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Magellan Triton series

Redwoods Mtn Biker
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Blue_Stone

Blue_Stone

Posted
Posted

*Siiiigh*...and I just upgraded from a Magellam Meridian Gold to a GPSmap 60Cx 4 days ago :rolleyes: The new Magellans sure do look purdy! I can't wait for the first reviews\.

 

- Craig

 

Most places have a 30 Day Return policy.... :)

 

Well, its nice to know Magellan is replacing the Explorists with a "true" handhelds, and not the Crossover series. :lol:

 

Not sure about the "bells & whistles" though...Especially the camera...Oh well.

Maybe at least the prices will drop on ebay for the legacy products.... :)

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Jhwk

+Jhwk

Posted
Posted (edited)

see post # 5 above for links

 

No, everything posted in the thread so far has been from websites OTHER than Magellan.

 

Heres the only link I could find on Maggie's site:

http://www.magellangps.com/products/product.asp?segID=425

If you click on the more information tab for the triton 2000, you will see the following:

Stolen from the maggie web site.

"Triton is designed for precision navigation, offering the fastest GPS positioning acquisition in the industry with the SiRFstarIII™ chipset. An integrated high-sensitivity antenna provides reliable signal reception even in heavy cloud cover, canyons or deep woods. Built-in signal augmentation reception (WAAS/EGNOS) provides 3-meter accuracy."

 

Now I know what magellan has been doing for the last 2 years, instead of updating the software for my eXplorist. :(

 

You all jump first, I'll wait this time and read the angst threads with interest...

 

edit to add:

I just noticed that on the main maggie page, the explorsit line is no longer listed, and has been replaced by the tritons.

Edited by Jhwk
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jcc123

jcc123

Posted
Posted (edited)

Wow, Garmin will have some work to do. The Vantage point looks like a better program than MapSource. Also, the National Geo Maps are 100X better than the Gramin Topos. I wonder if the National Geo maps will look as good on the handheld?

 

Also, the touch screen is a great idea. Certainly saves time to have to go through a lot on menus. As God Jobs said, the fingers are the best control interface. Too bad you can't use the finger pinch to zoom in and out of maps like the iPhone!

 

Hopefully, The next version of the 60 series will have a large touch screen!

Edited by jcc123
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JohnnyVegas

+JohnnyVegas

Posted
Posted (edited)

see post # 5 above for links

 

No, everything posted in the thread so far has been from websites OTHER than Magellan.

 

Heres the only link I could find on Maggie's site:

http://www.magellangps.com/products/product.asp?segID=425

If you click on the more information tab for the triton 2000, you will see the following:

Stolen from the maggie web site.

"Triton is designed for precision navigation, offering the fastest GPS positioning acquisition in the industry with the SiRFstarIII™ chipset. An integrated high-sensitivity antenna provides reliable signal reception even in heavy cloud cover, canyons or deep woods. Built-in signal augmentation reception (WAAS/EGNOS) provides 3-meter accuracy."

 

Now I know what magellan has been doing for the last 2 years, instead of updating the software for my eXplorist. :(

 

You all jump first, I'll wait this time and read the angst threads with interest...

 

edit to add:

I just noticed that on the main maggie page, the explorsit line is no longer listed, and has been replaced by the tritons.

 

I noticed the same thing, but on the other pages in the Magellan web site I found the links to the explorist series. Depending on the street prices of the new tritions. I have a feeling the days of the explorist may be numbered.

Has anyone seen any online prices from Magellan dealers? What Magellan list as a price and the real world price are not the same

Edited by JohnnyVegas
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SergZak

SergZak

Posted
Posted

This series looks very promising. I started off with Magellan (a GPS 300) and slowly moved towards Garmin, totally abandoning Magellan. As has been discussed here before, Magellan has many product support issues (software, unit firmware and hardware) to take care of. If they support the product like Garmin does (timely firmware updates/bug fixes etc.), I believe they'll have a big winner on their hands.

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Redwoods Mtn Biker

+Redwoods Mtn Biker

Posted
  • Author
Posted

I've posted dealer PDF's that Magellan sent me yesterday. Man, I hope this doesn't kill me on bandwidth!

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Marky

+Marky

Posted
Posted

Will it autoroute?

 

I haven't seen anything in print that says they will. However the fact that they are planning a vehicle mount as an accessory might lead one to believe that they will.

 

Since the higher end units have a speaker, I could see voice guided autorouting as a real possibility. I don't know if they want to step on their meat and potatoes car nav products though.

 

--Marky

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geognerd

+geognerd

Posted
Posted

The PDFs Rich posted are informative and his blog post gives a good summary of the features. One thing in the PDFs that raised my hackles is that only the 1500 and 2000 come with a data cable. For all the other models, it looks like the USB cable (serial is also a choice) will be optional. Even the humble eX210 that costs as little as $99 on sale comes with a cable. A lot of people will be ticked off if they buy a $150-250 GPSr and don't get a cable. If it's a mini-B USB cable, you might have one already or can get one cheap, but that's still no excuse for not including the data cable. I hope the details we're getting right now aren't final.

