Amazon.com Review:
The remanufactured Magellan RoadMate 700 GPS navigator just keeps gaining in popularity. Bestowed the honor of being named one of "Oprah's Favorite Things for Holiday 2004," this version of the RoadMate 700 includes the accessories that previous incarnations omitted, including a windshield suction cup mount, a 12-volt DC vehicle power adapter, an AC power supply, a USB data cable, a universal cradle, and, of course, a user's manual.

The Magellan RoadMate 700 offers a powerful dash-mounted navigation tool with turn-by-turn voice prompts, making it easy to get to new and unfamiliar locales anywhere in the lower 48 U.S. states and Canada (for a fee, you can visit the Magellan Website and load the navigator with European maps via the included USB cable). It also features a bright color TFT LCD screen (2.25 by 3 inches), touchscreen input, WAAS reception (for 3-meter accuracy), and multiple ways to select your route and then view it onscreen.

TrueView 3-D navigation shows you the actual road layout.

The RoadMate 700 is one of the few GPS devices that's ready to go as soon as it's unpacked. Its whoppingly huge 20 GB internal hard drive comes preloaded with detailed road maps for all of the U.S. and the southern (most populated) section of Canada, so you won't have to fiddle with selecting map regions from a CD-ROM and transferring the data from a PC. If you keep your addresses on a PDA with IrDA capabilities, you'll enjoy the RoadMate's ability to upload the addresses wirelessly and point you right to your destination. In fact, each of the three tracked profiles is allotted space for 100 addresses, resulting in a total of 300 available addresses. Of course, the most important address--home--can always be accessed with just a few clicks from any menu. Once selected, the RoadMate 700 will guide you back with ease.

You can also choose a map view or the maneuver list.

If you are planning on using the RoadMate 700 with an older car, make sure it has a cigarette lighter power adapter. As an alternative, you can fully charge it in your hotel room or office with the supplied AC power cord. This also means that you won't be able to use the RoadMate 700 as a handheld device outside of your car. As for mounting, the included suction cup mounting hardware is quite easy to use and allows you to mount the unit on any glass surface in your car. The RoadMate unit easily clips into the provided windshield bracket and can be tilted and turned via its adjustable arm so you can see it easily and safely while you navigate.

Quickly locate points of interest and amenities along your route.

One of the benefits of the windshield mount is that you can move it in seconds from car to car with no problems at all. The suction cup model is an improvement over the older three-pronged mount that used to come with the RoadMate units, which never provided a very secure fit.

The RoadMate 700 shines as a virtual co-pilot. During our tests, it consistently acquired a satellite lock quickly (within a minute) and displayed our current position. From there, we searched through the vast library of POIs (points of interest) to find our destination (Seattle's baseball stadium). The RoadMate 700 has four different modes to get you to your destination--shortest route, shortest distance, least use of freeways, and most freeways. Selecting the shortest route got us to this venue using very practical directions that weren't far off from what we would normally choose.

If you're traveling to a destination that's not a widely known POI (such as a friend's home), no problem. You can enter the exact address into the RoadMate 700 using the touchscreen--simply tap the correct letters and numbers into one of the many search screens--and create a route. You can also save 100 destinations in the address book.

QuickSpell minimizes typing.

The voice prompting was clear and audible thanks to the two built-in speakers, and we were given ample warnings for upcoming turns. One of the RoadMate's nicest features is the Repeat button, which is smallish but is easy to find (it's the only button on top of the device). If you miss a turn, simply press the button to repeat the previous voice prompt. Of the three view modes, True View was our favorite--it displays a 3-D street-level view that helped us orient ourselves to our surroundings.

Overall, we were quite thrilled with the RoadMate 700's features: the color screen was bright and readable even in direct sunlight and the voice prompts were clear and not distracting to our driving. Best of all, the UI (user interface) screens are easy to navigate and--thanks to the large hard drive and map database--the RoadMate 700 is ready to go as soon as you open the box. While the price is not for the faint of heart, it's a valuable tool for many drivers--from business folk to parents--who need to get to unfamiliar locations quickly and smoothly. --Agen G.N. Schmitz

What's in the Box
RoadMate 700 GPS, windshield suction cup mount, 12-volt DC vehicle power adapter, AC power supply, USB data cable, universal cradle, user's manual.