Magellan Triton 1500 review
Dec 18, 2007 gps navigation, magellan, reviews
Magellan Triton 1500, new from the Triton series got a short review recently and apparently the reviewer was not wow’ed with this GPS receiver handheld. The hardware wasn’t all that bad except the not-so-bright screen. But the software could be improved in many ways the review says – specially when it is faced high amounts of data:
…I transferred 120 geocaches near my sister’s house to the unit yesterday. This was apparently enough to bring the Triton to its knees, resulting in very sluggish behavior and then the screen locking up…
However if you were lucky enough to receive the sync cable in your box you would probably really like the National Geographic TOPO maps this device can display:
This is where the unit really shines. Despite any problems it may have, it’s awesome having USGS topos on your GPS screen. Compare the images below [right], showing roughly what you would see on a Triton with National Geographic TOPO! maps (left) versus what you would see on a Garmin 60CSX running Garmin MapSource TOPO U.S. It’s not quite at the same scale, but it should be enough to give you an idea of the difference.
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December 23rd, 2007 at 10:44 pm
Wow – what a difference in the map quality between the Triton and Garmin. I’m glad I got the Triton! Even though the box was incomplete, I talked to someone at Magellan and they sent me a new one straightaway, so I’m happy.
December 28th, 2007 at 12:56 am
Magellan is aware that loading the Triton units with more than 100 waypoints or Geocaches can cause the search for waypoints to be very slow. Even though it may seem as though the Triton has locked up when searching for waypoints or geocaches, it’s really just sorting through the list of points, so you just have to be a little patient. There is a new version of the Triton 2000 and 500 available through Vantage Point that addresses this issue. New versions of the Triton 200, 300, 400 and 1500 software that also address this issue will be available very soon, also through Vantage Point.
Joanne
January 5th, 2008 at 9:05 pm
I recently received the Triton 2000 from my wife for christmas. I must say I was extremely dissappointed in this device. The firmware was unstable at best. The unit locked up on my almost every time I used it. I installed the latest firmware from magellan, the 12-21-07 version. While this seemed to reduce the number of lockups it did not elliminate them by any means. This device is in no way ready to be released to the public. As a software engineer myself I can’t believe the poor quality of the firmware on this device. Magellan would have a real winner with this device if they could get the bugs worked out. My advice… wait a year and see if Magellan can get the firmware up to the potential of a great hardware platform.
January 8th, 2008 at 5:04 pm
After approximately 20 hours of using the Triton 300 in the field, these are my impressions.
The good:
Quick to power up and initialize.
Rugged construction and feel of case.
Clear bright screen.
Navigation fairly easy and intuitive.
Good battery life.
Compatible with National Geographic 1:24000 maps
Even in deep woods and heavy overcast the Triton never failed to get a signal.
The bad:
User manual is incomplete leaving out a lot of necessary information. Some of the information is just plain incorrect and unit will not function if directions are followed.
Unit locks up (every time) after connecting to TOPO! and Vantage Point (Magellan’s software) requiring a battery to be pulled out to reset the unit.
Approximately 15-25 times in the twenty hours, upon pressing a key the unit would lock up. A continuous sound would emit as if the key was being held down. The only alternative was to pull the batteries out to restart.
Magellan tech support (India) claimed they would have one of their Senior Members call be back within the hour to help with some issues. 20 days later, still no call.
Despite being fairly computer and GPS literate, I had a lot of difficulty connecting for map and waypoint transfers.
Overall Impression:
A ton of aggravation I could have done without! It is very obvious Magellan rushed product rollout despite tons of bugs in the software and inadequate documentation (Manual).
Recommendation: Wait for them to work out the bugs or buy another unit.
January 12th, 2008 at 6:53 am
While the promise of the feature set on this product had me ready to switch from my Garmin, the implementation is horrible. I have been testing it for about a week now. Do not buy this unit until Magellan re-releases it correctly.
Areas of problem so far:
* Random crashes. Reminds me of WIN 98. It crashes often.
* SLOW!!! It is especially slow when you switch to the map screen, the main one you use.
* No street maps
* “Nearest cache/waypoint” feature does not work. For some reason, it consistently points me to waypoints/caches at a park about 5 miles away as the closest even if I move around to different locations within the range. Can see waypoints nearby (across the street in one test), but it ignores them.
* Interface with PC is slow. Loaded my Garmin side by side with the Magellan. Garmin took about 10-15 seconds to load 900+ waypoints. Same load on the Magellan took ~2 minutes.
* Magellan on-line help SUCKS! There support page does not even list the Tritons yet in many of the drop down lists. FAQ’s are more marketing material then help.
I got a reply back on my post to their support email. It took them three days to respond.
* Issue: Triton is not listed on their support drop downs. Response: It is a new unit and they have not updated the web page. “Wait for some time until this unit gets updated” (Last I checked, that would be a one day job for a competent programmer.)