 

Interesting to see that all the Tritons will use AA batteries. I guess Magellan has abandoned the idea of LiIon batteries in handhelds. I initially thought all Tritons would have the touchscreen, but only the top 2 models will have it. That would've been a huge risk on Magellan's part if they made all Tritons touchscreen. I don't think touchscreens have enough of an outdoor track record, at least not for me. I think the Triton 300 is the bare minimum for geocaching since it has PC connectivity, but that 10MB isn't enough if you plan on loading maps for any large or dense area. The Triton 400 is more likely the real entry point for cachers since it has the SD slot. My eX400 is really beat up and the Triton is coming along at just the right time. Everything looks good so far; my last concern is about the POI file system. I hope they carry over the eXplorist's system, as it worked very well.

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Team Forest Freaks

Team Forest Freaks

Posted
Posted

This series looks very promising. I started off with Magellan (a GPS 300) and slowly moved towards Garmin, totally abandoning Magellan. As has been discussed here before, Magellan has many product support issues (software, unit firmware and hardware) to take care of. If they support the product like Garmin does (timely firmware updates/bug fixes etc.), I believe they'll have a big winner on their hands.

 

I believe I will be doing the same, moving to Garmin.

 

I may go back to Magellan, but they will have to prove they are going to offer proper support. I'm in the market for a new GPSr now, and it will take Magellan some time before I'm willing to commit to their products again. Basically that means I will not be buying a Triton, but will be getting a Garmin (most likely an "H" series etrex).

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Manatee87

+Manatee87

Posted
Posted

The Tritons look great! I've been buying only Garmin for many years (I have seven of them now), but this new Magellan really caught my eye. It has one feature I've been wishing for in a waterproof bicycle-friendly unit: Touch-screen!

 

The touch-screen should be great for naming saved locations and for entering search criteria.

 

I haven't seen detailed specs on the Tritons yet, but I'm presuming they have all the features I like in the Garmins. I'm glad to see someone competing with Garmin for new features in hand-held outdoor units.

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Sileny Jizda

+Sileny Jizda

Posted
Posted

We're looking at getting something in color. We were considering the 500 from Magellan since we've had great luck with the brand. Complaints about customer service fall on deaf ears with us because most customer service comes out of India or Pakistan and sucks rotten eggs anyway.

 

We were thinking of the Garmin model with color,large screen, and electronic compass until we read about the Triton series. This looks like it's a good unit overall and I'm looking forward to seeing it. As for the touch screen I'm in the air on it. Durability doesn't frighten me. Having worked in an aluminum extrusion plant for 5 years, ten years ago, and working with touch screens I've seen them exposed to everything and then some. Extreme heat (150 degree), oil, graphite dust, water, humidity, dirt, grime, shock, constant vibration, and shock. If they lasted that well back then I can only imagine the improvements. Consumer models while slightly less rigorous would most likely do well enough.

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AndrewRJ

+AndrewRJ

Posted
Posted (edited)
OK, I'll say it - since no one else here will.

 

I just hope Maggie goes beyond the 200 geocache file load limit.

 

500 min, 1000 desirable.

 

anyone else?

1000 would be nice! <_<

Given that a typical PQ these days has a bunch of child waypoints, a typical PQ for me has about 520-550 waypoints.

 

To me 1000 is needed, 500 doesn't cut it anymore, 200! nice paperweight, totally useless for me. The reason I use the max size is that here in the PNW a 500 point PQ has a range of 12 miles if you are lucky. I have a job where I drive all over the eastside and regularly am from one end of that range to the other. It is hard to cache when I don't have data.

Edited by AndrewRJ
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Team Forest Freaks

Team Forest Freaks

Posted
Posted

We're looking at getting something in color. We were considering the 500 from Magellan since we've had great luck with the brand. Complaints about customer service fall on deaf ears with us because most customer service comes out of India or Pakistan and sucks rotten eggs anyway...

 

While this is true, it's not that type of customer service I gripe about, but the kind where they don't update their drivers, software, and firmware.

 

The Tritons do look cool though!

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JohnnyVegas

+JohnnyVegas

Posted
Posted

OK, I'll say it - since no one else here will.

 

I just hope Maggie goes beyond the 200 geocache file load limit.

 

500 min, 1000 desirable.

 

anyone else?

It is easy to store a high number of caches in a Magellan the has an SD card slot.

On the SD card in my Explorist 500 I have files for the following areas that I cache.

