Roadmate 700 software upgradable to 760.

[Hawk521]

Magellan is now taking "pre-orders" for their version 5 upgrade for the Roadmate 700. This upgrade is reported to make the 700 functionally equivalent to the 760 - including the text-to-speech feature.

There is a charge for this upgrade (regardless of when you bought (or buy) your Roadmate 700). It is a feature enhancement upgrade and IMO probably well worth the $99 cost - if you want the new features. Check out the feature set on a RM760 and see if this is for you.

No - I have not been able to determine exactly how recent the map file data in the upgrade is. I figure its at least equivalent to the 760. Possibly newer, but no customers will likely know that until it ships.

Also - Radio Shack has a "web only" special on the Roadmate 700 at $499. I just got one and it is indeed the 20 gig hard drive model with v4.32 software. www.radioshack.com

-john

[Hawk521]

Just for those who might be interested... The upgrade for the RM 700 does indeed turn it into the equivalent of a RM 760. No more - no less. Cost was $105 including shipping.

The upgrade process took almost 3 hours using the USB connection. The only disappointment I felt was that the map data was only updated as of Q404 - meaning fourth quarter of 2004. This is the same as the RM760 though - so I guess its what I should have expected.

Magellan has stated their intent to keep maps updated at 18 month intervals. I mis-read that to imply that they'd be keeping maps within 18 months of release date. Apparently this is not the case. According to the Magellan rep I spoke with, they have to pony up more money to Navtec each time the provide a user with a map update. So it would seem that if we're to expect newer maps, we'd better be ready with our wallet to pay for it. I get the uneasy feeling that Magellan may be thinking it is not a profitable enough venture to keep map updates available at frequent intervals. They'd probably rather you throw away your equipment and buy a whole new GPS - as if that's going to happen... Sorry for rambling on.

[mikey_l_67]

Have just installed upgrade for RM 700 Europe, now on the map screen I have a white T in a black square in the bottom right hand corner, next to the Distance to Destination. Any ideas on what this stands for, no mention in the user guide.
Mike.

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