GPS Systems and Reviews

Magellan Road mate 1200 While on the Road

It seems everywhere you turn anymore GPS systems seem to be advertised or shown on television. They were very popular Christmas gifts and will be popular as father’s day gifts as well. One of the better models that is out there right now is the Magellan Road Mate 1200 and it is loaded with many different features that will help keep you on the correct path plus make sure you stay that way. The Road mate 1200 is fairly new and has a low end price which makes it a model many people will consider when they purchase. Is it right for you though let us further investigate and see if it merits a purchase anytime soon?

No matter what model you choose we all love features and the Magellan Road mate 1200 will not disappoint you that are for sure. It has all the goodies that you will want or every need. It has a sleek look and is pocket sized so it will not take up a lot of room which is nice especially if you are crammed for space in your vehicle. This means it also gives you the portability to take it with you if necessary. One of the things I hate doing is reading the instructions that come with many of these GPS systems and thanks to a innovative easy-to-use interface the road mate lets you find almost anything in a matter of seconds without the need for instructions. For those who want to pull it right out of the box and use it than this is a godsend. For us who hate instructions we must give the Magellan Road Mate 1200 a perfect score in this area.

A 3.5 inch QVGA color touch screen shows your position, points of interest, route, ETA, and much more on the screen. This is something that you will love. It has built in USA maps that are preloaded on the SD memory card which is a nice touch that is for sure.  With over 1.3 million points of interest such as gas stations, restaurants, ATM’s and more programmed in you should have no problem at all find your way around this country. Quick spell is another feature I love on the Road mate 1200. Many times we are in a hurry and spelling is something we do not think about so it corrects our mistake which is a nice added touch.

Smart Detour automatically reroutes you around slow traffic so you can stay on schedule. Nothing can be more frustrating than running into a traffic jam or something else that just slows down your trip. Rechargeable battery powers the unit, but will only last around three hours so you better have a power source if you plan on using it for a long time. Address book and auto night view means it adjusts the color and contrast for easy night viewing. As you can see it has a vast array of features that make it something to definitely consider.

Now we know it has great features, but how does it perform under testing is probably the real question. Many times you will find a great model that is loaded with features fail you when it is put to the test. Well you have no worries with the Magellan Road Mate 1200 as it is as good as advertised. The clean looking screen and almost flawless GPS readouts were more than anyone could expect since it has such a low end price. All the tests that I gave it passed with flying colors and it gets my stamp of approval that is for sure. Is it totally perfect? Nope, but what GPS system is none of the ones I have ever tried. The Road Mate is a good low end GPS unit that will give you many years of trouble-free operation.

Overall if you are just starting out with GPS than this is a great starter model for you. Most people tend to go to the more expensive ones to start out with, but now there really is no need to. This model gives you a ton of features at a very low cost to start out with. The big advantage of this is after a few years and you learn the ropes of these GPS systems you can get a more expensive model with added features. All-in all this is a very good model for the price and one many people should consider if they have never tried GPS before. This model will surprise you will what it can do and the low entry price should drive sales

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Keeping Your GPS Unit on the Windshield

There are many different types of windshield mounts that you can buy for your GPS unit and each have a different degree of effectiveness. Some work better than others and some are just not worth having. Making sure you keep the unit on the windshield and not on the floor can sometimes be a never-ending battle and that is why we have gathered some tips to help you do just that. Most of these are just common sense ones, but a refresher course cannot hurt and you never know just one tip that works can save you hours of hassle with trying to get that darn windshield mount to work. Read on and discover what we have found to work best to keep your GPS unit mounted properly.

GPS unit mounts all give you some success, but usually at various degrees so this is something that you will need to take into account. I will admit some of these windshield mounts are not very good and a waste of money, but some of these tips should help you keep it mounted on the windshield and not sliding all over your floor. Cleaning the suction cup is probably one of the things we tend to forget. Dust and dirt gather on our windshield and the first place that heads is the suction cup. Cleaning that properly daily is good idea as you will get much better suction from it if you do.

Clean the windshield often is probably something we tend to overlook. Many people will just clean a certain spot and neglect the entire windshield. By cleaning it daily, you remove all dust and dirt that can blow around and get into the suction cup and also in your GPS Unit. Many people do not realize how quickly these units can collect dust and dirt and eventually it can breakdown your unit. This is why making sure your windshield is cleaned everyday is important. I know that it can be a pain to do it every day, but it the long run trusts me it will be worth it.

Mount the mount first. I see this mistake all the time and that is people mounting the GPS unit and the mount at the same time. I advise against it for a couple of different reasons. First of all you want to get a good fit and having something on the suction cup when trying to mounting it is very hard. The other thing is many people will push on the GPS unit as they try to mount it on the windshield. I’ve seen broken displays on units because people were trying to get the perfect fit or suction so go it alone and trust me you will see much better results and less chance for damage to your unit.

Many times when buying this suction cup mounts we are afraid to put a little pressure on these units and that is why they tend to fall off. I have found out though different companies mounts require different types of pressures when mounting them on the windshield. Most people will want to practice with it first before mounting the GPS unit to see which gives them the best result. By doing this you will know exactly, what type of pressure is needed? Experiment is the key here and that way you will know exactly which works best for you. One other key thing that people always tend to forget is not all windshields are created equal. Some work better than others so keep this in mind when mounting them.

Overall, the one thing about mounting these things on your windshield that you must know is make sure everything is clean. I always advise people to clean the windshield more than just one time, as it will give you greater suction than just a onetime cleaning. When cleaning the windshield use a good cleaning agent so you can get a good cleaning done. Most people will just clean it with anything and then they wonder why the mount keeps falling off and there GPS unit again has landed on the floor. If you’re not using the mount also take it off the windshield for a couple of reasons. First many times people will leave it sitting in the sun and the heat makes it lose grip and I’ve seen falling GPS units get damage and that is something you do not want. Secondly, it is an inviting target for thieves if they can see it. By removing it, you have much less of a chance for theft.

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