thoughts on the magellan 800

scooter4483 · Posted: Mon Feb 20, 2006 4:44 pm Post subject: thoughts on the magellan 800

What do you think of it?
If you had to choose, would you get it, a garmin nuvi, or something else, in regards to navigating, not for the MP3 capabilities or pic viewer? Thanks.
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Hawk521 · Occasional Visitor Joined: Jul 17, 2005 Posts: 12

Don't let anyone (including me) talk you out of the 800 if it suits you best.

As it happens, I too was considering the 800 - simply because it was a higher model number than the 700 and 760 and is newer. Then I learned that it is in fact a quite different GPS. Unlike the 700/760, the 800 is built on a Microsoft Mobile PC o/s (essentially an oem PDA if you will) which is probably a good thing. It certainly opens the door to some interesting "tweaks" down the road...

While searching for info I found that Radio Shack is offering a "web only" special (through 3/4/06) on the Roadmate 700 for $499. This is the 20 Gig hard drive model with version 4.32 software. Hmmmmmm! Almost simultaneously, I learned that Magellan is about to release a $99 upgrade to the 700 which makes it functionally identical to the 760 - including text-to-speech. So for about $600 I can have a 760 with "text-to-speech" capability, or pay a couple hundred more and get an 800 which lacks that feature. Now I don't REALLY know if text-to-speech is something I'll value long term. But it does have some appeal.

Was a close decision and I could have gone either way. FWIW, I bought the 700 and just gave Magellan my "pre-order" for the upgrade to the 760 softare. They have delayed shipping this for some months now, and are now taking orders and say it will ship in a few weeks. Probably my Scotch ancestry (I'm cheap) led me to my decision! Laughing Out Loud

Good luck with your quest. I've learned that there is no such thing as a perfect GPS solution. All represent some level of compromise in one way or another. Find one that suits your interest and pocketbook and enjoy!

-john

scooter4483 · Posted: Tue Feb 21, 2006 11:30 pm Post subject:

thanks for the reply. i like the look of the 800 a lot more than the previous models. the price is high, but i will end up buying on an auction for less and sometime in the next 3 months. the 800 seems to have everything i want. the garmin nuvi is really sleak-looking. its just as good although it is missing things the 800 doesnt have, although the 800 is missing the text to speech type of thing that the nuvi has. i dont know what i will choose. i like the fact that the 800 has a big hard drive and shows the poi's as you are driving. the nuvi hass only 700mb free space which i dont mind and has the text to speech thing. its a hard choice, but ive narrowed it down to these 2.
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garmin nuvi 350 in wrb wrx

stealeydan · Occasional Visitor Joined: Sep 20, 2005 Posts: 25

have you decided on the 800 as i am thinking on trying that one myself
just would like to know if you have was it or is it any good?
as i bought the becker and not that impresed with it

scooter4483 · Posted: Sun Mar 05, 2006 6:42 pm Post subject:

I did not get the 800. I'm thinking that I will get the nuvi. As much as the 800 has. The nuvi is just as efficient and really sleak. You should check it out. I've read some negative reviews on the 800, but that's not why i made the decision to go with the nuvi. When I choose to get the navigation in the next 4 months, i will still be deciding between the 800 and the nuvi. The nuvi is a littler cheaper in price and garmins have more product updates. Like i was informed, the 800 has a microsoft based mapping, while the nuvi and most of the other gps's have navteq which i hear is really good. good luck. look into the garmin nuvi as well. i like the fit and finish of the nuvi.
_________________
~its whats inside

garmin nuvi 350 in wrb wrx

idrillem · Occasional Visitor Joined: Apr 04, 2006 Posts: 2

I purchased a 700 in Feb 06 and used it for a short while. It works well but I returned it. I thought to myself that I wish that it had more POI's and a detour feature.I read this past weekend that there is an upgrade available that will make the 700 into a 760 (basically), with more POI's, detour feature and Text to Speech. I had originally bought the 700 for $450. That is a pretty good deal.

I was considering the Nuvi 350 or 360 (due out in June) or the Lowrance i500c. However when I looked at the reviews on various forums I read all of the negative comments. Some of them I ignored--rantings and ravings from people. But the actual things that people disliked about these units made me a little hesitant. One of the best things about the Roadmate units is the Quickspell. I read that the other units do not allow this. I can't say for sure but I can only go on other people's reviews. Some other input quirks about these units also put me off. Also, these units do not detour. They will reroute but will not give you a true detour (at least that's what I read). And they will only allow one waypoint.

I recently bought the RM 800. My local wholesale club had it for $624. The screen is much clearer than the 700's was. Maybe they fixed that in the upgrade. Also, the mount is different for the 800. It is easier to install and release from the mount. The 700/760 was a challenge to do quickly.

Magellan is releasing a new line of GPS systems. Check out their website. There are new models listed above the 800. It appears that they will incorporate Bluetooth. I already have a BT phone so that is not a priority for me.

I hope the the 800 will allow MP3 usage along with navigation and Text to Speech. After all the 700 did not have this feature until the version 5 upgrade.

BarryRS · Occasional Visitor Joined: Sep 17, 2006 Posts: 6

I purchased the Magellan Roadmate from HandTec for GBP230.
I am going to Los Angeles for 2 weeks next week and had considered renting a Satnav with the hire car (an extra $10 per day).
The unit comes with the US map unlocked and the UK speed camera database included in the price, which is why I went for this one.
I have never owned or used Satnav before now, but am very pleased with the unit used locally, within 50 miles. It has been spot on with the directions.
I am 60 and picked up how to use and program it within a couple of days, so anybody should be able to use one.
I would not have bought it if I had to pay full price and extra for the unlock code.
I hope you find this useful and will give an undate after "giving it a bending" around SoCal.

BarryRS · Occasional Visitor Joined: Sep 17, 2006 Posts: 6

Well, those 2 weeks soon came to an an end, but it was 25C everyday bar 1 so I can't grumble.
The Roadmate 800 was brilliant. It took a few minutes to initially acquire a position fix, but I let it do this while I was loading up and familiarising myself with the car.
My first check was under the bonnet to see which polarity was used on US cars. It's the same as the UK so no worries there.
The directions were spot on every time. I found the quickest way of programming it was to use the Zip code option.
Once or twice I wanted to go to somewhere that I did not have specific address details for, usually only a street name but no number. The roadmate knows the possible numbers for any given street, so it was easy enough to pick a number in the middle and go look for it when we got there, usually a specific shop for the wife.
The verbal distance countdowns for each change of route were very good, starting at 2 miles so we had plenty of time to move over into the proper lane on the freeway. Once the manouver was completed we got the mileage to the next one verbally and on screen.
I liked the countdown bar that appears at the bottom of the screen, much like the status bar when a program is loading on a PC. If you had 2 or 3 possible roads to turn into as you approach your turning point, you knew exactly which road was the correct one as a chime sounded as you entered the correct lane, and you also get a verbal confirmation.
I still managed to get it wrong a couple of times, by turning when there was still a tenth of a mile to go, but yet again the unit excelled itself by sorting out another route in a matter of seconds.
These things are a bit like mobile phones, once you have one, you wonder how you ever managed without one.
An excellent piece of kit with absolutely no gripes whatsoever.
The initial program was written for Hertz for their hire car fleet, so it has had plenty of testing, and it shows, it is now truly impossible to get lost with one of these in the car.

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