Magellan roadmate 760 satellite - turn-by-turn voice guidance with SayWhere™ text-to-speech tells you when to take each turn, including distance and street name. Use the 3.75" color touch screen to enter an address or select from over 6 million points of interest.
Magellan had a hit with the RoadMate 700, and with good reason: finally, thanks to the 700's big internal hard drive, travelers could simply turn on their vehicle GPS unit and go, without the hassle of loading base-maps. Plus, the 700 offered great features like turn-by-turn guidance with voice prompts and 3D rendering of upcoming turns. Plus, the unit had intuitive controls that offered fast rerouting when you missed a turn or decided to take a detour.
With the successor model, the RoadMate 760, Magellan has kept everything the same, while adding a few features that make this model a compelling upgrade or a great first-time unit for folks who are just joining the vehicle GPS craze.
The overall design of the 760 differs very little from the 700, and that's a good thing. The 2.25-by-3.0-inch screen is exceptionally bright and crisp, and it's even got a brain. A small light sensor on the front of the unit allows the 760 to automatically adjust brightness and contrast depending on ambient light levels. It's a nice touch that helps you keep your eyes on the road instead of focused on fiddling with screen settings during your journey.
Simplicity is the name of the game with the 760, and in keeping with that, the unit's integration with a PC is minimal. The 760 does ship with a reasonably easy-to-use points of interest manager PC application. The software lets you add POI's to the unit's existing database and then upload them to the 760 via USB.
With the 760, though, the days of planning routes on your computer and then uploading the necessary maps to your GPS's paltry memory are gone. We think this is a good thing, but we do wish the 760 shipped with an application that allowed users to upload contacts from their Outlook or PC-based address book to the unit's address book. Granted, the 760 does have an IR port for beaming contacts from a PDA or Smart Phone, but further integration with a PC in this one area would be nice.
A slot on the side of the 760 is provided for a memory card; Magellan says future expansion cards will be made available. A flip-up antenna is located on the back of the unit, but if you want maximum reception in all conditions, or if your windshield has a thermal coating, you'll want to spring for a wired external antenna.
Magellan bills the 760 as a complete solution right out of the box, and this couldn't be more true. The main unit easily attaches to an included cradle that doubles as a mounting plate for the vehicle suction cup mount and an input for power and USB connectivity. The suction cup mount is simple to install, and within minutes, we had the unit powered up and ready to go.
Out on the road, the 760 performed flawlessly. After entering a home address and quickly acquiring a satellite lock on our position, we zoomed in on the neighborhood and tapped a few points of interest on the touch-screen, including a restaurant, an ATM, and a gas station. A friendly voice guided the way, announcing upcoming turns and even pronouncing street names. Meanwhile, a 3D representation of upcoming turns made it clear what maneuvers were next. We especially liked the split-screen view, which offers a traditional map view plus the 3D display. Keep in mind, though, that the points of interest database preloaded on the 760 does not contain everything--we found that it offered just a smattering of all the restaurants and businesses in our area.
Entering physical addresses on the 760 was a snap, thanks to the unit's QuickSpell technology, which anticipates the words you are trying to enter with surprising accuracy. Another great touch is the 760's ability to adapt to changes in your plans. Rerouting is as simple as hitting a few buttons on the touch-screen. The unit will also detect low speeds on the freeway and attempt to plot a detour around traffic. Very cool.
Although the 760's touch-screen interface is a little rough around the edges, overall, we found it straightforward and simple. Our only notable gripe was that it was impossible to edit an address once it was entered. Instead, the entire entry had to be deleted first.
MAGELLAN RoadMate 760 -- GPS continues to help you find your way where ever you are. Imagine having a personal assistant in your car, guiding you turn by turn, with a friendly voice and visual signals, even when you don't know the address. Magellan RoadMate 760 is another step towards refining GPS vehicle guidance to help optimize your driving experiences. With advanced software and a larger memory to support it, travelling new byways and highways and getting where you want to go has just reached a friendlier, easier level. Whether you're going across the country on vacation or across town for dinner, you'll get there with a new level of assurance using this advanced auto navigation system. It's the only system built on technologies road-tested and proven by over 4 million drivers in rental cars with Hertz NeverLost navigation systems. And it's truly easy to set up and use. When compared to the RoadMate 700, the 760 has a built-in hard drive that has a 20GB capacity instead of 10. That allows space for more mapping software. Advanced software is also included and adds the convenience of synthesized 'Street name' anounce as part of the voice guidance system. This helps make following the directions from RoadMate 760 easier and more intuitive. Trust Magellan to continue making GPS a greater wonder and more powerful tool. Turn-by-turn navigation Route recalculation calculates new route when car deviates from route Dynamically tracks progress on the onscreen map QuickSpell technology pre-determines letters when spelling street and city names Enhanced Voice Guidance adds street names to directions as a friendlier reference to help you reach your destination Includes universal mount & cigarette lighter adapter.
Technical Specifications | |
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Physical: | |
Case: | High-impact plastic |
Base Map: | Pre-loaded detailed maps of the U.S. and Canada / Unlock European maps for an additional fee |
Size: | 6.5" W x 3.25" H x 2" D (W 16.51 cm x H 8.26 cm x D 5.1 cm) |
Weight: | 13 oz (368.5 g) |
Display: | 3.75" diagonal touch screen: full-color, high resolution, transflective TFT, backlit, automatically adjusts to light conditions |
Memory: | 20 GB hard drive |
Data Storage: | Unlimited / Compact Flash (CF) Card compatible |
Antenna: | Built-in multidirectional patch |
Keypad: | Eight direct-access keys, plus power, volume and repeat buttons |
Operating Range: | 14 to 140°F (-10 to 60°C) |
Performance: | |
Receiver: | 14 channels, WAAS/EGNOS enabled |
Acquisition Time: | Hot: 20 seconds, Cold: 60 seconds, Initial: 5 minutes |
Update Rate: | Once per second |
Accuracy: | 3 to 5 meters (10 - 16 feet) - WAAS/EGNOS, < 7 meters (15 feet) - GPS only |
Languages: | Voice guidance in English, French, German, Spanish, Italian, Dutch / SayWhereTM text-to-speech in North America, English only |
Power: | |
Source: | 12 V AC or vehicle adapter |