Magellan RoadMate 2000, 2200T and 2500T – For outdoor navigation too

UPDATE: Read our Magellan RoadMate 2000 review, Magellan RoadMate 2200T review and Magellan CrossoverGPS (2500T) review.

Magellan announced a new series of GPS navigators today, designed to cross over and provide automotive and handheld outdoor functionality — the Magellan RoadMate 2000, 2200T and 2500T.  All three provide voice prompted turn-by-turn directions and a 3.5 inch color touch-screen display.

The 2000 has the SiRFstar III chipset, a new interface, and pre-loaded maps of the contiguous U.S. It carries a retail price of $399 and will be available this month.

The 2200T adds real-time traffic capabilities, and pre-loaded maps of the U.S. and Canada. An SD slot allows the addition of topo maps or marine charts. It also includes an MP3 player and photo viewer, and a battery life of up to eight hours. Available in October, the 2200T has a retail price of $499.

The 2500T adds pre-loaded topo maps. Available in December, this unit will retail for $549.

It appears that traffic services are an add-on with the 2200T and 2500T. Unfortunately, we don’t have photos yet, nor word on whether the units allow any flexibility in type of batteries used, ala the Magellan eXplorist 500LE. There will also be European versions of the 2200T and 2500T, with different feature sets than the U.S. models.

One final word — after reviewing the Magellan RoadMate 2000 recently, I discovered that it is not appropriate for backcountry use! Hopefully the 2200T and 25500T will be better suited for the great outdoors.