I'm a traveler. I like to take trips around my neighborhood, my city, my region, my country and even into and between other countries. And the device that's served me well most of the time has been a handheld GPS that I bought years ago online.As coincidence would have it, that GPS is a Magellan Meridian and I've used it for everything from geocaching to plotting where my plane was going.
Now, Magellan has come out with a multi-use device that makes me think I might be done with the standalone GPS I'm so used to carrying with me. This device - and bear in mind that this is a first-look review...I've only had the gadget for a mere 24 hours - is fantastic at first blush. It's the Magellan ToughCase for iPhone and iPod Touch.What makes it so fantastic? The case is fully sealed, totally protective, and it includes a GPS transceiver that boosts and assists GPS navigation so that you can use your iPhone for even more precise navigation than ever before.
Here are some photos provided by the company and then shots of my iPhone in my hand in the case. Notice the size and the thickness of the case. Not horribly huge, but still a bit of a surprise. The main thing you need to remember is that instead of carrying two devices - a GPS and a phone - you're carrying one.
Further, you are also carrying a charger. Yes, the ToughCase is a charger too. It keeps your iPhone or iPod Touch juiced up nicely.
What you can see right off the bat is that the case is a little bulky. But you need that. If you're going to trust your iPhone to a case, I'm of the opinion that the case you use better be bombproof. This one is. It's solid and waterproof.
Let me quickly list my thoughts on the Magellan ToughCase...
The charger is a great touch. I am always walking around with a cable and a charger plug to keep my phone powered. This removes the need for me to do that.The GPS just plain works. I love the additional accuracy of the GPS receiver inside. It boosts whatever GPS app or the map application of the iPhone. I'm still monkeying with the settings as it seems that you still need to have some sort of cell or Wifi signal to use the GPS. That might be a sticking point but I'll figure it out soon.
The protection factor is huge for me. I usually carry around an OtterBox case that's almost waterproof and is definitely rugged. This case leaves that in the dust with its waterproof construction and all-around heft.
What don't I like? I'm not sure I like the price - it's $199 for the case.
I love the power options. The buttons on the bottom of the case allow you to charge the phone; use the GPS while charging the phone, or just allow the phone to run normally and not deplete the GPS or charge in the case.
And the case comes with an insert for your iPod Touch and all the necessary cables to charge the case.
*Inside the case is a dock that fits the iPhone or iPod Touch perfectly.
It's a good option for anyone who uses their phone as a GPS, travels for work or pleasure a lot, or just runs down their phone incessantly.
I'll let you know what I think after I've used the case for a few weeks in the wild.*
*I'm headed to New Orleans in a week or so to travel around the marshes and Gulf of Mexico to assess and report on the environmental impact the oil spill has had on businesses in the region. I'll be relying on the ToughCase to direct me around the area.
15 comments:
Have you tried it with an iPod Touch, which would be totally reliant on the Magellan chipset? I am interested to hear how accurate it is and whether it continuously updates, so your position is always current. Thanks for the article.
Dan,
I haven't used it with the Touch, but may try that this afternoon to see if it does work as a standalone. I know the package came with an insert for the Touch, but I don't know if I put the unit in there without Wifi on if it would work as a GPS.
I believe that it did NOT work in Airplane mode on the iPhone, but that was using the Maps app. Using a GPS app, it seemed to work fine.
And I didn't have the budget to purchase the Magellan software, so it might work fine with that app, BUT BUT BUT, that would mean you just spent $250 or so for an add-on charger that works as a GPS. Seems a bit pricey to me.
I would LOVE to have one of these, but unfortunately it is non compatible with the iPhone 4. It "almost" is, but not quite. The external controls on the Tough Case do not match on a couple of the iPhone controls. The iPhone 4 does fit in the case and appears to work, but without all the external buttons working, it is just short of compatible. It is frustrating because Magellan came out with this product at the same time as the release of the iPhone 4. Getting any info from Magellan on when/if they will address this goes nowhere fast. They just won't say anything.
I have an iPod Touch, and I bought the toughcase to add GPS capability. I love it. It works beautifully, and there are lots of wonderful GPS apps that work flawlessly on my iPod touch.
I use it for kayaking, and have been quite happy with its performance.
I want one! Can anyone help me as to WHERE I get one?!?! I tried amazon and there is no "buy now" button. That's the oly place I've seen them. I'm in Canada so a Canadian dealer would be preferred.
Thanks
This device is carried by REI. See www.rei.com. I hope they can deliver to Canada.
Will it work with the itouch4 ??
I hope so.
I've bought the case for my iPod touch 2nd generation and tried it today with an iPod touch 4. It's a bit more difficult to slide the iPod touch 4 onto the connector that is inside the case, but it does connect, gets the GPS signal and the iPod's battery is charged. Multitouch and home button also work. HOWEVER, the volume buttons and the on/off button DO NOT work. Of course, the front-facing camera doesn't work either. For the back-facing camera to work you have to drill a hole into the extra "inner case" for iPods that comes with the ToughCase. (iPods 2/3/4 are smaller than iPhones 3x and this extra "inner case" is needed to let iPods fit into the ToughCase.) Although you have to drill a hole into this inner case, the actual ToughCase has a small window for the backfacing camera (because the iPhone has a camera at the same position); thus, you don't have to do anything to the actual ToughCase and it will still be waterproof.
The real problem is the non-functional on/off button (and the volume buttons). I think the only thing required is an adapted inner case for iPod touch 4 (and maybe iPhone 4). This inner case really is just one piece of plastic; thus, it shouldn't be too expensive.
Magellan has announced a version of the ToughCase for iPhone 4 for the first quarter of 2011; thus, they probably provide an adapted inner case for the iPod touch 4; and hopefully this will also work for the existing ToughCase. But if you are considering to buy the ToughCase for an iPod touch 4, I would suggest to wait until the new version is available.
Martin
I just bought one from Magellan for under $100. I used a discount code offered to me by the good people at Geocaching.com. You might need to sign up for a free membership first. Can't wait for the FedEx guy.
Where do i find tge code on geocaching.com?
I have looked all over geocaching.com and have not found the code. Can you direct us to where we can get it? Thanks.
Anyone know where to find the discount code on geocaching.com I haven't been able to locate it. Help please.
Have you tested the GPS in locations without wifi or cell signal? Does it work?
The code was "geocachewithtoughcase" for a $99 discount and it expired January 23rd. :(
Well I bought one and chanced it with my IPhone4 and it DOES work. I am going to test it out on the boat later, used it on the bike as a gps on 3G ( it enhances google maps to the meter btw ) with the ipod on headset, which felt compatible. I like the charge feature. All the buttons work ( except on/off but there's an easy trick ) It's a robust case that protects my investment, and that's good enough for me.
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