Magellan RoadMate 1412 Review

GPS devices at first glance may seem like the kind of devices that only people with extra money can afford just for the convenience of safe and smooth driving. While GPS units do add a nice coating to the driving experience, top GPS makers like Magellan are always trying to find ways to drop their prices and give a chance to consumers on a budget to have a nice travelling companion whether they are going around town or traversing long distances to other cities. This is exactly what the Magellan RoadMate 1412 does and the best thing about it is that it squeezes in a lot of power without being overpriced.

Magellan Roadmate 1412
Magellan Maestro 1412 GPS Navigator

Design

Although the low price may make the product feel cheap, the screen still manages to be large just like many of the other GPS devices in its product lineup with a 4.3" wide color interactive touch screen that displays graphics in rich color. It is small enough to fit in a pocket or placed in any bag or suitcase. It is also rather thin for a nice stylish look. Overall, the Magellan RoadMate 1412 looks similar to the other devices priced over $200.

User Interface

The Magellan 1412 is part of the RoadMate family and doesn't have as many features as any of the Maestro models and is rather basic compared to the higher-end RoadMate models. However, the RoadMate 1412 presents a similar interface and with fewer features, the core components stand out more and it should be very easy for anyone to pick up this device and use it properly for the first time. The menus are bold, intuitive, and designed with the newbie in mind and it is not even a requirement to read the entire manual just to use it for everyday driving.

The unique feature found exclusively in Magellan branded devices known as QuickSpell is featured in the Roadmate 1412 and it works very well by taking away a lot of the effort in navigating to other destinations. All that is required is to key in a couple of keystrokes for any destination and then the interface will do its part by checking the spelling and checking for matched locations which lead to the device in displaying these matches in a nice list. Also certain keys are highlighted to help complete the spelling of the destination faster.

Navigation Features

The Magellan Roadmate 1412 offers plenty of customizable ways to travel safely and conveniently. A route can be generated with certain parameters in mind such as a route that uses the most freeways or the fastest route possible based on what is between two points. The shortest distance can be calculated as well as the route where no toll booths are used. It is even possible to customize advanced routes where certain streets can be excluded from the path to meet preferences.

Multi-destination routing is also supported which allows a lengthy trip to be planned and saved into memory. Up to 20 destinations can be selected and the order can be freely sorted. Once it is saved, the trip can be used repetitively and can be edited at any time allowing destinations to be added or removed when needed.

The map can be viewed in 2-D or 3-D mode including a special bird's eye view for greater visibility of the surroundings. The map is decorated with interactive point of interest icons which can each be individually touched on the touch screen to see more information about the POI including address and contact information. A route can also be easily created from there. Then after the destination is reached, a trip back home is as easy as pressing the "Home" button to calculate the best route to head back.

In addition to the route going back home, over 6 million POIs are scattered across North America with many of them having numbers and range from gas stations to hotels. The Expanded NAVTEQ maps make traveling convenient for people in the US, Canada, and Puerto Rico.

There are a few other features that make driving more convenient including the SmartDetour feature where alternate routes can be generated if there is traffic busy. Without any subscription fee, routes can be planned faster even in tough situations. Drivers can also keep their eyes on the road since the SayWhere technology grants text-to-speech capabilities allowing street names to be dictated.

Bottom Line

The Magellan Roadmate 1412 is highly affordable at $139 and it isn't the cheapest amongst the Magellan devices. However, some of the extra features make this device worthy for everyday drivers.

List Price : $299.99

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