criteeker's Full Review: Magellan Maestro 4050 Car GPS Receiver
I own a Magellan Roadmate 760 GPS and over the last few years I've had to replace the spring-loaded connector three times. And now, all of a sudden, the unit takes forever to get its bearings on the initial start up of the day.
GPS Options:
There are highway/street models. There are Marine versions. There are handheld versions with topo (topographical) maps for hikers and campers that detail trails, lakes, campgrounds and such. There are topo maps available for some highway/street GPS models. And there are "crossover" models. Magellan makes a crossover series that tackles highways, topo and marine maps all in one unit. And they're waterproof too.
Magellan Navigation, Inc., f.k.a. Thales Navigation, has gotten it right this time around. I remember they had surveys about what we did and didn't like and what we wanted in a GPS unit. I guess they listened to its customers - very smart of them.
For Father's Day, I wanted something my dad could really use. I started my quest at Sam's Club. The only GPS that suited my needs was the Garmin Nuvi 660 for $599. A great price, but, alas, they were sold out. So off to Best Buy I went. They had three models that I liked: The Nuvi 660 for $799, the Nuvi 350 for $499 and the Magellan Maestro 4040 for $499. I had a feeling I could find one of them for a lot cheaper since Best Buy's selections were last year's models or the newer models all at higher prices. It's almost as if Best Buy boosts the prices and dares you to price shop.
I wasn't completely sold on the Nuvi 360 and the Nuvi 660 was just too much for my dad. Due to the TomTom Go910's out of date data base (even though it includes maps of Europe) I felt flustered and went home to do more homework.
The first thing I can suggest is don't get suckered into buying a GPS that enables you to store MP3s or store pictures. This is supposed to be a GPS unit - who needs to see a slide show of their friends and family while driving? MP3s can be heard on MP3-enabled dash units or portable devices such as the Sansa e280 MP3 player.
I liked the Magellan brand, so my choice became which of the Maestro series I'd choose.
The Maestro 4000 is the basic version and does NOT have Bluetooth. The other drawback is that it ONLY has maps of the 48 contiguous states. While this might be fine for some users, I like the Bluetooth feature and I travel to Canada once in a while. It runs about $315 to $400.
The Maestro 4040 was the most logical choice for my dad and myself. It has Bluetooth, maps of the USA and includes Alaska and Hawaii, Canada and Puerto Rico. European maps are an optional add-on. Since we have a place in Hawaii and my dad goes to Canada, it was perfect. The traffic alerts option is available for the 4040 but is more expensive as an add-on than purchasing the 4050 (which comes with it). The 4040 usually runs about $499 to $550 (but see my Costco adventure below). Another great thing (for us anyway) is setting The Staples Center as an address book entry. We go to many hockey games but the place is located deep in the heart of downtown LA. Usually a traffic nightmare. This GPS will give us all sorts of alternative routes if the freeways are jammed or there's congested streets. I'm sure this would help most people discover secret ways to get to places they've been to a million times.
The Maestro 4050 adds voice commands and traffic alerts for the $560 to $700 price range. I thought that voice commands might be tough if I was on a road trip with the music on and the windows open and I already have traffic alerts on my XM radio.
So off to Costco I went. As I walked in, it was like the clouds parted and I could hear a Gregorian chant when I spotted the display for the Magellan Maestro 4040 for... get this...$399!!!!!!! That's $100 cheaper than Best Buy and lower than anywhere on the net too. I would strongly suggest calling your local Costco first to make sure they have them in stock. The SKU# is 204040.
Needless to say, my dad was floored yet bothered. He loved it but said that I had to calibrate it, link it to his phone, set it up, etc. I told him to read the manual. He laughed - then I set it all for him...being Father's Day and all. I mean he had the "pouty face."
About 15 minutes later it was all set and he was like a kid on Christmas. He rushed into the office and pulled out his phone book and proceeded to enter all of his contacts into the address book of the 4040. That's when it hit me... There's no way to send his contacts from his phone to the 4040. Oh well, maybe he'll get more acclimated to his new toy this way.
Plotting a Course:
All you need to do is enter the city, then the street and the address. Bongo - you're on your way. The screen will display either a 3D, a 2D or turn-by-turn maps. Of course, for those who don;t have an exact address, you can enter an intersection of try locating it in POI database.
