Magellan’s Web-connected SmartGPS is a triple threat
The Magellan SmartGPS is a portable navigation device, but it’s also part of a larger system that, at the time of publication, has parts that give users multiple ways to navigate, search for destination, and manage their favorite places. At the core of this system is the SmartGPS hardware, which can be used as a standalone navigation device. However, the hardware works best when used in tandem with Magellan’s smartphone apps for iPhone and Android devices and a cloud syncing service called MiCloud that is accessible via any Web browser.
Design The SmartGPS hardware looks about like you’d expect a portable navigation device to look. It’s a plastic slab with a touch screen on one side that gets suction cupped to your windshield.
The device measures about 6.75 inches from corner to corner, but has a diagonal screen size of only 5 inches. There’s a lot of glossy black bezel around that screen, which seems like a lot of wasted space — particularly on the horizontal — for those of us used to seeing smartphones, tablets, and even other portable navigation devices push their screens closer and closer to being edgeless. Imagine a device that’s about the size of a small tablet with a screen the size of an average Android phone and you’ll have an idea of the potential for extra display real estate. To be fair, 5 inches is a respectable screen size for a navigator, but when you consider the amount of information that Magellan tries to cram onto the SmartGPS’ screen,… [Read more]
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