The Magellan RoadMate 1470
It also includes text-to-speech, so you’ll hear “approaching right turn, Maple Street” instead of just “approaching right turn.” Live traffic coverage is available with an optional accessory and annual fee.
Compare prices on the Magellan RoadMate 1470
Stepping down to the RoadMate 1440, you’ll get the same feature set with a 4.3” screen, while the 1340
Magellan interface improvements
Let me go ahead and get this out of the way — this new RoadMate series brings a huge improvement in the Magellan interface. I went through my list of previous complaints, and nearly every one has been fixed. The interface is intuitive and no longer burdened with the excess steps that previously dogged their units. Read on for the happy details.
(Screenshots courtesy of Magellan)
There have long been many things to like about the Magellan interface. Here’s a list of the many positive features, old and new:
- QuickSpell feature (pictured above) simplifies input by graying out invalid characters when spelling out a city or an address; I also like that it calls out the letters as I type them – I know instantly if I’ve made an error
- Automatically powers on and off
- As you near a turn a chime sounds as a final reminder to turn; I found this feature helpful
- Exit POIs (see below) give you quick access to key POIs at upcoming freeway exits
- The data field in the lower left corner can be customized to display speed, distance to destination, estimated time of arrival (ETA), time remaining, and direction of travel
- You can cancel navigation from the main menu
- Volume controls can be easily accessed from the map screen
- The OneTouch menu, shown below, provides icons for Home, Gas, ATM/Bank, Previous, Emergency and four user-designated locations (office, best friend, etc.) or POI categories or subcategories.
- When you do a POI search for a business and save the item to your address book, you no longer have to enter the name; it defaults to the POI name
- These new models have inherited much of the elegant graphical interface of the latest Magellan Maestro models
- A number of improvements have been made in how destinations and routing choices are selected; one of the big ones is discussed below
Changes in route selection
One of the nicest changes in the new RoadMate series is how you select routing preferences. Previously, you had to go through a couple of extra screens and choose fastest time, shortest distance, mostly freeways or less use of freeways. Now you select your standard preference in the Settings > Navigation Preferences menu. You can still change the type used when selecting a destination by tapping the Options button on the screen that comes up after pressing Go To. In addition to eliminating the excess steps in selecting a destination, you can now get an overview map showing the different options. The best way to show this is via the video below.
What’s not to like?
Overall, I was very impressed with the RoadMate 1470. Nevertheless, every unit has its quirks. Here are my quibbles with this one:
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- Lane guidance is not very realistic — it has a 2–D appearance; nevertheless, I will give them credit for their extensive coverage (much more than I see locally with Garmin units)
- It annoyingly shows the distance to minor junctions; with 100 miles to go on an Interstate, the unit showed 20 miles to the next turn, even though all I had to do there was keep going straight at a non-Interstate exit
- You must choose whether to show current speed or your estimated time of arrival; the unit cannot display both simultaneously (still, this is an improvement — on previous models you could not even view your current speed)
- The font for distance to next turn (on the left side of the top bar) is smaller than other numbers displayed on the screen, making it more difficult to pick out this critical number at a glance
- The bottom of the unit power cord attachment is a bit of a pain; it can only be connected after sliding the unit into the mount
- I wish the RoadMate showed the speed limit, but you’ll have to step up to the Maestro line for this feature.
- The screen is relatively dim and gets washed out in bright sunlight
- Startup time is relatively slow, on the order of 30 seconds
- I experienced some bugs when testing the unit – a “fatal application error” and a time when it said “your device needs to be restarted to increase performance. Please wait while your data is saved.”
- Another time, I got “Route error. Your destination may be in a restricted area or unreachable.” This was for my home address via the Go To screen; selecting Home from OneTouch worked though.
Having said this, I should add that a newer firmware version is available, which may correct some of these problems.
Conclusion and recommendations
I am very impressed with the huge number of improvements in the RoadMate 1470 over previous Magellan models. Magellan fans should be very happy with this unit. I’m not quite ready to recommend it over Garmin and TomTom models, but clearly, Magellan has quickly become a much more competitive player in the GPS marketplace.
More Magellan RoadMate 1470 reviews
- Dozens of positive consumer-authored Magellan RoadMate 1470 reviews
have been posted at Amazon.
- PCmag.com gibes 4 out of 5 stars in their Magellan RoadMate 1470 review
- GPS Magazine calls it “the best Magellan GPS yet” in their Magellan RoadMate 1470 review
- The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reviews the RoadMate 1470
- High Tech Dad has posted his own Magellan RoadMate 1470 review
- iTechTalk has also posted a Magellan RoadMate 1470 review
- GpsPasSion has a user review thread for the Magellan RoadMate 1340, 1440 and 1470
I’ll be posting more hands on GPS reviews as they appear, but in the meantime, here are some…
Other Magellan RoadMate 1470 resources
- A PDF version of the Magellan RoadMate 1470 owners manual
- Want to see how the 1412 stands up against other units? Use this handyMagellan auto GPS comparison chart.
- A Magellan RoadMate 1470 FAQ
- Our other Magellan auto GPS reviews
- 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
- The official Magellan RoadMate 1470 web page
Compare prices on the Magellan RoadMate 1470 at these merchants:
- Check the current Magellan RoadMate 1470
- Get the Magellan RoadMate 1470
for an amazing price on eBay
About Rich Owings
I have been using one of this units and I’m very happy. I guess you fail to mention that you can see all of your routes options in the map.
Also I guess you minimize the AAA guide. I have use it during my trips and I really think is very usefull to have a review of a business before you decide to step in, specially during vacations.
I have read you are a big Garmin fan, but I guess Magellan is now worth considering.
Yeah, a lot of people like the AAA feature. There’s only so much I can cover without going way over on time and space though.
Magellan Roadmate 1470 is a total failure and never ever buy it. We were totally dissappointed that we even paid the 15% re-stocking fee at Best Buy (that was $30) and returned it. Here are some of the critical problems with this GPS:
1. It does not connect with the GPS at all. The message that it is “retrieving” keeps coming and coming.
2. If you miss an exit, the system is lost. It may take up to half-an-hour or so for it to identify where you are and the re-route. According to the Best Buy GPS expert, this is not a product defect because this probelm is due to the “slow processor” Magellan installed in their newer devices!
3. It does not recognize favorite tourist attractions in major cities. Example, we were in Jersey City and wanted to go to the Metropolitan Museum of Art in Manhattan, New York City. This GPS does not recognize one of the best attarctions of New York City.
4. Don’t buy from Best Buy. If you end up with a product like this one, you lose 15% when you return, even it after a week like myself.
S. Bhat
Wow, I wonder if you got a bad unit. #2 is definitely a product defect if it takes half an hour. #3 is a common problem with GPS units. POI databases are notoriously incomplete.
To the poster with all the horrid stories regarding the Magellan 1470:
1. The documentation tells you that the very first time you turn on the unit it may take up to 5 minutes for the Satellite to lock on you. After that, it’s a go. Always.
2. If you miss a turn, the Magellan 1470 is most definitely NOT lost. It shows you an alternate route. If it takes 30 minutes for it to recalc it is definitely a faulty product. The salesman that informed them of the “slow processor” issue undoubtedly tried to push another product on them. A more expensive one. Usually uneducated consumers will fall for this and parrot it to death to their friends as “fact”.
3. On the tourist attractions issue: No comment, but if the Metropolitan Museum of Art in Manhattan is so famous, then a GPS would hardly be needed. Get a grip, it’s a $200 item, not $2000.00.
I agree with these guys – you must have a faulty unit. This is actually one of the fastest GPS units I have used which is evident by the frequent and smooth screen redraws while navigating in map view. It also seems to acquire GPS signals rapidly.
I dod agree with Subru Bhat in that you should not buy from Best Buy, but isn;t this obvious? Apart from the higher price you presumeably paid, they tack on a 15% restokcing fee if you decide to return. If the return is going to cost you this much, what is the real advantagein buying locally? You may as well just pick it up online.
I have a Magellan 1440
When I try to set it to certain address it only says “your divice needs to be restared to increase performance” (A black screen is the background)
The unit resets and never enters the address.
I am unhappy with this. Can this be corrected
Thanks
You might want to visit the Magellan Website at the following web-address:
http://www.magellangps.com/support/notes.asp?supportID=810
You can obtain the latest software update for your Roadmate 1440 GPS. The update you will find on the above mentioned section of Magellan’s website will fix this issue.
