Magellan Meridian Color Handheld Gps Navigator On Sale
Purchase the famous Magellan Meridian Color Handheld Gps Navigator . This highly desirable product is currently available. For this great price, the Magellan Meridian Color Handheld Gps Navigator is widely respected and is a popular choice amongst most people. With so many on offer recently, it is good to have a name you can recognise. The product is certainly that and will be a excellent purchase. The manufacturer have provided some excellent touches and this means great value for money. You can believe this review, i hope you can try to buy this product if you want know this product. Just returned from a trip to Europe, and I have to say this GPS is stellar. I read some of the other comments below and let me offer some advice that clears up some of the problems.
The backlight is adjustable, there is Bright, Dim, and Off. You change from one to the other by holding the power key down for a few seconds.
There is a work around for the maps. I was able to download all of german, netherlands, italy, most of poland etc. You need an SD card programmer to do it, and either 128 mb or 64 mb cards. I needed 192mb total to store what I wanted. Each "Region" that you want to store has to be under 16mb. You can store up to 4 regions in a "Map". You can store as many maps as you want to the SD card, but you will need to rename them from "Region00." to "Region01", "Region02", etc. In this way you are able to store multiple 64 mb "Maps". You can change which map you are using by going to card utilities->select map. Waypoints and routes are stored in the GPS, so they will be sticky if you switch cards.
Using this method you can download all the maps you could possibly need during your trip, and not have to lug a laptop or any software around with you, maybe a couple of postage-stamp sized sd cards. Also note that you'll want to load at least 16mb of the European basemap onto each sd card if you will be using it in europe.
Be sure to format your SD cards before using them!
I think the unit would work with 512mb sd cards, but I don't have a 512mb card to test with.
Another important note is that magellan is releasing Turn-By-Turn software for this GPS this Month! It will retail @ 149.99 and if you do a cost comparison between the magellan and the garmin software, the magellan will now work out cheaper AND provide turn by turn routing with voice prompting (This is just a fantastic software upgrade, I can't believe it can be done without buying a new GPS. I will have to see how well it works when I receive my copy however.).
Some items that keep this from getting 5 stars:
Non-intuitive user interface for loading multiple maps (workaround described above)
Battery life - I went thru about 4 2100 maH AA batteries a day. I had the backlight auto-off set at two minutes, but wanted the gps on all the time to get accurate routing. I remember by GPS V goes for a couple days on one set of batteries, although it uses 4 batteries instead of two.
No compass - this makes it kind of tricky to navigate if you're walking. The directional arrow is frequently inaccurate, so you have to cross check the street that you are on. I'd love to see a screw on magnetic compass attachment for this unit. The sport-trak color has the compass, but only allows 10 or so MB of built in maps.
No built in auto routing - was kind of dismayed to find it didn't have this originally, but with the promised software upgrade, it should be good. I do feel that this should be built into the unit, as a I think every user out there would want it. $150 is a bit much to pay for software that should really be included with the unit.
Annoying alarm when battery reaches critical - There are some times that you don't want to advertise that you are carrying around an expensive device, and having the alarm go off in the middle of a subway or something could be dangerous. Didn't fully investigate if this can be turned off.
Difficult to tell which button you're pushing if it's in your pocket - a little bump on the power and enter buttons would help for unseen operation.
External connector is slow to connect disconnect - you have to turn a screw to connect the external car power or PC interface cables, which takes 60 seconds or so, maybe 30 when you get good. Very difficult to accomplish while driving.
Annoying alarm when external power lost in car - my car connector kept turning off when bumped with the hand, and then this alarm would go off. A single beep would suffice guys!
External power should turn off backlight saver automatically e.g. the backlight should stay on. (or better yet, seperate backlight saver mode for battery and external power). Ditto the auto-off functions although I wasn't using those.
Display - the display was pretty good, and the color definitely helps to clear up the map. Street names are a bit difficult to read and certain zoom levels, the detail level/zoom level threshoulds might need a bit of adjustment.
Antenna - Definitely works better when the gps top is pointed up. This is only my second GPS but it seemed a little less sensitive then my GPS V is.
