Magellan USA 3-D Mapsend Topo Software

I have been using my copy of Topo 3D for 2 weeks now and have been very impressed with the detail of the maps. The street information is based on NavTeq and is much more up-to-date and accurate than previous software versions. The Topographic information is based on a 30 meter grid layout as opposed to the 90 meter grid layout of the previous Mapsend Topo. Needless to say, the topo information is much better.The biggest Pros for this software:Better Street Detail, More detailed topography, increased mapsize allows you to download maps up to the size of a 247MB file (with the appropriate SD Memory card) -- previous versions allowed only up to 64MB, 3D view is nice to help visualize an area (you can see it from above, rotate it around to get different angles, and place yourself inside the map to review a given route), lots of Points of Interest (so many that you have to set options on which ones to show so they don't clutter up the map), easy user interface with lots of options for creating routes/waypoints and transferring to your GPS.Biggest Disappointments:Trails are not shown on the software. It does give you markers for the trail heads, but it does not show the trails themselves. The software is teamed up with Trails.com as a selling feature which seemed pretty promising. This was HUGELY anti-climactic -- It requires a $30/yr subscription to use the information, and it only provides you access to books/articles/printed maps -- not the ability to download trails to your GPS Receiver. This is the biggest reason for a 4 star rating rather than a 5.As an aside, the software doesn't sell that it does Autorouting, so I didn't dock it stars for this, but someday Magellan will get the idea that an all inclusive software package will provide the most user satisfaction. Why are Topo maping and Autoroute mapping treated as mutually exclusive products?All in all, I am very pleased with this product and would recommend it to others. Good job Magellan!

Old map software for out-of-production Magellan GPS units. But! --- Windows XP is the latest Windows version you can use, AND you must have a obsolete serial port on your computer, OR use a working serial-to-USB adapter. By "working" I mean that most such adapters do not work because of driver issues, so remember to get one of the better reviewed adapters that comes with a driver disk.If you have an out-of-production Magellan GPS unit such as the SporTrak, and a computer with the correct operating system and serial port capability, you can not only load the then-current maps, but also update your device's firmware. I just happened to have an old XP laptop and a working serial adapter --- it breathed new life into my aged GPS.You shouldn't pay but a few dollars for this software. In its day, this map ware was very expensive.

I have mixed feelings on this. It was a huge pain to get this to work at all with my explorist. The software doesn't work with the explorists USB, but prefers old COM ports, figure that out. I finally figured out a way to save to file, then move the file onto the GPS.Apparently, the software determines the correct image format by the serial number you entered. The problem there is, it tells you to use the serial number inside the unit, which in my case was slightly different than the one in the UI. After darn near sending it back, I tried the UI reg. number and that worked.I must say, now that I have it working, it does some phenomenal things. I just went on a little trip with my son, loaded up the track, and was able to play back the trip in 3d. The graphics folks on this app did some pretty amazing things. Why not put a little more work into making the software user friendly and actually WORK with that USB port you put in the hardware?I was VERY close to sending this software AND the GPS back. I can't imagine most consumers would be motivated enough to spend the time figuring this out.Oh, also don't like the deal with having to have the 3rd CDROM in the drive. I bought the software, I find that downright offensive. And as another reviewer said, CD's scratch. Pretty questionable.

The best service I have ever had on the internet. The order was mixed up and would have been late for my trip, called and it was sent overnite at no charge.