Before I try to answer the question, what is Magellan GPS content manager, a couple of words about the brand? Statistics show that Magellan is the second followed by TomTom, but on the first podium is Garmin GPS for everyday use brand.

These are just the stats, and it doesn’t mean that one is much better than other. Everyone has pros and cons.

Very simple and understandable is described in Wikipedia

 „Magellan Navigation, Inc. is an American producer of consumer and professional grade global positioning system receivers, named after Ferdinand Magellan, the first explorer to circumnavigate the globe. Headquartered in San Dimas, California, with European sales and engineering centers in Nantes, France and Moscow, Russia, Magellan also produces aftermarket automotive GPS units, including the Hertz Neverlost system found in Hertz rental cars. The Maestro, RoadMate, Triton, and eXplorist lines are Magellan’s current consumer offerings. The company also produces proprietary road maps (DirectRoute), topographic maps (Topo), and marine charts (BlueNav) for use with its consumer GPS receivers.“

Our topic is not about the specifics of different Magellan GPS units like some of them can be found even in my reviews. When searching some details about one of the most popular GPS for ATV like Magellan eXplorist TRX7 I discovered that very popular search keyword related to the theme is „Magellan GPS Content Manager. “

I will not discover the America if I claim that GPS device’s software, firmware, and maps should constantly be updated. Road and street constructions are in progress everywhere so overdue maps could lead to dead end, time loss and a waste of money. According to the Federal Highway Administration, it is 4.2 million miles of roads in the USA.

Various brands have a different update policy.

Garmin offers a “nuMaps Guarantee,” which means you’re entitled to free map updates for the first 90 days. After three months, you should open your wallet to purchase updates either you can take advantage of Garmin’s nuMaps Lifetime package for your region.

TomTom charges about 60 EUR for quarterly map updates yearly for Western Europe. I think that it is expensive and this is one of the reasons why I step back from this very good brand. I was the TomTom fan for a long time, from the very beginning of road navigation GPS era back to the beginning of the century.

Before I continue the topic of Magellan GPS updates and content manager, in particular, some words about so-called free GPS map updates.

The Internet is full of free offers or some for a tiny price. If someone offers the same product for $5, even for free at all but GPS manufacturer for $50, do you really think that it is not a stolen product?

It is internet piracy and sometimes even offline steeling at all. So when you purchase GPS map update CD for $5, then you are in a company with a thief. Map updating requires a lot of material and human resources to end up with the final product and how would you feel if you would not be paid for work.

From the other hand, you are free to choose smartphone app where updates, as a rule, is for free and even most expensive application is cheaper than standalone device price. Another story is whether the app can compete with factory installed car GPS or dedicated navigation system. In general, not.

Latest GPS units can be connected to the internet either with installed SIM card or pairing with your phone, so the argument about lack of immediate information is inappropriate. In some features, those GPS devices even can beat the iPhone or Android online GPS navigation applications.

About Magellan GPS content manager. I will be honest and I admit that I have never owned a GPS of this brand and all the information is obtained from the Internet. I do not see anything wrong with that because we can get almost all the necessary knowledge on the topic online.

In other words, let’s say I have Magellan GPS device but all papers, instructions or CDs are missing. How can I update firmware, software or get latest street maps?

It can be done with a help of content manager.

Content Manager is a PC and Mac application that synchronizes with your Magellan GPS device to deliver new map updates and product information. To update your GPS download content manager and follow the steps below.

1. Download and install Content Manager on your Computer
   It is free, and it is available for all popular Windows and Mac OS.  It’s small in size and can be installed in under a minute. The hardware requirements should be sufficient if you are using Windows 10 or one of the latest versions of Mac OS.

  2. Turn on your GPS. Wait for the menu to appear and connect to your Computer using the USB cable. Usually,   Magellan GPS comes with Micro USB cable.

  3. Content manager will automatically prompt you for the update or select „Check for updates now.“

I found that real users are very satisfied with software’s controls which are easy to learn, thanks to the interface’s efficient layout. By me, that managing addresses, downloaded contents, and access to the general information about your GPS device on separate tabs is a great solution. All downloaded information as well as addressed can be easily managed and stored on your GPS device. The information includes model and serial numbers, software version, internal and card memory and you can even find a mileage report, which includes your total and top speeds, longest trip and so on.

Those are pros, but the cons cannot be found at the moment.

My conclusion is that Magellan GPS content manager is a convenient, easy to learn and friendly tool to keep car GPS device or GPS for ATV trails updated.