Magellan RoadMate 1430 4.3-Inch Portable GPS Navigator

I normally don't write product reviews but feel it's necessary for me to warn others about this GPS. I purchased this product a couple of months ago for my business with the hopes it would save me time and make me a little more efficient on the road. Boy, was I wrong. First of all, the unit you buy may be "new" but the installed software is very old. In fact, I have a 7 year old map that lists streets that this GPS doesn't. In order to upgrade, Magellan wants another $50 from you. Since the software is more than 7 years old most of your points of interest are also out of date. I don't know where Magellan got their information, but some of these locations never existed in the first place. For example: One day I was looking for a health food store. It told me one was on a certain street about 2 miles away from my present location. When I arrived at the location all I found was a vacant lot! The lot never had a building on it let alone a health food store. So far I noticed only about 40% of the points of interests are accurate. My biggest problem with this GPS is that no matter what, it always seems to take the round-about way to get you to your destination. I live 2 miles from a major freeway where there is an entrance and an exit however, this unit always directs me to the one that is 6 miles away. I use this GPS daily for my business where I'll put in a dozen or more stops into it. I was hoping it would map out a logical route for me to follow so I can save time and gas. This unit does the opposite. I waste more time and gas zig-zagging all over town than if I was just using a map. I can see on a map the most logical route to get to my destination, but for some reason this GPS loves taking the scenic route. Granted, you will eventually get to your location (if your street is listed) but it won't get you there in the most logical or efficient way. Even when I approach my home street it will tell me to make a u-turn, go around the block and approach my street from the opposite direction. ??? I don't know how many times I just want to throw this stupid thing out the window. It doesn't even pronounce the names of some streets correctly. My unit pronounces the simple name, "State Road" as "Stage Road". And rarely, does it announce your arrival when you actually arrive at your destination. It will either announce it before or after you pass your destination. I've adjusted my location many times, but it still doesn't make a difference. Also, if you are heading in one direction and your next location is in the opposite direction, this unit doesn't have enough sense to have you turn around and go in that direction. Instead it will have you traveling in the same direction until you come to a street where you can make a big circle....even if that means traveling 10 or more miles out of your way!! I know GPS technology isn't perfect, but this is by far the dumbest GPS I ever used. When I can see clearly on a map how to get to my destination and this thing consistently takes me 1 or 2 miles out of my way, something is wrong. This GPS is okay for occasional use in an area you're familiar with but I wouldn't count on it while traveling to unknown locations. My advice: Buy a much more dependable Garmin or just use a map.

This is my first GPS and I love it. Very easy to operate. At first I thought it wasn't working, but if you travel for more then 500 miles without using it you have to set the GPS location again. After that, it was working like a clock...

This is my first GPS but some of my friends are up to their 4th. I'm directionally challenged and always wanted one but the complaints of friends with GPS and the huge price tag made me wait it out. With all the upgraded features and prices dropping so much, I could not resist buying one. I've only been testing it in my neighborhood and to work but it's been accurate; 1 error in a street name but the SD map was from 2008. I called company, asked for the "free" latest map within their 30 day of purchase window. Unfortunately, it's still 2009 since the 2010 won't be release until much later in the year; cost $10 for S/H to mail the SD map. Delivery was fast but now I need full charge before I can install the new software to use the new map. Since I only have the car charger and my drive to work is ~15 minutes, the battery still not max yet. I'll update after the upgrade and new map but the GPS is intuitive to use/program. I have no trouble figuring out the features, enter addresses and started using it out of the box. Low volume is a major complaint of most GPS but with the radio on I still can hear this one clearly on max setting. Love the street names, turns announcements; no need to even look at the screen. It also have a bell alert immediately before each turn. The bright blue screen was easy to see in bright daylight too. One person complained it was too bright for night; the reviewer may not know about the brightness setting. Tried it myself, not a problem. I did not tried the free 3 month traffic subscription yet. My Miami commute is nothing compare to other major cities I've been in.

I was hesitant about this model with all the low reviews I saw here but since most were from 2008 and early 2009 and for the price ~$90 plus some very positive reviews, I was willing to risk it. I think the company may have resolved the issues with upgrades, 30 days free map upgrade and better customer service. Like I said, I'll post my experience after the upgrade and new map to see if the company actually did fix the issues reported by some. The customer service I got was excellent.

I'm happy with the price and features of this unit so far. I'm purcahsing a wall charger for this unit for $5. I already have a USB data link for the upgrade. If you live in a city where there were no major changes to the freeway, highways or roads the last few years then you can save money and not upgrade the map or simply wait for a later model with more current maps. GPS seem to be getting cheaper by the month.

