Magellan MapSend Bluenav XL3 - UK South/Hamburg Maps

Magellan Explorist 500 Europe

Advantages: Size, speed, colours, waterproof, SD slot
Disadvantages: Reliance on poor Magellan Maps, no third party support

I wanted a small GPS unit principally for my off road mountain biking activities. It's a real hassle stopping the bike unfolding the OS map and working out precisely where you are, on a legitimate bridle path or in a farmers backyard. When I saw the advert for the new eXplorist 500 at £350, featuring Magellan's topographical UK map, I thought this is it, a bit expensive, but just what I've been waiting for. The reality is somewhat different to the expectation, hence my disappointment. Now don't get me wrong, this little GPS unit is easy to use, it's fast and accurate and will display your position on it's simple and crude basemap as good as any other Garmin or Magellan unit. It will also give you an accurate reading of latitude and longitude or OS grid reference. But what's the use of a 16 colour TFT screen if the map on it ...

niglom 16.08.2005 · Read full review
Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful
Review of Magellan Explorist 500 Europe

TOMTOM UK MAPS Re-written . .

Advantages: Easy to keep with TOMTOM at all times.
Disadvantages: Easy to lose if not in safe stowage.

After using this product myself for nine months now, I feel I am qualified to write this report. These maps are very easy to load into the Tomtom, (they load in a few moments) easy to use, show just about everything you need to navigate with ease There are some very easy to see graphics, and the colours are just about right for all light conditions. The display is very clear, and unaffected by sunlight. It is easy to see in all conditions. The price does appear a little on the high side at the moment, however, I suspect it will drop as soon as it starts selling like "hot cakes" as I am sure it will do very soon. The only fault I can think of, is the ease of losing it, due to the size, however, I find that used film containers are perfect for things like this. The blank cards are cheap enough to buy ...

smudgeybabes 01.12.2006 (27.05.2007) · Read full review
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Review of TomTom Map of Great Britain Maps

A package of maps worth having

Advantages: Ease of use and price
Disadvantages: None

Having used a Tom Tom Go 700 for a number of years, I decided to update the maps of Western Europe. Tom Tom uses software called Tom Tom Home which is used to download the updated maps. Having connected Tom Tom Go 700 to my PC, via a USB cable, it was a simple matter of clicling on the relevant icon on the Home Software, paying for the maps, and downloading them over the internet. Payment was straight forward. It is undertaken electronically either by credit or debit card, and the down load commenced. Because of the size of the map file, it took a little time to download (I do have broadband running at 8mb band width, so I suppose a lesser bandwith will take longer. Use of the system is simplicity itself. You are given a choice of country, and then you select address, or point of interest. ...

sectorchamp 03.06.2009 · Read full review
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Review of TomTom Map of Western Europe Maps