VisorCentral.com - CHEAP GPS! Don't miss out!

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-- CHEAP GPS! Don't miss out! (http://discussion.visorcentral.com/vcforum/showthread.php?threadid=22034)

Posted by EaterOfDog on 03-07-2002 02:44 PM:

CHEAP GPS! Don't miss out!

I was interested in a GPS unit for my Prism, but could not spend $150 for a unit. One of the Wal-Mart Superstores in my area carries Visor stuff and they had the Magellan GPS in stock. A couple of days ago, I went there and saw the price had dropped to $117. Then I found out about the $50 rebate from Magellan. (See the MagellanGPS website) That's a great GPS for $67 and tax! Not all Wal-Marts will carry this item, so scout around. Happy hunting.

Posted by undefined on 03-11-2002 12:47 AM:

for more on the Magellan GPS Companion for cheap, check out this thread and search for "GPS" to find where the talk about the Magellan starts.

Posted by jradi on 03-22-2002 01:01 AM:

Thank You!

I'd been eyeing the magellan at my local OD for months now, but they were reluctant to drop it below $104. Thanks to you guys I found out about the $50 rebate and finally my springboard collection moves closer towards completion!

The only thing remaining that I lust for is a bluetooth cartridge so I can get a compatible cell phone and surf untethered!

Posted by mikegold on 03-23-2002 01:16 AM:

Re: CHEAP GPS! Don't miss out!

quote:
Originally posted by EaterOfDog
I was interested in a GPS unit for my Prism, but could not spend $150 for a unit. One of the Wal-Mart Superstores in my area carries Visor stuff and they had the Magellan GPS in stock. A couple of days ago, I went there and saw the price had dropped to $117. Then I found out about the $50 rebate from Magellan. (See the MagellanGPS website) That's a great GPS for $67 and tax! Not all Wal-Marts will carry this item, so scout around. Happy hunting.

If you want this for even less, check out CompUSA. They have it listed on the website for $79.99 and if they are out of stock, go to Staples and Price Match and then send in the $50 Rebate.

Details Here

Posted by bbman84 on 03-24-2002 06:06 AM:

gps deal

Went to the last link and followed their suggestions. Was able to get the GPS for $62.99 (110% price match and $10 off $40 at Staples) and then with $50 off mfg. rebate, the final price is $12.99. Staples.com would not honor the price match, but local store did in Portland, OR (Jantzen Beach)

Now if I can only get the unit to get a solid satellite fix...

Posted by undefined on 03-24-2002 01:39 PM:

off-topic (kinda) was Re: gps deal

quote:
Originally posted by bbman84
Now if I can only get the unit to get a solid satellite fix...

this review says:

quote:
What I have found so far is that this is an amazingly sensitive receiver. It would maintain a fix deep inside my house with no windows and a second floor overhead.

is this reviewer talking about the same magellan gps companion you and i recently bought? in my living room, with a second story overhead and big windows all on one wall, i couldn't get anything. i stepped outside and couldn't get anything. i walked out into the middle of the street and couldn't get anything. (well, i was getting the white-barred signals the whole time, but no black bars.) i thought the unit was defective, so i exchanged it for a new unit. (the first unit appeared to be a return anyways as the batteries were already in the unit and there was some dust/grime on the unit's casing, so i thought maybe it had already been returned as defective and accidentally got resold to me.)

the new unit had the same exact behavior. i decided i would take it to work with me and see if it worked out on the open road. after a few minutes of driving it finally started working, but even then, initially, it was constantly flipping back and forth between 2D and 3D. but even that finally cleared up after a few more minutes and getting out onto a large divided 7-lane (3 lanes in each direction with a turn lane in the center median) road.

i originally thought it would be cool to find out the coordinates/elevation of my home, but as i can't get a link even standing in the street outside of it, i guess it's just a pipe dream. i guess the big trees and two story buildings obstruct too much of the sky, even though it's a pretty wide street (wide enough to have cars parked long both curbs and still enough room for both directions of traffic to pass eachother easily) with wide yards on both sides.

oh, how's the software and accompanying maps? i'm using mapopolis and their basic maps as that's what i was using and accustomed to before buying the gps unit. i need to try out the gps map software, but i haven't taken the time. my fear is that some of the maps will be out-dated as i think i remember them being a year or two old on the cd (by looking at the files' time-date stamps), and i don't remember seeing any updates on the magellan website (though there's an update for the gps' firmware; but oddly the update is to version 1.1, but my gps unit already reports version 2.0). probably not a big deal as most roads/streets don't change once they're built, but got to watch out for the new developments.

