Most of the more established GPS device makers are attempting to upgrade their wares. These companies are developing more up-to-date options to make navigation easier for travelers who use wheels, skis, or any other form of transportation available. Even though these makers are really trying to keep these GPS devices accessible for the normal consumer, the effect of all the technology offered in the product will predictably be higher prices. The best that these manufacturers can do for those of us who can’t afford the new gizmos is to make absolutely basic models of the GPS devices which will be affordable for mid- to lower-income drivers. Another great model to consider is Magellan Roadmate 1470 Portable GPS Navigator.

Magellan GPS devices are a bit different because this company has always engineered their most popular models to be reasonably priced but also convenient. The shortcoming of affordability, naturally, is that brand new technology is not often available at reasonable prices. Predictably, then, the quality of Magellan’s products has received mixed reviews. Magellan responded to this complaint with several high-end models for the more dedicated GPS users.

Magellan Maestro

In case you are in the market for a reasonably priced buddy for your vehicle, the Magellan Maestro series gives you many models which are specifically for vehicle navigation. Magellan Maestro models lie in the 3000, 4000, and 5000 designations. Each of the 3000 models are particularly low priced with a few such as the Maestro 3100 priced at under $200 which is outrageously cheap for a GPS model which offers 2-D and 3-D mapping capabilities. Most likely their most appreciated ability is the QuickSpell feature, made to facilitate easy input for road names.

Every other measurable quality, including the performance is under par and hanging is quite regular. With the exception of some of the 4000 and 5000 versions, the Magellan Maestro is just not exceptional, but the price stays reasonable.

Magellan Roadmate

As explained by the name, this group of Magellan GPS devices were made for cars as well. Yet they are unlike their Maestro cousins when it comes to appearance. Roadmates are made to be less bulky to tote, having a smaller footprint but keeping the same interface. The outcome of these improvements is the Roadmates are similarly easy to navigate with and a bit easier to tote than the Maestros. A nice option is the Magellan Roadmate 1470 Portable GPS Navigator.

Regarding its performance, the Roadmate is slightly improved with several styles such as the Roadmate 1212 offering the Centrality Atlas III Processor. If you prefer investigating the menus, you might notice a rather irritating delay as you are using the buttons. The battery life isn’t all that great either; it’s usable for about 3 hours until a recharge is called for.

On the bright side, the Roadmate is thought to be superior to many of the Maestro budget models, storing many more POI’s as compared to the Maestro 3100 and its paltry 750,000 points of interest. The Roadmate gets even with competing manufacturers by providing more than 6 million points of interest. Text-to-speech, which is generally a popular feature, is also offered by some of the reasonably priced models. The price isn’t that steep either, which is notable for a slim device. Another good item to look into is the Magellan Roadmate 1470 Portable GPS Navigator.

Although there are only two line-ups to pick from, they each give you at least 10 models within each set all with different price tags and abilities. The lowest priced of the bunch aren’t a good idea for constant users owing to the occasional crashes, but more expensive models are generally reliable and should be suitable for commuters to be pleased with.