For every giant step in technology advancement there always seems to be one guy who remains a step behind-and that would be me. When I couldn't make a decision between the eXplorist 510, 610 and 710 higher-end models, I figured a new handheld GPS wasn't in my future. But is just goes to show that good things come to those who wait (and those who don't need all those extra bells and whistles).
This year Magellan released its eXplorist 310 and it is basically a feature-rich, entry-level model for the more casual outdoorsman like me. This new model is perfect for the novice user with all the core features required by more experienced people.
What I liked right off is that it's ready to use right out of the box. Plus on this eXplorist version it has a nice 2.2-inch color screen with a simple user interface, all packed into a rugged and waterproof GPS.
The eXplorist 310 is great for geocaching and comes packed with core outdoor GPS features, such as waypoint creation, premium pre-loaded World Edition map, active tracking, and track summary just to name a few.
With a suggested retail price of $199.99, the eXplorist 310 is priced fair, especially considering all that it comes with. The high-end eXplorist models each feature a 3.0-inch color touch screen and are equipped with a 3.2 mega-pixel camera, microphone, and speaker to enable users to record and share their adventures with friends, but for me I felt the 310 was a better fit for my needs.
