So you’d like some deals, yes? I’d like some deals, we’d ALL like some deals. But do you want to go out into the streets and risk getting punched in the face, that’s the real question. Here at SlashGear, we know your pain. We know you want to get a sweet discount on your favorite device, service, or strange product (my favorite), but you want to know if you’re going to have to jump out of bed to do it, or if you’re going to be able to just chill in your Turkey-basted leftovers haze. Therefor the first way we’re separating deals here in The SlashGear Black Friday Deal Guide of Complete Excellence is in two categories: Online and In the Streets. This is also a LIVE post, meaning we’ll be adding to it as that faithful day approaches.
Now remember, these are hand-picked by our staff, and almost certainly are the best deals you’re going to find on the products (or similar products) sold on Black Friday. If you’ve got any additions or suggestions you’d like to make, feel free to comment below and we’ll more than likely add them to the big lists. This list is centered around electronics, but isn’t limited to them, as we know you love accessories and wacky weirdness as well.
Now REMEMBER, as you go out (or stay at home, for that matter) on this day of massive buyings and sellings, be safe, and remember that NO DEAL is worth getting punched in the face over.
Magellan may not be the head honcho when it comes to standalone PNDs here in North America, but that’s not stopping the outfit from keeping its iOS app up to snuff. With TomTom, Navigon and Garmin all introducing iOS 4-compatible apps over the past few months, Magellan has finally done likewise — version 1.3 of the app now enables navigation to occur in the background, meaning that iPhone 3GS and iPhone 4 users will still hear turn-by-turn guidance while using another application. Better still, real-time traffic information is provided free of charge through NAVTEQ, alerting motorists to accidents, traffic flow and the nearest ice cream truck. If you’ve already sunk cash into this one, now’s a solid time to check those updates — otherwise, you can hit the source links for a trifecta of versions catering to various regions.
Magellan has outed its latest hand-held GPS navigators, the eXplorist outdoor series. The Magellan eXplorist 510, 610 and 710 all have a 3.0-inch color touchscreen, 3.2-megapixel camera with autofocus, are waterproof and ruggedized. Photos are automatically geotagged and can be accompanied by voice notes.
As for the PND functionality, preloaded is the company’s World Edition map which includes a complete road network for the US, Canada, Western Europe and Australia, as well as water features, urban and rural land use, and a realistic shaded relief background. The 710 throws in Summit Seriestopographic mapping and Magellan’s City Series turn-by-turn map for road directions.
All models have 16hrs of battery life, programmable hardware keys – which can be set to trigger the camera or other features – and, on the eXplorist 610 and 710, a 3-axis electronic compass and a barometric altimeter. The Magellan eXplorist 510 is $349.99, the eXplorist 610 is $449.99, and the eXplorist 710 is $549.99.
Press Release:
Magellan® Launches Next Generation of eXplorist® Outdoor Handheld GPS Devices
Rugged, Waterproof Navigation Devices Are Designed to Enable Recording, Geotagging and Sharing of Outdoor Adventures
SANTA CLARA, Calif. – July 14, 2010 – Magellan today unveiled the next generation of its award-winning, rugged eXplorist handheld GPS devices for the outdoor recreation market.
The new eXplorist 510, 610 and 710 devices allow adventurers to navigate to outdoor destinations worldwide, capture geotagged photos along the way, and share their experiences online when they return home. Each eXplorist model combines high-sensitivity GPS, an intuitive user interface, easy-to-read mapping and accurate navigation. The new series of handheld GPS units are being revealed at the OutDoor Trade Fair in Friedrichshafen, Germany, and will be available to consumers inNorth America, Europe, and many other countries worldwide in the 4th quarter, 2010.
“With the popularity of social networks, the GPS industry is shifting towards more online experience sharing,” said Justin Doucette, Director, Outdoor Product Marketing, Magellan. “There are many sites that allow for geographic and multimedia data to be posted and shared with others. The eXplorist series allows users to bring their adventures home with them, catalog for future reference, and share online with family and friends.”
All three new eXplorist handheld GPS units come equipped with a camera, microphone, and speaker to enable users to record and share their adventures with friends.
Each eXplorist device features a 3.0-inch color touch screen, a 3.2 mega-pixel camera with auto-focus, microphone and speaker to record geo-referenced images, videos, and voice notes. All products in the eXplorist series are waterproof (IPX-7) and come preloaded with the most detailed worldwide map in the industry. Magellan’s World Edition map includes a complete road network for the U.S., Canada, Western Europe and Australia, as well as water features, urban and rural land use, and a realistic shaded relief background.