@Rob – Thanks for helping out!
Poster #3 is correct. Do not buy it. I purchased the 1470 at the end of May and I have had 3 replacement units sent to me by Magellan. Each time they assured me that the “critical error” of “Your unit needs to be restarted to maximize performance. Please wait while your data is being saved…” They supposedly have a firmware update on the way. After the 2nd replacement, and many hours on the phone with them, they offered an upgrade to the Maestro 4350. It is not an upgrade. It is last years model and has a smaller screen and their old software. Unfortunately, they give me no other options but to go back to the 1470. It has been too long to return it to the store since I mistakenly called the 800# that they say to call instead of returning it when the first unit failed.
The poster is also correct that it has issues with rerouting when you miss a turn and taking 15 minutes to acquire the signal when turned on at times (not counting the first time it is powered on straight out of the box).
Lastly, the customer service is a nightmare. I have been through hell even though I have been extremely patient with them and the situation. They have been extremely rude at times.
Bottom line: DO NOT BUY IT OR ANY OTHER MAGELLAN!
Diane,
Thanks for taking the time to share this. I did not experience those kind of problems, but clearly others have.
I have owned the 1470 since it came out. great unit with no issues. I use it a fair bit. Cost was $130 from costco, The AAA feature is superb.
I’ve had the 1470 RoadMate for about 7 months now. It’s my first GPS and I’ve been very happy with it. True it does take a while to boot up from the logo screen but overall I’ve really been happy with. Even used the AAA feature a couple of times.
OK, here’s the problem . Two days ago I did the update on my 1470. At first the screen would freeze up after 10 minutes after an address was put in and I was driving along. Now it freeze up right at the logo screen and won’t go any father. The unit was working fine until I did the update.
I did all the tricks the Home web site said to do like pushing in the reset button in the back and holding the on switch on for 10 seconds but that did nothing. Anyone know why it’s freezing up? If it’s because of the update can I undo the update? Of course this all happened at a bad times as I will need this unit in two weeks as I travel for work.
Any advise out there?
I ended up calling Magellan and talked to a service rep. He walked me though a few things including installing the 2.05 the firmware update again but being that the unit froze at the logo screen there was nothing he could do. He asked if I had updated my unit with what I think he said was update 1.5 or something like that which was available before the current 2.05 that is now available on the home web site. I told him that the Magellan web site has nothing about the earlier update and takes you straight to the 2.05 update. He mentioned that this could be the reason my unit froze up.
Anyhow, He ended up giving me a repair number and I shipping it ($12.00 shipping cost out of my pocket) back to Magellan. I shipped it on the 12th of Nov. and got it back 7 days later on the 19th so it was a fairly quick turn around. They ended up fixing what the update did to my GPS and there was no service charge from them. I guess it could have been worse.
Well it ended up up not totally fixed . After I received my unit (which I just noticed by the serial numbers was replaced with a brand new unit) I noticed a few things that worked before were now not working. I did not have a history of previous destinations, the one touch would not keep an address and the address book would not save any addresses. After calling customer service again I found out that the Eng. Dept had just added a patch to the 2.05 firmware to fix this glitch. This patch was added to the 2.05 update, 2 days after I received the unit. I was told to down load the update once more to fix this. As of today, 11-25, the unit is working fine. I saw nothing on the Magellan web site that mentioned a patch was added to the update so for those who updated their unit before 11/20 you may run into the same problemss.
used my 1470 roadmate for 5 days only with no problem at all. purchased it for $169.00 at bestbuy then walmart is selling it for $99.00 this weekend, came back to bestbuy and they matched the price. this is the best gps out there for only $99.00
I bought myself an early christmas present – a Magellan Roadmate 1470…Yaaay!! I love it. The first thing I did after charging up the battery for the first time was to update the firmware to 2.05
That installed without a hitch but I was surprised at the lack of detailed product information both in the printed owners manual that came in the box and also on the Magellan website. The most detailed info I’ve found has been on sites like this and other internet forums. Anyways, I’m very pleased with the functionality and performance of the 1470. I used to use a GPS navigation add-on to my HP iPAQ PDA but it was just such a pain to set up and use and it was VERY basic when it came to features. The 1470 is a breeze to operate and the feature set is quite amazing. I decided not to use the windshield mount, but instead, I modified my old dash vent mount that I used with the iPAQ. It just clips to a vent and the 1470 sits on it nice and snug, with no hassles concerning the power cord position, which apparently can be a problem when using the windshield mount. The vent mount is much less obvious from outside the car, so I can leave the mount attached when the car is unattended without much fear that someone will notice it and figure I must have some device in the car worth breaking in and stealing. All in all, I’m very impressed with this GPS unit. Merry Christmas to me!!…and the rest of you too! LOL
Bought the 1470 and worked great right out of the box. I charged it for about 6 hours + then decided to do the latest firmware update (ver. 2.20 release) from the website.
After the update the Magellan bootup screen just sits there forever with no way out. No menus, nothing. I tried cycling the power and reset to no avail.
I did the exact same thing with my 1440 Magellan and the update worked without a hitch. But the 1470 is either defective or a bad firmware update?
It seems to have turned into a brick after the update was ran? Any help?
I just got my 1470 today and I updated it to the 2.20 firmware and it did the exact same thing to me to.l Except I was able to start mine ONCE and noticed that one touch had dissappered so I decided to do a quick re-boot and not it just sits there with the Magellan Logo and that circle. It has to be a bad update. Good product before this happened though. Turns were very precise when I tried it out really quick before I did the update.
Jordan, the same thing happened to me today. Successful 2.20 update but lost the One-touch menu…so I decided to re-run the update which stopped at approx 40% and then my pc lost connection with the unit. Tried to start the Magellan and it locks at the start up splash screen…clearly the F/W is corrupted!! I e-mailed Magellan support but based on this not being an isolated case I guess I’ll be calling for an RMA# tomorrow 8-(
That is actually what happened to me. I was running the update the second time got 40% through and the program stopped responding. I have Windows 7 and let it sit. It finally started running and said something about a file missing then the updater just stopped and closed itself. Tried to turn it on and nothing happened….. really they need to CHECK the updates before they put them out….. one touch gone and then it dies….nice magellan. I was wondering weather or not to put the update on beacuse all the things it said it would fix were things that were already on there… it was the 2.05 list I’m pretty sure but it said update 2.20 so I ran it and look where that got me…. I’m sending it in tomorrow.
To Adam and Jordan:
I would try running the firmware upgrade again and see what happens. You don’t really have anything to lose at this point. It might install properly the second time. If you try it, post your results here please. Good luck!
I have already tried. No go. It can’t connect to the computer and it can’t run the update via micro SD. So the only thing left to do is to call tomorrow and send it back.
Once the 2.20 firmware update corrupts the device windows will no longer
“see it as a windows drive”, so you cannot simply “run the update again”. My 1470 is now a BRICK after running the 2.20 update. I would advise against RUNNING THE 1470 2.20 UPDATE!!! It seems to corrupt the entire system based on my experience and others who have posted as well.
Well said…I agree.
I was already in communication with Magellan over a problem with the current firmware update, so I e-mailed a link to this comment page to their technical support group and advised them to remove the 2.20 update from their website until they fix it. I hope they do to prevent others from experiencing the same disasterous results while trying to install it.
Same thing happen to me per my 11-10 thread. Once it gets locked at the logo screen nothing you can do except to call Magellan and send it in. They’ll probably send you a new unit with the firmware installed. Once you get through the BS and expense ($12.00 UPS out of your pocket to ship it) the unit boots up quicker and the add-ons and enhancements are really nice.
Yeah I was finally able to talk to them today and it is getting sent back on Monday to get sent back to me early the week after. I think it is horrible that I have to pay for shipping to them. They should have to pay that since their update is what broke it. They also need to check their updates more throughly before they put them on the site. My “one touch” dissappered and now it just wont start they day that I got it for a present. That sends a bad message to me about the company. I loved it while it worked but quality control (espically for updates) needs to be steped up like NOW….
My Magellan 1440 is a f%^&** buggy piece of crap. If it weren’t for the fact that my GF gave it to me for Christmas, I would set it on fire and throw it through the window of Best buy. The directions are flat out wrong. It wont resume if you make a wrong turn. It isn’t recognized by windows vista. It wont charge the battery via the USB cable. It has no battery life indicator. It wont find major attractions other than those that have paid to advertise on the unit. I hate this thing. What’s the point of a GPS that gets lost when you make a wrong turn? Do not buy this piece of crap. Do not buy this piece of crap. Do not buy this piece of crap. Do not buy this piece of crap. Have I made my point clearly?
