There are not many things dedicated sat-nav manufacturers such as TomTom can do when mobile phones from left to right and the centre are slowly but surely pull the rug from under the feet. All they can do as a quality butcher refuses to be bullied by closed hypermarkets, is to hang there and in the hope consumers return quality over quantity. But the outlook is bleak - and Sony recent withdrawal from the market just compounds.

At least there is more hope for companies like Magellan. He produces GPS devices, as the quality of sausages, his own recipe for years, losing a piece of car company will not be hurt most is likely to injure specialists. But despite the pedigree, it is clear from his latest product - the RoadMate 1215 - he still has not got quite the road sat-nav in the same way that TomTom did it.

It is definitely a look dated product: the map display base is quite ugly and look in his green, white and yellow colours. And it is facing a host of other annoyances. The map display, for example, is slow and timid update and seems to lag behind on your road position, which could be a tight little problem in urban environments.

The trip planning multi-functionality, bizarrely, is not automatic: it does refer you to the next waypoint on your itinerary until you bag a button-screen. If you want to browse the map and select a point of reference on the subject while in the trip planning mode, you can not zoom right for the entire country a view unless you go to the settings and save the camera mode 2D map.

To choose a European destination in the United Kingdom, you can also visit the settings screen and change regions - you can not do so in the screen before the address. And, in addition to all this, you can not change the boring American address you. The list goes on: the windshield mounting provided with the 1215 does not work very well either, unless you do not mind cleaning the suction cup and glass carefully whenever you join. And there is little luxury here: no Bluetooth phones hands-free operation, no information on traffic, no FM transmitter or music player.

But as that stick in the mud trader, who does not want extras, preferring to wrap his first steak coast brown paper instead of a plastic bag, the strengths of this sat-nav possibly through shine.

First, it is very cheap. In a surprisingly bold move, Magellan has chosen to go after the budget end of the sat-nav market with the 1215 and so you can choose one for as little as £ 96. At that price, lack of supplements is understandable, but in terms of basic sat-nav arrestingly features and functionality. It is entirely plain-foot European maps included - unthinkable until very recently in a device so cheap it. And he radars for the United Kingdom pre-installed on it too, which is equally impressive.

And while his cuts of meat perhaps not as attractive as the supermarket are, pumped with dyes glossily organized in their shiny plastic packages, the 1215 is quite tasty when you come to use. Core things as the speaker and the screen is pure Aberdeen Angus quality. You can make this device in place strong enough to cover most cars into chaos without a hint of distortion - for example. The screen is about as bright as I’ve seen on any device, including a TomTom, which makes it much easier to see the map in full sun on a doubling of phone as a SatNav.

It is extremely flexible and easy to use. Apart from the problem with having to change region before entering an address, I think I could give this device to my father and he would have no difficulty in use to find its way from A to B. The menus are simple and direct, And most important things a click or two away. Manual Fidelity, for example, is very easy to access, and there is also an icon on the first screen menu that guides you to the nearest garage - handy if your car develops a bad case of Automobile FMD. I also like the “PI at exit” option under here: click it when you’re on the freeway and 1215 shows a list of points of interest (fuel stops, restaurants, etc.) that are at or near the next intersection.

More important than that, however, is the industrial strength of the 1215 GPS receiver. Even sitting in my kitchen on the battery, the 1215 managed to take six satellites and lock within less than a minute - and this is the narrowest strip of sky with its accessible. Usable reception was reached in a few seconds, and routing is not slow.

In addition, navigation functions. When approach the next turn, you can define things so that the icon representing occupies half of the screen - which makes clear the direction you should take. I fell on any flaws in his choice of one or the accuracy of its cards during testing, and voice instructions, while irritating, get the job done in a timely manner.