Backpacker Magazine – Fall/Winter Gear Guide 2011

Gear Review: Magellan eXplorist 710

An all-in-one unit that captures GPS, photos, 320x240 video, and audio.

by: Andrew Matranga and Kim Phillips

Tags:
• GPS
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Like what your gadgets do, but not what they weigh? Downsize with this all-in-one unit. The palm-size 710 captures GPS, photos, 320x240 video, and audio. “Mapping has never been so streamlined,” raves a tester who used it for roughly 20 hours on two AA batteries. It comes preloaded with 1:24K terrain maps of the U.S. with contour lines, trails, and POIs, which makes routefinding a cinch.

On the trail, testers found it relatively easy to navigate to different menus using the three-inch color touchscreen, and they appreciated the two side buttons for quickly marking waypoints and shooting 3.2MP images (which the 710 automatically geotags). The plastic loop at the bottom is especially handy for clipping the unit to packs.

Back at home, just connect the 710 to your computer’s USB port and drag GPS and media files to your hard drive—no proprietary software required.

Flip side: Powering up the unit takes 50 seconds, and there’s a slight lag time when enabling the camera. The touchscreen is fragile (we cracked one during testing). Labeling waypoints is slow; the keyboard is split onto two screens.

$550
8.7 oz.
3GB internal storage (200 tracks)
microSD slot
magellangps.com


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