excellent review, i'm trying to stay in the $200-$300 price range for GPS units, should I go for this GPS or wait til the new Navigons come out? Also, is there a category in the Restaurant POI for Indian food? I know for a fact that none of the Garmin Nuvi's hav a category for Indian restaurants, it all falls under Asian which is too broad, considering the fact that most major cities have TONS of chinese restaurants and few Indian places. Thanks!

So would you recommend this unit over a Garmin 265WT? I've been leaning toward the Garmin but held off ordering it when this came out....have been waiting for reviews and comments to come out on this one.

Very intrigued with this unit. Looking for hands-on experience and also PND4ME's comments on his comparisons of this and the others he mentions.

One more question, does the 1470 have the latest maps? I'm assuming they're the 2009 maps. I'm really leaning forward towards this one!

I do not see any means to change the starting point for a trip to anything other than the current GPS position. This can be very useful in planning a future trip. The Magellan Maestro 4350 does have this feature. Also, all three of the GPS units that I currently own (Garmin Nuvi 200, Amcor 3900, and Lowrance Iway 250C) have this feature. I currently use this feature a lot.

Also, it would be nice if you could save and load Multi-Destination trips (via user assigned trip names). The Maestro 4350 and Iway 250C both have this feature.

I bought the device and Im very hapy with it. The hardware is super light and has a huge screen, is probably half of the weight of any Garmin.

There are 2 features that I really love, the AAA Guide, is like having a concierge in your hands, its a lot of information that really make a difference.

The routing options is just above and beyond anything that I could ask.

I had prevously owned a Garmin and is over rated

Should I get this or the Garmin Nuvi 755T? I don't need bluetooth. I live in a small state-South Carolina. I want a GPS with lane assist, free traffic updates for life, excellent routing capabilities, and text to speech.

Route optimization is optional, but nice to have.

The Nuvi 755T costs a lot more but it has route optimization and the traffic receiver is built in instead of separate. It also has 3-D buildings with the lane assist.

On the other hand, the Magellan 1470 is a lot cheaper and it comes with a free traffic receiver if bought from Amazon before April 30. I don't think it has route optimization or 3D buildings. But, it does have AAA POIs, which seems pretty cool..

Its a tough decision for me..what do y'all think??

Well, Verdict says "Best Magellan GPS Yet", but what about it compared to other GPS Devices around there ? Didn't any one notice that the "CONS" it has are of severe nature! How is the performance compared to Navigon 7200T and Garmin 265WT/765T?

As per review, it has "poor" night map due to stupid menu colors, "poor" mounting design flaw

Slow "Route Calculation"

Different Voice that speaks "Trun Left In " than "Potter Road" for example!

Large and Ugly Power Adapter!

No Stand By Mode. Sp every time, it has to be "started" of the "cold start"

No QWERTY Keyboard

Speed Limit not display on the Map

Slow "Name-Based" POI Search

So what remains! I think it has enough to make a common user cry!

Can you upload your own POI files to it?

As far as I know (from personal experience), no. However, I am currently still attempting to hack them in some how... So if someone came up with the solution, please help me out.

Fletch,

Is there an Auto-Zoom feature to automatically Zoom-In the map as you approach a turn in the route?

For a Multi-Destination route, is the ETA (displayed in the lower left corner of the map) for the next Stop (or Via) in the trip or for the Final Destination?

Hi,

I'm considering both the Magellan 1470 and the Garmin nuvi 265wt and for the life of me I can't decide between the two. I really like the AAA listings on the Magellan, but I'm not as fond of the map, and I've heard the traffic assist is better on the Garmin. I'd use the bluetooth, but if I didn't have it (Magellan) I wouldn't miss it. Anybody have any advice?

ok, so 1470 is much lighter, slimmer. what about usabilities compare with garmin 265wt?? anyone can help me?

ok, so Magellan 1470 is much lighter, slimmer. what about usabilities compare with garmin 265wt?? anyone can help me?

Figure 42 shows button for 'Search Near Current Position" but you list the search as "Near Destination, Near City, Near Address". Near Destination needs to be changed to "Near Current Position".

Amazon dropped the price down on the 1470 to $199.99

I have been using it and Im very happy. I read some comments on this board saying that route calculation is slow. I have to say that is a bit slower, but it calculates 4 routes at a time, so you can compare them and decide which way you want to go.

The boot time is around 30 seconds, vs 22 of a Garmin...I don't mind the extra 8 seconds.

Regards

How could this be so wonderful, and yet have NO 3D MAPS???!?

Such a basic display option is completely overlooked. Even though all the press releases and advertisements state it is there, it only has 2D North Up and 2D Track Up - it does not have 3D maps...kind of makes me wonder how the Lane Assist can be even remotely useful in a 2D mode. I found this to be true on the unit I just got, and Magellan tech support confirmed it. I'm surprised this is being missed in all these reviews.

Well, back to Amazon it goes.

Uh, it has 3D mapping

I just bought one this morning at Amazon. Can't wait to start using it.

Traveling Man

"How could this be so wonderful, and yet have NO 3D MAPS???!?

Such a basic display option is completely overlooked. Even though all the press releases and advertisements state it is there, it only has 2D North Up and 2D Track Up - it does not have 3D maps...kind of makes me wonder how the Lane Assist can be even remotely useful in a 2D mode. I found this to be true on the unit I just got, and Magellan tech support confirmed it. I'm surprised this is being missed in all these reviews."

This 1470 unit does include the 3D map view option. The 2D north up or heading up is only a selection if you do not wish to use the 3D.

To view 3D map, all you have to do is touch the map screen and an option of 2D or 3D map option button will appear at the bottom left of the screen.

Once you selected the 3D maps it will show 3D maps until you select 2D heading up or 2D North Up.

Don't blame the manufacturer for our own limited knowledge.

GPS4ME aka PND4ME

Also, if you are wondering why Magellan chose to make available the 2D or 3D option on the map screen and not on the settings menu.
The reason is so one does not have to visit the setup menu each time you wish to view the map in different mode.
2D offers paper map view and shows the street names better and 3D mode is better during routing to view what's ahead of you further.

Good Luck

Great review. I purchased a 1470 recently and am greatly impressed with this unit. Very easy and intuitive to use. Actually, it was the intuitive navigation and excellent graphics that sold me on the unit. Does anyone know if Magellan plans on including the functionality of uploading POIs in the future, or if any of their previous units feature this function?

Also, does anyone know if Magellan creates their own graphics or is it outsourced? I've started up my own graphics/software company and as stated I was really impressed with what Magellan put out here. Anyone have any idea how I could find that information out?

Thanks!

