Rocky Mountain Tracking

Daily GPS News

Magellan Introduces smartGPS: Navigation With a Social Side

March 10th, 2013

So you thought standalone GPS devices were on their way out the door? Smartphone GPS apps have largely replaced the need for separate navigation systems, but Magellan has one more trick up its sleeve with the release of its new smartGPS which can complement the capabilities your current smartphone. The new smartGPS, slated to be released this spring with a $249 price tag combines live travel information with a social twist. Not only can you map your route from point A to B, smartGPS will help you find the best gas prices, a great little place to eat or a hot spot hangout with Yelp reviews, or to take advantage of a Foursquare offer.

Cloud-Based Synchronization

This neat little piece of hardware provides real-time info by using Magellan’s Ecosystem cloud-based synchronization. Though you might plan your trip using your home computer, the route is beamed to the SmartGPS in the car in your driveway via the home’s WiFi connection. (You can also transfer the same information with a micro-USB). Likewise, information can be transferred between the GPS and your iOS or Android smartphone (with a free app) using Bluetooth. Say you want to find an address your friend just texted you on your phone? Just send it over to the Smart GPS and it will map a route for you. Or maybe your passenger selects a venue from a Yelp review on the phone; it can then be transferred to the navigation device.

Fingertip Navigation

Magellan’s new dashboard navigation tool hopes to provide a little something for everyone, so it has eight tiles on its 5 inch LCD screen that can be swiped from the right to provide live info such as weather, traffic alerts, red light camera warnings, nearby gas stations and fuel prices, and, of course, Yelp and Foursquare data. Just touch one of the tiles to maximize its size and receive more info. Don’t want to clutter your screen? Select only the tiles you wish to be visible, or hide them all.

All The Bells and Whistles

With 4 GB of memory, the smartGPS can store your favorite apps and maps. There is also a memory slot for other map data. For the person who has to have all the features, Magellan also offers a compatible wireless back-up camera for its smartGPS ($150) which allows the driver to see who or what is behind the vehicle.

Will Magellan be able to pull the dashboard navigational device back through the door? We’ll only have to wait until April to see.

A New GPS Connection

February 3rd, 2013

Magellan has done it again. They’ve taken GPS technology to a whole new level and given it the power to communicate not only with the driver but also with those the driver wishes to speak to. The RoadMate 5265T-LMB turns a traditional navigational device into a virtual speaker phone for safer talking, texting, and driving by giving it a new connection. Now, a compatible smart phone, like Bluetooth, can be plugged directly into the RoadMate for a two-in-one power unit.

The Basics

The 5-inch color touch screen not only displays the route and estimated time of arrival, but it also features icons for traffic alerts and phone connection information. It can display the phone’s address book as well for easy and hands-free calling. The GPS device even allows a driver to locate a restaurant and then call to make reservations. If the phone is a “safe texting” phone, the RoadMate can send a scripted text message like “I’ll call you back. I’m driving” along with the driver’s current location. The unit comes preloaded with maps of the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico.

The Extras

As always, Magellan goes the extra mile with the features it has to offer. The RoadMate 5265T-LMB features a “pedestrian mode” for the adventuresome driver who wants to get out of his car and walk around a bit. The unit’s internal battery provides up to 30 minutes of off-car exploration. Though still a work in progress, the RoadMate also offers the option of receiving driving directions using landmarks, such as gas stations and restaurants, instead of street names. When fully functional, this option will give the driver more time to get his bearings and make safer decisions.

The Kinks

The new GPS-phone connection boasts many great features to enhance driver safety; however, it is not yet compatible with all smart phones, including the ever-popular iPhone. The traffic alert feature works only when the device is plugged directly into the vehicle’s power source, and the landmark directions option still needs work; in fact, when tested in New York City, the device failed to recognize any of the notable landmarks.

All in all, though, Magellan’s RoadMate series is a reliable GPS based navigational system, fully supported and constantly updated. And at about $200, the driver has the option of incorporating his phone into a GPS device for maximum safety.