The top-of-the-line eXplorist 710 combines the best of on-road and off-road navigation. Built-in maps get adventurers from doorstep to trailhead to summit and back. The eXplorist 710 includes both Magellan’s highly detailed Summit Seriestopographic map and its City Series turn-by-turn map which allows users to navigate their vehicles through busy city streets on their way to their outdoor adventures. The eXplorist 610 and 710 feature a 3-axis electronic compass and a barometric altimeter that provide precise orientation, accurate elevation information, and enables for weather pattern tracking.
Each model in the eXplorist series also includes several innovative features, such as Magellan’s award-winning OneTouch™ favorites menu, enabling users to instantly access bookmarked locations, searches, and functions. The industrial design incorporates silent proximity alarms. And, to complement the 3.0-inch touch screen, each device has two customizable hard buttons to take a photograph, mark a waypoint, or provide quick access to a number of other preferred features.
The new eXplorist devices also include essential outdoor features such as expandable memory, paperless geocaching, GPX compatibility, 16 hours of battery life, high sensitivity GPS enabling 3-5 meters of accuracy, vertical profiling, a digital almanac, track summary statistics and area calculation.
The Magellan eXplorist 510 GPS device will be introduced at an M.S.R.P. of USD $349.99, the eXplorist 610 at an M.S.R.P. of USD $449.99, and the eXplorist 710 at an M.S.R.P. of USD $549.99. The units will ship with a standard mini USB cable and 2 lithium disposable AA batteries. With the purchase of a Magellan® eXplorist GPS device customers will receive a 30-day free premium membership to http://geocaching.com.
The new generation of eXplorist GPS handheld devices joins several other new introductions by Magellan this year in the outdoor navigation market. The eXplorist GC, a device 100% dedicated to geocaching, and the ToughCase™, a device that transforms your iPhone or iPod Touch into a rugged, handheld GPS device, were launched earlier this year.
For more information, visit magellangps.com.
About MiTAC Digital Corporation
MiTAC Digital Corp. is a wholly-owned subsidiary of MiTAC International Corporation and promotes and sells products and services under the Magellan brand name. Magellan assists people to travel, work and play with leading portable navigation and positioning solutions across multiple consumer markets. Recognized as an industry innovator, the company is the producer of the award-winning Magellan RoadMate® portable car navigation, Outdoor and Mobile navigation devices. MiTAC Digital Corp. is headquartered in Santa Clara, Calif. For more information on Magellan visit magellangps.com.
2010 MiTAC International Corporation. Magellan, Roadmate and the Magellan logo are registered trademarks of MiTAC International Corporation and One Touch and ToughCase are Trademarks of MiTAC International Corporation and are used under license by MiTAC Digital Corp. All rights reserved. iPhone and iPod are trademarks, of Apple Inc, registered in the US and other countries. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.
There are iPhone cases, and then there’s Magellan‘s waterproof Toughcase. Priced at $199.99, it’s actually just as expensive as a new iPhone 4 on contract, and double the price of an iPhone 3GS (which it actually houses). So, what does two Benjamins get you? Most would argue “not nearly enough,” but argonauts may beg to differ. The case meets IPX-7 waterproof standards, enabling it to be submerged at a depth of one meter for up to 30 minutes, and there’s also an integrated 1,840mAh battery that’s able to “double the life” of your iPhone 3G, iPhone 3GS or second / third-generation iPod touch. Moreover, there’s a built-in high sensitivity SiRFstar III GPS chipset for superior GPS reception, and nothing here prevents consumers from accessing the touchscreen. ‘Course, the sex appeal of your iDevice goes right out of the window once you strap this monster on, and there’s no official support for Apple’s newest iPhone, but it’s hard to knock the approach here.
GPS specialists Magellan have launched a new combination ruggedized battery case and signal-enhancing GPS cradle for the iPhone and iPod touch, promising increased accuracy as well as the freedom to take your Apple device out into the rougher elements. The Magellan ToughCase is waterproof to up to a meter for 30 minutes, together with being resistant to dust, rain, mud, water and snow.
There’s also a 1,840mAh battery in there too, which Magellan reckon is sufficient to double your iPhone’s runtimes, while the SiRFstar III GPS chipset is accurate down to three meters. It’s not just usable with the company’s own RoadMate software, either; just about any GPS app in the App Store should get the positioning boost.
You can’t exactly call the ToughCase slick or minimal, but there’s full access to all the regular iPhone/iPod touch controls together with indicators showing its own battery status. A mounting clip on the back lets it be easily used with Magellan’s various in-car, bike and other mounts. It’ll work with the iPhone 3G and 3GS (though not the iPhone 4) together with the iPod touch 2nd- and 3rd-generation, and is available now priced at $199.99.
Press Release:
Magellan GPS Launches Rugged, Waterproof ToughCase for iPhone and iPod touch
SANTA CLARA, Calif. (June 29, 2010) – Magellan GPS today launched the ToughCase, a refined yet rugged protective case, giving iPhone and iPod touch waterproof capabilities, ideal for outdoor enthusiasts and outdoor professionals.