In the future, I will go to user site before I update ANYTHING. I just got screwed by the V2.20rel.2 update. V2.05 worked like a champ and had no other issues with my 1470 as others seem to have had. It is now cycling in a locked “restart” loop and cannot be reset, shut off, backed up to micro SD or anything else. Froze during update. Windows XP task mngr said “Magellan update ….” not responding. Waited many minutes in case it would restart before finally pushing “End Task” button. Waited many minutes before it would end. Tried to restart process over with a fresh reopen of update folder but locked up even sooner than first time. Sent “urgent” email to Magellan because I was afraid to unplug the USB per their warning. Finally gave up and pulled the plug. That’s when the data backup loop started. So where the hell is the infamous reset button in the side of the unit.
I see no evidence of any reset button that “Maggie” refers to. The crappy little manual certainly is of NO help.
I can’t believe they have the brass to charge all these unhappy customers for a repair return. There was hope when Mitac took over their previous rep for bad service would change. Well hope in one hand and crap in the other and see which gets full first. If nothing else, they should pull the update immediately. It was a great unit up until now for me. Based on the service policies and support for problem units, I cannot say I would buy anything else from Magellan or recommend them to anyone.
How much better would they look in the eyes of the buying public if they simply said, “We screwed up. We’re sorry. We are working on a new 5″ unit and firmware for same and will replace all 1470’s at any customer’s request during the year 2010, no questions asked. Please accept our sincere apology.” How hard is that. I would certainly consider giving them another chance. They may say they can’t afford that, it would bankrupt them. But if nobody buys anything they can count on being bankrupt anyway. It comes down to do you want to be a hero or a zero. I am a self-employed service business and I don’t dare treat my customer base this way. If they hold this attitude, we can hope only Garmin goes public and we’ll all buy in on the IPO because they will be the top game in the business and these guys will be belly up.
THE BALL IS IN YOUR COURT MAGELLAN. WHAT’S IT GONNA BE? HEROES OR ZEROES?
For those of you that had your unit messed up from the update, I would assume that you’re going to send it back. If so, you’ll receive a e-mail survey from Magellan. I filled out mine and told them what I thought of their service and update mess up. I like the product, it’s the shoddy engineering dept and Web site information that pissed me off. For my own piece of mind I also shot off a few email’s with my thoughts on every venue I could find on the Magellan web site. Probably won’t do any good but I felt a little better afterward.
Just upgraded my 1470 with the 2.20 update. Restarted fine and verified the software update took. Navigated to the one touch menu, pressed “home” and the unit froze. Eventually, I turned the untio odd and on restart, locks up everytime with the spinning circle. Real nice. I guess it is going back since there is no hard reset or anything else to try.
I guess I should consider myself lucky. My 1470 survived the 2.20 update….sort of. I can no longer save Address Book entries to the OneTouch screen since I installed the update, but at least the device is still working and hasn’t locked up…yet. Too bad Magellan didn’t take my advice and remove this bug filled update from their website until they got it fixed. I wonder how many more ppl will end up with corrupted units before they decide to do something about the crappy software!
I am wondering the same thing. The update is bad but they haven’t pulled it. It is in release 2 as well. I did just find out something interesting though. If you go to their website and hit support and update and then enter all your information it leads you to the 2.20 update release 2. However, if you go to Ask Maggie and click on the ” I want the latest firmware for my unit” it takes you to a big list and right next to the Roadmate 1470 is Update 1.10 release 6. Maggie tells you to go for 1.10 not 2.20. Might have been good to know that way I didn’t go from 2.05 (which came on the unit new) to 2.20 right away. Either way my unit is back at Magellan now and I’m just waiting for the new one to get here. Hopefully with a working version of the 2.20 firmware on it. If it doesn’t have 2.20 on it then I’m not going to update until the next update or release comes out.
To make matters worse, twice I tried to submit a support incident and both times it just takes me back to Step 1 after entering everything and pressing he submit button. There is not indication that anything was submitted and have not received any type of confirmation email. Just tried it in IE 8 compatability view and still did not work.
That would be pretty ridiculous if they sent you a replacement unit with an old version of the firmware, but considering their track record so far, I wouldn’t dismiss that possibility. And I’d DEFINITELY NOT try to install the current update again! As it is, I think I’ll be waiting quite a while to see what happens with the next frmwre release before I attempt to install it myself.
really nothing would surprise me either. Who knows maybe they have a working version of the 2.20 update in the returns department to stick on all of the returns they’re getting but they have decided to NOT put it on the website just so more people can brick their units. Who knows. I’ll keep you guys posted…
Just thinking out loud here but MAYBE the actual firware update software is ok, but the installer that comes with the update when you download it from the website is what is causing all the problems. That might explain how they can supposedly “fix” your unit if you send it back to them, and yet their website version of the update causes all sorts of issues. Either way, they gotta take it down and do something to get it working right.
Could be… there are a number of possibilites of why this update isn’t working for so many people… one single bad line of code messes up the whole thing. either in the installer or the update. Maybe the installer is misplacing files on the unit because like I said my “one touch” feature was missing. Who knows. I’ve tried contacting them again via the submit a ticket about pulling the update of fixing it, I guess we’ll see how they respond.
From what I’ve read, what is stored on the SD card when you back it up is only data such as stored addresses, etc. and not the whole software for the unit.
What worries me about this whole situation, is that quite probably, each department at Magellan has no idea what is going on in any other department. So, “support” has no idea how many units are being shipped back to the “returns/repairs” department (they are probably piling up by the thousands!), and the “SW engineering” department has no idea there is a problem with the firmware updates. Kind of a scary thought but that is quite often what happens in big companies.
Yeah that is what worries me as well. Hopefully this will eventually reach SW engineering and they will fix it. Who knows when that will happen though.
By the way, is there anyway to back the unit up so I can restore it from a micro SD if this EVER ( and I’m sure it will) happen again? I’ve heard just copy all files on the GPS to a file on your computer and then if it happenes just put those files on the micro SD and then it should boot. then you can re-install the update and the unit should work. I don’t know though… any help would be appericated or more details on the above method or anything you’ve done.
Thanks
The Micro SD card does NO GOOD in this case. In order to restore from an SD card, the unit has to “boot up” and allow you to see the “restore data” menu.
When the unit turns into a BRICK, all you get is a LOGO that spins forever and no menu options.
Also, “re-installing” the FW update is no good either. THE USB cable assumes there’s at least some minimum Operating system functioning on the unit in order to “see” it as a USB drive.
When it bricks, you can’t see it as a USB drive on your computer.
This whole thing runs on Windows CE. Way to go Microsoft! They should at least have a “safe mode” capability in WinCE?
thanks for those guys… and yeah I wasn’t talking about using the back-up feature on the unit, I was talking about taking the unit once connected to the computer and opening up the drive file and copying all files in there. Yes I know it runs on Windows CE but it’s not Microsofts fault.. there is a safe mode in Windows CE. My phone is a Windows phone and the OS is windows mobile 6 which is CE just made for phones…what it is is Magellan locks windows CE so only their computers with their software can get to the background OS and start safe mode….which sucks for us more computer savvy people who would be able to restore their unit themselves if the OS wasn’t locked. and yes I know that it can’t see the GPS drive if it can’t start. IDK it is just something I’ll probably have o research because I’m sure there is a way for the customer to restore a unit.
IDK but didn’t someone mention that holding the power switch to the left for ten seconds does a reset?
It does do a reset but not a complete system reset like other ones have… this unit is one of the few that actually doesn’t have a hard reset button anywhere…very poor design.