I now own the 1470. I just got it on Saturday and this is Sunday. There are some things I would like to have but I knew in advance that they would not be there. It is a little slow to recalculate a missed turn compared to my Roadmate 760 and 860. The thing I don't like so far is the mount. Not the stupid placement of the power cord. I knew about that. I have a Navmat and a dash that tilts up a little. Using the Navmat I can't tilt the GPS down enough to not get glare. The dial gets in the way. However, I may be able to use one of the mounts from my old Roadmate 800. I am still looking at that. That mount tilts down a lot more. I seems loud enough in my Convertible. I would have liked to show more information on the screen at the same time. Like ETA and direction at the same time.
I like it so far. I am only hesitant because the 4350 is almost the same price now. However, I heard that the 1470 is more stable.

I just got the 1470 on Thursday. The power button is very tempermental. It always powers down the first time you hit the power button, but it takes several attempts at times to get it to power on. Having Amazon send me a replacement today.
Mike

Another Mike here. Mine locked up the very first time I tried to power down. No issues since then.

So far the only other problem is U turns. This so far has only happened at the start of a route. I am in a parking lot and I have to proceed to route. OK, no problem there. Then when I am at the intersection out of the lot. It is a left turn and straight to my destination. However, the 1470 says turn right then make a U turn. It has done the same thing at 2 different locations. The intersections have been there for at least 15 years, so there is nothing new there. So far I have only noticed that from a parking lot. I wrote Magellan to let them know. (As if that will help).

Magellan RoadMate 1470 review and first impression by GPS4ME

My first impression of this unit is without reservations or doubt this unit by far is one of the better GPS unit offered by Magellan. One must ask how Magellan can offer so much at a price that is so reasonable. What RoadMate features has been eliminated for this new Magellan RoadMate 1470? Answer: Nothing, Magellan gave us everything at a price that is unbelievable!

The NEW Magellan RoadMate 1470 offered at a price of less than $239 and is currently the best value for your dollar. This full feature Portable Navigation Device offers all the features you will need to route from point A to Point B anywhere in North America, Puerto Rico and even Mexico if you select to purchase the optional unlock code for this expandable GPS device. Magellan have introduced the most affordable full feature GPS currently available and I feel they have accomplished this successfully.

The Magellan RoadMate 1470 offers so much more, it is BIGGER, Thinner, Smarter and faster than all the older GPS system offered by Magellan at a competitive price similar to the older RoadMate units. Currently this MRM 1470 is the lowest GPS priced available that offers a large 4.7” display with full features including full map coverage of NA map and expandable to Mexico and future Europe maps loaded in a Micro SD card as an option.

How is this entire GPS product possible at the price it is selling for? It offers a much bigger display, 4.7” diagonally and yet the overall physical size is slimmer than a GPS that offers a 4.3” display. It includes smarter features such as OneTouch, quick spell, smart city search, this unit will find street address or POI you are looking for much faster than what is currently available on the GPS market.

This unit is Faster, and have the ability to search through the entire NA map data base without having to select different map regions such as Canada, Alaska, Mexico to start a route, it covers the entire NA mapping software in one region so one would not have to fumble around switching regions to route to a destination that is not in the lower 48 states.

These RoadMate 1470 also calculates a route much faster and offers not one route but 4 different route options. Route options such as Fastest time, Shortest distant, Most use of freeway and Least use of freeway all presented to you on the display map when you select to view the route options.

This will not limit the user to only view the route the unit recommends the user to take but at the same time it will display all available routing options. User has the option of selecting different routing method or to view all the available routes on one[ display screen at the same time.

This Magellan RoadMate 1470 is Thinner and a more attractive GPS unit over all. It is almost the thickness of an iPhone yet offers much larger display in almost the same size form factor as the older Magellan Maestro 4250/4350/4370 units.

This new generation of Magellan GPS systems is also Smart enough to not only detour at a specific selected distant such as by 3 miles, 5 miles and 9 miles if one wish to bypass a certain stretch of road or highways that is on the route under detour option, but one can also selectively detour one segment of the route by selecting the street or highway you wish to avoid. This type of flexibility offer the user the ultimate customizable routing option available on some selective higher price GPS products, and this type of features may not be found on some affordable lower end competitive GPS products currently available on the market.

Unlike some similar competitive GPS units that require you to pre-plan a route on a computer and input the routes you wish to take to customize your route. The multiple route destination feature list allows user to plan a trips or destinations one after another in advance, this unit can store multiple routing destination from one destination to the next in advance, and this can aid the driver from having to input each address they wish to go as they reach each destination one at a time.

The route optimization feature option offers even more benefit to users, it will optimize your multiple route destinations by distant and time, this feature offers the most efficient way to calculate multiple routes to ALL of your selected destination starting from the nearest address to the furthest without you having to figure it out on a paper map or on a computer. This type of advance multiple destinations routing feature is found mostly on more expensive higher end GPS units.

The OneTouch feature revolutionized the industry by allowing user to quickly find the destination without having to fumble through address book or points of interest category and fields, without having to select cities, streets and numbers, it is truly a OneTouch feature that allows user to quickly and efficiently route to their most visited or desired POI or addresses quickly.
This feature is by far one of Magellan best offering to eliminate the need to hunt for certain locations you can simply store most used POI such as the brand of gas station you use like Chevron or Shell, the coffee house by brand such as Starbucks coffee or Peets coffee, banks, ATM, rental car facilities, airports etc. This OneTouch feature enable user to only find the nearest brand of POI you wish to patronize and will not display ALL irrelevant brand of the gas stations or coffee houses near you when you select the OneTouch feature. This option reduces a lot of time for sorting out unwanted contents.

AAA Tourbook option enable user not only to view the many AAA approved Hotels and Restaurants by diamonds rating and where one knows it is safe to patronize, but it allows additional TourBook Destinations such as Attractions, Events such as Art and Wine festivals, and city sponsored events such as Harvest Festival Art and Craft, Santa Cruz Clam Chowder Cook-off among many other events that is available.
This type of benefits was only available to AAA members in the past and now with these new Magellan RoadMate GPS systems, they are including this benefit with all their GPS units.

The AAA Category option also offers Approved AAA Auto Repair recommendations as a benefit. AAA hold their approved AAA auto repair facilities to a much higher standard, and they oversee any complaints or dispute issues that may arise from any auto repair facilities that is AAA approved. Should their AAA customers be dissatisfied with their car repair, AAA will interject and help mediate and resolve complaints. AAA may act as a mediator to resolve any differences between an AAA approved repair facility and their customers. Most of the time you will find AAA will side with the consumer and request the repair facility to resolve any disputes or complaints. This benefit is extremely useful considering if you are traveling in unfamiliar locations and your vehicle should happen to need repair, you would wish to participate with an AAA approved auto repair facility.

The Tourbook also offer a guide to Nearest Campgrounds, this is a great points of interest category to include for outdoor type users.