Cursor - cursor didn't track correctly when entering in a street name where the second word of the street name caused it to wrap to the second line; the cursor remained on a blank square - annoying, no big deal.
German streets - geez, the first 17 characters are the same, can someone figure out how to do the UI so it is easier to get to the right street? I think using the up/down arrows to scroll thru the possible repeat characters would be much easier then the current methods.
Read the full review. Magellan Meridian Color Handheld Gps Navigator (16 Mb)
Magellan Meridian Color Handheld Gps Navigator Price
| List Price: | $499.99 |
| Price: | $499.95 |
| Sale: | $399.99
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| You Save: | $100.00 (20%) |
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Magellan Meridian Color Handheld Gps Navigator Overview
Amazon.com Review The Magellan Meridian Color GPS receiver is just as at home navigating the highways and byways in your car as it is tracking through your favorite mountain trails. This top-of-the line GPS device features a preloaded 16 MB map database of North America, which can be augmented by detailed maps from optional CD-ROMs via the Secure Digital memory card slot. It also offers easy-to-read navigation screens, good-sized buttons, and a thumb directional pad on the front, and WAAS (Wide Area Augmentation Service) for three-meter accuracy.
 Map screen. View larger. |
 Compass display. View larger. |
 Road-view mode. View larger. |
 The Meridian Color is versatile GPS device that is perfect for navigating the highway or the trails. View larger. |
With a selected map region loaded into the memory, simply press the GoTo button and select either a new or previously loaded waypoint or a point of interest (such as an airport or sports arena) to navigate to via a street route. After a bit of calculating, the Meridian Color presented us with a turn-by-turn journey that we could follow while driving. As we neared each turn, the Meridian Color emitted a set of beeps to warn us of the upcoming direction change. The set of beeps elevated to an urgent level when we were right on top of the turn. We used this to plot a course to Seattle's Space Needle, and it produced acceptable results. However, if you're familiar with the terrain, you may have found your way in less time with better shortcuts. If you turn off the Meridian while following a route, you can return right back to it once you turn the device back on.
Magellan's Meridian series offers Secure Digital (SD) memory card expandability, which is a bonus for adding a large amount of map data, especially for long trips. However, we were disappointed at its placement within the device behind the batteries rather than in an external slot. This won't be a problem for most users, but it could be annoying if you had a number of maps spread across several cards.
We experienced good battery life during our test--Magellan boasts 13 hours of continuous use with two AA batteries. If you do plan on frequent use in your vehicle, we recommend either purchasing the optional cigarette lighter power cable or using NiMH rechargeable batteries, which typically provide a longer battery life, as well as minimized cost in the long run.
Overall, we were pleased with this portable hybrid car/outdoor GPS receiver. The Meridian's color screen definitely provides quick viewing details while out hiking or mountain biking, while the driving navigation features were indeed helpful in unknown locales. However, if you do plan on using your GPS primarily in your car, you should think about moving up to either Magellan's Meridian Color Traveler (which includes a street map CD-ROM, vehicle mounting bracket, and power adapter) or the Magellan Roadmate (with voice instruction). --Agen G.N. Schmitz
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Note: All available screen shots were in black and white. The Magellan Meridian Color provides 160 x 120 pixel resolution with 16 colors on all screens and displays.
What's in the Box
Meridian Color GPS receiver, PC cable, 2 AA batteries, wrist strap, and user's manual (English/French).
Magellan Meridian Color Handheld Gps Navigator Feature
- Full-color 120 x 160 pixel display; backlit for easy night-time use
- Uses WAAS technology for accuracy to within 3 meters or better
- 16 MB of built-in memory includes mapping of North America and unlimited expandability
- Rubber armored construction is impact resistant and waterproof
- Runs for up to 13 hours on 2 AA batteries; includes USB interface with cable
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Magellan Meridian Color Handheld Gps Navigator Detail
| Product Manual [6.90mb PDF] |
- Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 6 x 2.8 inches ; 1.3 pounds
- Shipping Weight: 2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
- Shipping: Currently, item can be shipped only within the U.S.
- ASIN: B00007KVHO
- Item model number: 980598-18
