review: Magellan Premium Car Kit

The biggest plus about this car kit is that it can be adjusted to fit all iPhones, regardless of whether they are in a case or not. From naked iPhones to those in body films such as the InvisibleShield and the like, and to those that are in silicone skins to hard cases (and all in-between), most of them will fit into the Magellan Premium Car Kit without any trouble (maybe not huge things like the Otterbox Defender case).

The car kit has a built-in additional GPS receiver so that it enhances the device’s GPS signal. And it actually works. In a spot where I normally did not receive a clear GPS signal and had to wait until I got one again, with the car kit I was actually receiving a clear signal. Navigation went without any problems.

There is an enhanced noise canceling speakerphone so that any calls that are made with the phone in the cradle is crystal-clear sounding. There is also an amplified speaker with volume control to enhance the voice guidance. These worked well in my tests, as it was normally hard to hear the directions without raising it up all the way. Calls were clear sounding with the noise-cancellation as well.

There is a Bluetooth feature on the car kit, though I was unable to try it out myself as I lack a Bluetooth headset. But this feature will allow those with Bluetooth the freedom of hands-free calling.

The unit is very secure with the suction cup on the windshield (optionally your dashboard), and the ability to rotate the device to portrait or landscape modes is very useful. There is also a 3.5mm audio line out so it can be connected to the car stereo system, as well as a car charger to mini-USB port so the device can charge while it’s within the cradle. A LED at the bottom of the unit will let you know the status of power and Bluetooth.

For the iPod Touch 2nd gen owners, you’ll be glad to know that this car kit can turn your iPod unit into a portable GPS system, though the Magellan Roadmate app is required in order to do this (unsure of other navigation apps).

For $130, the Magellan Premium Car Kit may seem a bit tough to swallow. But if you are serious about your iPhone being your all-in-one convenience tool, then you should consider picking one up. It only enhances the experience of making your iPhone your GPS system.