0ur opinion:

Review:
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. lt'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. lt 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 P0l'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 0utlook or PC-based address book to the unit's address book. Granted, the 760 does have an lR port for beaming contacts from a PDA or Smart Phone, but further integration with a PC in this one area would be nice.


lnstallation
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
0ut 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. 0ur only notable gripe was that it was impossible to edit an address once it was entered. lnstead, 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.

:
There's no denying that the RoadMate 700 is one of the best in-car GPS navigation systems available. Can it get better? Magellan answers that question with a resounding 'Yes!' with a new version, the RoadMate 760. With innovative features like 'Smart Detour,' intelligent route optimization, an enhanced points of interest database and more, the 760 adds even more brains to an already brilliant companion.

Don't worry, the 760 offers all the good stuff folks love about the 700. You still get the same WAAS reception that delivers accuracy to within three meters. And the same massive 20 GB hard drive is present, fully-loaded with detailed maps, as is the intuitive, user-friendly, touchscreen interface. With the 760, gone are the days of having to fiddle with selecting map regions from a CD-R0M and then transferring the data from a PC. Plus, if you keep your addresses on a PDA with infrared connectivity, you can upload addresses from your PDA address book to the RoadMate wirelessly and then navigate to them with ease. Each of the 760's three available user profiles are allotted space for 200 addresses, making a total of 600 addresses quickly accessible. 0f course, the most important address, home, is just a few finger-presses away from any menu. You can select destinations by entering an address or intersection, selecting an address from the address book, touching a point on the map, or by choosing among more than 7 million points of interest such as airports, gas stations and restaurants, nightclubs, and more. And fortunately, all of this is ready to go right out of the box and the 760 also ships with the newest device firmware. You just affix the 760 to your windshield with the included hardware, plug it in via the included cigarette-lighter adapter, turn it on, and start navigating.

lt's deep within the 760's software that this new model really shines. The new 'Smart Detour' function automatically routes you around stopped traffic on the freeway and plots alternate routes to help you keep moving. Meanwhile, new route optimization features let you sort multiple addresses and destinations by shortest time of travel to all of them, and you can now view any destination on the map prior to routing it. New points of interest functionality lets you limit your choices to destinations that fall within a 3.5 mile corridor along your route. You can also easily route to gas stations, restaurants, ATMs and other locations along the way by touching their respective icons on the map. There's even a new SmartVolume feature that offers automatic volume control by raising the volume level when the vehicle exceeds 45 mph. And last, but certainly not least, the 760 includes maps for all of the contiguous 48 states, Hawaii, Puerto Rico, Canada, and yes, even Europe (additional unlock fee required for European maps).

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Buyer's feedback: - * Need Help! ...
Hi,

I have Magellan Roadmate 760 for 2 yrs now. I accidently deleted the maps. Can someone help me with the software?

Thanks

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Buyer's feedback: - not a wise purchase
I was happy with this unit when I bought it just under a year ago. Even if the mapping was out of date. It often could only find the road I needed not the address. However in November it could not connect to a satellite at all. I did research and found a reported common problem was the antenna cable inside would break off the circuit board. I found this was the case and paid a local computer repair store to fix it. In less than a week it began to turn on and off repeatedly. More research showed the power mounting cradle needed replacing. I just got that in and found it is still not working. A call to tech support told me to replace the mounting cradle. When I told them I just did, they told me to send it in for repair. The base repair cost is more than 1/2 the cost I paid for the unit. Given the replacement part I already purchased and the cost of the repair of the broken antenna lead this will put repair costs close to the purchase cost of the unit. And all this in less than 1 years use. I CAN NOT recommend this product to anyone.

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Buyer's feedback: - * Great buy for the price ...
My husband's wanted a GPS unit forever, he finally got his wish and loves this, easy to use, store when you leave the car, great product, no issues on the reconditioned model, highly recommended.

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Buyer's feedback: - When it works, it's completely awesome....
I have owned the Magellan 760 for 21 months. It kept freezing up and finally quit working all together while it was still under warranty and it was repaired in a timely manner. However, the screws that hold the machine together were left out of the back and although I was promised replacements 3 times, they never arrived. I have had to keep it wrapped with a hair tie or rubber band the past year. But it has worked well since it was repaired.
Just now it is fading, the voice is hoarse and the favorite places function has failed. It cost a lot to last less than 2 years. I am trying to decide which brand and model to replace it with, as I plan to never be without a GPS, they are the best invention ever. I can get lost better and faster than anyone I know.
Overall, this has been good. When it works, it's really great. But the maps have been kind of old since I first got it in Oct 05. It really liked to direct you to Lowe's in Lubbock, Texas 3,600 miles away instead the Lowe's 3 miles away. A friend has a Cobra, while it has good features, it's the most talkative, annoying thing you can imagine. The Magellan 760 is very slow compared to another friend's new Garmin Nuvi 660. In a busy town with lots of exits, I often miss my exit but the good part is with the GPS,I can get back on track quickly instead of wandering, weeping and lost for hours. It holds information for 3 drivers and this wastes a lot of space. I would often run out of space for my favorite places and it was annoying because I am the only driver using it and I know there is plenty of room under 2 other names. But to get to those, you have to turn off the machine, reboot it and try to remember which of the other 2 potential drivers have the site you need, and try not to have a wreck while you are doing all this. The valuable thing about favorite places is even if your maps are old, you only have to rant and rave and drive around like crazy once. You finally get there, save it in your favorites and life is good again. Absolutely I plan to buy another GPS. I am not certain it will be a Magellan.

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Buyer's feedback: - * Don't buy one of these... ...
I like this unit when it feels like working but it has numerous problems.
1. The satellite can take 5+ minutes to connect and sometimes doesn't connect at all no matter where I place it in my car.
2. The back of the unit pops off easily thus disconnecting the power supply.... tricky to put back together when you're driving...
3. My unit is broken and has a rattly sound inside even though I've never dropped it...probably can't handle much road vibration
4. You have to bang the touch screen sometimes to get it to respond

My wife got this one at Sharper Image--- another piece of overpriced junk from the master sellers of over priced junk!!!!