Overland Adventure Navigation - NAV Comparo (Magellan TRX7 vs Android Tablet with GAIA GPS) 👊

Nvidia Shield K1 Tablet
 (image from PCmag Nvidia Shield Review)

Magellan TRX7 Dual Mount Trail and Street GPS Navigator 

(image from Magellan GPS)

A few weeks ago... I found myself scrambling to put together a trail-ready rig to conquer portions of the CDT in New Mexico and Colorado, as well as Moab.  My friend Nate was also executing the same plan.

I found a low-mileage 2013 Jeep JK Rubicon - which I believe is the best foundation to start from.  It is hard to imagine that there exists a more capable OEM produced off-road vehicle than my Jeep Rubicon or Ram PowerWagon.

Nate bought a 2018 Jeep JL Rubicon - which is the first year for the new model.  They did a great job improving the already amazing platform.

While I would not label my Jeep build as "budget", but I am trying to find the most cost-effective ways to achieve my goal, which not making significant sacrifices.  Initially I had decided that I would use the Garmin V from my BMW GSAdventure.  I found a decent windshield mount and the appropriate power cables.  Done.  Well... not really.

Instagram seemingly did a decent job trying to figure me out... as it kept presenting me with an advertisement for GAIA GPS.  GAIA is a tablet/smart-phone app for IOS or Android.  By total happenstance, I have an Nvidia Shield K1 Tablet which I use as my audio player for my home system.  One key factor regarding this particular tablet is that it comes with GPS.

Setup Comparison
	Nate	James
Device	Magellan TRX7	Nvidia Shield
MSRP	$650	$499
Form Factor	Ruggedized 7" tablet	Fairly standard 8" tablet configuration (1920x1200)
Guidance App	Proprietary Magellan TRX software	GAIA GPS
"Other" Apps	TBD	Pandora Sirius XM Kindle Linux Academy Netflix

While the experience of dealing with uninspiring products from Garmin over the past decade has DEFINITELY skewed my view of "dedicated" or "single-purpose" devices, the Magellan does seem quite nice, well-designed, and thoughtfully implemented.
That said, I really think the Android Tablet is going to come out on top of this comparison.

• Android Play Store (Kindle, Netflix, Pandora)
• I'll use this device as my home audio center
• Typical interfaces (HDMI, 1/8" phono, SD card)
• Web Browser

I do anticipate that the Magellan will probably be less laggy (more consistently stable), have a better GPS experience.
However, I think if I had to simply go out and buy a tablet for this comparison, I believe I would struggle to find one with GPS.
This write-up of the Magellan TRX7 does a nice job presenting the device from the perspective of a photographer.

OK - the Nvidia happens to look pretty sexy as a audio client to my Rega stack.