Magellan RoadMate 760 Review

UPDATE: The Magellan RoadMate series has been officially discontinued. For a more current model, check out our Magellan auto GPS comparison chart or our list of current Magellan receivers.

The North American version of the Magellan RoadMate 760 comes with built-in maps of the US, Canada and Puerto Rico (pre-loaded European maps may be unlocked for an additional fee). 

An update of the RoadMate 700, the 760 adds a text-to-speech feature that announces upcoming street names, and a SmartDetour feature that makes it easy to navigate around construction zones and stopped traffic.

Dozens of consumers have posted reviews of the RoadMate 760 at Amazon, where the editors had this to say:

Compare prices on the Magellan RoadMate 760

"…The 2.25-by-3.0-inch screen is exceptionally bright and crisp, and it's even got a brain. A small light sensor on the front of the unit allows the 760 to automatically adjust brightness and contrast depending on ambient light levels. It's a nice touch that helps you keep your eyes on the road instead of focused on fiddling with screen settings during your journey…"

Here's what others are saying about the RoadMate 760:

• CNet gives a 7.7 out of 10 rating in their Magellan RoadMate 760 review, while readers there rated it a little lower.
• JusTech'n gave an 8.8 in their RoadMate 760 review.
• PCMag.com gives a 3 out of 5 rating in their review of the Magellan 760.
• TidBITS offers this detailed Magellan Road Mate 760 review.
• TheTechZone.com has posted their own Magellan RoadMate 760 review.

Here are some other helpful resources:

• PDF versions of the RoadMate 760 owners manual in 11 different languages.
• Want to see how the 760 stacks up against other RoadMates? Use this Magellan GPS comparison tool.
• There is a Magellan RoadMate message forum at GpsPasSion.
• There is also a Magellan GPS message forum at Yahoo, and an alt.satellite.gps.magellan UseNet group.

Compare prices on the RoadMate 760 at these merchants:

• Check the current RoadMate 760 price at Amazon.com.
• Find the Magellan RoadMate 760 for an amazing price at eBay.

Product description from the official Magellan RoadMate 760 web page:

Turn it on and go™

GPS navigation is easier than ever with your Magellan RoadMate 760. Turn-by-turn voice guidance with SayWhere™ text-to-speech technology¹ tells you when to take that next turn, including the name of the street and distance to the turn.  Use the simple menus with QuickSpell™ to enter an address on the touch screen, or find nearby gas stations, restaurants, ATMs and more by selecting from nearly 7 million pre-programmed points of interest (POI).

The SmartDetour™ feature will automatically route around stopped freeway traffic. Plus, if you find yourself stopped in traffic on city streets you can easily route around the traffic jam by selecting Detour on the Options menu.

Enter several stops on a single trip and the Multi-destination Route Optimization feature will calculate and guide you on the quickest route between them, or in whichever order you choose.

Let your Magellan RoadMate 760 guide you on every driving adventure with a set of advanced features that defies its ease and mobility. From the creators of Hertz NeverLost®.

The advance features of the Magellan RoadMate 760 provide easy, powerful and personalized GPS navigation:

