Magellan RoadMate 1200 and 1212 Car GPS Navigators Review

The Magellan RoadMate 1200 and 1212 GPS Navigators share a common feature platform apart from the differences noted below. Both have a 3.5 inch touch screen compared to the 4.3 inch widescreen of the Magellan Roadmate 1400 series. To make the Magellan 1200s easier to view at night, Magellan has included Auto NightView to automatically adjust color and contrast for lower night time light levels. The GPS navigators have a compact, pocket size design making the Roadmate 1200 models conveniently portable.

Magellan RoadMate 1212 Car GPS Navigator

Additional or Extended Features of the Magellan Roadmate 1212 vs 1200

SayWhere Text-to-Speech: clearly announces the street name of your next turn providing confirmation that you are on track without taking your eyes off the road.

Pre-loaded maps include Canada as well as the 48 contiguous United States, Alaska, Hawaii and Puerto Rico.

6 million POI database vs 1.3million

Magellan has based their unit on the Centrality Atlas III processor which has an integrated GPS receiver. The Centrality Atlas III has high sensitivity for obtaining satellite locks in weak GPS signal areas. Atlas-III’s added hardware acceleration and software enhancements provide up to 30 channels for GPS with increased accuracy and faster time to fix.

If you are going to be using your GPS in local or familiar areas then one of the reasons for purchasing a GPS navigator might be it’s usefulness for locating businesses and services. However, the Magellan Roadmate 1200 models come with a database of 1.3 million points of interest (POI) which is comparatively small. If you believe you might be a frequent user of POI searches then it would be worth considering the Magellan Roadmate 1212 or Magellan Roadmate 1400 series which have a larger 6 million Points of Interest (POI) database.

Like all POI databases the Magellan 1200 on is categorized and searchable (near your position or near any city) for finding services such as gas stations and ATMs. POI icons displayed on the map screen are interactive, revealing the address and phone number at a touch as well as plotting an instant route. It’s possible to create “Enhanced POI” with the supplied POI Manager software which can have an alarm attached for alerting you when you are within the range set by Alert Parameters.

Navigating with the Magellan RoadMate 1212 and 1200

Entering a destination can be handled a number of different ways including:

Enter an address (QuickSpell provides a quick auto-complete feature)
Select entry from address book
Opt for a previous destination
Nominate a street intersection
Search for or select a POI by tapping it on the screen
Use the Exit POI function to look view POIs that are ahead of you on the freeway.
Create a multiple destination route with the Trip Planner
Select your home address

Routes can be calculated on the basis of fastest time, shortest distance, least use of freeways or most use of freeways. If you want to have a look at your planned route before departing, you can use the Simulator Mode to simulate moving along the route.

As well as the usual route navigation display, the Magellan Roadmate 1200 models also have a split screen which displays on approach to an intersection showing opposing maps of the route and a detailed view of an upcoming turning maneuver. There is also a Maneuver List for displaying a list of all maneuvers to the destination.

SmartDetour is a handy function if you encounter a traffic problem and need a diversionary route automatically calculated. If you happen to get off the planned route the Magellan RoadMate will automatically create a new route to get to your destination.

An excellent feature of the Magellan 1200 models is Backup and Restore which lets you make a backup copy of the unit’s software or restore the data from a backup copy if lost.

Items Included in Magellan 1200 Series GPS Navigator Box

Magellan RoadMate GPS Car Navigator
Vehicle power adapter
Adhesive disc (for dash mounting)
Windshield mount
Basic cradle
SD Card pre-loaded with maps
Reference Manual
Quick-start guide
User Manual (on CD)

Magellan Sale

It’s worth noting that Mitac (which owns Mio GPS also) has acquired Magellan. Mitac have indicated that they will be continuing with the Magellan brand