Available worldwide, featuring built-in GPS, ToughCase enhances the accuracy of location-based and GPS applications for iPhone 3G and iPod touch, while protecting the device and providing unmatched accessibility to all iPhone and iPod touch features.
“The ToughCase is the ideal solution for all outdoor users. From kayakers to golfers, mountain bikers to construction workers, it provides a level of protection and performance previously unavailable in other cases,” said Justin Doucette, Director of Product Marketing for Magellan GPS. “The ToughCase protects against harmful elements such as dust, rain, mud, water and snow.”
The unique case design allows 100 percent access to Apple’s revolutionary Multi-Touch user interface, allowing users to receive and place calls while the device is protected. The ToughCase meets IPX-7 waterproof standards, enabling the device to be submerged at a depth of 1-meter for up to 30 minutes. The integrated 1840 mAh battery will double the life of the device based on normal usage and the built-in high sensitivity SiRFstar III GPS chipset delivers up to 3 meters of accuracy.
The ToughCase is compatible with iPhone 3G, iPhone 3GS and iPod touch (second and third generation). The ToughCase will be available at MagellanGPS.com and Apple Stores at www.apple.com. The ToughCase retails at an MSRP of USD $199.99.
ToughCase extends Magellan’s comprehensive solutions for iPhone and iPod touch, which include the Magellan RoadMate turn-by-turn navigation app and the Magellan Premium Car Kit – an innovative 3-in-1 vehicle mount for the iPhone 3GS, iPhone 3G and second and third generation iPod touch enhancing their performance as a hands-free navigation solution.
The Magellan RoadMate turn-by-turn navigation app is available for $49.99 from the App Store on iPhone and iPod touch or at www.itunes.com/appstore/.
About MiTAC Digital Corporation
MiTAC Digital Corp. is a wholly-owned subsidiary of MiTAC International Corporation and promotes and sells products and services under the Magellan brand name. Magellan assists people to travel, work and play with leading portable navigation and positioning solutions across multiple consumer markets. Recognized as an industry innovator, the company is the producer of the award-winning Magellan RoadMate series of portable car navigation, outdoor and mobile navigation devices. MiTAC Digital Corp. is headquartered in Santa Clara, Calif. For more information on Magellan, visit http://www.magellangps.com.
Magellan have broadly refreshed their PND range with a grand total of ten new models, spanning the $169.99 4.3-inch RoadMate 2035 through to the 4.7-inch Bluetooth-toting $299.99 RoadMate 3065. All ten come with lifetime traffic updates and a touchscreen, while several also include inclusive map updates too.
The largest PND on offer is the Magellan RoadMate 5045, which has a 5-inch touchscreen and lifetime traffic updates. Interestingly, while it has the largest display, it lacks some of the features of the high-end RoadMate 30xx models, many of which have hands-free calling via Bluetooth.
Magellan RoadMate 2035 – 4.3” screen, lifetime traffic (contiguous US, Hawaii and Puerto Rico only) $169.99
All but the 2035 come with AAA TourBook integration and lane guidance. Most models are available to order now, with free shipping from Magellan’s site.
If you’ve ever used a PND (or a PND app on a smartphone or similar) with automatic traffic updates, you’ve probably experienced the frustration of the device warning you about an upcoming jam while you’re already snarled up in it. Magellan’s latest standalone PND, the RoadMate 3065 Commuter Edition, reckons it can change all that: rather than starting to look for traffic updates when you begin your journey, “Traffic Wakeup” powers up the device at a preset time so as to cache the road conditions in advance.
“In many cases, traffic information on your GPS can be delayed up to 20 minutes. A delay could mean that you have begun your commute and are already in a traffic situation which could have been avoided. The Magellan RoadMate 3065 Commuter includes the premium Traffic Wakeup feature. Traffic Wakeup automatically powers on your GPS at the time you set and provides real-time traffic updates. Easily have traffic updates ready for you before you even leave for your destination.” Magellan description
Fresh through the FCC, the RoadMate 3065 manual describes the Traffic Wakeup feature as a premium app, which implies you may have to pay extra for it. Still, the functionality is pretty straightforward – turn on earlier, grab data earlier, hopefully then power off in the meantime so that the battery doesn’t expire mid-way through your actual journey.
The rest of the PND’s functionality are apparently pretty much par for the course, with control via a large touchscreen and ports including a microSD slot and mini-USB. No word on specific release dates or pricing, at this stage.
GPS specialists Magellan have launched a new combination ruggedized battery case and signal-enhancing GPS cradle for the iPhone and iPod touch, promising increased accuracy as well as the freedom to take your Apple device out into the rougher elements. The 
