Item Details

Magellan Premium Car Kit for iPhone and iPod touch

(35 Customer Reviews)

Price: $129.99
FREE Shipping*

Usually ships in 24 hours

 

Technical Details

• Compatibility: iPod touch 2G, 3G; iPhone 3G, 3Gs
• Transform your iPhone or iPod touch into a complete in-car solution for GPS navigation
• Charge your device while mounted; built-in GPS receiver enhances performance
• Noise-cancelling, hands-free speakerphone with powerful amplified speaker
• Works with any navigation or location-based app, including Magellan's RoadMate app

 

Product Details

Product Weight: 2.00 pounds

Shipping Weight: 0.80 pounds

Model: AP0300SGXXX

Manufacturer: Magellan

Sales Rank: 672

 

Customer Reviews

A good GPS navigation solution for your iPhone and Ipod Touch. However doesn't include map software (sold separately).,
by Sidarta Tanu, 2010-03-09

Magellan Premium Car Kit for iPhone and iPod touch is a great GPS navigation solution for your iPhone 3G/3Gs and iPod touch 2G. The drawback is that map software is not included in this package (need to be purchased separately from Magellan or other compatible map software), and this GPS receiver is not compatible with the google maps currently installed in iPhone and iPod touch. And for what it's worth, I think Magellan wants people to also buy the Magellan RoadMate App (by not inlcuding the map in this kit).

Pros:
1. Compatible with iPhone 3G/3Gs and iPod touch 2G
2. Built-in GPS receiver turns iPod touch into a GPS navigator (and enhance iPhone GPS performance)
3. Accomodates skins or cases (including think/hard cases)
4. Noise-cancelling and hands-free spreakerphone
5. In-car charging
6. adjustable position (portrait to landscape switching)
7. good moounting (secure and adjustable)
8. Good Bluetooth capability and quality
9. Speaker is good (louder than iPhone speaker)
10. Car charger is included

Cons:
1. Map software is not included in the package (have to buy separately)
2. Pre-installed iPhone and iPod Google map software is not compatible with this GPS hardware
3. Microphone quality is average
4. When playing music using your car stereo using the 3.5mm audio line out, the music continue to play in the built-in speaker (it would be nice if it mute the built-in speaker if the line out is used).

Sidarta Tanu

 

Works but with limitations,
by Stephen M. Charme, 2010-03-08

I received this at no cost through the Amazon Vine program, and purchased the Roadmate app for my iPod Touch on sale from Magellan for sixty dollars. I use it with the Garmin Portable Friction Mount, which works great and easily lets me use this unit in different cars.

On a clear day this unit picks up satellite signals faster than my Garmin Nuvi 660 or 350. It also gives more advance notice and better turn directions (e.g "make second left turn" instead of "turn on Clover Street in 500 feet), is easier to use to enter addresses, and is quicker to find points of interest.

Unfortunately on a very cloudy day it has failed sometimes to pick up any signal, which is a problem with any GPS unit, but seems to be more so with this unit compared to my Nuvis.

Everyone uses their GPS unit differently, but here are my concerns about this unit:

1. Sometimes during a long trip I want to mute the voice giving directions (such as when my wife takes a nap) . On my Nuvi 660 this requires literally just two screen taps. On this unit it takes six: tap Menu, tap the Tools symbol, tap Settings, tap General Settings, tap Sound, and then turn the volume down. Just not practical to do while driving.

2. POI Factory has a website with many useful and interesting points of interest, such as red light and speed traps, rest areas on different routes, etc. There is no way to download any of them onto this unit.

3. Sometimes on a trip I like to tap the screen on my Nuvi 660 to see the series of upcoming turns. On this unit you can only see the series of turns when you set the route, but not while you are driving unless you go through a laborious process similar to what I described in muting the volume.

4. If you travel abroad, there are SD cards that will give you maps of your locale (I bought one for my son to use with a Nuvi 350 when he went to Barcelona). You can't do that with this unit. Also, if you have an iPod Touch rather than an iPhone, pedestrian mode will be useless.

5. An iPod Touch and iPhone have a glossy surface, while a traditional GPS has a matte finish. The practical difference is that my iPod Touch sometimes picks up annoying reflections that make the screen more difficult to see while driving.

6. When driving with sunglasses with direct sunlight hitting the unit, the screen is "washed out." To be fair, the same thing happens on my wife's Nuvi 350, though not on my Nuvi 660, which has a brighter screen.

7. Sometimes when you hit a traffic jam it is helpful to get a suggested alternate route. There is no "detour" button on this unit.

8. On a hot sunny day, even with the air conditioning on, you would never leave your cell phone or Mp3 player on the dashboard of your car while driving because the sun could eventually "fry" them.

But if you are going on a long trip on a hot sunny day, unless you frequently remove this unit from the dashboard, you risk "frying" your iPod Touch or iPhone. By contrast, I have left my Nuvi 660 on the dashboard for many hours on a hot sunny day while traveling to a vacation destination without any problems.


Bottom line: Since this unit is superior in some ways to my Nuvi 660, I will use it on trips where exposure to a hot sun is not a concern. While it does work, it is also missing "bells and whistles" that I like. If asked to choose between this and a comparably priced conventional GPS, I would definitely choose the latter. I think this is expensive for what you get.

 

Happy with this purchase,
by G. Garbenus, 2010-03-06

Very satisfied with my purchase of this product. A little high priced, but you get what you pay for I suppose.

Easy to mount.
Securely holds my iPhone in its case, no need to remove the iPhone from its case each time you wish to use it as other mounts do. Mounted to my dash successfully but can also mount to windshield.
Wish my "old" sound system had an input jack, as it would be easier to hear the turn by turn instructions through the vehicle speakers, but this does a decent enough job. Just can't turn the music volume up too much.

 

Better than the TomTom iPhone Mount,
by Michael, 2010-03-04

First let me say that I have owned a number of GPS units. I also have downloaded a number of GPS software apps from Apple onto my iPhone. The standalone GPS is the way to go in my opinion. But for those times when you can't take it along or forget it, your iPhone comes to the rescue. However, the screen on the iPhone can't compete with a standalone GPS. And forget trying to cradle it on the windshield or the instrument panel. Been there, done that.

That's where this unit comes in. It easily holds the iPhone into place and you can rotate it. It also charges it as leads you on your way. I have tried the TomTom mount for the iPhone, the first one out. I find this Magellan unit much better.

I like the volume control. The sound for me was more than adequate. Quite loud actually. The unit itself feels solid. As far as the GPS adding to the iPhone GPS to garner a stronger signal, I couldn't really tell the difference.

This unit also allows you to keep the case on your iPhone as you attach it to the unit. The TomTom unit does not.

One thing that was a bit annoying is that once mounted I had trouble getting to the iPhone on/off button. It comes up to the top bracket that holds the iPhone in place. Another issue I had is that even though you can rotate the mount, if you don't line up the suction mount to the windshield just right, the iPhone screen will be tilted. Not a big deal, but with a smaller screen it got a bit annoying.

While this is a must have for using an iPhone in the car as a GPS, having to carry this mount around, with its charger is no better than carrying a standalone GPS mount and charger. You just don't have to carry a GPS with you.

The cost is a bit high for a mount. And when you factor in the cost of a GPS application, then you are up to the cost of a standalone unit, offering a bigger screen.

However, as I mentioned, if you like the idea of a GPS application on your iPhone and plan on using it in your car, then this is the mount to get. I much prefer it to the TomTom.

Happy motoring.

 

Be ready to spend a lot more,
by Eric A. Cable, 2010-02-28

Beware! This thing comes with no software. You have to buy/download the app.. and it's $79.