The final offer unfortunately is only for AAA members that carry an AAA membership card. For all AAA members, they offer a member ship discount benefits aka Show Your Card and Save. This benefit allow AAA member to save as little as $1 off to 10-20% off on many services and merchandizes including restaurants, saving from company such as UPS stores savings up to 15% on copies, faxes, mailboxes etc and 5% on shipping or save from truck rentals such as Penske Truck Rental from 10% for local rentals and 12% on one-way rentals.
Theme park discounts, hair cut discounts, vision care discounts to discounts to sporting events, the list just keeps going. This type of benefits is very worthwhile if one was to decide to make a road trip or go on a vacation. These benefits are also great from someone that is driving all the time.

Disclaimer: I am in no way affiliated with AAA but I have been an AAA member for many years and enjoy the savings they have to offer. Remember to enjoy these show your card and save benefits, one must be an AAA member or be with a friend that is an AAA member.

This new Magellan RoadMate 1470 is bigger, slimmer and it is also smarter. For those of us that have a difficult time spelling out street names and Cities in Hawaii or Puerto Rico, names like Kaneohe or Wahiawa in the State of Hawaii, one may have difficult time guessing how to spell the city name.

With the Magellan RoadMate and the smart city search feature, it will display the City name as you type in a few letters on the spell screen, and also will blank out the letters that is not associated with any cities making it easier to find the city of your choice. If you are near the city you are searching for, the name of the city will pop up first which makes it easier for you to find surrounding cities near your location. This Smart City Search is an excellent feature to aid anyone in spelling cities or street names. The Quick Spell street name search functions similarly that it only offers alphabets letters of available street names and will blank out letters that are not associated with any street name in that city. This enable the user to narrow down the search unlike many competitive units that requires the user to type in the full name before it can determine if it is available or not.

Audio quality provides louder speaker volume output. One of the biggest complaints as to portable GPS systems are the audio output is never loud enough. This new Magellan RoadMate 1470 outperforms in sound volume than the higher end Magellan Maestro’s 4250 and 4350/4370’s. So if volume is a concern to you, this would be the unit for you. If you drive a loud/noisy vehicle such as a large SUV, truck or a convertible, you may wish to consider this GPS model.

The Magellan RoadMate 1470 Text size is physically larger making it easier for vision impaired user to see the input keys.

One feature that is very helpful is now the unit will display the ETA on the POI menu when you select a category and POI, this will allow user to understand what the approximate ETA will be to route to the POI user selected.

The Exit POI is a very a nice feature that allows users to know what Gas Stations, Hotels, and Restaurants etc that are available in the up coming exit while routing on freeways and highways.

This unit being offered at less than $239 includes the latest and freshest mapping software version 35 which is Q308 mapping software from NavTeq. The average map update cost these days is $49-$79 and considering all the new features this Magellan RoadMate 1470 unit has to offer, it’s a bargain and the intelligent solution to keep your GPS fresh and up to date.

Remember when you buy these new model GPS units, also includes the 1 year factory warranty.

Lane Assist feature is new to Magellan on the RoadMate product lines. Again this type of advance features are normally offered in higher end PND products. Lane assist enable user to know well in advance what highway or freeway lane they should be in before the exit. This feature is extremely helpful in cities such as Los Angeles that have multiple freeway interchanges, exits and entrances that could easily confuse any driver, with the lane assist feature, the user will be knowledgeable as to which lane and exit they need to take before it is too late. This by far is one of the more desirable feature much like Text to Speech, it keeps the driver better inform as the routes the GPS is directing the driver to take.

The famous patented Magellan Chime/ Bell just-in-time warning feature offers a warning such as “ding-ding” just before the execution. This warning feature allows the user not only to be sure that they are asked to take the turn or exit at the right time, but that they are taking the correct turn and not the street before or after.
Too often on short city streets that a warning such as left turn on 3rd street may not be enough if you are in heavy traffic and focusing on the heavy city traffic on the road, sometimes street signs are not easily found and the bell chime confirms that you should make an immediate turn after the chime offer user another level of confirmation.

By far the Magellan RoadMate 1470 offers the most warning of any GPS units, on a normal freeway exit, it will announce 2 miles before the exit, 1 mile before the exit, .5 miles before the exit, .2 miles before the exit and the warning chime just before the exit. On shorter city streets it may only announce .2 of a mile left turn on 3rd street and the bell chime will sound off just before the necessary turn. And if the warning is not enough, you can always select the repeat audio command feature to hear the distant count down if you are unsure when you are going to make the turn.
You may ask yourself how this warning feature is different than most other GPS systems currently available. Most competing GPS products may only announce left turn ahead and you may have 2 streets one after another and will have to confirm by taking your eyes off the road and reconfirm via map screen which is not the safest way to navigate in a busy city. Magellan has the right solution by offer both Text to Speech and bell warning chime Just-In-Time before the turn. This is something that is a feature that is much desired and not found in competing GPS products.

Traffic Information, if you are a heavy commuter and requires as much traffic information as possible, you may consider the Magellan RoadMate 1470 offers free lifetime traffic service with the optional traffic receiver. This is a necessary feature to have if you are spending a lot of time on the freeway or highways.

Overview: Bigger, Thinner, Smarter, and Faster. This Magellan RoadMate 1470 is currently the only FULL feature we can find at less than $239 and we feel for a portable navigation device that includes a large 4.7” display, OneTouch patented feature, Text To Speech, Lane Assist, AAA TourBook, millions of points of interest, 2D-3D views map display with a loud audio output speaker is the only intelligent choice for educated consumer to consider. This is the unit that we recommend for the consumer that is looking for the right product at a great price without sacrificing a lot of the advance features currently available on the market today.

No GPS unit is without its limitations, this unit lacks some of the features such as Voice Recognition, BlueTooth, MP3 player, Picture Viewer, Pedestrian mode, ability to route to Lat/Long coordinates, and the DC power cord mount is not user friendly since it interferences with the windshield mount and there is no real way to remove the unit from the mount using one hand.

There appears to be a slightly longer boot up time than most GPS, approximately 3-40 seconds which feels long when the average units boots up in about 10-15 seconds.

Although there are tons of new POI's, there are some older POIs that are missing for whatever reason I am not sure, but the POI seems to be different not necessary a lot more but just more new categories.

Over all, this unit is highly recommended for the features it has to offer, the sturdy routing and the Magellan legendary ease of use.

This review is presented by GPS4ME aka PND4ME Auto Nav 2000 Plus, Inc / Auto Nav Direct.

First impression, review, or press release?

You havn't noticed this strange behaviour coming out of parking lots? Telling me to turn right and make a U turn as opposed to turning left. That's the only strange thing I have noticed so far.
P.S. I like your review. It isn't often that there are good things said about Magellan.

I received the replacement unit from Amazon yesterday. My original complaint was that it was difficult to get the unit to power on. The replacement one is even worse. You have to keep playing with the slide switch to get it to power up.
I am having a third one sent today. I see no reviews on this issue. Is it me or what?
Mike

I had a problem with mine (from Amazon) the first time I used it and tried to shut it down. No issues since. I would expect a firmware update relatively soon.

