Converted Magellan user, San Jose

[cputrdoc]

I've already been participating in a number of forum discussions, but thought I would backtrack and introduce myself here.

I used a Magellan RoadMate 3050T (a.k.a. RoadMate 3000 with a bundled traffic kit) for about 2 years. After a particularly difficult and expensive map upgrade in November 2007 where I experienced Magellan's incredibly brain-dead technical support line to install a map that was a year old when it was released, my unit started locking up regularly, and I was wishing I'd bought another model.

In March, a thief discovered my wife had left the garage door open and that I'd left my GPS in my unlocked car. The insurance gave me money toward a replacement. I bought the 920T because it had all the features I had on my 3050T plus voice recognition, could pronounce street names, and best of all, daily map and POI updates from other members. (what? you mean I don't have to pay $70 for a year-old map next time? Oooo... I'm sold!)


TomTom seems to be more responsive to its customers when major bugs are found, which I like, but overall the device functionality is unchanged. With the 920T I don't have hard-locks which have to be cleared with holding down a button for 30 seconds like I had with the 3050T, but a quick adjustment requires a lot more menu navigation. For example, switching from the voice of John Cleese to a computer voice that can pronounce the street names when I find myself in an unfamiliar area requires...
1. Menu
2. Preferences
3. Change voice
4. Do you want to select from international voices too? Y/N -- choose no
5. Arrow around until you find a computer voice
6. Select the voice
7. First screen of voice preferences appears, click Done
8. Second screen of voice preferences appears, click Done
9. We've detected you've recorded your own voice. Do you want to use it? Y/N -- choose no
10. Choose Done from the Preferences menu
11. Choose Done from the Main menu

Yuck. Try doing that in a bad neighborhood. Someone really needs to do a usability study here and revamp the interface.

...but still, I have more confidence in the 920T's ability to navigate me to a valid POI than I had in my 3050T, so I'm happier now.

 

[Robm]

I came from a Magellan as well but much older one (700 series). Used it for about 5 years and then it just died (probably the hard drive). Anyway, the TT is great but miss certain aspects of the magellan. The thing I probably miss the most is the warning right when you are about to take a turn. The TT does not give you any warning and reroutes you after you missed it...although the reroute is so much faster than the magellan. Anyway, good luck with it, I have the 720 and really like it, just wish there were a couple of changes

 

[cputrdoc]

I came from a Magellan as well but much older one (700 series). Used it for about 5 years and then it just died (probably the hard drive). Anyway, the TT is great but miss certain aspects of the magellan. The thing I probably miss the most is the warning right when you are about to take a turn. The TT does not give you any warning and reroutes you after you missed it...although the reroute is so much faster than the magellan. Anyway, good luck with it, I have the 720 and really like it, just wish there were a couple of changes

I remembered that from when I was using a Hertz NeverLost system, and having that tone to tell me when to turn was a major reason for choosing Magellan in the first place.

...but I don't miss that feature very much. I found the tone sometimes threw me on a short block. "Wait... turn at the street I'm passing, or the next street?" The 920 tells me "take the second/third right" which I find to be easier.

 

[Robm]

That is great if you are completely paying attention to what is going on, and although I do, sometimes there are conversations going on in the car at the time and I miss the turn because my brain was programed to hear a ding at the turn...just the way me head is wired I guess