Getting Lost for the Fun of It with Magellan and Bushnell
San Francisco is a busy city, with some tough roads and confusing street names. It’s easy to get lost, and it’s even easier to lose your car in one of the stadium parking lots or on some one-way street that you can’t remember.
And until the day when your cell phone can call your car for directions, or the cars drive themselves, we’re probably stuck with finding our own way using GPS. The technology itself isn’t new, but the devices are finally affordable and user-friendly enough to actually enjoy using. We tried out two different devices with different purposes to get an idea of where GPS stands today: the Bushnell Backtrack and the Magellan Maestro 4250.
The Bushnell Backtrack is a small device, about the size of a wallet, with a pretty simple idea: allow anyone to set a starting point and get back to it later without worry. It’s kind of a modern day update to the compass, with batteries and satellite technology. It’s also the kind of device that you feel fine handing out to the technologically-impaired (Mom, I know you’re reading). The idea is great, and the concept is executed well, with no complicated buttons and the ability to set a few different locations. At $70, it’s also extremely affordable, with a nice backlight, and is also pretty durable- keys didn’t scratch it, and drops didn’t faze it. Battery life is also pretty good.
Unfortunately, the Backtrack suffers from a few issues that limit its usefulness, though most of them can be blamed on (what else?) the technology. GPS uses satellites, and that means that it can take some time for the device to lock onto your location. In a parking garage? Or a mall? Then it might take a couple of minutes or more, and some moving around, before the device will recognize where you are and where you need to go. In that time, the compass needle pointing your way will flail wildly (and confusingly), and could exasperate older or less-patient users. Sorry Mom, just wait for the satellites!
If you need a more traditional GPS device, with maps and bells and whistles, and built for the car instead of the outdoors, try the Magellan Maestro 4250. With more features than you can shake a stick at, the Maestro is a top-of-the-line unit for serious road warriors, travelers, or the gadget-conscious. AAA guidebook information, the ability to work as a Bluetooth hands-free headset, real-time traffic updates, and accurate text-to-speech and voice command/control… pretty much everything you could want in a GPS, AND its thin and has a beautiful screen as well.
We tested some difficult routing along one-way streets and clogged highways, and though the travel times weren’t always correct (traffic updates hadn’t been enabled), the touchscreen was easy to use, with autocorrecting adaptive typing. And thanks to a massive database of locations, it didn’t have trouble even with some pretty obscure places.
There are a couple of downsides though, besides the $250 pricetag- the live traffic information is free for 3 months and then requires a subscription ($40 a year), and not all Bluetooth phones will work with the device. The device is also works best with the latest updates (firmware, maps, and locations) that are released regularly by Magellan (some of which do cost extra, and are a bit of a hassle to install).
In short, campers and backpackers have a new, cheap, and tiny GPS device to call their own in the Backtrack (which is almost ready for giving to Granny). And Dad has his new best friend in the Magellan 4250- a definite recommend if you have a AAA membership, as some of the best features are linked to AAA.
