Review: Magellan Roadmate 3050T satellite navigation

In stark contrast to Garmin’s Nuvi, the Magellan Roadmate 3050T’s bulky shape makes it the least pocket-friendly device on test.

The Roadmate’s casing is also cluttered with a multitude of glowing buttons. Since the device uses a touch-sensitive screen, it seems strange that so much emphasis has been placed on button-based control.

The Roadmate’s anti-glare screen is bright and clear, although you’ll have to make sure that the unit is positioned correctly. When tilted upwards slightly, some of the text and icons start to become less easy to see.

The main trouble with the 3050T is that the Magellan navigation software it uses is in desperate need of a makeover.

The maps seemed sufficiently accurate but, unless you’re accustomed to it, Magellan’s user interface can feel extremely clunky and unintuitive compared with some of the others available. Sluggish operation and basic, blocky-looking graphics both leave a lot to be desired.

This article is part of a group test of satellite-navigation devices.
See also: 
Garmin Nuvi 310
Magellan Roadmate 3050T
Medion GoPal PNA465
Mio Digiwalker C510E
Navman N40i
Navsure 300i
Novogo S700
Sony Nav-u Nv-U5 0T
TomTom One Europe
ViaMichelin X-950T
When sat nav goes wrong
Galileo project

A table of features can be read via our pdf download above.