Magellan Offers Car Kit for iPhone and iPod Touch

January 5th, 2013

Magellan is a GPS industry giant, offering a variety of GPS devices such as the Magellan RoadMate 9250T-LMB, featuring an oversized 7-inch screen. In today’s world of smartphone GPS apps rather than physical GPS devices Magellan competes as well, offering the Roadmate app. As such, Magellan has released a GPS car kit made exclusively for the iPhone and iPod touch, an on-dash and windshield mount that holds the phone where it is readily visible.

The GPS car kit allows you to place the phone in either portrait or landscape mode and lock it into place. Whether or not your iPhone or iPod is in a case, the car kit can handle it: it adjusts to the thickness of your device.

The 30-pin connector means you won’t be able to use your iPhone 5, but it will charge and hold your 3GS, 4, 4S, third-, and fourth-generation iPod Touch. It also offers an additional, more powerful antenna as well as a speaker. This additional antenna means better GPS signal for your iPhone, as well as bringing GPS functionality to the iPod Touch, which does not come equipped with a GPS/cellular chip. The 30-pin connector and included 12 volt charger and cable means longer road trips are possible.

If the speaker included on the unit isn’t enough for you, there is an audio out jack to send the audio directly to your car stereo. The unit also works as a Bluetooth speakerphone, complete with noise-canceling technology. The Bluetooth technology also means you can receive calls and turn-by-turn directions even if your device isn’t in the cradle.

And don’t feel obligated to use the Magellan RoadMate app, the GPS Car Kit will work with just about every GPS navigation app on the market today. The only problem: iPhone 5 connectivity, which one can assume is likely in the works.

Pick up your GPS Car Kit for $99.99, or 50% off if purchased in conjunction with the RoadMate App in the app store until January 15, 2013.

New GPS Sports Watch Keeps Close Watch

October 18th, 2012

Magellan, an innovator in global positioning system technology, has won gold again with its newest sports watch released in July 2012, the Magellan Switch. Highly acclaimed by the Heart Rate Watch Company, the Switch offers runners, cyclists, swimmers, and other outdoor enthusiasts a compact but fully loaded training watch with navigational and multiple exercise features built right in.

The Look

The highly sensitive and highly accurate GPS-enabled Switch sports a slim design compared to its bulkier competitors. It has a flexible wristband for comfort, and the watch piece itself can be easily removed from the band to be mounted on other sports equipment, such as a bicycle or a water craft, using the optional multi-sport mounting kit for less than $30. The watch is not only durable for strenuous workouts, but it is also water resistant up to 50 meters for wet workouts. The Switch can be purchased with or without a heart rate strap as well, making the cost with a strap less than $240 and the cost without the strap less than $190.

The Logistics

Precise and rapid availability to navigational data is crucial for athletes serious about their training sessions. The GPS technology used in the Switch connects effortlessly to any nearby satellite, even those often obscured by tall buildings or mountainous terrain. The watch can connect to any ANT+ device, including heart rate monitors, foot pods, and power meters. It has nine activity profiles and eighty data fields to customize all activity screens. Another great feature of the Switch that is often missing from sports training watches is the option of adding 16 hours of battery life. The installed lithium-ion battery provides 8 hours of training time, but an optional backup battery that costs less than $40 gives endurance trainees up to 24 hours of constant tracking without having to wait for a recharge.

The Leader

The Magellan Switch leads the way in offering athletes more than they thought possible. Its newest training concept is the Activity Pacer. Once an athlete has programmed in his training session goals of distance, time, and speed, the Activity Pacer monitors the progress and provides specific targets to meet during the session in order to achieve the desired goal. Athletes can also share their workout sessions through Magellan Active and other sports fitness websites. The Switch definitely has what it takes for athletes to make the switch to a newer, better equipped, GPS-enabled sports watch.