For instance, let's say you're hungry and want to find the nearest Applebee's. You enter the name and the GPS will tell you were the nearest one is to your current position. If you're in an unfamiliar city and want to know where a gas station or post office or grocery store is, simple. Just punch it into the GPS and you're on your way. It really reduces my stress level when driving - especially in new cities.
User interface:
Gone are the bland text-only buttons. Thanks to a system built on Windows CE, the screen comes alive with vibrant color icons. Nine of them, in fact:
Show Map: Shows you your current position on a 2D or 3D map as you move through the city or town.
Enter Address: Allows you to enter a destination or intersection by city or state. It also allows you to add addresses or POIs to your custom database.
Points of Interest (POI): You can search by name, category, enhanced or AAA tourbook. Enhanced section allows for advanced selections and alarms to be set.
Trip Planner: For single or multiple destinations.
Exit POIs: When traveling the highways, the exit POIs will guide you top the nearest restaurant, rest areas, etc.
User Options: Here's the nerve center of the unit.
Once in the User Option area, you're faced with 14 tabs.
Region: Where you set the region you're currently traveling in.
System settings: Volume, brightness, language, etc. By the way, this GPS has English, French and Spanish included.
Trip Computer: for stats on your current trip
POI Selection: You can choose any or all of the icons to appear on your map. For instance, if you're headed to another city and get hungry, there are restaurant icons that will appear and if you tap one, it'll give you info on the establishment and their number so you can call from the car.
The extensive icon list includes, gas stations, restaurants, coffee, shopping, airport, bank/ATMs, camping, casino, city centers, convention center, education, entertainment, golf, grocery store, health services, home improvement, hotels, marina, nightlife, parking, public buildings, car rental, rest area, sports & recreation, tourist attraction, transportation, winery and Other services. Again, you can pick and choose which (if not all) the icons you wish to appear on your route maps.
There are also smaller buttons at the bottom of the menu screen: A house icon, which instantly routes you back "Home", a tow truck icon which links to AAA Roadside Assistance. This screen shows your current GPS latitude and longitude. (knowing these numbers is great for storing your own POIs). It also has the 800 numbers to call AAA. And lastly, a telephone icon.
The telephone link brings you to a screen with 8 more icons. The phone dial pad, address book, call history, redial, SMS (for text messaging), search for devices, pair with a device and Bluetooth. The last three are used to pair the GPS with your Bluetooth-enabled phone.
I LOVE the bluetooth phone feature. My wife tells me that it sounds like I'm in a tunnel though. The screen is very intuitive and I can hear the caller quite well. But, when you use a bluetooth headset, that seems to over-ride the bluetooth part of this unit. When a call comes in, the GPS has its own ringtone (only one) and it's loud enough to hear with the windows open. I love that the caller's name and number flashes on the screen, BUT it over-rides the directions and you may miss a turn. The voice still works, but the visual maps do not appear.
Design:
There are two body types of add-on GPS units available today. The thicker type that resembles the old CRT televisions and the thin style GPS that resembles today's LCD TVs. Of course, the thinner models are more expensive, look a lot more sleek and a few more mounting possibilities. The 4040 is less than an inch deep (front to back). Most of the newer GPS units have an integrated antenna. No more need to flip up the bulky GPS antenna any longer.
On the left side of the unit are SD card slot, the power button and the USB interface. On the right side are the headphone jack and power in ports.
AAA Club Members:
If you input your membership number into the GPS, the unit is linked to a built-in data base of AAA discounts. AAA destination descriptions (and be able to call directly from that screen), AAA show your card and save locations, AAA diamond rated hotels and restaurants, and AAA approved auto repair facilities.
Also, Magellan offers a 15% discount on Magellan accessories for AAA members. For those who do not have OnStar, this GPS will help you when you break down with AAA Roadside Assistance. All you do is call AAA via the Bluetooth on the GPS and they can instantly track your position and get you the help you need.
Even if you're not a AAA member, you still get the points of interest data base within your GPS unit.
What Comes In the Box:
The GPS unit, the A/C power cord, a vehicle (cigarette) power cord, a mounting plate for the dash, a well-designed suction cup / windshield mount, manual quick start guide, a protective pouch and a CD rom that also links you to the Magellan website for registration, support and more.
The factory warranty is ONE year and you can purchase an extended service agreement from the place you purchased it (except for places like Costco) or you can purchase a 2-year extended plan directly from Magellan.
