Product ReviewsMagellan RoadMate 1440 Automotive Mountable

OK as a basic GPS, but not without glitches

I was impressed by the simplicity of a Magellan GPS we got with a rental car, so I bought a 1440 for our own use, basing my selection on a couple of nice features such as multi-destination trips and smart address entry. When we first got the device it flat out didn't work 8-(... It was "pre-owned new" and refused to take my address inputs; instead it kept trying to guide me to a state penitentiary in Tennessee... Eventually it started complaining about running out of memory and it would restart itself whenever I input a new destination address, forgetting everything in the process.

After a bit of fishing around on the internet, I found out that the older software versions get sick when the traffic advisory feature is enabled. So, I turned that off and it still didn't work. Eventually, I found out that the unit could be reset from the invisible system menu, which cure when applied appears to have corrected its behaviour. See

http://www.gpspassion.com/forumsen/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=126617

I also found advice suggesting that updating the firmware might help with this problem. I almost did that, until I found a blog entry warning that the firmware update could outright kill the on-board system. I decided I was happy to stumble along with what I had already.

Now it works satisfactorily. It takes quite a while to figure out where it is after having been turned off for several days. It also isn't very smart about recognizing when we decided not to follow its directions. It eventually catches up and starts giving good directions, but it seems that it should be quicker (and more vocal) about correcting mistakes.

The multi-destination trip feature doesn't seem to work without user intervention to start each leg. I would think it could recognize arrival and departure events and automatically resume the trip. Oh well...Read full review...

GPS devices make vacations better

I had another Magellan GPS model 1412 for two years or so before it gave out. I believe leaving it in the car over a cold winter may have ruined it so I am going to keep this 1440 in the house over the winter. I am not happy about having to replace these every two years but when they work they are real champs. The voice - we call her the contessa - never gives me a hard time when I screw up on the road. Instead she goes to work and recalculates the best route from my current posn. The maps are clear and bright. At night in Miami for example the contessa helped us through some rough neighborhoods and we managed to get to Ocean Drive without any mishaps. We've also enjoyed her advise in the spaghetti freeways of southern California.
I've only had the 1440 for a month so I can't vouch for its longevity but its cousin the 1412 has been a true friend on the road at times when it matters.Read full review...

Fine Item At Great Price

Although it is a little out of date on some things (there is a software update I an't seem to get to load) for everything I do it is great. There is a map update available at about the price of a new unit but I suspect that the day after you get the update it too will be outdated. For my purposes this is great at a great price. Read full review...

Verified purchase:  Yes | Condition: pre-owned | Sold by: 777mysteries

Magellan RoadMate 1440 GPS

I bought this GPS because I have an older version of the Magellan RoadMate. I have tried 2 other popular brands, and ended up in cornfields, and on long rediculous journeys. The Magellan RoadMates get you where you want to go in the shortest time. They have an unprecedented re-programing method that is instantaneous if you decide to alter the route yourself. The only set back is their customer service. They have improved since my last encounter with them, but it still needs a little work. Also they are not MAC
compatable. But the unit is great, and easy to program. The bottom line is...,You can trust it to get you there.Read full review...

Love my GPS.

WE love our Magellan GPS. WE have several family members that own one and they spoke so highly of theirs that we bought one. It works great, gets us where we want to go and gets us back home. It is a very nice size, easy to use and we can understand the verbal commands very well. Wouldn't have to think twice about buying another one.Read full review...

Magellan RoadMate 1440 Car GPS Receiver

The GPS works great about 95 percent of the time. It helps with most of the parameters of driving, and gives a real insight about the process of driving. For example, by using the ETA (estimated time of arrival), you see that speeding or aggressively driving to get somewhere doesn't actually save a significant amount of time. You need to practically drive at the speed of light to gain a minute, and so you grow realize that safe driving at traffic speeds and good planning are the best practices. I also love the fact that you don't need a subscription or other monthly fee to use it.
The negatives include the inability of the basic model to note road closures, although I have been told that there is a supplementary adaptor that shows traffic and closures. I haven't had much luck finding that adaptor separate, so it makes sense to buy the RoadMate with the adaptor included. Allegedly the newer releases have it included, so check to make sure that it's there. Another minus is that it sometimes takes awhile to aquire signal, but a little patience remedies that.
I'm sure that there are better products out there, but if you can get it for less than the retail of $199, it's worth it. The time horizon for using it for me is fewer than 3 years, since I believe that there will be far superior products released within that time. I don't depend 100 percent on the RoadMate, rather use MapQuest, road signs and my eyes and ears in concert with the device.
Overall, a good companion to an alert driver.Read full review...

GPS 1440 Good and Cheap

GPS 1440 I've owned this model that I bought refurbished from Wal Mart. I liked it so much I bought one for my sister. First I told her it was refurbished but when she was so happy with it I wound up telling her it was used but it worked perfectly. She absolutely loves it.It came with a dead battery but it said that in the listing. I knew it didn't need the battery to work. I had just replaced the battery in mine for about $11.00. BTW the price I paid for it was A LOT cheaper then Walmart. It makes long trips a little less boring because you can mess around with the ETA and the elevations and know exactly how many miles to go.Read full review...

Magellan Roadmate 1440 GPS

I also have a Garmin 1200 GPS I just brought the Magellan 1440, and I feel this is a great GPS for the money. The system will voice command to you and it will let you know when you miss a turn; plus it recalculates the directions automatically after a missed turn. In addition, like my Garmin, you can load different maps, including maps of European and other countries. This device is also simple to use. Just punch in your home address and it automatically will calculate how to get you home from anywhere. In addition you can program directions to get your trip to include things like: no toll roads, gas stations near by, and shortest route ( just to mention a few ). My Garmin also has these features and I would also recommend that too. Any other questions you may have can be answered by the 1-800-customer service provided by each Company. I hope you found this helpful- PeterRead full review...

I'd be lost without my Magellan 1440....Love it!!

Very pleased with the Magellan RoadMate 1440. I got mine a couple years ago as a gift from my son. Love it! Easy to set up, good advance warnings and directions and I really like the fact that it "ding dongs" at the time you should be turning!! My husband liked mine better than his so I bought him one....his truck was stolen and when we got the truck back a few months later of course the Magellan was gone. So happy I was able to locate the exact one...Husband happy too!!! I could get lost in a paper sack...so this is a real must for me! :) Only a couple times has it had me at my destination when I actually wasn't. Close though....new streets so not updated.Read full review...

Verified purchase:  Yes | Condition: pre-owned | Sold by: bombolini

not to bad

got it in charge for little over 1 hour it came on ,still working on how to opt, everything . the map says 2010 went Magellan to see if their was a update not real sure one part says the map was lastes when they check the gps ,but know that some the places gps say,s to purchase gas has not been around in 5 years. and theirs been alot of streets added in the 3 years and the street shows to be a deadend were i live and that was 6 years ago ? but guess if watch were you are going and ask questions in a area thats newer then 4 years old it will be ok,and also a new map for one year is 49.99Read full review...