I had to go out of town and just read a bunch of your most recent comments. My unit is stuck in a loop between the Magellan logo and optimization message about having to save data and restart. Holding the start button to the left for the advised 10 or 20 seconds does no good. The unit shuts down (or maybe only goes screen black, who knows) for a couple of seconds and then reopens in the same locked loop. I will be sending it back this coming week after the holidays. I have an email from them and will try to insert it into this if possible. I am not real savy. If not, I will transcribe the pertinent drivel resulting from my suggestion that they pull the update and perhaps provied free map updates as a consolation gift to all the losers so now one goes home from the party empty handed. It doesn’t seem like MiTac did much house clesning when they took over. Service had always been the big complaint on all of the review sites I went to when deciding what unit mfg and unit to purchase from last year. It’s such a great thing when it works is the sad part. It’s a larger screen but still fits in a shirt or suit pocket to take with you on bat power if you want. The new 7″ screen would be great in a vehicle but who would want to haul it around. As you may have guessed, I am not yet a G3 customer. Love the features and neat apps but can’t pony up the monthly hit month after month for those few little neat things, not to mention all of the sad cracked and broken screen stories I keep hearing. Not even worth the business tax deduction to me yet. Let’s keep dogging these guys and see if we can bring about a change. As a note to whomever is in charge of the care and feeding of this site. The number one reason I commented on this site was I did not have to go through 5 minutes of surrendering personal info and create a user ID and password. How many times can you be told on a site that your password is already taken and they suggest something you know you will not remember and have to record and look up each time you go there when all you want do do is leave a lousy comment?
I agree with everything you said, but what was in Magellan’s email response to your suggestion that they pull the update from their website?
There was absolutely no reference to my suggestion that they pull the update. They did not address the update issue at all in the email. As to my suggestion that they offer free map updates to owners of crashed 1470’s, they informed me that it was a new model unit and as such had the newest maps installed and that they normally did not do map updates until a unit had been out 12-18 months. They seemed not to understand that a future free map update might be a nice way of compensating the consumer for the inconvenience and aggravation caused by 1470 issues. They don’t seem to understand that just fixing the unit that we pay to ship back to them is not a satisfactory resolution to the problem. The fact that they continue to leave the update on the site which only compounds the issue exponetially doesn’t give me much confidence in their approach to customer support. If it cost a little to fix a few, pull the update. Don’t complain later about how much it would cost to give everybody some type of compensation when you did nothing the stop the blood-letting to begin with. I was given an 800 number to call to talk to somebody about what they might be able to do for me considering I was requesting a free map update. They seemed to mis the point that I was not requesting a free update for only me, but suggesting one type of recompense they might want to consider as well as replacing the 1470’s when a new 5″ model comes out. Seemed to fall on deaf ears, but I am not giviing up yet. Will be calling the 800 number and beginning a no doubt long and fruitless climb up the phone tree. I’ll keep everyone posted. I can’t believe they are really as support-dense as they seem. I refuse to believe anyone can be that stupid with so much at risk in such a highly competitive and high growth market sector. You can map with an iphone, but it doesn’t come with a 5″-7″ or better screen. There is a place in the market for a non-phone GPS. Try driving and holding an iphone. Probably won’t be legal shortly to do that and who wants to carry a 7″ iphone even if they make a car mount for it?
You have to love Magellan’s canned repsonse to this issue especially when you consider that the device has no reset hole and the problem reported is that I was essentially holding a brick. It’s hard to “repeat the update process” on a brick…
From Magellan:
1. Hard Reset the unit by inserting a pointed object in the Reset Hole for 2 Seconds.
2. Delete the upgrade file from your Desktop and Redownload it
3. Repeat the Firmware Update process and contact us back if problem still persists.
Yeah, those instructions look VERY helpful. Not!
As I mentioned before, I doubt that any department at Magellan has the slightest clue what’s going on in any other department. If you take a look at their website, a lot of the support information they provide is totally outdated, which is probably where they got the instructions they sent you to do a hard reset of your device, which we (their customers) all know is not possible.
So I finally got my e-mail back from Magellan Tech support. They basiclly told me what they told everyone else except there was nothing about a reset hole. He said to slide it to the left for 10 seconds and try again. If it presists to call them and send it back (which I have already done almost a week ago). However he also addressed the issue of the update which I found surprising. He didn’t say much this is what he said
With regard to the problem that you have encountered on our website, we do appreciate that you have brought this concern. Rest assured that we have already taken note of this and your concern is not disregarded.
We will wait for your response.
So they know about the update issue for sure. Now I’m wondering why they haven’t done anything about it…
I guess we’ll see…should hopefully get a working one back by the end of next week…
Well at least they acknowledged (sort of) that there is a problem, but if he was referring to the firmware update when he said “website”, then it makes no sense that they still leave the update available so more ppl will download it and end up with a GPS brick. And the fact that you received a response about resetting the unit by holding the power switch button (which doesn’t work) whereas others were told to stick an object in the reset hole (which doesn’t exist) makes you wonder exactly WHERE the support group gets its information! It seems that not only does one department not know what the other departments are doing, but none of the members of the support department seem to know what information the other members are giving customers. What do they do, just make it up as they go? Scary stuff!
I’ve found that with any company the support staff all tend to give different answers. I guess I was lucky enough to get an agent that actually knew something about the product ( like it doesn’t have a reset hole) and knew that there has been issues with the new firmware update…however the fact that they know and still haven’t pulled the update or made a new release is scary like you said… I’m just playing this as a wait and see what happens sort of thing. Hopefuuly in the end we will all have gained something (including you Magellan!!!)
Yeah, that hold the button to the left for 10 or then 20 seconds for what I assume is a “soft” reset was a worthless excercise for me too. Just restarted in the same locked loop.
The sadly tragic thing in all of this is that we all seem to be Magellan’s corner. We are not really dissing the device. We were all pretty happy before the crash and burn. I expecially like the added One Touch page and qwerty keyboard with the 2.05 update. We all seeem to be pulling for them to come out of this by just doing the right, smart things. It’s like when you try to get your kid to recheck their math work before handing it in. You know they will find some simple math errors in 2 or 3 problems out of 15. That will make the difference between an A/B or C/D on the assigment. It will only take them five extra minutes to do it, but they just won’t bother and they get the C when the A was easily there. 9-7=2, not =3. Basic math within an otherwise complex quadratic equation correctly done that would have resulted in a correct answer if they had just rechecked their work before handing in the assignment. Why won’t these guys just go the extra “5 minutes” and get the A instead of the F? It’s so frustrating!
Agreed, We all really do want them to pull out of this. You are right, I loved it before this all happened…now I’m stuck without a GPS and it really would have helped to have it today too. Then I wouldn’t have needed to waste gas driving around lost in the blizzard that is upstate NY. I hope they can learn from this and that they slowly (if not faster) realize their mistakes and learn from them and then do something about them.
Just been reading some 1470 related posts on a GPS forum. One guy posted two days ago that he had previously done the 2.20 update and his device locked up. So he sent it back to Magellan and they sent him a new replacement with 2.20 already installed. Then he discovered new problems with the replacement unit. He couldn’t save any new addresses to his address book. So, he called Magellan to complain and their suggestion was that he download the 2.20 update from the website again and reinstall it!!! Apparently, he very reluctantly (who could blame him!) followed their suggestion and…it worked. But as he said in his post, what works on one unit may not work on every unit, for some strange reason. It could just make things worse!
Here is the link:
http://forums.gpsreview.net/viewtopic.php?t=17193
Just fired off one of those customer service comment surveys. I spoke with, should say vented to, a customer support person today. I am fairly certain she was not a tech. They are continuing to leave 2.20 up in an effort to help them better track the extent and nature of the problem. Doesn’t make sense to me, but there you have it. True or not, that seems to be the story they’re sticking to for the moment.
I told her my intent with the original mail to the tech people when the update first crashed the unit was not for me to get a free map udate. They missed the broader issue of suggesting they do something to appease their customer base for costing them money and creating a problem for which the customer was not responsible and greatly inconvenienced.
I had to dash 100+ miles to the Greater Cincinatti airpot in Covington, KY last night with only enough time to get there and no time to get lost to meet an arriving flight. The 1470 was belly up. Fortunately, I still had my old clunky, flip-up antenna, 3.5″screen with no nightview Roadmate 360 with a million-year-old map in it. Also fortunately, the airport is 1.1 million years old. I had to go into POI to “Address” the destination. When I did, it listed the all the terminals and even separated them as to arriving and departing. How slick it that. So, they can do something right. At least at NAVTEQ anyway. If I had to do it without the gps, in the dark, using the airport signage I would have got lost shortly after entering the airport. This would have greatly enhanced my 1470 irritation factor.
As it was, the car had just stopped at the curb when my daughter caught the cell voicemail exiting the plane that I was coming to get her because the earlier DELTA flight delay had caused her to miss the last connection home. The next flight out was the next morning. It was only her second flight alone and the first that had been delay by 5 hours. I got there before she might have had a panic meltdown.
