Registered: Jan 2002
Location:
Posts: 41

$50 rebate on GPS...

Just FYI Magellin is offering a $50 rebate on GPS Companion. So far about the lowest price I've been able to find with the rebate is $75. If anyone can find it cheaper please post it.

Thanks
Strange Tanks

Registered: Feb 2001
Location: Atlantic Rim
Posts: 570

Deal With This

I contemplated buying the Magellan Companion but decided against it. You may be better off buying an inexpensive older Garmin GPS unit (see eBay) and using a $40 cable to connect it to your Visor.

Leave the GPS unit running on the dashboard of your car and attach the cord to your Visor. That way the Visor isn't on for 5-10 minutes while the unit gets a fix, draining away the batteries (and you get a way better fix from the front of the dashboard than your front seat).

Alot of people (like myself) could make use of a dated GPS unit with a simple cable and get all the functionality of the Companion module and more (by using a cable to connect to the GPS instead of the Springboard module I can use the module to store many more maps than the Magellan Companion unit can). Granted, its another piece of electronics to carry around, but for my purposes its no big deal. Until GPS has instant aquisition I prefer this method to an integrated solution.

Registered: Aug 2002
Location: St. Louis
Posts: 108

Point/Counterpoint

On the other hand..... The advantage of having an integrated GPS solution for Visor really shows up best in the portable/handheld application, rather than simply mobile, or even the temporary mobile situation, where you might be in a rented car or even a passenger in another vehicle.

Then the convenience of having the GPS/Visor all-in-one really shines. If you want to have access to lots of maps, then by all means keep them on a memory card in a memplug. Then only transfer the files you will be needing. There should be plenty of storage, especially if you do as I do and use the Visor Pro, which works great outdoors and has 16MB internal memory.

For more ruggedness/functionality get the Active Armor rubber case. And don't forget to keep your eyemodule2 in your shirt pocket, in case you want to take some quick pics of your outdoor adventure or excursion. Then when you need to check in with home or the office, whip out your visorphone to call, send e-mail or SMS text messages, or use it to surf the net to check the latest weather reports in your area or local places to eat and accomodations.

Did I mention that the Magellan Map Companion software lets you synch your Visor clock to the GPS time signal which gets its standard from the Atomic Clock? Of course you can do that with the cable tethered GPS solution but it is just awkward to carry around. Also, you will only need one cigarette lighter plug and cord to power/charge your Visor and Visorphone. Either bring extra AAA batteries for the GPS or get a car cord for it as well.

Remember of the words of the Joker, "Where DOES he get such marvelous toys!"

I got my Magellan module earlier this summer when they also had the $50 rebate, but the best price I could find back then was $130. Have fun!

__________________
The Prismer

"I am not a number, I am a person!"

Registered: Feb 2001
Location: Worcester
Posts: 34

How do you synch your clock with the map companion software? I have the GPS Companion, but I haven't seen that option in the software.

Chris