Have not noticed any problem or delay in powering up the unit, takes about 1/2 minute (not a big deal to me). The unit is gorgeous and certainly one of the easiest to read and program, plus the navigation is spot on, a terrific value at this price point.

I have not tried to mount it to the windshield because I ordered it with the Nav-Mat from Amazon.com and it is a solid piece of work, no skidding or sliding on the dash of my expedition, and easy to hide when leaving the car.

The traffic link worked as advertised, but not sure it is a must have piece of equipment, but hey I got it for free so I am using it.

Much to my surprise the lane assist with traffic signs was working in my rural area, I expected it in the Metropolitan area of Seattle, but it was working in farm country as well. Very handy feature.

I am completely satisfied with my purchase and the only con is having to plug in the power cord after mounting the unit, but really with the Nav-Mat it is much less a chore as I can simply place in in my lap turn it up on its side and plug it in.

I also have a Navmat. My problem is my dashboard tilts up a little. So the GPS is facing too far up. That is a problem with the convertible. We are working on a fix for that now.

"I also have a Navmat. My problem is my dashboard tilts up a little. So the GPS is facing too far up. That is a problem with the convertible. We are working on a fix for that now."

Try purchasing a horse shoe type dash mount with the front of the mount is open, you will be able to use this model to mount the Magellan RoadMate 1470 easier.

Available at autonavdirect under accessories - mounts

Thanks, I looked at that mount. I don't think that solves the problem. The problem is that the Magellan GPS mount does not tilt down low enough. Not the viewing area. Actualy, that mount would have helped when I had the Tom Tom. Not for this one. Actually, my wife made a little bean bag for me. It goes on the back bottom of the Nav Mat. it is horseshoe shape. It tilts it just enough for me.

The review says that the 1470 "has the same excellent routing options as the Maestro [4350]" ... but they're not the same. The 1470 offers fastest, shortest, most freeways, and least freeways, whereas the 4350 offers fastest, shortest, economical (a balance between fastest and shortest, if a slightly slower route will knock off a noticeable amount of mileage), and simple (fewer turns).

My brief experience with the 1470 is that I like the bigger screen, and also that the speaker is better compared to the 4350, but the 4350 seems to function better as a GPS. It's much faster in acquiring a signal and also in updating the directions if you make a U-turn or take a wrong turn. The 4350 is also more clear in giving directions. For example, if a road has both a name and a route number, generally, the 4350 will tell you both, whereas the 1470 only tells you one or the other. When you come up to the turn, the 4350 will more specifically say something like "take the next right" or "take the second left" which I like. The 1470 doesn't have that kind of prompting. The units really are quite different in many ways.

Remember that the 1470 is an affordable solution at $199 and the 4350 is a higher end model offered first at $399.
The software that drives the 4350 is by Nav N Go and not ALL Magellan, it has the Magellan front end but the Nav N Go back end and there was issues such as not having the bell chime, unable to tell which side of the street the final destination is on, there are a few great features but there are also some limitations with the unit.

The ONE thing that no one has commented on is the fresh maps version 35 which is much fresher than the older Magellan 4350/4370 map. And the speaker volume is no comparison in my opinion. If you wish to update your map for your 4350/4370 when it comes available, Just the map update will cost you $79.99 so you are really buying this unit with the fresher map now for only $120 more than the cost of a map update! Now that’s a great deal!

The 4350 is an END OF LIFE product and will not be supported much longer while the 1470 at 1/2 the introductory price is a great deal.

Magellan builds great and stable GPS systems for many years and have a great reputation in doing so.

Enough said

re: "there was issues such as not having the bell chime, unable to tell which side of the street the final destination is on"

both of those were addressed in a free downloadable update.

Comparing the price of the 1470 today to what the 4350 was when it came out is academic at this point. Today, the difference is about $25. Though I think we'd agree that, regardless of price, each has some advantages over the other.

The 4350's 2008.Q2 maps aren't so old, but yeah, it's always nice to have new maps.

I agree, the speaker in the 1470 is much better. And I would not be surprised if, as you suggest, there will be no more development by Magellan for the Nav-n-Go platform.

Scott

You are very wise!

I agree the 1470 is nice but the company's track record with the 4350 and 4370 should not give everyone a warm fuzzy as to overall support. Most of us know it's crappy anyway. Caveat Emptor.

GPS4ME,

I purchased a 4350 just this last December just a couple months after it was released, and your already telling me that this product is end-of-life! I have stuck by Magellan and purchased their products to support them in tough times and you are essentially telling me and other 4350/70 purchasers that Magellan is going to shelve this unit and not support it in the future.

Magellan is wearing my patients thin! There are already Mexico maps available for the 1470 and you have indicated there may be European maps available in the future, but what about for the 4350. It makes no sense to provide options for a lower end units (Roadmates) that aren't available on the higher end (Maestro) units.

I really enjoy the Nav-n-Go back end. I preffer the routing preffernces of easiest and especially most-economical to least and most use of freeways. I have found the most-economical option to sometimes produce better routes than fastest. I will be very disappointed to see them take this away.

The Magellans I have purchased have always served me well, but if they discontinue support for the 4350 as you say they might, my next GPS probably won't be a Magellan.

One should purchase a Magellan for the device and not for the support. I know they go hand in hand but....

I keep reading all these comments over and over and I am not sure yet which one to go for: The Maestro 4350 or the Roadmate 1470. I like both. Can any one help?

As I have stated in previous notes, I have a Roadmate 760 and 860. They are no longer producing map updates for these units. The latest ones are from 2006. I have a friend who bought a Garmin around the same time. He can still get up to date maps for his unit. That has always been the frustrating thing about Magellan. Their lack of map updates. I now have a Roadmate 1470. We will see on the maps.

Take it for what it's worth but I would never want the 43xx as you simply can not change the map zoom w/o switching screens. A HUGE design flaw IMO.

Mike

OK everyone, I hear your pain and please think about this backward computability and upgrade request for older GPS systems. They "Magellan" or any other GPS manufacturers including "Garmin" would love to keep selling mapping update if there is a high demand and profit to be made from doing so, but the demand is not there and the profit margin is not as high since you can buy a new unit for a few dollars more with a new map and new features and most people chose to buy newer replacement models with newer features.
They would support the older models if consumers is willing to pay $99 or more for the updates if the older hardware can support the newer software features, problem is everyone wish to pay like $29-49 for a map update and there is simply no margin left for the GPS manufacturers to justify this type of support when people are unwilling to pay for them.

Magellan, Garmin, TomTom will all go out of business if they don't keep coming out with upgrade products that is CHEAP and with NEW features that is backwards compatible.

This is all about we got what we asked for and now we don't like it as much.

What did everyone want? Cheap and feature rich PNDs, and all these GPS companies is doing is trying to meet demands and get people to keep buying new products so they keep their sales numbers up.

Think of it like a cell phone, I bet most will not own a cell phone for more than a few years and look how many new cell phones is always available?