My problem may not be their fault, but their problem could have greatly effected my problem’s solution. I don’t blame them for DELTA’s problems. What I am saying is when they create a market dependency on something they sell, almost an addiction (why consult or take a map with you) in effect, the anger toward device failure goes beyond disappointment. I am sure the guy who got lost in the upstate NY snow storm can attest to that. Listen up Magellan.
FYI: I Google, MS Streets and trips, and mapqwest every unknown location before leaving home. I roughly study and then print the best map(s) of all the sources I use. Then I use the GPS. I try to carry a state map and ALWAYS have an Atlas in every vehicle I own. I am a belt and suspenders guy. I have seen enough of my share of bogus GPS directions to think that is all I need. My own house in in the wrong spot on the street in Street and Trips and there are way too may addresses for the street. People with a particular gps map program going to a friends house in Simpsonville, KY were routed into a subdivision dead-end. He neither lives in that subdivision or on that street. His house sits alone on a 5-acre plot on a road full of the same. Caveat emptor.
“They are continuing to leave 2.20 up in an effort to help them better track the extent and nature of the problem.”
Huh?? What a load of you know what! That makes NO sense whatsoever!
I totally agree with you..it would have been nice to have the other day in the middle of the blizzard. I also agree there should be something done to reimburse customers affected. Although there is one thing that I agree with them with. Their explanation does make sense from a techinical stand point. What I don’t understand is why they leave it up for customers. Why can’t they test it on their own units? I know you need a certain amount of data to correctly diagnose the problem with the update but why does it have to be with customer units, why not with test units at Magellan? So they are just inconveniencing on purpose??? that just seems wrong to me…
They really need to step up and do something about this and future updates. I was in Best Buy today looking at GPS’s and the Garmin was looking very attractive… did you hear me Magellan??? If this doesn’t turn around you are going to start losing customer base and fast… maybe send all of us free traffic link cables with our replacments…they only cost you like $10 to make but you charge almost $80… Also I was reading through some other forums and it seems like they aren’t only replacing them but fixing a few other things that were wrong with them… most customers are getting units back that now have a spring loaded on/off/reset switch. It doesn’t stay on reset the switch goes back to off all on it’s own… so I wonder if there are also different motives besides just replacing units due to a bad update??? just me thinking…
“Although there is one thing that I agree with them with. Their explanation does make sense from a techinical stand point. What I don’t understand is why they leave it up for customers.”
That was my point exactly. There is absolutely no reason for Magellan to leave the buggy 2.20 firmware update available on their website. They can do all the testing they want on it without leaving it up for unsuspecting users to download and try to install, and kill their GPS in the process. That’s totally unnecessary and rather irresponsible. And I agree with you about their competitors’ products starting to look pretty tempting.
But I don’t really care about getting any “extras” out of Magellan. I just want a device that WORKS, so I’ll be satisfied if they just concentrate on fixing the problems.
One more point: my 1470 came with the sliding, spring loaded on/off switch out of the box. I bought it just before Christmas. So maybe it is the newer version of the 1470?
That’s weird..I got mine right before Christmas as well…mine had no spring loaded switch it just stayed on reset and sometimes when I tried to turn it back on from the reset positon it wouldn’t turn on a few times so I had to keep moving the switch back and forth till it turned on…maybe that’s what the new spring loaded switch is trying to fix? Just another thought…
I would also love a device that just works and just updates correctly…they really need to pull the update…that makes me angry that they are being that irresponisble…
I wonder if you had a bad switch or they unloaded some non-spring switch models to a particular retailer. I bought mine around May or June and it has the left soft-reset with spring on it. Never had any problem with it coming on either.
I don’t know…either way I’m getting a “NEW” unit from magellan sometime soon. I’ll let you guys know if everything works and what firmware it has on it. I’m also waiting to here back from Raphel. I’ll let you guys know what he says as well. Maybe Magellan will get it soon and start a turn around… we’ll see.
Their response to the issue is weak and it sounds like support has been a historical problem for Magellan. I’ve never heard folks complain about Garmin support, but this could be the result of more reliable devices and less need for support. In any case, I’ll certainly be looking at Garmin first when I buy my next device.
I just bought a 1470 from bestbuy about a week ago. At the time, the reviews I read were good. Well, since I have read all the bad reviews. The unit arrived today. It has a spring switch on top. It has software 1.12. What should I do…keep it or send it back to bestbuy. Bestbuy offered to take it back at a local store and go with Garmin.
The unit is charging now. I went outside to get a signal, and it locked on pretty quick. The location was very close. I live out in the country about a quarter ot half mile off the road. I know I have 30 days to try it out, before returning it. I’m at a loss at what to do. I know NOT to download the update 2.20. Comments and help?
Bill,
I agree with Mutz on this one. Overall it is a good unit it is just the updates that go bad. If you want to you can try to install the update…I’ve gone to many forums and for some people the update works and the unit runs great, for others once they get done something is missing or wrong, they hard reset it using the hidden menu and everything seems alright from there, or others like some of us here install the update and have a very nice paperweight to send back to magellan for $10. Really it’s a mixed bag. I would keep it and try it, it really is a good unit. If you feel lucky or if best buy will let you exchange it you could try the update…it’s all up to you.
I take it once it is in locked-loop mode you can’t use that “hidden” menu. Due to weather I still haven’t sent mine in. Still locked in the loop. Tried running it completely down hoping it might “forget” the incomplete firmware instructions. No luck. Still locked up.
No, you need to be able to get to the settings menu to get to the hidden menu… the only thing left for you to do is to send it back to them because there is no way you are going to be able to restore it other wise…
I’ve been bad today. I went through ALL the comments that have been emailed to me since I checked the box be notified in response to my comments on athis site, which is quite a lot. I forwarded a selection to customersupport at Magellan. Who knows if they will read them. I previouly suggested a number of sites for them to sample to are on. Perhaps we should all find pages and comments to email from a wide variety of sources. My email address I use for this has my full name in it so I may end up on a corporate S-list before it’s over but they need to get a plan and also be more responsive to the consumer. They may ignore any thing in the future I forward from a review site or not even look at the stuff I have already forwarded just now. If they choose to do nothing, it won’t because of a lack of persistence on my part though.
It’s sad to see how much time we are all spending commenting on this site because their response is so untimely and inadequate. This could have just as easily been a series of positive comments in praise of how well they handled the problem for all accessing this site and others to see.
They have no offical position anyone is aware off. They have no official “spokesperson” tracking these site and comments who could offer some clarification and confidence for the consumer on those sites. It’s a new world and problems have to be dealt with in a new way. If a company had a problem 10 years ago, maybe as few as 5, they could hide it because there was no effective way for consumers to communicate the extent and nature of it to the rest of the world. Now you can count on sending a particular model line to the crusher for scrap if you sit on a problem. You might be able to junk it out to some developing, third-world economy, but that won’t last much longer. Enough problems and you can tank a company. Wake up Magellan.
I’ll put my $.02 worth in too. I had no problem with the 2.05. The 2.20 didn’t seem to really add much more than the previous one, other than crashing the unit. You probably have a 30-day over counter warranty anyway. Try the 2.05 update first, then go for the 2.20 if you feel gutsy. Worst case scenario, you take it back to Bestbuy as defective. It really is a sweet little unit with a big screen, but not so big that you can’t carry it in a shirt or jacket pocket it you were walking around a strange city. Tall building might obscure a signal or you might get lucky and it would work for pedestrian use also. I’d give it a try and run it through its paces while you can still take it back if it bellys up on you. If it dies and you don’t want to risk another unit they will probably credit you for another unit from another mfg. If they iron out the bugs, I will keep mine. You will really like the correct lane feature and the way it zooms in when you are coming to a direction change. Go for it and let us know how it works out, especially if you update to 2.20.
Bill:
If I were you, I’d just try the unit for a while and see what you think of it. In the meantime – HOPEFULLY – Magellan will come up with a new FULLY TESTED and WORKING firmware update. I think you are wise to not try to install the current 2.20 update. You have time (30 days) to wait and see what happens. If you register your device at magellangps.com you can opt to be sent e-mail notifications of any available updates.
Thanks guys. I have read a lot about it and really like the features. I will try it out for the 30 day period. I sent an email to [email protected] (Raphel Finelli) at Magellan. I noticed on facebook someone was really slamming Megallen for their sloppy tech support, etc. He wrote and told them to email him and he would get them help. So I emailed him, telling and asking about all the problems with the 1470 software, etc. I’ll see if he returns an answer.