Magellan Adds Even More Safety Features to Its GPS Devices

October 5th, 2012

Magellan, known for its GPS-enabled navigational tools, is adding even more safety options to its RoadMate series. Slated to be released in September 2012, all new devices will feature Magellan’s full slate of options, including the three most recent additions that come standard with the new RoadMate RM2255T-LMB and the RoadMate 526ST-LMB GPS models.

Bluetooth “Safe Texting”

The Bluetooth Safe Texting feature allows a driver to send a pre-written text message to a caller stating that the contact person is driving and will call back at a later time or giving the vehicle’s GPS location and its estimated time of arrival. When paired with a Bluetooth cell phone, this unique safety feature provides the driver with hands-free talking.

Wireless Back-up Camera

The award-winning back-up camera that comes with Magellan’s newest GPS devices offers drivers a rear-view monitor by switching automatically from navigational mode to rear-view mode whenever the vehicle is put in reverse. Drivers can avoid toys, pets, and most importantly children that may have moved behind a vehicle. The option also helps drivers back into a tight parking space safely.

Portrait Mode

Most GPS navigation tools come with a landscape orientation. Magellan offers the driver the ability to switch from landscape view to portrait view depending on his location and the information that would be most helpful. The portrait mode provides more extended details out in front, making it ideal for long road trips. The landscape view provides closer-in details for city driving.

Other Features

Magellan offers a host of navigational features to make the driving experience safe and enjoyable. The RoadMate series also offers Landmark Guidance for those who prefer to navigate by landmarks rather than street names. Junction View helps drivers merge safely with traffic in order to catch an exit, and OneTouch allows drivers to bookmark their favorite spots for quick access. RoadMate even has Traffic Camera Alerts to let drivers know of upcoming speed and red light cameras located on route. Then there is the AAA TourBook that provides detailed information on restaurants, hotels, shopping, and more. And with a link to BestParking.com, the RoadMate will get you parked without having to roam the streets.

Magellan’s focus on driver safety make its GPS devices top of the line. And at less than $200, they are more than affordable.

The New Kid on the Block: Making the Switch

September 12th, 2012

Do we really need another GPS fitness monitor? According to the navigation company Magellan, the answer is yes. Enter their newest product, The Switch. It resembles an oversized wristwatch. Its features, however, accomplish much more than your average timepiece.

All About the Switch

These GPS devices keep athletes up-to-date on their current location and related information. For example, on a run, you can use it to keep track of how far you’ve run, how fast you’ve run, and how long you’ve run.

You can use the device for more than running. It has settings for biking (mountain, road, etc), swimming, hiking, and walking. Interested in triathlons? The Switch has a setting for that too.

By connecting the switch to an ANT device, you can also keep track of your physical statistics. The Switch will use statistics like your height, age, and weight to calculate your caloric burn.

Technical Features

The Switch runs for eight hours on a fresh charge. The Switch can withstand bumps and water. It can go underwater for up to 50 meters. Sweat won’t bother this baby. It’s perfect for high activity sports.

Drawbacks

The device’s primary drawback is its time telling function. Sadly it isn’t up for being used as a watch. You have to search under a submenu to even find the time. That’s not exactly convenient when you want to take a quick peek at the hour! Some users have also reported trouble with the battery. Eight hours of charge seems too low to many athletes. Some users report the device may not run for even that long.

Choosing Your Switch

Athletes interested in an even more elaborate device might want to consider the Switch Up. The Switch Up allows users even more monitoring options. The device has all the same options as the basic Switch but also includes things like a barometer and thermometer. You can also attach it to a bike. The main drawback? It’s bulkier than its more basic counterpart. Plus, some athletes may feel they can forgo both designs for the simpler, smaller GPS devices on the market, even if they don’t boast all the same bells and whistles.

GPS Reels in the Big One

September 9th, 2012

Magellan, known for its pioneering innovations in GPS technology, has just recently released its newest navigational device—this time for fishermen. The eXplorist 310 Angler and the eXplorist 510 Pro Angler came out in August 2012 to the acclaim of fishing enthusiasts everywhere.

