( 26 reviews )
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Posted: Aug 17 2009
I don't really understand some of the bad reviews. Install VantagePoint and update the unit before using. VantagePoint is a powerful software (It comes with the unit). It will manage your maps, geocaching, and POIs. The Triton comes with a basic map, and it is basic. Upgrade to the AccuTerra TOPO, and you will have a GPS that can't be matched. The instruction manual is online, and on the CD that comes with the unit. READ the instructions. The GPS has so many features that are not even listed.
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Posted: Aug 6 2009
I should have read the reviews, but no, the discounted price hooked me. Decide in haste, regret at leisure, as they say. First I spent hours and hours and hours downloading and updating drivers and software. You had better have at least DSL and you must be pretty computer savvy if you should be so foolish as to buy one of these things. The National Geographic "Super Maps" are a cruel hoax because their resolution is so miserably poor as to be unusable, especially when you zoom in. To make the maps even worse, the screen is almost totally unreadable in sunlight. Besides all that, I spent hours and hours on the phone trying to work the problems out of two 400s (the original and a replacement). I will spare myself and you the details, but both locked up on me when I downloaded updates. I finally did what I should have done after the second day, I gave it back for a refund (oh happy day!). I really think Magellan has navigated themselves right onto the rocks with these Triton turkeys and I wouldn't be surprised to see them leave the handheld market after this. I'm back to my old Sportrak Map because it is rugged and reliable, rechargeable cells work great, you can read it in sunlight, the nav screens are very detailed and I can live with the inaccuracies of the old MapSend software.
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Posted: Jul 17 2009
The first thing to know about the "Magellan Triton 400 HandheldNavigation System" is that it is strictly a hiking GPS. There are nostreet maps, and it won't plot any courses for you if you are planningon taking a trip. I don't have an iPhone, but I have seen friend'siPhones and I know what they are capable of, and it was too bad thatthis dedicated device didn't have similar capabilities. It also doesn't work as a car navigator. I got this for use on acamping trip to Lake Wenatchee in Washington I had planned with mywife, so the first thing I did was input our destination, only to havethe GPS draw a straight line across the map from point A to point B.Not exactly useful if you are driving a car and have to follow roads... Actually, let me back up a bit. That wasn't the first thing, becausewhen I first turned the Triton on it located me some thousand milesaway in California for some reason, even though I was sitting on myback porch in Washington. A quick "turn off/turn on" solved thatproblem and I was firmly located where I should be. Always thequickest, best solution for electronic gadgets So it was useless for urban and car navigation, which was too bad, butturned out to be a great tool for hiking. The Magellan Triton canrecord your hikes, which can then be saved if you want to walk thesame trail again, or just as a memory for where you have been. Ifyou are trying to get to a specific destination, this GPS will keepyou in the general direction of your course without drawing you apath. If you are a geocacher, then I think you will have a lot of funwith this. The Magellan Triton is a very sturdy device and will hold up to somebanging and even some wetness. It is about the size of a cell phone,so doesn't take up too much room in a pocket or pack. You might needto bring an extra set of batteries along if you plan to be gone forwhile. The signal definitely gets weaker asthe batteries fade, andthe functions begin to fail. All in all, I think I would have preferred a more multi-functionaldevice, one that is helpful in an urban setting as well as the greatoutdoors. Otherwise, as a dedicated hiking GPS it is decent without being spectacular.