What I love:
The coolest feature (unless you have multiple love interests) is the fact that I can couple my Bluetooth-enabled cell phone to my 4040. If someone in my address calls me or anyone displaying caller ID call, I can see who's calling on my screen without having to get my cell and look - thus, taking my eyes off the road for longer periods of time. This would be a bad thing if you're a player and have someone in the seat next to you that should not see who's calling. Also, if I want to call a P.O.I. or call anyone on my route, I simply touch a button and I can call them right from the GPS via speakerphone or my Bluetooth headset.
Unlike other reviews I have read about the Maestro series, there IS a volume control in two places. On any map, there's a faint icon of a speaker, tap it and have access to the volume control. This volume control is also accessible via the User Options icon in the main menu.
I love being able to plot (up to) 20 destinations in one trip and have the GPS optimize a route for me.
I love being able to use this GPS without a cable. The battery takes about three hours to charge.
I love that this GPS speaks the street names. IN the Roadmate Series, it used to say things like, "Turn right in one mile." And I'd have to look at the screen. With the Maestro series, it'll say, "Turn right at Main Street in 1.0 miles." In some instances, the pronunciation might be a bit off, but it matters not.
While going to a destination, the Roadmate would display the distance and time remaining for your arrival. The Maestro displays the distance but now I get a selectable estimated (clock) time of arrival, distance remaining or time remaining to destination. For instance, if it's 3:15 and it should take another 15 minutes to get there, the Maestro will tell me that I'll get there at 3:30, or it'll tell me that I'll get there at 3:30 or it'll tell me that I have 7.5 miles remaining. All at a touch of the screen.
What I'm on the Fence About:
My 760 has the option to view my route in split screen. I could see the route on one side and the directions on the other. The 4040 doesn't have this selectable view feature but it does display it when a turn is coming up.
The 760 has a selectable male or female voice. The female voice on the Roadmate was quite pleasant. The Maestro has just the female voice. This time around, she sounds more like Helga; the chain-smoking robot. While this might not be an issue with the guys, the ladies might prefer to hear a man's voice once in a while. I prefer the pleasant female voice. Bring her back... And maybe a snooty British guy for the male voice.
What I Don't Like:
The 4040 doesn't allow for wireless sync of a Bluetooth cell phone's address book. So I'm forced to enter all my contacts by hand which is a bit arduous.
The fully charged battery life is rated at just over TWO HOURS of continuous use. That needs to be improved. Of course there are the AC and VDC power supplies for home and vehicle usage, but using it hand-held, it should last longer than just over two hours.
Each and every time I boot up, I'm met with the disclaimer screen about the safe usage of the GPS while operating a vehicle - ANNOYING!
Accessories:
* Maps for other countries available on CD rom or SD card
* SD storage card. I would strongly suggest getting a 512 mb (or higher) SD card.
* Optional exterior antenna. If you live in an area with a bad signal.
* They offer headphones for the unit, but I would not use them while driving as it is illegal in most states to block both your ears from hearing sirens and such.
* There's also a long goose neck floor mount available.
Magellan was smart by adding a storage card slot (MMC or SD) in the 4040. Why? Because every time a firmware, map or POI update is available, they warn you that your address book will be erased. Why? Well, saving your address book to the memory card will enable you to restore all your info after an update.
I love this thing so much that I bought one for myself the very next day. Boy, my directionally challenged mother sure loves her Magellan Roadmate 760 GPS... Everyone wins.
Specifications from Magellan:
PHYSICAL
Case High-impact plastic
Base Map Pre-loaded - 50 United States, Canada and Puerto Rico
Size 5.1(wide) x 3.4(high) x 0.88(deep)
Weight 8.5 oz
Display 4.3 inch (diagonal)
Data Storage Unlimited / Secure Digital (SD) Card compatible
Antenna Integrated multidirectional patch
Elegant and simple! Touch the screen and hear turn-by-turn directions with street names as you enjoy your driving experience virtually to any destinat...More at Walgreens
Maestro is designed for those who enjoy precision technology with style! It has been created by Magellan; the first name in navigation.More at TigerDirect.com
You've seen this Magellan Maestro GPS selling for almost $550 get yours here for much less! Just turn it on and go! Travel smarter and safer with thi...More at Heartland America
The Magellan Maestro 4050 is the first after-market portable GPS system with voice recognition technology, letting you simply call out instructions to...More at eBay
Epinions.com periodically updates pricing and product information from third-party sources, so some information may be slightly out-of-date. You should confirm all information before relying on it.
- Add to My Yahoo!: 
- Add to Google Homepage: 
© 1999-2009 Shopping.com, Inc.