About Magellan

Based in Santa Clara, California, Magellan has long been recognized for its GPS navigation tools. From basic directional devices for all modes of transportation to handheld receivers for the outdoorsman to watches for fitness enthusiasts, Magellan has delivered well-built and highly accurate systems that are also affordable. All Magellan products are made to hold up under all kinds of conditions, which is good news for the fisherman who may be caught in a storm. Not only are the devices waterproof, but they are also readable, even in direct sunlight. Whether mounted on a dash, worn on a wrist, or held in the palm of a hand, Magellan gets the user to where he wants to go.

About eXplorist Angler

The key attraction of the eXplorist Angler series lies in its interaction with Fishing Hot Spots, which provides valuable fishing data for 4,000 lakes in the United States. This line of devices goes well beyond the basic GPS receiver. Not only will fishermen get information on the size and depth of a lake; he will also receive information about the shoreline’s features, underwater rock formations or vegetation growth, and even the types of fish that swim those particular waters along with their seasonal migration patterns. These devices even provide tips on what types of baits and lures work best in a particular lake as well as the best way to tackle and stock. More specifically, the Angler 310 allows a user to download detailed maps of three lakes from Fishing Hot Spots while the Angler 510 comes with a preloaded MicroSD card of Fishing Hot Spots vast database. The 510 even comes with a camera and a microphone for recording the big catch.

At just under $200 for the 310 Angler and just under $450 for the 510 Angler Pro, a fisherman can reel in a deal. Magellan is leading the way with GPS technology and taking the sport of fishing to a deeper level.

Athletes Don’t Want to Waste Time at the Computer

August 29th, 2012

The whole point of being a multisport athlete is getting to spend lots and lots of time doing a variety of outdoor activities, each of which complements the others and contributes to a whole-body workout. Pouring over a computer, organizing data and comparing results, is not one of those activities. Multisport athletes, even more than others, need a GPS device that can classify, organize, and compare their results without taking a lot of their time.

Magellan Active, at www.active.magellangps.com, is a new web-based location specially designed for these folks. The site is intended to work seamlessly with the new Switch and Switch Up from Magellan. Both are GPS watches that collect information during a run, bike, swim, or other activity, plus optional heart rate data. When an athlete’s watch has logged event data, it automatically sends it to the athlete’s personal profile on Magellan Active, where it fits into a framework that is particularly intuitive for multisport athletes. You can look at the information any way you want to, from a broad overall view to very specific pieces of information from individual workouts.

The now-requisite options for sending data to Facebook and other social media sites are present and easy to use, so you can challenge or trash-talk your friends. But don’t worry; that won’t take very long, and you will have already saved a ton of time by having Magellan Active compile the data from your GPS tool automatically.

The site fits the Switch and Switch Up watches very well, both exceptional devices that are nearly as easy to use as the website. A range of accessories and options customize the watches to different activities, as well as powerful tools that measure temperature, altitude, and other environmental factors. They’re just the latest example of Magellan’s commitment to become the leading manufacturer of GPS devices for athletes.

Even if you’re not currently a multisport enthusiast, this great workout recording and GPS device might inspire you to become one. It’s so easy to accurately record and report event data that you can spend all your time focusing on what’s really important: finishing the workout.

Explore America with GPS and TOPO!

June 14th, 2012

The fear of any outdoorsman is getting lost in the woods; however, in a world of global positioning systems and tracking devices, much of that fear is relieved. Now, Magellan and National Geographic have teamed up to provide outdoorsmen the ultimate in GPS navigational tools. The handheld GPS device series known as eXplorist can now download TOPO!, National Geographic’s full-color and exquisitely detailed topographical maps of the continental United States.