Thank you for that….I also just sent an e-mail off to him wondering about the software…I guess we will both see what he decides and sends us… As I said before it is a good unit it’s just the people in the tech department that make it bad. I swear it is run by a bunch of monkeys…and probably is.
FYI, Raphel is probably tied up at the Consumer Electronics Show this week. You may be more likely to get a response if you wait a few days.
On another note. Whoever is in charge of the care and feeding of this site is being very patient with all of us. The comments ARE about a GPS. They DO speak to the QUALITY and FUNCTIONALITY of the device. But we are getting to the point where we are almost using it as a Blog about the 1470 and Magellan support. This may well be within the mission of this site. Indeed, it may give greater credibility to their site over others. Whatever their positon on the way we are using this site, I want to personally thank them for their patience with us and this issue. Hopefully, we’ll all have a reason to calm down shortly.
I agree with both of the post you put up…
I went out for a short while to try the 1470. No lock ups. Vehicle arrow way behind actual location unless I’m driving 20 mph or less. On the highway driving at 65-70 mph, I was at or just pass the turn off when the chime went off. Not too good. Several addresses were 1 block off, which is probably the mapping software; and my local police department was not listed in the emergency location, fire department was, this too was 1 block off. Re-routing, most of the time, was about 10-20 seconds; a couple of times it took about 30 – 60 seconds, not too bad. I did notice the re-routing would at times take a longer route to get to a set destination. Start up from completely off took about a minute maybe 2. Start up from standby about 1 minute. I live in the country and have lived at the same place for over 20 years, and it could not locate my address….neither can most mapping programs, again this is a mapping problem. I did assign the lat/log to my home, and it directed me there. The voice was loud and clear. Display was fairly good. I did noticed on several ocassions, the streets that I was approaching were flashing. Other times they did not.(No set pattern). It did not recognize lane usage.
Well, that was my first time with it.
Comments?
I think a number of the things you mention that were less than great have been corrected in more recent updates, such as the time it takes for the device to lock onto the satellite signals on a cold start, and the time it takes to re-route. Plus, after the update, it’s positioning becomes more accurate. I was actually amazed at how quickly mine recalculates a route when I go past a turn I was supposed to take. It’s like 2-3 seconds at most before it has re-routed me. The problem for you is, you need to make a decision whether or not to try the update or wait it out until a new and hopefully improved one is available. Thanks for the comprehensive first report!
Some of those things are supposed to be fixed in the 2.20 update I think, so if your willing to risk it go for the update then take it back if needed…hopefully not. Also if you tell Magellan that the map is off and doesn’t know alot of your local address’s they will normally give you a free map upgrade when the new maps come out for the device…My experience with mine when I had it for the whole 2 hours it worked was that it was spot on with just about everything… I loved it then tried updating it and then you all know the story…As I said if you call magellan and tell then that alot of local places are missing and off by a block they’ll most likely give you a free map update…or they’ll make you send it back because it is a “defective unit”. Just depends on the rep you get I guess.
So if you wanna try the update then go ahead..just know that there is a chance..while it is not 100% chance that there is a chance your unit might become a brick in which case you could just take it back to best buy and either exchange for a new one or get credit for a new brand as previsouly mentioned… It’s all up to you.
Just curious Jordan:
did you go straight from the firmware version your device had out of the box to version 2.20?
In my case, I first updated to version 2.05 and then a day or two later to version 2.20 when it was released. Maybe that is why mine survived the 2.20 update, albeit with problems with my OneTouch screen, while others, like yours, got bricked.
Just wondering if there was something in the earlier 2.05 update that protected mine from total disaster when I updated to 2.20 – this is just wild speculation on my part, of course.
My device came with 2.05 on it… so I then proceeded to update to 2.20 vers.2. and then it bricked…When you ask Maggie on the Magellan website though she told me to go to the 2.10 update…but you click updates and it tells you 2.20…I really don’t know. I wished I would have found the 2.10 update before I tried putting on the 2.20 update… to little to late I guess.
I just went to the Magellan site and Ask Maggie – according to Maggie, the latest firmware for the 1470 is version 1.10 not 2.10 or 2.20. I am sure this the “Ask Maggie” information has never been changed since the 1.10 update was released. In fact, I pointed that out to a support rep in the one of the many emails I sent to them. I got a reply back thanking me for bringing it to their attention. Of course, that was probably 2 weeks ago and Maggie is still giving incorrect info. I don’t think there is any method to download a firmware update other than the most recent one, anyways.
I did the 2.05 about a month and a half before the 2.20. 2.05 workded fine. It was the subsequent 2.20v2 that bricked the unit. I don’t remember that I tried to add any new addresses though after 2.05. Prehaps I didn’t have enough time to “find” problem issues that may have been there after the update. Did get the extra page of One Touch and QWERTY option added with the update. That much worked for sure.
Have you guys been looking at some of the complaints on facebook? Not many responses from Megallan yet. Mostly customer support and tech support. Some good though, especially the hot sellers.
This was posted today (January 8) on the gpspassion.com forum:
“I updated my Roadmate 1470 the same day I got it. The firmware 2.20 update didn’t kill it initially. The one touch function went away. Road names would move off the screen as the road was approached, regardless of how the zoom was set. Customer support said I could send it back to have it put back to the orig. firmware or try the reinstall of the 2.20 update. The re-install of the 2.2 killed it – the unit would freeze on startup clock. Amazon sent me a new one quickly. The new unit has NOT been updated yet.”
———————-
So, apparently Magellan customer support is still telling ppl to re-install the 2.20 update if it doesn’t work the first time. That is a sure recipe for disaster. Well, at least we know it is…Magellan hasn’t figured that out yet!
Got to try out the 1470 again today. The reason I don’t get to go out much is recent surgery. Anyway, all driving was 40mph or lower. Done pretty good until I went to an address. It told me it was on the left side of road when it was actually on the right.
One question, I had it turned off last night and plugged it in to charge(home power supply). Does it have to be on to charge? The battery lasted about 30-45 minutes and it shut itself off.
I found that mine gets mixed up between right and left on occasion as well. I’m thinking this is more of an error with the mapping info from Navteq than it is a problem with Magellan’s firmware. In answer to your question: It shouldn’t make any difference if the device is on or off to charge the battery, as long as the charger you are using is properly rated for the device. I initially thought the USB cable that came with it for connecting it to my PC would charge the unit, but was surprised to learn that connecting it to the PC will NOT charge it…dumb! So, I bought an AC charger for it from AccessoryDiscounter.com through Amazon for $1.50 (plus shipping). It fully charges the unit in 3-4 hours with the unit turned off.
Well dummy me forgot to check the connection. It is charging fine now.
This is my first GPS but after driving my wife’s car which came with a nav system I had to have one! So I purchased the 1470 (yes from Best Buy) it was a good price, my friend recommended the 1440 but when I saw the 1470 with the larger screen, near identical features and cost so I got it.
With that said I am just now charging it and have just downloaded the 2.20 update but from what I am reading here I am going with it is probably better not to install this patch right now, is that a fair assesment?
I am hoping this will work and that the firmware update is not mandatory?
Thanks
Chris,
If I were you I’d wait until a new firmware update is released. There are serious known issues with version 2.20 that in some cases (not all) renders the unit unuseable and requires return to Magellan for repair or replacement. The firmware updates are definitely not mandatory. It is up to you if you want to install them or not. I’d advise waiting for the next release which will HOPEFULLY address the many problems reported with the current one.
Mutz,
Thanks for the quick reply! I was pretty much resigned to the fact that I wasn’t going to install the firmware update but figured it couldn’t hurt to ask questions.
I’ll bide my time and wait this out.
Thanks again!!
Chris, curious what firmware version you have?
Mine is 1.12, from bestbuy.
Bill
Bill,
The firmware version is 1.12, gonna keep this until I hear some better news about firmware updates.
Chris
Chris, add some addresses (just a few though) and then tap “find”. See if it wants to restart. If it does, just turn it off and back on. See my comment below.