• Easy to use – GPS navigation is easier than ever with
  simple touch-screen menus, easy QuickSpell™ address entry and a package
  of advanced, state-of-the-art features, including SmartDetour heavy
  freeway traffic re-routing, TrueView 3D visual direction and more…
• Turn-by-turn guidance with SayWhere™ voice prompting -
  Dynamic turn-by-turn voice guidance tells you when to make the next
  turn. Advanced SayWhere text-to-speech technology tells you the
  upcoming street name as well as distance to the turn. TrueView 3D
  visually indicates your next turn so you can confirm the direction at a
  glance. Never miss a turn with SayWhere, the first-ever mobile GPS
  text-to-speech feature.
• Comprehensive mapping- With detailed mapping of the
  continental U.S., Hawaii, Puerto Rico and Canada, you can travel the
  country with no need to download new data. A single seamless database,
  built-in to the hard drive, contains all major city streets as well as
  federal, state and county roads and highways. Plus pre-loaded with
  European1 maps that may be unlocked for a fee.
• Multi-destination routing – Let your Magellan RoadMate 760
  take you on a trip with several destinations. Use the Trip Planner to
  enter each of the addresses or points of interest (POI) before your
  driving adventure and select the order or let Multi-destination Route
  Optimization calculate the quickest route.
• SmartDetour – When traffic stops on the freeway for more
  than a couple of minutes, SmartDetour will automatically calculate a
  detour and ask you if you’d like to route around the congestion. You
  can turn the feature on and off, or personalize the settings for the
  maximum distance you’d like to detour. You may also choose to Detour
  anytime by touching the enter button while you are in an active route,
  even on city streets and backroads, to route around road work, closed
  roads, flooded streets or stopped traffic.
• Auto Re-route – Your Magellan RoadMate 760 calculates your
  route when you enter an address or select a point of interest (POI),
  and automatically calculates a new route as you drive, whenever you
  decide to take a detour or go off course.
• Automatic night view and volume – Your Magellan RoadMate 760
  automatically changes the display brightness and contrast to night view
  at sundown, and back to day view in the morning. So you always have a
  clear view of where you’re headed. The volume automatically increases
  at speeds over 45 MPH. So voice and audio prompts are always at the
  right level for maximum clarity.
• True mobility – Lightweight and truly portable, the Magellan
  RoadMate 760 is easily transferred from car to car, so you can take it
  with you wherever you go. Its compact size and light weight enable you
  to easily take it with you on business trips or when you change cars.
• Exceptional GPS accuracy and reliability – Magellan RoadMate
  760 finds your location and the map continues to move with you by
  tracking up to 12 GPS satellites simultaneously. Assisted by the Wide
  Area Augmentation System (WAAS) and the European Geostationary
  Navigation Overlay System (EGNOS), the Magellan RoadMate 760 is
  accurate to within 3 meters or better so that you can rest assured that
  you know where you are and where you’re going.
• Almost 7 million points of interest (POI) – Nearly 7 million
  preprogrammed POIs include addresses and even phone numbers, in most
  cases, for businesses, services, parks, lakes, airports and more. It’s
  easy to find the nearest restaurants, gas stations, ATMs, and more,
  wherever you travel! A simple touch-screen menu makes it easy to choose
  a location by category or sub-category. So if you want to find the
  nearest Chinese restaurant, just touch the screen.
• POI icons – Select whichever types of points of interest you
  would like to appear on the map and see the location of gas stations,
  restaurants, ATMs and more, as you drive. Touch an icon on the screen
  and your Magellan RoadMate 760 will automatically route you there.
  You’ll also see the address and phone number (if available) so you can
  call ahead and make reservations at a restaurant, for example.
• 4 ways to select your route
  • Shortest Time – an advanced algorithm calculates your route using shortest distance and speed limit factors.
  • Shortest Distance – determines your best route by shortest distance traveled.
  • Least Use of Freeways – calculates your route through city and side streets enabling you to stay off the highways when possible.
  • Most Use of Freeways – provides directions over freeways, highways and interstates.

• 3 guidance screens with easy to use interface
  • TrueView 3D – shows a detailed view of actual road layout for upcoming turns and information about intersection maneuvers.
  • Map View – super bright, high-resolution display screen with bold
    and easy-to read icons and text. Zoom in or out on a detailed map. Plus
    select from 9 different color combinations to choose your favorite.
  • Maneuver List – details when and where to expect turns along the route.

• Easily enter addresses with QuickSpell – QuickSpell
  intelligently sorts, searches, and checks spelling for rapid address
  entry with minimal keystrokes, accelerating your data entry by matching
  letters to the available destinations.
• Address Book – 3 different users can store up to 200
  personal or business destinations for a total of 600 addresses. Each
  user can even personally select their top three destinations to keep
  them handy.
• Beam addresses from your PDA – Built-in infrared
  communication enables you to send addresses from your IRDA compatible
  PDA or SmartPhone directly into the built-in address book of your
  Magellan RoadMate 760.
• Instant Locate – The touch of a button shows the information
  about your present location so you can easily direct emergency services
  and roadside assistance.
• Automatic startup and shutdown – When plugged into a
  standard cigarette lighter, your Magellan RoadMate 760 turns on
  automatically when you start your car and powers down when you shut off
  the ignition. Just turn it on and go!
• Easy installation – Do it yourself installation is quick and
  easy. Choose from a selection of mounting accessories. There is no
  wiring required, simply plug in the power cord and you are ready to
  turn it on and go.

¹ Detailed maps of 25 European countries.
² Supports most Pocket PC 2002/2003, and Palm operating systems.

Hertz NeverLost® is a registered trademark of Hertz System, Inc.