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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. 
Enter the destination address, select route method and the RoadMate 760 will calculate the best route for you. | Design
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. 
Click to learn more about the RoadMate 760's layout. |
The unit's controls are logically laid out, except, perhaps, for the volume and repeat controls. The volume dial is an awkward little thing that is placed inconveniently on top of the unit. Fortunately, this is mostly rectified by the 760's automatic volume system, which turns up the sound when your vehicle cruises above 45 mph. Meanwhile, the repeat button, which resides next to the volume dial and repeats the last voice command when pressed, is quite small and easy to miss, especially when you're driving. It would be nice if such an important control were more prominent. 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. Software
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.
Installation
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. Performance
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. Final Thoughts
While the RoadMate 760 is expensive, it packs a lot of utility and power into a single device. The integrated hard drive, coupled with stunningly intelligent and adaptable routing functionality, make this a must-have for those who need the very best in vehicle navigation. Pros
- Excellent turn-by-turn navigation and rerouting capabilities
- Just turn it on and go. All the maps and points of interest are preloaded
- Solid and fast satellite reception
Cons
- Minor user interface and controls problems
- No integration with a PC address book
What's in the Box
RoadMate 760, cradle, cigarette lighter adapter, AC adapter, suction-cup mounting arm, software CDs, documentation.
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 Best all around portable nav |
| Review Date: July 8, 2005 |
| Reviewer: Heightsgtltd, new york, NY |
I did a ton of research and I am really happy with this device. It is a step up from the 700, and the features such as audible street names really make it a viable substitute to the factory installed units.
It uses NAVTEQ mapping like most major car companies. TomTom uses Teleatlas, which many have found to be less accurate.
The 760 has performed flawlessly, and I highly recommend it!
Some small gripes:
I live in NYC, and the only problem is that the signal can get lost for a little bit around large buildings downtown. This is true of all systems. Even if this happens, the 760 gives you the directions to follow until the signal picks up again. This might be solved by picking up the external antenna, but I haven't done that yet.
Since there is no internal battery, if you turn off the car at a a gas station, the 760 powers off. It saves the route and where you are, but still takes a minute to find satellites again.
Other than these issues, it is a champ. |
Tips for Faster Satellite Acquisition
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| Review Date: October 23, 2005 |
| Reviewer: M. Terretta, New York, NY |
Many here noted problems acquiring satellite signals. There are several things you can do to help fix this, with a Magellan RoadMate or any other portable GPS:
1. Make sure your car's windshield does not have a special layer that blocks GPS signals. Many European cars have an "athermic heat shield" that cuts the signal getting through, as do some American or Japanese cars. If your car has window treatments, tinting, or shielding that decreases the signal, you can get either a reradiating antenna to boost the signal or an external antenna to bypass the problem entirely.
2. Think about how to help your GPS receiver "see" more of the sky. The further away from the front of the windshield you mount it, the less sky the built-in antenna can see from its viewpoint. While cramming the GPS all the way forward at the bottom center of the windshield may put it inconveniently far in some vehicles, that's where it has the most complete view of the sky. If you're thinking of mounting it on a cupholder or below the dash, first put your head there and look to see if you can see at least 1/2 the sky. If not, use a roof mount external antenna that can see the whole sky no matter where you mount the GPS.
3. Also remember that in the USA or Europe, more GPS satellites are to the south than to the north. Sometimes simply pointing your car south will significantly improve the satellite acquisition time.
Several here commented about the length of acquisition time being a problem even when you haven't left the device off for days or weeks. If satellites are where the device expects them to be, the acquisition time is fast. If too many days have passed, or if the unit is turned off in one location and on in another, then it needs to go through a longer satellite location and synchronization routine to have best accuracy. So,
4. Even if you're not using it to find a route, keeping the GPS on when you move your car (so the GPS knows where it is when switched off) will help it figure out where it is much faster on next startup.
I own both Garmin and Magellan products, and have used virtually every other system--both factory and aftermarket--available. Garmin works better on foot or a bicycle, but in my vehicles, I use both the Magellan RoadMate models daily. I find Magellan built well on its long experience and extensive user feedback from the Hertz "Neverlost" system to make the Magellan touch screen system by far the easiest to use for drivers.
If you don't have one, a Magellan is to driving what Tivo is to TV. If you do own one, then remembering that the GPS works by "line of sight" instead of like a radio can go a long way towards making it easier to use. |
Roadmate 760 -- As good as it gets!!