Chris,
I think you’ve made a wise decision to wait it out. lol
What many of us don’t understand is that even after the problems surrounding FW update 2.20 were reported to Magellan, they continue to make it available for download. This makes no sense. I suspect that they are so puzzled by the number of issues with it, that they don’t know exactly where to begin in addressing them. It seems that the update works ok for some, but for others it disables their OneTouch screen functions, and for others yet, it completely currupts the operating system. So, right now it’s a crap shoot whether or not the current update will install correctly. This is the reason I advised that you wait. Your unit works as it is, despite being not totally up to date with regard so software optimizations. But at least it WORKS! lol So, play with it for a while and in the meantime, we all hope Megallan’s SW engineers will figure out and resolve the problems with 2.20
I learned something tonight. I was adding addresses and had 4 added. I noticed the find button and tapped it. Up came the “needed to shut down….etc”. It locked on this, however I was able to turn it off. I immediately turned it back on and everything came up, including the address book. Tapped find again and the same thing. I turned it off and restarted. This time I done a hard reset. Restarted, reset everything and went to the addresses. Of course nothing there, added several addresses, tapped find and it worked. Now I’m curious if it changed anything while in an actual route, such as the distance problem.
Took the 1470 out today for a drive. Same problems with lagging behind, maybe worse. Re-routing was fairly quick but some of the routes had you going way out of the way to get back on the route. I did find a BIG mistake in the mapping software for the town I was in. Everytime I routed a north – south street address, I was taken there (still 1-2 hundred feet off or more), but the announcement was on the wrong side of the road. The east-west addresses were correct. I checked the maps on Navteq, and they were wrong there. I sent them an email.
I did some research on the web and found that the gps devices today are accurate to within 3 meters (9.8 ft) 95% of the time. I read on some other forums that 50 – 200 ft was very good.(?)
I had another problem show up. I entered an address to go to. Went to it and went on my way. I pressed the go to button and then home, etc. The previous address was now home.
Sure wish they would get all this fixed!
I sent Magellen an email to their support. None of my questions were answered, just an apology. If you would like to see the emails, let me know and I will post it.
Let me guess – they apologized for any inconvenience you may have experienced and then said something like this:
Should you require further assistance about this or any other concerns with your Magellan unit please visit our website and review our extensive Self Help knowledge base (www.magellangps.com).
Pretty close. It was a brush off. Very disappointing. That really made up my mind on taking the 1470 back. I’ve been doing a lot of research on other brands and have about made up my mind.
I really appreciate you guys helping me. Just wish Magellen would do the same.
Bill,
In doing your research could I ask what you have about decided on?
Thanks for all the info as well I will try adding some addresses and see what happens. Who know mine may be going back as well, thankfully Best Buy has a 30 day return policy although there is a 15% restocking fee but if it is going to be that big a problem I’m willing to take that hit to get a better product.
I’m leaning towards the Tomtom go 730. Seems like all the gps’s have some problems. But it has the features that I want. BB has it on sale this week.
So after sending my unit out I’m finally getting a new one by this friday and much hassel on the phone with them about where my unit was. They told me that the service center in TN had been closed for a week due to bad weather so they were behind… bad weather? are you kidding me. I live in Upstate NY, don’t tell me about bad winter weather. We manage just fine here why cant you there? Any how, as I said before I’ll let you know about what it comes with and if I find any issues… and trust me I will be testing it for any. I’ll also let you know if I get to be one of the few people sucessfully running 2.20. I also still haven’t heard back from Raphel. Has anyone?
Also when I was on the phone with support and got a manager I asked why 2.20 was still up and he said that they knew about the many issues that update had online and that they were working on it and trying to get more info about the issues as fast as they could so they could fix it. Who knows how long that is going to take.
Jordan, I wrote Raphel also never did hear anything him. I went ahead and returned my 1470 for a TomTom. I was really disappointed after getting that so called apology letter from support.
Yeah, either Raphel is really far behind or doesn’t care. Who knows. Hopefully he is waiting to respond until he can find out more about the 2.20 update issue(s).
I’ll be keeping mine. I’ll give them another chance, but they better do better this time. This is ofd course all assuming that the one I get back is in perfect working condition. I’ll see friday. After looking at all the other units at best buy I still like this one the best. Hopefully they understand waht they did wrong and are trying to fix it.
I’m keeping mine as well. I already purchased an AC wall charger for it from Amazon.com so I also don’t want that to go to waste by returning the 1470. I’m confident that Magellan will sort out the problems, of which, I think there are plenty. It’s not just that the FW update can lock up some units completely during the update, but there are all sorts of other smaller software bugs to work out. I wouldn’t want to be the one who signed off on the version 2.20 release, cuz it’s a very messy piece of work! My device survived the update but ever since I’ve noticed a number of bugs, especially with the OneTouch feature. Like the button click sound for the OneTouch buttons cannot be shut off permanently. For the other buttons it can, but whenever the unit is shut off and turned back on again, the OneTouch buttons sounds are back, and at FULL VOLUME too, even if the system sound is set at LOW. And I can’t save addresses to my OneTouch screen from the address book. It announces it’s saved, but no new icon shows up. The OneTouch option is a great idea, and it’s a feature that sets Magellan apart from other GPS makers…BUT…they better get the problems with it fixed or it could be their undoing. I’ve got a hunch that it’s the many problems with the OneTouch portion of the SW that causes some units to brick when trying to install the update. Anyways, for the most part, my unit is working fine. So, I’m still content to wait it out (for now) and hope for the best. But considering all the reported problems with the software, it could be a while yet before they release a new FW update.
I talked with a higher level of customer support this Tuesday. The call started in the Philippines and was the esclated to the next level up in the states. I wasn’t totally unpleaasant, but it wasn’t totally satisfactory either. The person I spoke to said to date she had only handled two calls about the 1470 and wasn’t aware of any real issue with the unit. The obvious question would be how many people keep pressing the issue and get to her level to begin with. I told her about this site and rattled off most everybody’s names which exceed the two she knows of. And that is only one site. I expressed my opinion that it makes no sense that this problem exists and that she or the people in the Philippines know nothing of it. (Or do they?) How can you effectively handle service calls when you know nothing of the problem and its proposed resolution and where the company is on the solution timeline. Of course, even if they agree with you, they are hard pressed to speak their mind when that particular call may be being recorded “for training purposes.”
The bottom line was pretty much the same as it has been up to now. Although the person was pleasant and nonconfrontational, you were left feeling like you were just another item that was cleared off of the desk.
I went ahead and sent my unit in Wednesday. I had mentioned that customers are getting units returned that are in various states of firmware updates and operate with varying degrees of success. The customer doesn’t even know if they are getting a new or refurb. She said all units are currently new as they are out of refurbs. Makes you wonder if the problem is so insignificant how can they be out of refurbs? So, going on that slim hope I sent in my unit hoping to get on the new unit side of the curve.
I would suggest that anyone who has not sent their unit in persist until you get to that escalated level. It could be that the would e-mail you an RMA with shipping prepay pdf that you print out and take to FEDEX thereby paying nothing for the return of your unit. That’s just a guess on my part you understand, I certainly wouldn’t want to spread a rumour
that would cost them money even thought it would have been the right thing to do in the first place.
DO BE PERSISTENT!
I talked with a higher level of customer support this Tuesday. The call started in the Philippines and was the esclated to the next level up in the states. I wasn’t totally unpleaasant, but it wasn’t totally satisfactory either. The person I spoke to said to date she had only handled two calls about the 1470 and wasn’t aware of any real issue with the unit. The obvious question would be how many people keep pressing the issue and get to her level to begin with. I told her about this site and rattled off most everybody’s names which exceed the two she knows of. And that is only one site. I expressed my opinion that it makes no sense that this problem exists and that she or the people in the Philippines know nothing of it. (Or do they?) How can you effectively handle service calls when you know nothing of the problem and its proposed resolution and where the company is on the solution timeline. Of course, even if they agree with you, they are hard pressed to speak their mind when that particular call may be being recorded “for training purposes.”
The bottom line was pretty much the same as it has been up to now. Although the person was pleasant and nonconfrontational, you were left feeling like you were just another item that was cleared off of the desk.
I went ahead and sent my unit in Wednesday. I had mentioned that customers are getting units returned that are in various states of firmware updates and operate with varying degrees of success. The customer doesn’t even know if they are getting a new or refurb. She said all units are currently new as they are out of refurbs. Makes you wonder if the problem is so insignificant how can they be out of refurbs? So, going on that slim hope I sent in my unit hoping to get on the new unit side of the curve.
I would suggest that anyone who has not sent their unit in persist until you get to that escalated level. It could be that they would e-mail you an RMA with a shipping prepay pdf that you print out and take to FEDEX thereby paying nothing for the return of your unit. That’s just a guess on my part you understand, I certainly wouldn’t want to spread a rumour
that would cost them money even thought it would have been the right thing to do in the first place.