* Issue: “nearest” function not working on geocaches. Response: please call tech support regarding this issue. (Call to tech support number refers you back to the web page.)
* Message from tech support was obviously from someone who stuggles with writing English. Grammar errors and typos.
January 17th, 2008 at 11:09 am
I recently picked up a Triton 2000 and so far I am very impressed with the feature set. The firmware is a buggy and they certainly need to provide some updates. With that said, I ride high performance snowmobiles in the mountains and we cover a lot of ground in a short time. The NG topo maps are incredible. For that reason alone, I will keep the Triton as IMO the mountain mapping is just that superior relative to the cheasy Garmin maps. I am also eyeing the new Colorado but after using the NG maps I don’t think I can go back. And the touch screen is sweet as well. Great unit with incredible potential but they need to complete the package and get some new firmware updates out ASAP.
March 27th, 2008 at 1:44 pm
Be careful with Magellan products. Their support is absolutely terrible. I recently performed a software update on my Meridian Color GPS unit which locked the unit up during the download process leaving the unit completely inoperative.
Their tech support (in India) refused to take the 5 year old unit (which I paid over $500 for) in for reflashing and said the only thing they could offer me was a discount on a new product. They no longer support my unit. I’ve tried calling their coporate office in California countless times and you can never get a hold of a real live person.
I’m basically left with a perfectly good piece of hardware thay they refuse to reprogram and return to operating condition.
Will never buy another product from Magellan.
July 8th, 2008 at 5:50 pm
Amen to Ed!!! I have been fighting with Magellan tech support for months. First, I had an Explorist 210, it failed. They sent me a “new” one (after two months of calling). It failed (It was actually refurbished). They sent me an explorist 600 (after another three months of complaining) and then the Mapsend software stopped showing any Topo info. (no lines or “3D” info in the software in the computer) So now I have called and spoken with eight (count em, 8) different “Resolution Managers”, since I know the support in India are worthless. I have been working this latest issue for four months now. And they have said they would send me a Triton. But that means I have to buy all new maps, mounts, etc. I too, have tried to call several other offices, to no avail. I will NEVER EVER BUY ANOTHER MAGELLAN PRODUCT AGAIN!!!!
October 31st, 2008 at 3:37 pm
Apparently, Magellan is just another American sloppy company with fat CEO’s who are only concerned with how much money goes into their pockets. Once you purchase their product, they could care less what happens after the sale. These practices will soon be the demise of American companies. I cannot believe they have the nerve to have their customer care in India to cut operations costs. A form of treason to Americans. They just don’t get it. People are willing to pay more for quality and superior customer service. You can’t tell pigs anything. It’s always about more, more, more. The Triton Topo GPS was a good idea, but the system needs a lot of improvement.
January 22nd, 2009 at 4:42 pm
I was looking to buy a new GPS. I found a good deal on the Triton 1500. Didn’t buy it just then. Instead, I got on the computer and started reading reviews. The pros were the contruction and the TOPO! maps. The con was the firmware. So I went to Magellan’s site to see if they had an update to the firmware. They did. I went back to the store and bought the unit, went to the site and updated the firmware, and downloaded some TOPO! maps. This thing is flat out slick. And I’m still trying to find a spot where I don’t get reception. I’ve used others, but this one is about bullet proof. That’s the cool thing about software. You can change it when it needs to be improved. Magellan did just that. I showed it to my friends and they were all very impressed. Well, except for Johnny. He was disappointed that he couldn’t see himself waving toward the sky when he looked at the GPS with the TOPO! map view. I just don’t know what to say about Johnny.
March 6th, 2009 at 7:52 pm
Hi Clyde, I am considering the Triton 1500 for my ATV,as there is a good sale on at Canadian tire (canada). $ 199 canadian. Anything you could share would be helpful.
April 21st, 2009 at 8:52 am
I have a Triton 2000. Vantage point is unstable and it is very difficult to load files which has been saved on pc or gps. I have sent my report to magellan support and they answered: Please be advised that Magellan Consumer division has ceased operations and activities in Europe…
Great !!! My advise: Don’t buy any Magellan until they could show us respect and professionalism for their products which are actually unfinished… Soft are in very poor quality and you can’t work with a Triton without that damn Vantage-point.
Cheers,
July 6th, 2009 at 2:09 am
Read with great interest all these very critical comments om Triton, since I have been considering buying one. Now I hesitate, and instead I wonder, does Magellan staff read critisism from their customers, and if they do, do they care?
July 13th, 2009 at 9:15 pm
Hi clyde,
I have a question regarding the Magellan triton – we just got one and we can’t figure out how to zoom in closer than 100ft – any clues on how to zoom in closer than that?
Otherwise it’s a great unit – but we kind of wanted to use it for geocaching, and it’s quite a problem we’re having…
Any replies would be greatly appreciated…
thanks,
Will