as i run linux 99% of the time, i was impressed that the gps software & maps didn't require some stupid windows-only helper/installer/conduit, but are palm-native prc/pdb files intuitively laid-out on the cd in self-explanatory subdirectories. now if only the help file came as a platform-neutral pdf, instead of a windows help file.

anyways, i'm content with the unit's performance (as i will mainly use it when traveling on the open road, not to survey houses or while hiking in wooded forests) and with what i paid for it ($85 office depot clearance - $50 rebate = $35) as that's still a good deal, much better than the $150 original price. (could anybody justify that original price for casual/personal/non-business use?)

Posted by bbman84 on 03-25-2002 07:20 AM:

satellite fix better today

The satellite fix is finally working today. Not always consistent or strong, but when it works, much better than yesterday. I had tried the initialization with long/lat, but didn't seem to help until today.

I'm finding reception inside better next to a second story window. The unit tracked ok while on a walk today also.

I've used Mapopolis before and like being able to store on a Memplug. So far the software seems similar although I'm new to GPS.

Hopefully this unit will work for a trip to the DC area. As you said though, for the price, no complaints.

Thanks to the posters for the tips.

Posted by pgnewarkboy on 03-27-2002 10:46 PM:

planetgps

Just bought the magellan from planetgps on Yahoo shopping for $119. I dowloaded the $50 mail in rebate. This will be good for those not near a walmart

Posted by thorin on 03-28-2002 12:49 AM:

where did you download it? can you read the fine print? does it say if it works in canada?

EDIT nm, i found a copy. 50 states only.

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Posted by christo1970 on 03-30-2002 08:22 AM:

Yes it's worth it

I bought the Magellan when it came out, and I can say that after over a year, or is it two?, I still use it! And it works as well my my GPS only unit also from Magellan. Have you tried checking the website for the software/hardware updates? These made a really big difference in the time to get a bunch of black bars. It worked as well in Muskokee, OK as in Austin/Houston/Dallas areas. Perfect, down to a couple meters. Battery life is good for a daytrip, and even though I paid full price, I've gotten to use it for a long time.

Oh yeah - Mapopolis maps are good, but the paid ones make it really shine. Directions, address search, adding your personal points? I think the free maps are worth what you pay, but you can still see where ya are.

Posted by undefined on 03-30-2002 07:51 PM:

the first unit that i got (and accidentally returned thinking it was defective because it couldn't even get a fix with me standing in the middle of the street) had an old version of "gps companion" installed in the firmware (v1.0?). as soon as i purchase anything i go to the manufacturers website and look for new/updated drivers, firmware, etc. i found that v1.10 was available at the magellan website, so i downloaded it and updated my gps unit. supposedly the update "eliminates Visor soft reset when Springboard module is removed", but that problem continued, and the larger problem of not getting a fix definitely continued.

the second gps (upon returning the first) came with gps companion v2.20 already on the firmware. "huh?!" i thought. i'm sort of hesitant to try to install the firmware update for fear that it will downgrade the firmware. hopefully the update is "idiot proof" and will check the currently installed version so that it doesn't blindly downgrade the firmware, but i'm not going to make any assumptions or take any risks.

i don't know, there might be a lot of electronic interference in and around my home. a neighbor says she can't use her cell phone in her home due to interference, so maybe it's also affecting my gps; i don't know.

so, what version of gps companion does everybody else have? (the version is displayed when the gps unit is installed into the visor and the gps splash screen appears.) what version does the upgrade (found here) install? and is anybody sure that the installer won't downgrade my firmware.

i know these are all tech support questions that i should be directing towards magellan, but i haven't been motivated to as the gps works well enough for what i need it to do (finding myself when out of town ). and i've almost always found the user community to be more helpful than official tech support (except for extremely technical issues and warranty work authorization ).

Posted by kruiser on 04-01-2002 05:15 AM:

I have GPS Companion 2.20, Map Companion 1.1, Nav Companion 2.0, and I don't have the pull-out visor reset problem. I saw those supposedly "updates" on Magellan's site too, but looking at the GPS Companion version being 1.1, I think it's outdated and Magellan never bothered to correct the info. Besides, I don't have the reset problem when pulling the GPS out of the visor, so I never bothered downloading any updates.