DO BE PERSISTENT!
Thanks for the update, Dan. It’s not exactly encouraging to read that even at an elevated support level, the person you spoke to had little or no knowledge of the problems. Or at least, what she was willing to admit to. It could be case of being given strict instructions from their corporate offices to not let on that there even is a problem, until such time that they have a solution for it.
So I finally got my new unit back. It might be a refurb but I can’t tell. So far no major problems. I got it and it has the spring switch on top and it has a working version of the 2.20 update on it. It saves address’s fine in onetouch and it is still about 50ft. off of my current position on the screen when driving but the chimes are on time and directions so far have been perfect to the many places I have tried. It did the shut down to maximize memory thing once on me and so I did the hard reset found in the hidden menu and that hasn’t poped up again. Another minor quark is that sometimes when I select a destenation from the onetouch menu it loads and routes fine but I get a traffic Icon saying there is a one minute delay on my route. I live in a part of NY where there is no traffic link service and I don’t have the traffic link cable hooked up to it. It has done this a few times but the sign always goes away after the first turn or so.
Pro’s: Everything works great.
Cons: Just a few quarks left in the firmware. But definetly stupid little quarks that are easy to deal with and are no bother. and it is still behind my actuall postion but the chimes are on time for turns.
Overall: I like it now that it works. I may even love it but the whole update mess is a pain and I hope they fix this issue and get their act together.
Let me know what you think.
Good to hear that you got a new unit back, and that it seems to be working ok. As far as the TRAFFIC icon showing up on the map screen, you should be able to get rid of that by going to the settings screen and pressing on the “Traffic” button.Then make sure there is no check mark in the “Enable Live Traffic” box. If there isn’t a check mark in the box then check it and then uncheck it again before leaving that screen. That worked for me.
I still get the “Your Device Must Shut Down…yada yada yada” screen now and then. I did the hidden menu hard reset trick too but it still wants to shut down sometimes for no apparent reason.
Can you try something for me? See what happens when you try to turn off the button sounds in the settings menu. And also set the master volume to half. On mine, it works fine until I shut down the device and turn it back on again. Then the OneTouch button sounds come back (at full volume again) even while all the other button sounds are still off. I’d like to know if this particular bug is just on my device, or if it is common to all units with FW version 2.20
But as with your new unit, the bugs in mine are ones I can live with until they come up with a new FW release.
Sorry to hear the visual tracking is that far off. The unit I sent back was very close to dead on with the chime which was highly accurate. It will be interesting to see what I get back. All good with the original until that one lousy fw update. New one should be in Monday. We’ll see if things have improved.
Yeah I checked all the known issues with any firmware today. Most are fixed. I tried your volume test Mutz and it did the same as yours, I guess when they did the new FW they forgot to make the onetouch menu go by system settings for volume. I tried turning off traffic and it seems to have worked. That only leaves the one bug of being off in visual tracking. My first unit was dead on as well. This one lags about 50 ft. behind sometimes. sometimes less. I noticed a few times today it was almost right but then it went back to being like 50ft. off. The chimes are still perfectly timed but the map is not right. It has to be the FW. I like it so far and hope to not need to send it in again. Anything else? Let me know if you have any questions.
Thanks for doing that button sound test for me. So, it seems it is a problem with 2.20 that they still haven’t addressed. The OneTouch feature sure is causing issues for Magellan. And as I mentioned in one of my previous posts, I wouldn’t be surprised if it is something about the OneTouch portion of the SW that causes so many update installs to crash the operating system completely. And on others, the OneTouch screen totally disappears after the 2.20 update.
Also, similar to what you are experiencing, my unit’s tracking seems to vary from being pretty accurate to being off by about the same distance as yours. Most of the time my position is lagging behind where I am supposed to be on the map.
I don’t envy the Magellan SW engineers having to try to sort out this mess. These are complicated devices with many interconnecting functions. They probably think they have one bug fixed but in the process, they create two more problems. I guess all we can do is be patient.
One more comment: When they finally do release a new FW update, who is going to be the first to download and install it? I know it’s not going to be me!! LOL I plan to be the last penguin standing on the edge of the iceberg after all the others have been pushed into the sea. If they’re all still swimming, then…I might take the plunge LOL
That is exactly what I was thinking. I’m going to wait at least a month and check all the internet for any problems in the next update. I’m guessing either 2.20 vers3 or 2.25 maybe ? They don’t ever go in order so I guess we’ll see.
I sent my 2.20 crashed unit in for repair and I received a replacement fairly quickly. The replacement unit looks to be brand new retail packed with all the accessories so I do have to give credit to Magellan for doing good on the warranty replacement. The replacement unit has the 2.20 software installed. It also has a three position switch on/off/reset. It is no longer a momentary switch for the on position like my last unit. I haven’t really used the device since I am now just charging the unit for the first time.
So you got a=one like the unit I had before. I actually like the spring loaded switch better. I wonder if the spring loaded switch is the newer or older version of the 2.20. Well just let it charge and then take it through it’s paces. That is waht I did when I got my new one from Magellan on friday. Luckily everything works like a charm. Let us know what you notice about the unit when you finally use it…
Did the one you had before have the reset position? I thought this was something new.
Yeah, no spring an on postion on the left a off postion in the center and a reset postion to the far right. That was like the one I had before. I’m wondering which one is newer though. Be careful with that switch because sometimes I had trouble turning my unit on it would be in the on postion but nothing would happen. I mobed the switch back and forth many times and it would finally turn on. This only happened sometimes. So does anyone know? which switch is newer???
Are you guys still waiting on the fw update? I’ve noticed on facebook there is complaint after complaint of problems.
I’ve haven’t seen much activity here and was just wondering.
Bill
I think what is happening Bill is that most of the current posters are now in the sme cycle of the problem. We all have replacement units and are waitng for a new fw update. I notice by my power input on my unit are two letters branded into the case: “RF”. I can only assume that means “refurbished.” Ignoring the first few repetative digits, I sent in ser#000479023 and was returned ser#101359453. I’m not saying they have over 100 million unit out there, but it is interesting that as high as the replacement serial number is on the, they are still having problems.
Like everyone else, the chime is still accurate, but the visual lags a good 50-75ft behind most of the time. It also seems to kibitz my route chooses more than it used to. It tries to force route changes on me in a lot more places than it used to. Some of them make no sense for the parameter you chose: i.e. “shortest, least use, quickest,etc.
I passed an exit it insisted I take and as the gap between the two widened, the map still showed me on the exit and even into the clover leaf traveling at 90 degrees to the direction I was traveling before it gave up and found me still on the same interstate. The clover leaf was nearly 100ft from my actual line of travel.
How can they keep making things worse? I don’t get it. The original fw and the updates to 2.05 were highly accurate on my unit on the highway, though not so much in neighborhoods using addresses for destinations. I always “arrived” about 50ft before my house. Now I “arrive” 3 houses before my house. I feel like the 50ft lag is a fw issue and not a Navteq mapping problem. I don’t know if it’s a sat acquisition problem, or how quickly the processor generates the visual. It is odd that the chime is still accurate but the visual is off. I’d be willing to bet that that fact will help pinpoint the problem. I know thay would say that that is typical accuracy for a gps, but when you know it was better earlier in the development cycle than now, that line is so much garbage.
So, yes Bill. I would say we are all waiting for fw2.20ver2+++ because there is little else we can do at this time. My warranty will run out sometime this spring. I will be glad to take the first hit on an update unless someone else here is going out of warranty sooner. I think the sooner we all know we have a problem the better. I will see if I can dig up an accurate date for my warranty and post it. If anyone is going out sooner and wants to step to the front of the line and do a new fw update before they go out and have little or now recourse, let us know. Of course no one can do any update until they post it. They could decide to wait until they hit the magic number of “bad” units to “good” in the field before they post an update. Then by warranty it becomes our problem, not theirs.
Somebody else watch for that diverging exit ramp error and let us know. I expect to be confused when you are near and parrallel, but as the distance gets greater between the two, it should not be waiting beyond 75ft at 55mph. Oh yeah, the mph indicator in the lower left corner yo-yos 3-4mph and is nowhere near as accurate. It bounces around even when you hold a steady cruise-controlled speed and used to be way more accurate. Getting off of here, I still have somewhat of a life inspite of all this Magellan annoyance.