About Magellan

Magellan, based in Santa Clara, California, has long been known for its Roadmate series of GPS systems for cars, boats, trucks, and RVs, not to mention its fleet management line. They also provide apps and accessories for smart phones as well as GPS devices for outdoor enthusiasts. The eXplorist series is just one of Magellan’s recreational tools. The 310 unit is ideal for basic outdoor tracking, while the 510, 610, and 710 models are more than adequate for the advanced outdoor explorer.

About eXplorist

Like all Magellan products, the eXplorist line is rugged, compact, and waterproof, making it the ideal GPS device for any adventurer. It features a user-friendly menu, a screen that can be read even in direct sunlight, and a battery that is long-lasting. All this innovation fits in the palm of your hand. Whether you are up for hiking, biking, hunting, or fishing, the eXplorist will keep you tracking. And geocaching adventures take on a whole new meaning when seen topographically.

About TOPO!

National Geographic developed TOPO! to provide detailed topographical maps for increased safety and a more enhanced outdoor experience. The app is downloadable through Magellan, and the annual service fee is less than $30; you can even get a free trial. The program features two scales. The 1:100,000-scale gives a complete overview for the extended trip while the 1:24,000-scale map provides terrain detail, right down to ravines, ridge lines, back roads, and trails with national parks and state parks easily identified as well.

Outdoor adventure awaits, and it is not just for the rugged explorer type anymore. eXplorist and TOPO! together provide the novice as well as the wilderness wanderer a GPS device that enables them to safely and expertly navigate the great land of America.

Magellan’s New RoadMate GPS Devices: Making Your Road Trips Even Easier

May 31st, 2012

Back before the days of the GPS navigation device, we often relied on directions given to us by another human being. Let’s say you are traveling to Uncle Joe’s house. You typically started by giving Uncle Joe a call and asking for directions to his new house in a neighboring state which you aren’t familiar with. Uncle Joe will likely use landmarks rather than street names to make finding your way there less of a hassle: “Head down I-93 until you get to exit 15, right by the soda factory. Turn right, and drive until you see a giant bronze statue, take a left, and drive until you see the red house with black shutters.” Yes, he might give street names as well, but landmarks make it more convenient for most drivers to find their way in unfamiliar territory.

Magellan, a top GPS device manufacturer, has released their newest RoadMate portable GPS navigation devices, and they are designed to do exactly what Uncle Joe would do. Magellan believes this will be a welcome change, and that drivers will appreciate how much simpler and safer it is to get to where you are going.

The RoadMate 2210,2210T, 2220-LM, 2230T-LM, 5220-LM, 5230T-LM and 5235T-LM models will all feature what Magellan calls ‘Landmark Guidance.’ This will provide a simpler way to get to where you need to go than the old method of street names. Some street signs are difficult to read safely as you are driving along, while other roads lack street signs altogether. The new function of the RoadMate GPS device uses landmarks such as stores, gas stations, banks, and other easily recognizable places to guide you to your destination.

Another great feature of the new RoadMate models: ‘Traffic Camera Alerts.’ This handy feature will not only tell you about upcoming red lights, but speed cameras as well. This feature works whether the device is being used for navigational purposes or not. Magellan is even including free updates to this feature for the first year. It is considered premium content, as well as alerts for school zones, dangerous intersections, and areas that have a high accident rate. These valuable premium services will cost $29.99 per year.

Take advantage of ‘Junction View’, where the device alerts you as to what lane you should be in to safely take your upcoming turn or exit. Looking for parking in the crowded city? These GPS devices can help you do that with a new feature from BestParking.com, which keeps a database of parking garages and facilities, tells you when they are open, and which street will give you access to the facility.

Stig Pedersen, Magellan’s Associate Vice President of Product Management said, “Our newest Magellan RoadMate navigation devices underscore our ongoing commitment to deliver innovative GPS navigation devices with premium features and top-of-the-line content at competitive pricing, and to enrich drivers’ confidence, comfort, and safety.”

This new line of Magellan RoadMate GPS devices are available from retailers and range from $99.99 to $169.99 in price.