Williams, Marin county, Elk Grove, Fairfield, Rocklin, Rio Linda, Clear Lake, Benicia,

Rancho Cordova, Napa, Folsom, Citrus Heights, NE Sacramento, Grass Valley, Wilton, Sacramento, Jackson, Vacaville, Davis, SW Sacramento, Roseville, and Caches that I own. I forgot to list that I also have files for new caches within 20 mile and one for new caches that are within 100 miles.

 

Most of my the Pocket Quarries have 150 - 200 caches in them depending on the cache density of the area. I also update my Pocket Quarries before a plan a trip to an area that I have not been to in a while, There are so many new cache placed around here it is hard to keep up with them all. I have duplicates if these Pocket Quarries in the GPX sonar file Pocket PC and also on the Micro Soft pocket street maps in my Pocket PC. I just activate the file for the area that I am in and I am good to go.

 

From my home location there are over 8,000 caches within 100 miles, maybe more I have not checked lately. So a GPS that will even hold 1000 caches in a single file to me is useless.

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3doxies

+3doxies

Posted
Posted

We've got a MeriGold, and routinely load 500 waypoints...but it would be very nice to be able to do more, cause that only takes us about 20 miles or so. Have to admit, first glimpse of the Triton piques the interest...was thinking of a new GPS, and had just about decided to go Garmin, but will now probably wait to see the early reviews in-hand. Difficult to tell from info at present, but it looks like the 1500 and 2000 do not come with a cable - either purchase separately or upload to SD outside unit?

 

Do find it interesting that they are giving a portion of the proceeds from Triton sales to the National Park Foundation.

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Renegade Knight

+Renegade Knight

Posted
Posted
OK, I'll say it - since no one else here will.

 

I just hope Maggie goes beyond the 200 geocache file load limit.

 

500 min, 1000 desirable.

 

anyone else?

1000 would be nice! <_<

Given that a typical PQ these days has a bunch of child waypoints, a typical PQ for me has about 520-550 waypoints.

 

To me 1000 is needed, 500 doesn't cut it anymore, 200! nice paperweight, totally useless for me. The reason I use the max size is that here in the PNW a 500 point PQ has a range of 12 miles if you are lucky. I have a job where I drive all over the eastside and regularly am from one end of that range to the other. It is hard to cache when I don't have data.

 

I don't see why they can't do 10,000. 1000 isn't enough. 2000 a working minimum. That's for how I cache when I do manage to cache.

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Renegade Knight

+Renegade Knight

Posted
Posted

....

From my home location there are over 8,000 caches within 100 miles, maybe more I have not checked lately. So a GPS that will even hold 1000 caches in a single file to me is useless.

 

It looks like a function of how you think about waypoints. I just want to load and go with nothing else down the road. The magellan file system would work...I just don't want to futz with it.

 

Still the Tritons have caught my eye.

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Jhwk

+Jhwk

Posted
Posted

....

From my home location there are over 8,000 caches within 100 miles, maybe more I have not checked lately. So a GPS that will even hold 1000 caches in a single file to me is useless.

 

It looks like a function of how you think about waypoints. I just want to load and go with nothing else down the road. The magellan file system would work...I just don't want to futz with it.

 

Still the Tritons have caught my eye.

guess I should have qualified myself to JohnnyV. I have maggies, and I understand the whole 'unlimited' cache storage [garbage] line limited only by the amount of storage left on your card. Like RK, I want to dump at least a PQ worth into a file, not have to break it down into 2.5 seperate subfiles that I then have to que up when I get into the prospective area.

 

gimme a thousand per file and I'll be a happy camper {nay, cacher} for the rest of my days...

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robertlipe

robertlipe

Posted
Posted

The 200 points at a thing time is a throwback to last century.

 

I realize that units get really groggy when displaying infinite points on a map. Put 20,000 points on a map, configure it for track up, and then do donuts in the parking lot if you want to kill just about any program. I'd be fine if the unit displayed "only" the 200 closest to the focus point on a map, even. But the 200 waypoint at a time thing in 2007 is just too quaint. The multiple folder thing is cool and I'm not saying that should be replaced by "infinite waypoints" but the lower limit really does need to be brought up. Fixed limits like this made sense in units with 2-4MB of flash. Now that a GB of flash memory costs $5 in quantity, I don't know why we're still hardcoding buffer sizes.

 

I have to say this is probably a make-or-break product line for them. Explorist was a pretty small step from Meridian, even down to sharing many of the same firmware bugs and annoyances. So they really are due for a fresh line. If they clean up their customer service act and learn from things like nutty proprietary cables that are *hated* by the masses (hint: symmetry in a cable is NOT good) it's probably possible for them to own the geocaching market. A bucketful of specialized code for cachers could easily hoist them to be the favorite of this crowd *if* they deliver a quality product and become as easy to work with as they were a few years ago. Many of us could name a dozen improvements to the "geocaching mode" of the current models without taking a breath. The bar to clear really isn't *that* high.

