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A distant cousin of the Roadmate 800, Magellan's Explorist 210 handheld GPS device looks like a camouflaged mobile phone.
It comes with none of the usual in-car trappings, such as windscreen mounts and cigarette lighter adaptors. Instead, the device is meant to be carried in a pocket as users walk, ramble or cycle their way around.
It's powered by two AA batteries, which may seem like an oversight until you run out of juice somewhere where it's not possible to plug any gadgets into the wall for a quick recharge. A fresh set will provide around 18 hours of navigation time.
Perhaps the most attractive aspect of the Explorist is its price. You won't find many all-in-one GPS devices for less than £160. But apart from its rugged, water-resistant casing, the Explorist features little in the way of added value.
Unlike the Roadmate 800, it doesn't have a touch-sensitive display. In fact, the monochrome LCD is limited to 2D bird's eye views and an orange backlight that doesn't extend to the keypad, which makes night-time operation difficult.
Interaction with the unit is performed via seven small rubber buttons and a miniature five-way joystick. The latter can be a bit constrictive, especially when it comes to inputting route information.
It's easy to find things lacking in the Explorist 210. It's slow, the base maps provided aren't detailed enough and there's no memory card slot for adding new maps - only 22MB of spare onboard memory and a USB connection to download them from a PC.
Given the fact that far better portable GPS devices are available for just a little more cash (including some of Magellan's own products), the Explorist 210 could easily find itself lacking anything more than a handful of willing explorers.
See also:
Multiple navigation modes, but some annoying niggles hold it back 03 Feb 2006
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