GPS system is becoming a disposable commodity. With the internal battery life lasting about 2-3 years average and they cost more to change than the unit when it was new, it is simply smarter to focus on bring out newer GPS products with new features at a lower cost than upgrading the older systems.

We wanted a cheap GPS system, and now we want the cheap GPS system to be supported for 3-5 years or more. It is simply not economical to sustain an EOL product for any longer than a year after they are introduce.

What's the old saying, you can't have your cake and eat it too, and if you do it probably won't taste that well.

Magellan is not doing anything more or less than any other GPS companies, they are trying to stay competitive by introducing new products and features that people may enjoy. You don't have to buy the new product but don't complaint if your older model can't do what the new ones can.

If you can get all the neat features of the new product, why would anyone consider buying a newer unit.

Think of Garmin with their units, most are not forward compatible with their new features correct? So why is it o.k for Garmin to pull this explanation off with higher prices and you guys are beating up Magellan for doing the exact same things.

Remember due to cheaper computer chips and memories, the older units do not have the same processing speed and memory abilities as the newer cheaper GPS units for it to support some of these new features.

And if it is possible at all, it would cost a lot for Magellan to dedicate a staff of engineers to produce sustaining software upgrade applications when people refused to pay for them.

Give these guys a break folks, I can see if you paid $750-$1500 to demand support but for the price we are buying these PND these days, we should consider them to be disposable and replace with new ones when new models come out just like our phones. They supported the Magellan RoadMate 700/760 for about 5 years but they were first sold for over $1,000.

I also have the Roadmate 860T. This was very expensive at the time. There has been 1 map upgrade. They are at version #2 and there are not going to be anymore. The 760 is at version #6 but I have had it for years and don't recall more than 1 upgrade.

"Given Magellan's track record."

But they are under new ownership now. Maybe that all will change.

Can anyone tell me if the Magellan 1440 is the same as the Magellan 1470 except for the 4.3 inch screen size?

1st WEEK REVIEW + WISH LIST (West Portland suburbs)

Most of this units perks and flaws have already been mentioned. I want to give a report instead. I install for Comcast and this is my first GPS. As I stop at many destinations daily (6-60), I utilize nearly all of its features and push them to the limit. Bottom line is that this GPS is super nice and affordable, but ultimately I'm upgrading to the Maestro 4350 to get a few more features that are missing.

Maps: A-
Every new residential street I've been to has been in the Map database! This is very different from many co-worker GPSs that do not have the new construction addresses yet. BUT, road construction, or recently re-routed streets are not up to date. Example: The extension between Murry Blvd and Walnut St in Beaverton and Tigard is not in the database. 1470 has me take the long way around Barrows.

Route options: A-
Fastest route option is close but not accurate. I will purposely take a faster route and as soon as it recalculates the new route my ETA goes down!?! If it could calculate that the new route took less time, why didn't it pick that route as the quicker route. Example: From the intersection of Scholls Ferry and Murry in Beaverton to Hillsboro it misses the River Road/rt 210 as the quickest route. When it displays the options for fastest, shortest, etc... it only displays estimated time, not distance. You have to actually choose the route before it will tell you the total distance.

Route optimization: B-
BIG DIFFERENCE from the Maestro here. The maestro will keep the starting and ending point the same and only reorder the ones in between. With the 1470 I can't say route me these 20 places AND in such a way that ends at my house. Also if the unit shuts off before I save a multi-destination route, they are gone except for one stop. And what's worse is that only one stop is in the recent destination list!?! Why only 20 stops as a limit? Why not 50? It would really help us installer/deliverery/sales workers a ton!!!! Huge business application here!!!! Cough, Cough....

Traffic: A+
I really like the traffic option. When I've ignored it, I'm stuck. When I've let it route me around it, it's worked. I was also impressed that it displayed not just the freeways in shaded colors of traffic, but also some main roads in town too, Example: Tualatin-Valley Highway (AKA TV Hwy, Canyon Road) is included in traffic monitoring.

POI searches: C
Can only see a search as a list in distance order, and can't see them as points on the map simultaneously. The search along a route option is REALLY nice, but often yields little results since what I'm looking for might not be along my route.

Comments:
I really really like this GPS. It gets the job done, and is easy to work with and is listed far below other comparable units at $500-$800. Motion is very smooth, touch screen could be a little more sensitive. Sometimes takes a second to realize I didn't follow its directions. Arrow keeps moving along route even if I turned off of it for a second. Sometimes a small delay half second delay before it realizes I followed its turn direction too. A few entry delays if it is sorting and narrowing a large pool of possibilities, but very stable. Example: narrowing street names as you type in Portland is a little slower than in the small back woods town of Gaston.

In general, I like it a lot. But there are some things I started to dislike a lot

Compare to Maestro 4370 and Garmin 755t the traffic much less usable
OK, I can see delays, but couldn't get to many details from map. Actually I have to say - no details.
Traffic slow (7 min) - where????
Traffic stopped (3 min) - where???

No speed limit

The line assist works almost everywhere, coverage way better than Garmin 755t or Magellan 4370, but that feature often very, very confusing. Along my route I have few places where freeway actually splits in 3 directions, so 1470 shows me 3 left line as bright (OK to use) and one right lane as shadow (not OK to use), real life I can use ONLY TWO LINES!!! The far left also Exit from my route.

Advertising 99% on my screen

So, I have very mixed fillings. Not sure if I will keep it

"Compare to Maestro 4370 and Garmin 755t the traffic much less usable
OK, I can see delays, but couldn't get to many details from map. Actually I have to say - no details.
Traffic slow (7 min) - where????
Traffic stopped (3 min) - where???"

Please keep learning the unit, you can show details much like the Garmin and Maestro with the traffic. You just need to look harder! :)

bertwrench...

re: "I still paid around $250 for my 4350. At that price, I don't expect this unit to last a lifetime, but I expect to get at least three years out of it. Meaning, I would like to see Magellan release at least two maybe three annual map updates for this product."

Two or three $99 updates could mean spending another $200-$300 over the three years. By three years from now, that money will probably buy a better GPS. Roads don't change so much where I drive, so I would save the money and figure on buying a new unit in a couple of years, but that choice might not suit everyone. Personally, I'm less interested in map updates than in functionality/interface/routing updates, but you can never count on getting those from anyone. I think you simply need to look at the choices available and decide what's best for you today. Anything more you may get from the unit in the future is a bonus.

re: "Magellan could at least offer the 4350/70 owners a way to convert to this new software. I would miss some of the features and look of the Nav-N-Go, but if in exchange I got future support including maps updates, Mexico and European maps, it might be worth it."

If you would prefer the 1470 to your 4350, you can put the 4350 on eBay, you should get $150+, then pickup a new 1470 for under $200, and voila, you have your "upgrade" for under $50.

