Pros:


Plug n Play. Ready to go right out of the box.*
20 GB Hard drive
WAAS enabled for better route precision
Voice guidance
Touch screen
Multiple Users
Ease of use

Cons:


Window mount falls when window temp changes
It's like Mapquest; not always the fastest route selection, but it will get you there regardless.
Not enough POIs
No way to integrate it through the radio
No remote control

*Can take up to 15 minutes to find your location.

• Windshield mount



• Cigarette lighter adapter



• AC power adapter



• USB cable



• Quick reference guide



• User manual CD-ROM

This navi unit is very straight forward and easy to use. I walked out of the store with it, got in the Jeep®, and plugged it in immediately. The RoadMate booted up (fairly quick boot time) and I started playing with it. I hit the map button, and surprisingly it had me located in San Francisco, CA which is about 3,000 mi. from NJ. Okay, what's this all about? Eventually I figured out that you have to go into the Options menu and tell it to "Initialize GPS" so that it can figure out where you are. This took about 5 mins. to complete. It's been right on the money with my location ever since. When you reboot the RoadMate, it first gives you a list of basic "laws" like not to operate it while driving, and then you can choose a user. It is setup for three users, each of which can have 100 address book entries.

Other features are as follows:

• Map Sofware: Ready to use detailed U.S./Canada map loaded on HDD



• Loaded Map Size: Built-in map of the U.S. and major metro areas of Canada



• Current firmware version: Version 4.32



• Plug-n-Play: Seamless map built-in and ready to use



• User Interface: Touch Screen or dynamic keypad input



• Display: High Resolution TFT LCD full color display automatically adjusts to lighting changes



• Display Size (H/W): 2.25" x 3.0" / 5.71 x 7.62 cm



• Route Calculator:
  
  Choose from four different route methods:
  • Shortest Time,
  
  
  • Shortest Distance,
  
  
  • Least Use of Freeways
  
  
  • Most use of Freeways
  
  
  
  
• Turn-by-Turn Navigation: TrueView® 3D screen shows upcoming turn while voice prompt politely gives turn-by-turn guidance



• Route Recalculation: Automatically calculates new route when car deviates from route



• Track Progress on Map: Dynamically tracks progress on the onscreen map



• QuickSpell® Technology: Simplifies data entry by pre-determining letters when spelling street and city names



• Address Book: Holds 100 addresses per user - up to 300 total



• Points-of-Interest: Over 2 million points of interest



• Portable: True plug-n-play in any region



• Mapping Data: Provided by NAVTECH®



• Price of product: $439 - $1200

"Built on the famous Magellan technology found in the Hertz NeverLost® system, proven and road-tested by over 4 million drivers, the Magellan RoadMate 700 makes your driving adventure easier and more enjoyable." Cartoys.com

It’s very easy to follow the voice prompts when you are driving. If you have a left turn onto, let’s say Main St., the RoadMate will tell you “Left turn coming up in two miles.” Then as you get closer it will say things like “Left turn coming up in .5 miles” and “Left turn in .1 miles.” The prompt will then make a confirmation tone to let you know you made the correct turn.

If for some reason you make a right, the voice prompt will tell you to safely make a u-turn when it’s safely possible. It will then recalculate the route for you and pick up from your new location. The same goes for going a way that you know in addition to what it’s telling you. For instance, the RoadMate voice prompt might tell you to turn left onto Main St. in two miles, but you know that making a left onto George St. which is 1 mile before Main St. will take you to the same road so you go that way instead. It will recalculate the route and give you further directions from George St.

Overall this unit is packed with a ton of very useful features which make the price worthwhile. I’d tell anyone to buy it, but I don’t know that I’d spend $1200 on it either. I got mine for $450 at BJs Wholesale Club. I found quite a few sites online that sell it for around that or a little bit more. So if you want a great GPS system go for this at a reasonable price and have fun!