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The typical diagonal screen size of most commercial GPS products is 4.3 inches. Many consumers were satisfied with the relatively "large" display, until they heard the latest in GPS news (reported a year ago) pertaining to the release of the Magellan RoadMate 5045, which boasted a bigger display of 5 inches. According to past GPS news reports and surveys, the larger screen display was well-received by many of its customers. It allowed users to operate the device easier, and provided owners with an improved visual guidance while traveling from point A to B. Of course, to make an ideal portable navigation assistant, a PND will need to possess a set of all necessary features as well. A notable standout feature that this commercial GPS unit has is free lifetime traffic alerts - the service is given without the need for subscribing either. However, the only catch would be the fact that the service is sponsored by advertisers, therefore, hearing occasional notifications of advertisements will occur. The One Touch function, inherent and exclusive to newer Magellan PNDs, can also be found in the RoadMate 5045. This allows its users to save favorite locations or searches, and pull the info up with a single tap whenever needed. Other exclusive functions include the ability to compare four alternative routes while plotting a new one, and the highway-exit POI search. Multi-segment routing is a much welcomed feature, as it allows drivers to plot multiple stopovers while trying to get from destination A to B. This also allows the users to take the fastest and shortest route to each stopover as well, saving a driver time and cash for gas. The screen resolution of 480 x 272 pixels may be the same with that of the majority of PNDs with 4.3-inch displays, and may sound like bad GPS news for some, but it really isn't that too big of a drawback, as colors and icons are still displayed clear and crisp. Perhaps the only notable setback with this commercial GPS unit would be the fact that it lacks a hands-free Bluetooth interface for pairing with cell phones. On the other hand, this may not be too much of a problem, considering how poorly the function performed in its predecessor, the RoadMate 3065. Overall, the Magellan Roadmate 5045 offers great value for its current market price of about $130. It possesses a large screen display of 5 inches, and comes with all the necessary features for a pleasurable driving experience. Mike Moore is published on more than 300 websites. He writes recreational and commercial transport topics that cover topics from Fleet management and Commercial Trucking Equipment to Travel and Personal GPS Systems. He is published on various website including http://www.drivengps.com
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