I think it is worth remembering that Fletch is (as far as I know) only guessing that there will be no updates for the 4350/4370 (and for that matter, that there will be updates for the 1470). It is a reasonably informed guess, I can see the logic of it. I mean, the 1470 is the newer model, and it is no longer using the underlying engine they introduced last year on the 4350/4370, which implies they may be abandoning that engine, especially since the company changed ownership in the interim. On the other hand, since the 4350/4370 engine is more fully-featured, it's not inconceivable that they could continue to use that engine for the higher-priced Maestro line and only use the 1470's more basic software platform for the lower-priced Roadmate line As far as I know, no one is sure what the future plans are for either line. Heck, who knows, a year from now, they could abandon both and start using new owner Mitac's Navman software in everything!

I don't think it would make sense for Magellan to offer 4350/4370 owners a convert-to-1470-software plan today, as the 4350/4750 software is (at least in my opinion) generally better. To me, the biggest advantages of the 1470 are in the screen and speaker, and these things can't be added to the 4350. I don't think many people would want to downgrade their feature set today for the possibility of future upgrades that don't exist yet and may or may not exist in the future. Personally, I wish they would make an upgraded Maestro that ran the 4350 software in the 1470 case for the bigger screen and better sound!

Availability of Mexico and Europe maps wouldn't prompt me to want to switch platforms. But if someone develops that need, I think it's reasonable to suggest they buy a unit that supports that from the get-go. I mean, it might be nice for a company to offer such an upgrade, but I wouldn't take a company to task for not offering it.

I have a TomTom GPS but it doesn't have traffic, so I decided to by this Magellan 1470 mainly for the traffic feature. The day after I received I drove about 4 hours on the local major highways, 95, 128, 295 and 495. Here, in the Boston/Providence area, there should be no problem as far as FM traffic reception is concerned.

Well, out of the 4 hours of driving, my Magellan kept trying to receive the FM signal but only managed to receive it for a total of 10 to 15 minutes (when I was near Dedham, MA). At first I thought that it was something I was doing wrong, so I started to move the FM receiver cable around, close to the windshield, near the door, moving the Magellan itself near the drivers door window, nothing worked.

After a tiring day of trying to receive the FM signal, the Magellan was packed back into the box and sent back, quickly!

>

I tried different ways
I am reading manual right now again. Nothing
According to manual I can only avoid selected traffic events, that is it

The traffic have to be working before you can select traffic events.
You need to make sure your traffic is working first.

Good Luck

My traffic function just fine and I can select the traffic event to view where the traffic is, it will tell you the delay duration. What else do you need.
I am not sure but I would almost bet you are not getting traffic service and possibly just a green triangle icon that shows possible traffic. If there is traffic issues, it will show red with a number underneath the red triangle icon.
You need to check under settings with the traffic signal strength is and if it is working, you will see a bunch of traffic events that you can than select to see location of traffic delays.

I don't know what to tell you, why don't you contact Amazon.com and ask why your traffic is not working! You got it free right?

I have found a problem with the 1470. I tried to enter an address in Oakbrook terrace Illinois. 17W490 w 22nd street.
The range shows up as 17w0 - 17W510. The only number highlighted is 0. It will not allow me to enter a 1 or anything else. If I type 00, it will allow me to enter other numbers. However, It says 0017w490 does not exist and defaults to the start of the range. I am on the phone to Magellan even as I type this.

I am off the phone to Magellan, She replicated the problem and it is being forwarded to the engineers. She is also going to let the engineers know about the Least use of freeways problem. Hopefully, it will be resolved.

With all this back and forth between the

1470 and 4350????

What does the 1470 have that the 4350 does not?
What does the 4350 do from a navigation standpoint that the 1470 does not?

I do not care about BT or MP3.

"It has been mentioned that magellan may come out with new Maestro models again or soon? Any idea what they will be like or heard any scoop on timing?"

As I am testing the new Maestro, I am unable to share any information until Magellan makes a formal press release. I am under NDA sorry to say so all I can say is yes, there will be new Maestro soon to be release but not much more than that. They will have more features than the RoadMates and it should function better and faster.

Following is one of the "PROS".
But in the "Buyers Review" screen the "voice quality" is "Fair". ?????? :-(( Its confusing. Which one is correct?

•Loud, crisp speaker delivers deep sound and loud volume levels without distortion

Since the 1470 can't input addresses in Oakbrook terrace, Il, See my post about 10 posts above. I was wondering if the 4350 has the same type of problem? Gives a range, but won't let you input that range. I am still debating between the 2.
Thanks,

Thank you.

Very insightful comments. Today Amazon has a Gold Box deal for the 4350 @ $180 (vs. the 1470 @ $200), so I ordered one. My biggest worry re: the 4350 is the missing "Least Use of Freeway" routing option.

With New Maestro line coming out, the older Maestro 4350/4370 will be EOL very soon. Just FYI, buy the latest units with latest maps for future support! The older units have different format and maynot be supported and updates in the future.
Again, I am not Magellan so I am just voicing my own opinion.

Good Luck

According to Magellan, the mapping data was produced by Navteq in the second quarter of 2008 for the Maestro 4350 and in the third quarter of 2008 for the RoadMate 1470, so their maps should not be much different. Therefore, I just ordered the Maestro at a great price. I have the RoadMate but am still excited to see the Maestro's many other features that the RoadMate does not have.

I want to touch the blue triangle (car), see the Coordinates of a place where I am, and then enter a name for those coordinates. And then have that name and coordinates entered into my Magellan 1470's address book. I could do that on my Roadmate 700 but I can't figure out how to make this work. One person on another site said it was easy to do but I can't seem to figure that out. Others have said it is impossible. Has anyone tried that? I like to do things such as locate an owl in a tree from my car and then mark the coordinates. There is really no address that I can enter to assign to the coordinates.

Any suggestions would be appreciated

I just tried to save an location that way and lady is correct. It will allow you to save it to the address book. But if you then try to go to that location, it says "Invalid address" and will not move on until you have added an address. It does not save the coordinates. That just does not make any sense.
I went to Fry's, which was not in the POIs. When I got there, I saved the location to my address book. Today, I tried to navigate to Fry's. The GPS says invalid address. It is useless. If you have to add the address, what does the save do? This worked on my Roadmate 760.

I am wondering if you go in by choosing Menu instead of just touching the blue icon it will save it correctly. Haven't had a chance to try it yet but I will this a.m. I know touching the blue icon doesn't work but the other option might.

I can answer your question. It does not make a difference. It saves the current location. Then when you try to go to it, it says it needs an address. I just updated to the lastest firmware. version 1.10. I can tell you that it did not fix the address problem I noted for Oakbrook terrace above. It also did not fix the problem we are talking about now. I don't know what the new software did.

I returned my 1470. Lots of nice features but too many issues unfixed with first SW update. Inability in some cases to enter a vaild address prime among them. Unfortunately Magellan is spotty with updates and long term support of devices has never been good.

