Magellan
MAP410 GPS
Final
observations:
- Getting
around within the GPS was for the most part pretty intuitive.
We like gadgets that we can pick up and not read the directions
first. We did, of course, read them and found all sorts of fun
and innovative features.
- The LCD
screen has a stepped lighting system with a timer in case you
forget to turn it off while on battery power. Using this and
the contrast setting made the MAP410 easy to see in any lighting
conditions.
- Controls
on the unit were very easy to use and the unit can be operated
with one hand.s
- Though
we like the size of the screen, the unit itself as very large,
heavy and a bit unwieldy compared to other units we've used.
- On close-in
zooms we often found our location indicator to be off the road
most of the time (when we were actually on the road). This was
normal before May of this year, but other GPS's we've used recently
put us dead on in the middle of the road.
- Acquiring
satellites takes a long time on start-up.
- On a recent
outing in the woods, the MAP410 did not track satellites for
most of the trip. Even when we were in open areas under clear
skies, it still had trouble, even with the antenna flipped up.
- The MAP410
has a very rugged case with lots of rubber on the back and a
waterproof battery compartment.
- Screen
draws and updates are much slower than other units we've used
and sometimes appeared broken up between sectors.
- We really
liked this feature: you can ask the MAP410 what nearby cities
are and it will bring up a list. You can then select one ask
it to point you there. Nice.
- For our
purposes, the MapSend software was not terribly useful, but
it is a nice add-on for those who want it. There are simply
not usually many points of interest where we go wheeling. Not
the kind the CD lists, anyway. In addition, some of the lists
were not complete. For example, there are two golf courses in
our immediate area. One of them is part of the PGA tour. Neither
showed up on the list
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2000 Rockcrawler. All Rights Reserved
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