 

I have a fear that these things - esp. the four digit models - run Windows Mobile. I'm not saying that it's impossible to deliver a responsive user interface with WM, but of the four products that I have that use it, the 90 second boot times and tens of seconds to change between features drives me batty. So I'm really hopeful the MP3/Camera/Mapping thing isn't a rebadged glorified PDA, but the mention of being able to add your own programs gives me pause.

 

There's a lot of potential in this product line and I'll be watching it eagerly. I hope they've turned the ship around.

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Renegade Knight

+Renegade Knight

Posted
Posted

...I have a fear that these things - esp. the four digit models - run Windows Mobile. ...There's a lot of potential in this product line and I'll be watching it eagerly. I hope they've turned the ship around.

I sure hope they are not running WM. Re-booting my GPS is not on my list of things I'd like to do before I die. I will be watching this line though. There is a lot of potential.

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embra

+embra

Posted
Posted

Reliable information from NG Topo says that their deal with Magellan is not exclusive........ so what does that tell you?

Well, the Magellan materials are talking about "3rd party map" compatibility. That seems to suggest that you might be able to load not only Mapsend, NG Topo, but perhaps some other kinds of maps. It sorta stretches my imagination as to how they could do such a thing, though.

 

I take exclusive to mean something analogous to a monogamous marriage. So "not exclusive" means other GPS manufacturers could use NG Topo maps (if they wanted to provide for that) or the Triton could potentially use other maps than NG Topo, or both.

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geognerd

+geognerd

Posted
Posted (edited)

Difficult to tell from info at present, but it looks like the 1500 and 2000 do not come with a cable - either purchase separately or upload to SD outside unit?

Other way around. The 1500 and the 2000 come with the cable. The rest of the Tritons that connect to the PC do not come with a cable, which is a dumb move if the initial product literature from Magellan is correct.

 

Edited to add: Just remembered that I wanted to raise another issue in the forum about the Triton. I really hope Magellan improved the autorouting on these handhelds. The autorouting in the eXplorist series is functional, but leaves some things to be desired. I wish Magellans had the ability to avoid toll roads and U-turns, calculate routes more quickly, and recalculate on the fly, which are all things Garmins can do. I'm tired of my eX400 telling me to go back where I came from when I missed a turn and do a recalculation. Turning around is not always safe or possible! Also, the recalculation of the route is so slow that sometimes I have already passed the first turn of the recalculated route. If they don't enhance the autorouting functionality, let us hope they at least put a faster processor into the Triton. I also am curious if my copy of DirectRoute v2 will still work on the Triton.

Edited by geognerd
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Jhwk

+Jhwk

Posted
Posted (edited)

One of my current concerns, after reading some of the maggie propoganda, and then looking at the NG topo maps, is the price we would pay for these new maps. $99 for a 2-3 state region is way beyond my taste. It's kind of nice that I have nearly the entire US in detailed maps and topo sitting on my eX600 right now, and it cost me less than $200.

 

hopes - my current topo and DR maps will work on the triton

dreams - support, upgraded buffer cache size, support, 'better' routing, support, better cabling, support.

 

is it just me, or does the triton look like a meridian with a hole punched in the top?

Edited by Jhwk
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Jhwk

+Jhwk

Posted
Posted

Some more interesting data about the VantagePoint software coming along with the release of the Triton line.

 

"VantagePoint was designed to work seamlessly with Magellan’s new Triton series of outdoor portable handheld GPS receivers, as well as other handheld and auto navigation devices from Magellan. With VantagePoint, users will be able to easily download maps, waypoints, geocaches, tracks, photo and audio recordings of journeys and more; organize files; and synchronize them between their desktop and Triton handheld GPS.

 

VantagePoint also allows users to view maps and points of interest (POI) on a PC, and to search for other content to help plan a trip or Geocache. Its Route Planning feature helps map an upcoming hike or adventure, while the Track Analysis tool can play back the user’s experiences to share with others. The Multimedia Data Manager can synchronize music or other audio files onto a Triton, or download photos taken with the Triton’s built-in camera.

 

Plug-and-play enabled, VantagePoint knows when a Magellan GPS is connected via USB and will display all the contents of that device. Additionally, VantagePoint will alert users when the latest firmware and software updates are available and help facilitate easy installation.

 

“VantagePoint was designed in conjunction with Triton to create a GPS ‘ecosystem’ to let outdoor enthusiasts download various types of content and maps, manage it in an easy-to-use application, and then sync the content to their devices,” said Justin Doucette, senior manager, content products and technology. “Additionally, VantagePoint will help our millions of registered Magellan users to quickly upload waypoints and user-generated content to their favorite outdoor and geocaching Web communities.”

 

part of their news release here.

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