Mike

What service does Magellan's TrafficLink accessory use: FM ClearChannel or FM NavTeq? Does anyone know what improvements to real-time traffic are under consideration/development in the industry?

I wonder if the consumer space can look forward to a revolutionary leap in performance and data delivery for this feature sooner than later.

Magellan 4700 gets approval from FCC voice commands.

GPS4ME any other units other than the 4700 or any comments?

Fletch or GPS4ME
You two obviously deal with Magellan. You are beta testing units and know who to talk to within Magellan. You have reviewed units and given great insight on the Magelaln 1470. But when obvious flaws are mentioned, you both are strangly quiet. Not being able to route to a valid address is an obvious programming error. (See my post above.) Not being able to route to an address book entry that was created using save current location is another programming error.
I would think that you folks have more clout then any one of us poor folks who continue to call or E-mail Tech Support. Have either of you mentioned these errors to Magellan? Are they planning on fixing these obvious errors? At some point, if these are not fixed, people are going to return units within their warranty periods and demand that they be able to route to correct addresses. Just wondering.

Re: "Not being able to route to an address book entry that was created using save current location is another programming error. "

The work-around is posted on Gpspassion forum in topic "Magellan 1340, 1440, 1470 - User Reviews"

The most amazing aspect of this is Magellan forwards our emails to an appropriate person and replies back very quickly!

Magellan / Mitac is trying very hard to change the service image back to what it was before Thales and Shah took them over.
So I believe they may have a Magellan employees that monitor the boards and forums for issues/concerns so they can respond or reply quickly to these concerns if they are valid.
I believe with proper support from Magellan, these new Magellan GPS products are great value and should be consider when researching for your next personal navigation device.
I am not a Magellan employee, that is my own opinion.

I bought one of these based on Fletch's review, used it on a trip from Ohio to North Carolina, this unit is the worst navigator I have ever owned, worst than TomTom.. Im returning mine as we speak. I like the colors and graphics but what good is a navigator if it cant navigate, this thing wanted to take me hours out of the way, and then after traveling the shortest quickest route for 2.5 hours it refused to correct itself and navigate me the correct way, at one point it wanted me to back track an hour just to get on a highway that was still 2 hours longer... Buy a Garmin.

David,

Did you do the Firmware update and still got poor instructions?

The navigon 8100T was a impressive GPS (other than the windshield mount). I never had a chance to test it on a long trip but I was impressed on short trips and the graphics (3d landscape view, lane asst, ect.) were nothing short of amazing, this thing had a 3d accelerator built in, if Im not mistaken it was made by ATI, I also liked and used the speed limit feature where you could set it to warn you when traveling +10 MPH which worked in school zones, highways, side streets, etc. I believe Garmin finally had some good competition, its funny just as they were to release there premier GPS they split... Im not saying anything bad about Garmin, there is no doubt Garmin is the best GPS in the U.S. and has always been. And no I dont think Ill move to Europe.

A question was asked earlier about whether this 1470 was identical to the 1440 with the exception of screen size. I'm not sure that it was ever answered. Does anyone know?

i recently had the message that the 1470 is shutting down to increase performance. I have version 1.1 of the software. I guess this has not been fixed yet.

I was in Schaumburg, Il. Calculating a very short route. The unit had just been turned on.

I got mine from Costco with a rebate for less than $100. Its the bargain of the year, much better map coverage out in the boonies than many much more expensive models. I have had no issues with frozen screens of difficult boot ups. The voice is clear and the screen is bright in bright sunlight and nightmode is excellent.

I got mine from Costco with a rebate for less than $100. Its the bargain of the year, much better map coverage out in the boonies than many much more expensive models. I have had no issues with frozen screens of difficult boot ups. The voice is clear and the screen is bright in bright sunlight and nightmode is excellent.

I think the Costco was selling the 1440 not the 1340 and definitely not the 1470.
They do everyone a huge favor by offering this sort of prices, problem is there is not margin for support for the manufacturers and they are putting little business out of business with these business practices.
Everyone may feel that's to bad for the small business but at the end is the small business / middle class that pays for most the taxes in your State and when the middle class small businesses is all gone, all of our taxes will be raised and the funny part is the money you saved will only be used for taxes to cover the cost of running our County.
I think they are talking about A $49 PND soon, at that price, who really will want to sell or support such an item. Buy at your own risk and you get what you get. It's more like a garage sale or flea market item.
It's really to bad and a shame that such a wonderful technology has been degraded to such a commodity.

I have been following the comments and overall the roadmate seems great, but I'm wary becuase everyone keeps sayiong Garmin is the best. This unit compares to the nuvi 255W, does anyoen know which will stay on top?

I am rather disappointed in chosing this unit to replace my Tom Tom one. The "Lane assist" blocks the map as you are trying to figure out complex fwy ramps. It will not tell you when a lane exits with instructions like "stay in the left lane". I cannot input GPS coordinates to find a route. The routing is flawed and the advice from the company is that I should make a list of the flawed routes and provide them with detailed information. They don't seem to want to pay me for this service, however. You cannot put the device into the mount with the power cord attached to the device. The list of POIs seems to be pretty good amd the map is current to my area.

I wonder when there will be a new software release. Since version 1.1 did not solve the reboot problem or the not being able to enter certain address problem, or the save current location problem. Even though I am using it obviously there are issues here.

Do you guys know if this GPS has a "SAFETY FEATURE" where it will remain disabled if you're driving?

Reason I ask is, I don't want my dad to use it while he drives. He's notorious for multi-tasking while driving. Gotta think of safety first!

re: "Magellan is one of the few GPS brands that allows you to browse a list of all upcoming turns, and choose specific road(s) you want to avoid"

Actually, the feature is quite common. All the units that use Destinator do it (Omnitech, Motorola, Invion, LG, Pharos); the units that use iGO do it (Harmon Kardon, V7, Navsgo, Asus, some older Mio and newer Nextar models), and TomTom does it. At least those are the ones I know about, there may be more.

I too am interested in the Magellan 1470. I appreciate the review because I have never owned a GPS unit before and wasn't real sure what features to look for. This has helped me.

Oh, by the way, Crutchfield has the Magellan 1470 for 199.99. They have the Garmin nuvi 1300 for $249.99.

Fletch, thanks for a great review!

Like some others here, I've been seriously flip flopping between this unit and the Garmin 265WT. This review finally made me decide on the Magellan. (Love the AAA database and the lane assist!) HOWEVER....

I stopped at Best Buy this morning to check them out in person and was very disappointed in the brightness/crispness/color saturation of the Magellan compared to the Garmin. I've now learned that the Magellan has a setting for brightness so maybe the one at Best Buy was turned way down and the Garmin was in "flame mode." Sharpness, however, is a different story. My understanding is that the Magellan is 480x272 pixels even though they are on a 4.7 inch display. That would certainly explain a lack of sharpness. (Sort of like using "digital zoom" on your point and shoot camera...a real waste.)

