Magellan Roadmate 1430 Review
In the GPS navigation industry, Magellan sets the gold standard with their range of GPS units. From the feature-packed to the wallet-friendly, Magellan is sure to offer a GPS solution for the needs of every driver. Unlike flashy systems, the Roadmate 1430 is a no-nonsense navigation unit guaranteed to get any driver from point A to point B.
Aesthetics
With a non-descript all-black design, the Roadmate 1430 fits perfectly with nearly any interior. In addition, the flat-black case is resistant to fingerprints. Plenty of real estate is available as the 1430 comes with a 4.3” color touch screen with WQVGA resolution to pick out the smallest details. While some devices may use a wide array of physical buttons, the 1430 is limited to a single power button; every function performed via the screen.
Durability
The Roadmate 1430 uses the Centality AtlasIII chipset, a well-designed platform that performs very similar to the higher-end SiRF StarIII GPS framework. While the AtlasIII may suffer from the occasional recalculation, glitches are rarely noticeable. During our tests in urban traffic and bad weather, the unit provided excellent routes and did so relatively rapidly. We also tested the device against the Garmin nuvi 660, and found that the nuvi acquired its initial position slightly faster.
Any GPS unit is only as good as its mounting system and the Roadmate 1430 leaves nothing to chance. While the mount is hand-operated, we found the GPS unit was held securely. In addition, the unit did not vibrate when we took it on the freeway.
Battery Life
The battery life on the 1430 is decent, coming in at 3 hours. However, this isn’t a big issue given the unit is packaged with a car adaptor for continuous use. The Roadmate 1430 also lacks media-playback capabilities, so this limited charge will go farther. For those who want media playback, the Magellan Maestro line is well-suited to the task.
Features
Even though the 1430 doesn’t have the bells and whistles associated with higher-end models, the features offered with this unit are sure to improve overall user satisfaction. Perhaps the most useful feature offered on the 1430 is the text-to-speech capability. While most units mutilate names and locations, the Roadmate is able to synthesize speech in a natural, easy-to-understand fashion. Unfortunately, the speaker can be tinny, especially when the volume is turned up.
The live traffic feature is a new feature to the 1430. To receive updates, the device uses an FM transmitter to relay the information over the Radio Data System. The FM Radio Data System is the same platform used to send station IDs and song information. Each unit comes with three free months of service and regular price is $39.99. If an alert is sent out, the device will display detailed information and offer a choice to reroute and avoid the problem. However, we noticed a number of times when the device displayed false alerts.
When it comes to finding a restaurant or gas station, the 1430 is sure to please with its database of six million points of interest (POI). On top of this, the unit has an exit POI feature that shows points of interest at highway exits.
Expansion
The Magellan Roadmate 1430 can be updated annually for a fee. Due to the long update time, road changes can become an issue. For those who want current data, TomTom offers updates on a much more frequent basis.
Pros
- Quick startup time
- Fast routing engine
- Slim design
- Arrival time updates on-the-fly
- Multi-destination routing
- Route exclusion capability
- 3D rendering of upcoming turns
Cons
- No voice recognition
- QuickSpell not included on POI searches
- Daytime screen persists in menus while in night-mode
- False traffic alerts
Want to compare this model to other Magellan models? Click here to download Excel spreadsheet.
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Magellan RoadMate 1430 4.3-Inch Portable GPS Navigator with Traffic List Price: $449.99 Sale Price: $92.98 Used From: $69.99 Average Rating:   |
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This site contains the personal opinions of various authors and contributors to this website. The opinions in these articles and reviews are offered in good faith, but also come with no guarantees or warranties.
Excellent Upgrade That cost less.
I “upgraded” from an older Roadmate 3000T. This RoadMate 1430 takes all the things that are good about the old one and improves on them. Very easy to navigate touchscreen. Just play with the screen pushing different icons and you will love how easy it is. You don’t have to always go to different screens to change things. I love the multidestination feature and the spoken street names. The only thing that will make these GPS units better is if they team up with google or mapquest, etc, so you can custom make a map and import it into the gps. Now that would be the ultimate. I have never had any need for the traffic re-routing.
Best choice for value.
I was referred to Magellan’s products through use of a friend whom already owns one and I stand by my choice to return my tom tom neither may not be as fast as some, but the Magellan roadmate 1430 with free traffic subscription is the choice to go with and the deal here you can’t beat from where I’ve seen if you can find it anywhere else anymore.
Pros:
UI (user interface): easy to navigate menus. widescreen certainly comes in handy for scrolling and typing.
Automatically traffic detouring.
Auto reroute
Trip planner / Multiple destinations automatically sorts multiple destinations per trip.
Voiced street names announced for every turn including freeways exit/on ramps
and oh yeah my favorite the doorbell or chime to alert when exactly your turn is coming up and its balls on accurate every time!
Cons:
Touch screen response has its moments, but seems to be only when it hasn’t warmed up.
There is only one (1) way point you can set at a time, but I never seem to mind that since it saves previous addresses for later if you find yourself needing to use them again.
no pedestrian mode.
Overall I love this model it only has what I need it for and that’s GPS!
Definitely recommend this product to a friend.
on the road again
Just received the gps at christmas time and have not had a chance to give it a real test. However, the times I have used it,it has performed as expected. Very colorful at night and easy to read.I have a bad tendency to try and read while driving and that scares me a bit. Alot of times driving in heavy traffic so there are certain dangers I must try to avoid. Very happy with the unit so far.