Product Review
The RoadMate 700 is one of the few GPS devices that are ready to go as soon as it's unpacked. Its huge 20 GB internal hard drive comes preloaded with detailed road maps for all of the U.S. and the southern (most populated) section of Canada, so you won't have to fiddle with selecting map regions from a CD-ROM and having to transfer the data from a PC. If you keep your addresses on a PDA with IrDA capabilities then you'll enjoy the RoadMate's ability to upload the addresses wirelessly and point you right to your destination.
The RoadMate 700 shines as a virtual co-pilot. During tests, it consistently acquired a satellite lock quickly (within a minute) and displayed the current position. From there, you can search through the vast library of POIs (points of interest) to find your destination. The RoadMate 700 has four different modes of getting you to your destination: shortest route, shortest distance, least use of freeways, and most freeways. Selecting shortest route got us to this venue using very practical directions that weren't far off from what we normally would choose.
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