The new Magellan RoadMate 1700 is the latest GPS device, which is going to make its competitor look like dwarfs. The device has incredibly large display of 7 inches, which makes it monster when compared to other entry level devices with 4.3-inch and 5-inch displays. The large display has obvious advantages as you get larger map area and quicker data inputs. Although, it looks like older RoadMate models but it is among the slimmest portable navigation devices.
The 7-inch touch-sensitive display covers the most of the front face but there are few other physical features. The top edge houses the sliding power switch along with the microSD memory card slot. The bottom edge houses the charger jack, along with mini-USB connector/charging port and a 3.5mm AV jack. The speaker and the windshield mount slot are located on the back of the device.
The large display makes the navigation through the menus even better. The home screen has two large icons–Go To and View Map. You can search the destination address, address book or POI by clicking the Go To icon. The settings menu and cancel icons are located at the bottom. One destination is located, you can choose the route according to shortest distance, fastest time, lest freeways or mostly freeways. You can also compare the four routs on the same screen.
The View Map button takes you to the map screen with essential information like current time, time till destination, volume slider, speed, direction of travel, and much more. You can tap the screen to zoom or swap the 2D and 3D views.
The RoadMate comes with maps and point-of-interest database for Canada, US, Puerto Rico and Mexico. For AAA members, you get POIs for repair shops, TourBook Destinations and branch offices. Other features include text-to-speech directions in three languages-French, English and Spanish. You also get graphical representation for approaching intersection with arrows showing the direction of travel. However, there is no live traffic update. But you can buy FM receiver for getting the live traffic updates to your device. You can also connect your device to video sources to use it as an external display.
