Magellan 7" GPS with Lifetime Maps

The Magellan Roadmate 1700 LM just arrived today. Features are that of a solid, basic GPS. I had a Roadmate 1412 that I let my daughter use it and she ripped the USB cord and female plug right out of the GPS when she was pulling it off the dash mount. It was three or maybe 4 year old and the maps needed an update anyway. So, to me, I bought a map update with a lifetime map subscription and ended up with 7" GPS for another $80. All is good. There are NO fancy functions except that it supports the $150 accessory for a camera backup input. No blue tooth or traffic warnings but I wouldn't use them anyway. I have glossed through the manual but have not read it cover-to-coover since it operates like a normal GPS it doesn't require a lot of instructions to use. ONLY A POWER POINT CHARGER IS PROVIDED I charged it via the included power point adapter using a Black and Decker 5 amp power supply. If you do not have one of these you will have to charge it in your car because it will not charge off the USB. There is aseparate charger you can buy for about fourteen dollars but I will not pursue one simply because I have the DC power supply to power the standard power point plug. The power input plug is the same size as an AV input plug and I did get confused when I first plugged it in. The USB port is only used for connecting to your PC for updates. System and Map updates are available on line using MagellanGPS Content Manager. To update requires: 1. Download and install the free Content Manager Software. 2. Register your product and Content Manager 3. Receive an alert and download the update. UPDATE SOFTWARE AND MAPS Remember, you are paying a $170 for jumbo GPS with lifetime Map updates. I had no problem updating. I am running Windows 7 on my laptop. You just have to follow the directions. Connect your GPS with the USB cable. It's a standard USB cable so you don't have to worry about losing it. The Content Manager, once installed, resides in your system tray. You simply right click on it and it opens then you click on "check for updates." Downloads of the system doesn't take long. An updated set of maps takes 45 minutes to load. My laptop went into power save mode and I had to restart Content Manager to finish the download. Luckily, I didn't have to start from the begining. PROS --SCREEN SIZE is big and easy to read. It reminds me of a Kindle Fire and is about the same size. Operation is intuitive if you've used a GPS before. I had a Roadmate 1412 before and programming is very similar. --Free lifetime map updates --AV Input which I will never use. --Easy to Use CONS --There is some latency in the touch panel which I suspect is firmware or processor issue. --Battery life is only 1/2 hour but that's no surprise when you look at the size of the screen it's powering. --No 110 Volt charger included --Screen image is not as crisp or defined as a smaller GPS but the reason is the map application is like running a iPhone application on a iPAD. The image size increases but the dots per inch is not. It is not bad, it just looks like a VGA monitor in a world of high resolution screens. SUMMARY --If you want a big GPS this is for you. UPDATE AFTER 1100 mile roundtrip (Michigan to Washington, DC) --Big screen worked as I had hoped. --Maps were inaccurate twice. One mistake cost me 20 minutes in DC where the GPS route called a left turn to get on the George Washington Parkway (should have been a right). The second was a call to go left on I-280 where it splits and goes north on I-75. I knew the route so I went north on I-75. Had I followed the GPS route spoken to me I would have wasted another 1/2 hour on my trip. --BATTERY LIFE -- The Batttery drains even when stored in the off position over three days which means if you want to add a new destination you have to plug it into your car charger. This is a problem when you car is parked in hotel garage by a bellman and locked up. I understand the short battery life because of the massive screen but geeze, at least a common charger input would be a nice way to mitigate the short battery life. The charging plug should be a standard mini USB or similar since I already own a half dozen of these for my cell phones and the like.