The Magellan RoadMate 1200 and 1212 Review

The Magellan RoadMate 1200 and 1212 offer simple design and basic navigation features at an affordable price. These devices skimp on the extras, but they are a pleasure to use while driving. While slim, the RoadMate 1200 is nearly as large as the window mount that comes with it. The display measures 3.5 inches diagonally and provides instant access to navigation features. Like the 1200, the 1212 also features a 3.5-inch QVGA, full colour, anti-glare, touch-screen display, text-to-speech ability, an intuitive interface for safe usage during driving and a small, pocket-sized form design. The RoadMate 1212 comes equipped with Magellan's QuickSpell system (which checks and searches spelling of addresses) and the SmartDetour feature for re-configuring routes to compensate for heavy or stopped traffic. Even those new to GPS devices will find Magellan's menus easy to understand. Big icons lead you to the most commonly used choices, such as entering an address or choosing a point of interest. Small icons on the bottom of the menu let you quickly set your course for home or get your bearings, so you can tell a tow truck where to find you. The RoadMate offers an especially small POI database of only 1.3 million entries. Its limitations showed themselves frequently in our testing, such as when it couldn't find a Target store that had been around for three years—or when it did find an Italian restaurant that's been gone even longer. The POI and address interfaces have a helpful QuickSpell feature, though, which makes text input faster by autocompleting your entries or graying out unneeded keys on the screen. Other than POIs, a trip-planning feature lets you create a route with multiple stops and edit existing routes. Maps are available in 2D (north up or tracking up) or 3D modes with night or day color. In addition to that, you can get just a list of maneuvers or a split-screen view that shows both your 3D map and your next maneuver. To supplement the visual aids, the RoadMate 1200 provides text- and voice-guided turn-by-turn directions as well. Additional features include voice guidance and QuickSpell that makes it easier to enter addresses. If you're on a tight budget, the Magellan RoadMate 1200 ought to keep you happy with its $200 price tag while the 1212 is priced at $50 more.