Nearly all of the top GPS device makers are continually working to advance their GPS devices. They are developing more up-to-date applications to make travel easier for travelers who use engines, sneakers, or any other means of transportation imaginable. Even though these manufacurers are striving hard to keep these GPS devices reasonably priced for the middle-class consumer, the consequence of all the technology contained in the product will predictably be higher prices. The best that most companies can do for those of us who can’t pay for all the latest technology is to offer stripped down versions of the GPS devices so they can be affordable for mid- to lower-income drivers. Another great model to consider is Magellan Roadmate 1470 Portable GPS Navigator.

Magellan GPS devices are somewhat singular as they have always designed their most popular models to be affordable but also convenient. The shortcoming of affordability, of course, is that the latest technology is almost never found at reasonable prices. Consequently, the quality of Magellan’s devices has received mixed reviews. Magellan answered this shortcoming through several advanced models for the more specialized GPS users.

Magellan Maestro

If you are in the market for a reasonably priced tour guide for your auto, the Magellan Maestro line-up gives you quite a few units which are particularly for vehicle navigation. Magellan Maestro models are found in the 3000, 4000, and 5000 designations. Each of the 3000 models are remarkably inexpensive with one or two like the Maestro 3100 available at below $200 which is wondrously cheap for a GPS model which offers 2-D and 3-D display options. Perhaps their coolest function is the QuickSpell feature, that enables easy input for road names.

Every other remaining feature, including the performance is mediocre and hanging is quite constant. With the exception of one or two of the 4000 and 5000 models, the Magellan Maestro is really not exceptional, but the price is still reasonable.

Magellan Roadmate

As explained by the name, this group of Magellan GPS devices are manufactured for cars also. Although they are distinguishable from their Maestro cousins when it comes to appearance. Roadmates are made to be more portable, having a smaller footprint and keeping the same interface. As a result the Roadmates are similarly easy to navigate with and much easier to keep than the Maestros. A nice option is the Magellan Roadmate 1470 Portable GPS Navigator.

In terms of performance, the Roadmate is a bit improved with one or two of them like the Roadmate 1212 using the Centrality Atlas III Processor. If you like playing with the menus, you may observe a slightly irritating interval when pushing the buttons. The battery power isn’t very impressive either; it’s good for somewhere near 3 hours before a recharge is necessary.

On the bright side, the Roadmate is regarded as superior to some of the Maestro budget models, displaying many more POI’s as compared to the Maestro 3100 and its measly 750,000 points of interest. The Roadmate closes the gap with competing manufacturers by offering more than 6 million points of interest. Text-to-speech, which is usually a handy feature, is additionally offered by some of the reasonably priced models. The price isn’t much of a concern either, which is extraordinary for a slim device. Another good item to look into is the Magellan Roadmate 1470 Portable GPS Navigator.

Although this company offers merely two collections to choose from, those sets offer at least 10 models within each set in a range of different price tags and options. The least expensive of the bunch aren’t very useful for regular users because of the regular crashes, but above average models can do wonders and ought to be sufficient for travelers to be happy with.