Posted by DXBUP on 04-02-2002 03:39 AM:

Magellan GPS - Updated maps & Software

It seems that you are not aware that updated maps for the Magellan MapCompanion are available here:
http://www.marcosoft.com there is also a brand new upgrade of Quo Vadis (v.3) with lots of extra features incluging fully rotated maps
(0-360�), dynamic GPS positioning,
Waypoints Markers can be set/annotated/exported/edited. Anyhow to know more you should download the manual and read about all the new features.
I just got it. Faboulous.

Posted by mbordel on 04-04-2002 06:04 PM:

firmware updates

The updates on the Magellangps.com website will downgrade the firmware if you have the newer 2.2 version of the companion (2.2 is the latest). The version checker in the firmware app incorrectly states that the unit is version 1 and the software update file is version 1.

The firmware updater looks very similar to the Memplug firmware updater. Anybody know where one can get a "generic" version of it?

But, you should update the PRC files loaded on the handheld, since the CD has older versions of the map and nav companion software.

I would also recommend going to the marcosoft website for the newer maps, as well.

Lastly, there is a "links" button on the website to look for more GPS software that works with the companion. It is not active with the visor page, but is active on the Palm companion page.

Posted by kruiser on 04-05-2002 06:43 AM:

but that macrosoft upgrade costs fifty dollars

Posted by lithe67 on 04-05-2002 09:27 PM:

best software

I've been using Quo Vadis but the latest Mapopolis 4.1 is way better. The one feature this has that kills all the others is route calculation with GPS support from addresses or map location. The software overall could use some work, and maps cost $45 for a 1 year subscription, but this is the ONLY one out there that will so this.

Posted by undefined on 04-06-2002 06:17 PM:

quote:
Originally posted by kruiser
but that macrosoft upgrade costs fifty dollars

finally! i wasn't going to respond to this thread for fear that i would be the only one that had something to say about the prices, but since i now know i'm not the only one...

$20 FOR MAPS FROM TWO YEARS AGO (2000), THOUGH I JUST BOUGHT THE PRODUCT A MONTH AGO?!

(i won't even address spending $50 for quo vadis, as for me, personally, it's just not worth it. but my needs and justifications are different than everybody's elses.)

granted, comparable maps cost more elsewhere, even for a yearly update, but this is for maps that i just purchased.

gps companions were being actively sold (not clearance or liquidation) a few months ago, and magellan has not made current maps available.

a unit i purchased had outdated firmware on it, and though magellan does provide updated firmware on their website, it's not the current firmware.

so i purchase a unit with oudated firmware and outdated maps? for me this works out fine in the end concerning the firmware because i exchanged the unit for another one (for a different reason than an outdated product).

magellan doesn't impress me. i saw their handheld standalone gps units for sale in sam's just last night, and else where at other times on the web, so maybe the gps companion is the red-headed step-child of the magellan family.

btw, how many maps does the mapopolis subscription provide (infinite) and how do you acquire them (cdrom or download)? i'm not interested in the "bells & whistles" maps, just the "enhanced" maps. if i REALLY needed door-to-door driving instructions and GPS support, i would buy the individual map.

anyways, thanks for letting me vent.

Posted by snippet on 04-07-2002 11:22 PM:

quote:
Originally posted by undefined

btw, how many maps does the mapopolis subscription provide (infinite) and how do you acquire them (cdrom or download)? i'm not interested in the "bells & whistles" maps, just the "enhanced" maps. if i REALLY needed door-to-door driving instructions and GPS support, i would buy the individual map.

The subscription allows for infinite downloads from their website. I've got the enhanced subscription and like it, although there are a few things I'd like changed in the application. You can't store more than 100 maps on a CF card and the method for adding locations to a maplet is time consuming. All in all I like the maps.

__________________
and so it goes ...

Posted by DXBUP on 04-08-2002 06:42 AM:

Updated maps for Magellan GPS

You got it wrong! It doesn't cost $50

The updated maps for the Magellan GPS Companion are only $19.95. They are intended to replace those on the CD. (all US and the islands).

By the way, I called them to clarify the year 2000 date. It simply means that it is the latest data released. No one has anything 2001 or 2002.
It seems it takes ages to map the entire US. I believe them. They buy that data from some official US Dept.

There is also a brand new Quo Vadis v3 which includes those maps, but that is another story. It has nothing to do with the Map Companion app you got on the CD with the GPS. Actually you cannot mix them.

If you want to upgrade the program AND the maps at the same time, then you are much better off buying the new Quo Vadis v.3 which has lots of new features compared to Map Companion (that was the rebranded Q.V.v.2.1)

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