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| Review Date: November 29, 2005 |
| Reviewer: T. Truscott, Orange County, CA |
I recentaly purchased the Magellan Roadmate 760. I did as much research as possible on various websites including customer reviews here on Amazon. As advertised, after a brief review of the start-up instructional pamphlet, you really can use this one, right out of the box. It did lock-up on me once, but because I had read here about that problem in the reviews beforehand, I tried the recommended re-boot and it was fine with no re-occurrences.
I then used it to guide me from LA to La Jolla, CA with some side trips around San Diego, where I have little knowledge of its road system.
Pros: Guided me right to the address, even on a small suburban street, with nice advance warning of all exits, turns and forks in the road, even telling you which lanes to stay in where off-ramps split two ways, inlcuding actual street names, exit names & #'s.
If you miss a turn, it quickly recognized it and recalculated the course with directions to get right back to your destination.
Got me to any point of interest I requested, many of which were not major tourist attractions.
Windshield mount worked fine, better than expected even, contrary to what I had read on some reviews. I guess it might be hit or miss, depending on your windshield angle or some other unknown factors. Also had no problem with satellite recognition..which some reviews said was a problem with certain car windshield's coatings. Daylight viewing was fine, glare was not an issue as some others reported here.
I think living in a major metro area has advantages in what it can offer, with tons of POI's pre-loaded. Hopefully future updates will be available to upload or install via a memory card that will have all the latest new roads and places of business.
Has nearly all essential extras, day/night screen viewing, without the add-ons of some of the latest model, like the MP3 player in the 800 model. Who needs that in a GPS?
Cons: Would be nice to have a rechargable battery feature, like a cell phone, where you could use the lighter for power, but also take out of the car if you wanted to use for hiking or something outside the car. You have to have car power to use.
Recommend getting a carrying case of some sort...I bought one elsewhere, but the screen will get scratched or the copper connetors on the back damaged without protection. Since you have a rather expensive piece of equipment sitting in plain view, you will need to remove and carry with you many times or at least stow away in a safe place inside car, hence the need for a carrying case.
Looked at the Garmin's and TomTom's, but went with the 760 and am happy with the purchase. They might be good too, but really have no complaints with just a few areas for future improvements. If you are undecided, go with this one.
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Magellan Roadmate 760 - Top Choice with Best Features
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| Review Date: August 10, 2005 |
| Reviewer: Chris Jackson, Santa Monica, CA |
I researched Navagation Systems extensively before making a purchase. I decided to buy the Magellan Roadmate 760 because it had all of the features that are important to me: Voice Prompt, 4 choices of kind of route, re-routing if turn is missed, 20G hard drive that stores all of the maps for the entire US eliminating downloading maps, tons of points of interest and many more features like the choice of 12 different languages and either male or female voice.
I tested it going to my aunt's house. My sister and I both drove our own cars. My sister has a factory installed Navagation System from Toyota. My Magellan Roadmate 760 took me to my aunt's door ("you have arrived"). My sister's much more expensive system took her up a dirt road that dead ended with a fence that was locked.
The following week I was traveling on freeways in an area I was not familiar with. My husband was driving and noticed we needed gasoline. I just plugged in "nearest gas station" and it took us to one in less than 3 miles. Later, still on freeways in an unfamiliar area, we wanted to eat lunch. I again choice Points of Interest, chose Restaurants and found one we wanted, specifying "nearest". The 760 directed us to the restaurant of our choice within 5 minutes.
I have waited years to buy a navagation system...I travel a lot and have no sense of direction. I finally got tired of always being lost. I am extremely happy with the 760 and wish I had not waited for so long. I believe it is the top of the line and the portability allows us to take the system in both of our cars. I highly recommend the Magellan Roadmate 760. |
Good But.....
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| Review Date: November 16, 2005 |
| Reviewer: Gondi, Boston,MA |
| This Magellan 760 is a good GPS for the travelers.I began to like it from the Day I purchased it.It is so convienient and you are ready to go wherever you want if you have the physical Address of the location(Should also know the town name and sometimes the county).It is good to show the POI like restaurants and Gas stations,Hospitals(Hope you dont need them).But I think this needs a strong signal when you are in any concrete jungle like Downtowns and in the tunnels.If you switch it off and switch it on ..sometimes it take almost 10 mins to acquire the Signal.Overall I give my heads up to this product.Can pinpoint you with a British Accent.The voice which gives you turn by turn is cool ,you dont have to take your eyes off from the road. To end the review it is bit expensive (I bought it for 1000$) but it is worth and would be great and fun for a good traveler on road. |
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