UPDATE 04-Jul-10:
Got my wall charger last week and downloaded the software update so I can use the new 2009 SD map. The SD map came so quickly after I faxed Magellan the receipt with date of purchase, I had to wait for my wall charger because you'll need a fully charge unit first. No problems with the download (took only a few minutes) but I had a problem after I inserted the new SD map. It was my fault because I did not remove the plastic screen protector and it cause an error that took me more than 20 mins to figure out why it wasn't responding to touch or reset. Once I removed the screen protector, it reset and responded well to touch and so far no problems with the unit so I believe they fixed the software problem that others complained about. The name error of the one street was still not corrected with the new map so save your money if you live in an area with no major changes to your roads in the last few years. Like other posters asked, do they really update those maps?!!

For the price and features, absolutely happy with the unit. None of my friends ever complained about the durability of a GPS so I think this unit will only be replaced in the future with a "better" unit or if the new maps at the current $80 are more expensive than buying a new unit.

Very nice product but a little hard to get someone who is not technical to learn how to use it.

All these things screw up once in a while, but this is as good as any out there,and for 120 bucks and a year of free traffic update service (or was it 6 months ?) you cannot get a better GPS. It is popular with thieves, also; I have had to buy 4 of them due to Atlanta democrats stealing 3 from my vehicles.

Hello out there,
We received a different GPS that we prefer to keep and want to return this one. I have gotten 2 e-mails from Comp USA, but still haven't sent the return authorization or mailing label> What do I need to do to get them to respond?

SO I have been on the hunt for the best traffic. and this isn't it. I had the DASH express which was internet connected, and it was so good that it is hard to compare. (I didnt like how big it was and had bad graphics, but the traffic was spot on!)

Anyhow, this can tell you when there is traffic... when you are in it!

Great. I want to go from A to B and it gives me the route assuming no traffic, and as you turn on the ramp and are in bumper to bumper it says " you are in traffic". Geez Thanks buddy. Oh, do I want to reroute, where? To more traffic? How does that route compare to this route??? unknown.

SO basically real traffic is just a feature bullet point, but isnt real yet.

Gonna be returning this and keeping my tom tom 140.

Also I dont get widescreen. Sounds good in the ads, I guess that is why people buy it. But it takes up more room and obstructs your view and is completely unnecessary.

Also the # of button presses to get anything done, is about 2x vs TomTom. And the mapping was much worse. With the TT I know about 200 yards away from a traffic circle, this one about 75.

First the Pro's of this GPS unit : The wide screen is great compared to a few other GPS units I have owned in the past and easy to see the roads and points of interest. It was very easy to install on the windsheild with the suction adaptor included plus its easy to remove the unit by just a lift of the lock. It came with a 90 day free trial of road hazard warning and traffic back up to give you an option of detour to avoid the area before you came to it. Nice slim unit about the thickness of a deck of cards so if you wanted you can disconnect it and put it into your pocket if you were in an area known for high theft . The lovely womans voice is pleasant to hear which you can adjust the volume to suit your needs. Screen changes as night comes to give you a night view of the area which I found interesting.

Cons : Being a brand new GPS I was very dissapointed that the maps had not been updated for many years it seems . We type in Costco which has been here for over 15 years and it never showed up nor the road it is on . After calling tech support and explaining the problem we had to pay another ten dollars ( for shipping ) to recieve the new spring 2009 map disk update . Everything works okay now and roads and business's now show up . The so called free 90 day traffic hazard never has worked and we have gone past ( and been in ) several road construction projects that's been going on for a few years on state highways and county roads, PLUS we have been in traffic back ups from accidents and rush hour traffic and the GPS never gave any warning whatsoever, so that feature does not work at all and would be a waste of money for this unit. The touch screen being new of course is hard to hit with your finger but using the eraser end of a pencil works okay for the time being .

If you plan on buying this unit be prepared to fork out another ten dollars to get the updated maps from magellan, plus don't bother paying for a subscription for their traffic alert program. Just use the 90 day free trial and see if it ever gives you road warning or not.

THIS IS A REALLY BAD GPS. I HAD TO RETURN IT TO THE COMPANY. AND THEY GAVE ME A REFURBISHED SYSTEM. THE REFURBISHED UNIT WAS BETTER THAN THE NEW UNIT. YOU SHOULDN'T WASTE YOUR MONEY ON A NEW UNIT. JUST BUY A REFURBISHED UNIT.!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I've never owned a GPS before, so I don't have a lot to compare my review to, but I am really happy with this system. It seems to be accurate and gets me to where I need to go. I would recommend this unit to anyone who is in the market for one.

This was for a gift for my friend and every time i see them they tell me how much they love to use it.

I have had my unit for about two weeks now and have been testing it out on all my local trips to make sure it works and does not send me in the wrong direction locally, so I know I can depend on it when I have no idea where I am going. It has been great and has guided me to every point without incident. The voice prompts are very clear. The night mode is excellent and the unit is very easy to see. The interface is extremely user friendly, my 9 year old insists on typing in all our addresses and she has already mastered it. The POI's are also very cool. It has found every restaurant or drug store I have searched for. The one complaint I have is the outdated map and that is not really the units fault. If you call magellan within 30 days of receipt and jump through a few hoops (provide proof of purchase and pay $10 shipping) you get an updated map. Overall excellent unit so far..