So I'm wondering if you did any objective testing of the brightness of this unit, and also what anyone's thoughts are concerning sharpness and color. The Garmin had a stunning image...the Magellan, not so much. Having been a photographer and photography lab manager for some years, I am very picky on this sort of thing. Somebody please tell me the Magellan can look as a good as the Garmin, cause I really want the Magellan!

- Hankster

Magellan Roadmate 1470 is a total failure and never ever buy it. We were totally dissappointed that we even paid the 15% re-stocking fee at Best Buy (that was $30) and returned it. Here are some of the critical problems with this GPS:

1. It does not connect with the GPS at all. The message that it is "retrieving" keeps coming and coming.

2. If you miss an exit, the system is lost. It may take up to half-an-hour or so for it to identify where you are and the re-route. According to the Best Buy GPS expert, this is not a product defect because this probelm is due to the "slow processor" Magellan installed in their newer devices!

3. It does not recognize favorite tourist attractions in major cities. Example, we were in Jersey City and wanted to go to the Metropolitan Museum of Art in Manhattan, New York City. This GPS does not recognize one of the best attarctions of New York City.

4. Don't buy from Best Buy. If you end up with a product like this one, you lose 15% when you return, even it after a week like myself.

S. Bhat

Update on the screen brightness issue:

I made it back to Best Buy today to check out the brightness setting on their display unit. Brightness is set to 100% and still the display looks very dismal and lackluster compared to the Garmin. No "pop" at all. No punch, no color saturation, just very blah.

I also noticed (again, actually) that the unit was not very sensitive to touch. You touch the screen on the Garmin and POW!, you got results. Touch the screen on the Magellan, then touch it again, then push harder, and then maybe you get results.

As much as I like the AAA feature, the bigger screen, the lane assist, I think I'm going back to the Garmin 265WT as my choice. I don't want to have to constantly be frustrated by unresponsiveness, and be less than enamored with a dull, listless display.

- Hankster

Has anyone updated the AAA information yet on their 1470?

I updated my 1470 today. Was painless, however, a Bakers Square that closed 2 years ago is still in there.

Fletch, do you know when and if Magellan will be issuing another firmware update for the 1470? To solve the issue of not being able to input valid addresses. Among others. I have looked at the 4700 and the address problem that the 1470 has does not show up in the 4700. So it looks like they have fixed it. We just need the firmware update now.
Also, have you noticed that the routes are calculated differently whether it is the first calculation or a recalculation from a different route. I routed to a friends house from my house. Fastest time. It takes me on a direct route to his house. Just fine. Then I was on my way somewhere else and I decided to go to his house. It took me to the same road that goes to his house. Then it wanted me to go to the highway, which may or may not be right. Then when I skipped that turn, it recalculated and said go 2 miles, make a U turn and go back 2 miles and go back on the expressway. ETA 23 minutes. When I ignored that advise and just went straight, it recalculated and said ETA 17 minutes going straight. In other words, it knew that going straight was faster but it insisted on my turning around and going back to the express way. I have also noticed that it will tell me to do one thing. Like right turn and make a U turn. Instead of turning left. If I stop the route and redo it, it will then say turn left. I am hoping a firmware update will also fix that.

My wife bought the RoadMate 1470 on (gasp)some shopping network. However, I must say I'm impressed with this thing. Not ever having a GPS before, I can't compare against other products of similar specs. So I will tell you this... I LIKE IT! That's the up side. Now for the few down sides. On the settings page it states you can change the vehicle type from taxi, pedestrian, bus, etc... I looked everywhere for this option and have come to the conclusion.... it just doesn't exist. As a trucker I was hoping to change to a "bus" in order to at least get that route information. I know on the Magellan web sites "Ask Maggie" section, it states that commercial vehicles and restricted routes are not offered on this and a boat load of other models. So, I'm just a bit disappointed they brought it up in the first place and got my hopes up. Boo-Hoo for me, but, this still is a fantastic piece of genius! I bought the traffic link power cable but have not had the chance to use it. (Then found a half price coupon, for the cord, in the box it came with, damn my luck) Yet even with all these little detours in satisfaction I would recommend this to any beginner. The only thing I would change is to put a sexier voice on the talk back. (wife smacking head)

This is a car GPS. There is no Pedestrian mode.

I bought the Roadmate 1470 2 months ago. My unit has serious problems which Magellan apparently says are very common with these units. Whenever I touch the GOTO screen, the unit comes back with a message stating "Your unit must shut down to increase performance." I first phoned tech support and connected to a customer service agent who was very unhelpful. He asked if I updated to the latest firmware which I had done. The latest firmware did absolutely nothing to solve the problem. He told me Magellan was aware of this problem and would get in touch with me shortly. No one from Magellan ever called. I called again and the representative told me to return the unit via Fedex which I did. It has now been a month since the problem started and I don't even have a unit.

Do not buy The 1470. I purchased the 1470 at the end of May and I have had 3 replacement units sent to me by Magellan because of a firmware defect. Each time they assured me that the new unit would not have the "critical error" of "Your unit needs to be restarted to maximize performance. Please wait while your data is being saved..." They supposedly have a firmware update on the way. After the 2nd replacement, and many hours on the phone with them, they offered an upgrade to the Maestro 4350. It is not an upgrade. It is last years model and has a smaller screen and their old software. Unfortunately, they give me no other options but to go back to the 1470. It has been too long to return it to Staples since I mistakenly called the 800# that they say to call instead of returning it when the first unit failed.
It also has major issues with rerouting when you miss a turn and can take up to 15 minutes to acquire the signal when turned on (not counting the first time it is powered on straight out of the box.)
Lastly, the customer service is a nightmare. I have been through hell with them even though I have been extremely patient with them and the situation.
Bottom line: DO NOT BUY IT OR ANY OTHER MAGELLAN!

I have updated to version 1.15 firmware. I don't know about the reboot issue. But I can tell you that the other problems I have reported have not been fixed. I still can not enter valid addresses in some cases in Lombard, il and Oakbrook terrace Il. And the current location then save still does not work. There have been 2 firmware updates and none of the obvious issues have been fixed. I just don't know what the firmware updates actually do.

The next day my 1470 turned into a brick. A new one is on the way from Magellan. On gpspassion, it looks like I am not the only one with this 1.15 problem.

I received a new unit within the week. This has firmware 1.12. It recalculates slower then 1.10. However, it has not "rebooted" since I had it. We went to New York and it worked fine.

Is the 1475 just a 1470 with a traffic adapter? I bought a 1475t from Costco today and though the box says 1475t, the bottom of the GPS says 1470. It has a different mount than the 1470, and a traffic adapter in the box...what gives??

To the best of my knowledge, the 1475 is a 1470 with the traffic included.

I would recommend the 1475. All you have to do is unplug it from 1 car and plug into the other car. There is no installation. I would recommend a Nav mat as opposed to sticking it on the dash.