As title really?

Ghastly user interface. Makes some sense if you already own a bunch of MM digital mapping, but otherwise…

Was looking at the version that has whole of GB mapping.

I have just bought a second hand one, mainly as I have the MM software already and have full 1:50000 and quite a lot of 1:25000 mapping already. It is a bit clunky but for my intended use- walking rather than on the bike- it works OK. As a bike system, I would not think it would be easy to use on the go- you would have to stop regularly to get information such as distance travelled, etc. and the script is tiny. All I can say is that I am happy with it but glad I didn’t pay anywhere near new price for it. The MM software can be used on smartphones just as well.

Edit:

I think they are doing deals with full GB 1:50000 and the unit for £199- Since the mapping is £100 you are getting the unit for £100- not too bad if you want to use it like I do

The software, unless they’ve upgraded it recently, is MM’s old PDA-based thing. It’s a sort of bastardised windows horror show, really clunky in use, small fonts, hard to read. The hardware is okay, I think. My advice would be to get to a shop that sells them and have a play with one – see if you find it useable. It might work fine for you, I’m not very conventionally ‘techy’ and it did my head in.

I’ve used a fair few of the things and personally I’d take Satmap as a GPS or Viewranger on a smartphone by preference, then either a Garmin or Magellan before the MM unit. But that’s obviously just my personal opinion.

I looked at one a while back after seeing it being raved about on The Gadget Show or a.n.other TV show of its ilk.

Looked into it, and found a metric shedload of negative reviews. If memory serves, it was sold as a dedicated device but it was really a WinCE / Windows Mobile unit running MM software – ie, no different to running it on your phone. Quite buggy too, IIRC (though they may have fixed that with updates by now).

In the end, I went with a Garmin Edge 800, much more suitable for the job in hand.

Unfortunately (because my wife kindly bought if for me as a birthday present) not very good. As above really. The interface with windows is absolutely terrible and about the most user unfriendly thing I have ever encountered. I dont consider myself an IT numpty but I cannot transfer a track to it from MM without having to refer to the manual each time. This is despite having done it on numerous occasions. The touch screen doesn’t work well without a stylus, which, I probably don’t need to say, isn’t ideal on a bike. Added to which the screen is way too small for cycling. Although I have used it for walking where it is better because you are covering the ground at a slower pace and need to see less area of the map.

In all, an expensive mistake.

I first used Memory Map on a PDA, then Windows smartphones. I still use it on my PC to plan routes and have the maps (using third party software) on my Android phone just in case. However, for use on the bike I recently bought a Garmin Edge 800.

The price of the Memory Map unit is attractive at £200 with maps but for all of the reasons given by others above I wouldn’t buy one. It is perfectly usable and ten years ago would have been amazing but I feel that unit is old technology with a user interface from yesteryear. A right pain to use once you are used to better systems.

What do you want it for? I find the edge excellent for what I want but a bigger screen may be better for some uses.

Navigation only really, not bothered about how fast/slow i’m going or how cold it is /isn’t etc. Looking to do a few more natural trails this year instead of Trail centres.

I really regret buying mine for all the reasons above. Also if you download mapping you don’t get the additional information like height. So you can’t plan routes and know the height gain. It also doesn’t seem to work properly and keeps turning itself off. The touch screen is very old tech and only works with the included pointer thingy. Mine just sits in the draw, it isn’t worth carrying it, as I don’t trust it. The GPS on my phone is more accurate. If you do get one don’t get the official case for it as it seems to block the GPS and it doesn’t work.

If its only for navigation and perhaps because of my experiences above, I still don’t think you can beat a carefully folded 1:50k with the cardboard cover cut off and a transparent plastic bag to keep it dry.

For navigation a bigger screen is nice to have as it lets you see more of where you are going so a Satmap 10 is probably what you’d really like.

If it were my money I wouldn’t buy the MM device, I’d rather

carefully folded 1:50k with the cardboard cover cut off and a transparent plastic bag to keep it dry

whilst I waited for something better to come along or splash more cash on a better system.

Just my opinion though 🙂