Magellan Maestro 4040 4.3-Inch Widescreen Bluetooth Portable GPS Navigator
by Magellan
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Digital Cameras Photo Reviews of Magellan Maestro 4040 4.3-Inch Widescreen Bluetooth Portable GPS Navigator
Customer Review: This is not a good GPS
Summary: 2 Stars
There are so many things wrong with this GPS that I'm sure I'll forget some of the cons I want to write about it. Put it this way, if you never owned a GPS or know how other gps's operate, this MIGHT be an OK choice, at least better than getting lost without any assistance.
First I want to comment on what another reviewer said about the Magellan being the only gps to give an alert tone at the turn. This isn't true. All Garmin's have an option to turn the "Attention Tone" on. This does the same thing as Magellans. I own and have owned Garmins, Tom Toms and the Maestro (which I returned).
First the good:
1) Clear, loud speakers.
2) Decent screen, readable in sunlight.
3) Current maps.
The Bad (make a pot of coffee and take a seat, this will take a while).
1) Terrible TTS. Speaks way too fast and is very verbose and confusing. It reads EVERYTHING on the exit sign, whether it is pertinent to your exit or not. An example would be (said very fast and robotically) "In 1/4 mile right turn to two nine one to fifteen to 95 to two three nai (how it pronounces N.Y) followed by a turn diagonal stay to right nai." What a better GPS's would say is, "In 1/4 make a right to I291, then stay to your right and enter I95 south to New York."
2) Now that you have no clue what the TTS is, you have to look at the screen. The Maestro provides a split screen .5 miles to the turn BUT this disappears quickly. So now when you look to see where the heck you have to turn, your view is zoomed out, further confusing you.
3) Now to make matters worse, you try looking at the LARGE screen to read the next turn on the bottom, but the fonts are TINY. I have 20/20 vision and it's still difficult to read. So, in other words, after doing the above 1, 2 and 3, you are basically confused as to the turn. Good luck as you finally see where you have to turn and swerve to it.
4) The processor cannot be taxed, even with simple chores. You'll get the hourglass, freezing up the system and unable to cancel out. You have to wait forever for the hourglass to disappear. This happens when you search for a POI by name (even if it's close by), when you switch to the maneuver list (if your trip is more than just a few miles) and when it doesn't pair with your phone correctly. Even going from the map view to the menu, or vice versa, will bring up the hourglass. A very slow, poor processor, indeed.
5) "Route Exclusion" feature. This is a nice feature, available on some other gps, but on the Maestro it doesn't work correctly. Say you don't like the route given. You can exclude a road and the unit will recalculate and will offer a new route without that road. BUT on the Maestro, that road keeps appearing. You actually have to exclude the exit or raods after the one you want to exclude instead. This makes NO sense, because you may want to take that exit or other roads. Magellan got this SO wrong and shows just how poorly the Meastro was engineered.
6) No ETA. What other GPS does NOT give you the ETA other than Magellan and Maestro? Don't they think it's important to quickly view the estimated time arrival, so you can make adjustments to your drive? Instead the Maestro tells you how many hours or minutes left, leaving it to YOU to figure it out in your head. Might not be a big deal to some, but to others it is. To me it shows that Magellan doesn't take the consumers needs seriously, for ETA is pretty much universal in the gps world. Obviously somebody wants it.
7) Night mode. If not in the map screen, the Maestro will BLIND you at night with its brightness and colors, even if set to low.
8) Bad routing engine. Garmin and TomTom (even with their TeleAtlas maps) consistently give better routes than the Maestro.
9) U-Turns. Or should I say "Never endi ng U-turns." The Maestro, no matter what road, will keep insisting (every few seconds) for you to U-turn (in it's annoying text to speech). This can literally go on for miles. What's worse is that there is no option to disable U-turns, as most gps's have. At least with other units, even when U-turns are enabled, they know fairly quickly that you aren't making the U-turn and it will recalculate another route. Not the Maestro.
There are so many other things wrong. The bottom line, is that the Maestro can and will further confuse you while you are driving. Isn't that what a gps is supposed to eliminate?
Magellan claims there will be updates to fix some problems (didn't mention which) but I'm afraid that there are too many to address. By the time they figure out how to fix these, new models will be available and this will go ignored, much like their units made before the Maestro.
There are much better units out there right now.
Customer Review: Overall, a very good GPS
Summary: 4 Stars
I've read most of the reviews here and the negative ones tend to center on mounting bracket problems and poor customer support. I bought my 4040 last week and with admittedly limited experience using it, I must say that I have not experienced either problem. Here's why:
1. Preparation - I immediately upgraded the operating system to V 2.24. That probably resolved many previous technical glitches. Next, I downloaded the user manual and read the whole darned thing. Trial and error is easier in the short run, but not a good idea when the tech thingy is not all that intuitive.
2. Mounting - Although the bracket that came with mine was the correct one, I never intended to use it. I don't like the idea of clamping the unit to the windshield or setting it on the dash with a bean bag. And in view of the rash of thefts, I wanted to be able to easily remove it and put it out of sight. Instead, I placed in on the steering column of my 2006 Toyota Avalon, right against the dashboard. To hold it in place, I affixed a short piece of 1/2" foam rubber on the dash face on each side and put longer pieces under and behind the unit to hold it firmly and avoid vibrations. Before I installed them I used some beige spray paint that resembled the dash color. Result is an inconspicuous, snug cradle that lets me remove the 4040 easily when I leave the car. And, it only covers the bottom part of the speedometer and tach - stuff I don't need to see.
3. Tech Support - I am an old hand with computers and have long ago learned that the only way to work with a language challenged tech in New Delhi is to communicate via real time bulletin board text messaging. Completely solves the language problem and lets you get to an answer that anyone can read and understand.
A few other minor points - I use a stylus instead of my fingers to tap the screen and find that it works much better. So far, the only features I really don't care for with the 4040 are the pastel colors on the screen. I find that they wash out easily in a bright environment. I have a factory GPS in my Avalon, but find it is a pain to use - mainly because it employs a joy stick instead of a touch screen for data entry. Also, the voice command input feature is worse than useless. Tell it you want to "Go Home" and it responds with something like "Now displaying gas station POIs". From what I understand, Honda has the best voice controlled GPS system made; one that will let you use complete voice input and do it without error. If Magellan improves their voice command function, I intend to upgrade to it.
Another thing that Maggie is good at is being able to display POIs for food and motels, etc. at the various exit off-ramps ahead while you're on a freeway. You can select one and then ask for guidance to find it - all before you get to the off-ramp. How many times have you been traveling and decided it was time to stop for lunch but by the time you read the restaurant signs by the exit, you were sailing past it? Or even if you did take the right exit, never being too sure which way to turn at the bottom of the off-ramp, while cars piled up behind wondering why those out-of-state idiots are just sitting there.
If pressed, I will admit that Maggie (my Magellan's new name) was pretty much purchased just because it's a fun toy. Even so, I expect to get real use from her once we begin to travel a bit more. I find it very handy being able to program her at my leisure while sitting at home, rather than after I've started the car and everyone's waiting to go. Also, I think we will make good use of the AAA info when traveling. Being able to quickly punch up all the good restaurants and motels in a new area, along with a full description, rate and rating info and phone number, sounds very useful. Especially nice that you can do it from your motel room while you're having a glass of wine before going out to dinner.
I don't know if Maggie will prove to be a satisfactory replacement for an in-dash GPS in my next car, but her price at $350 from Costco is a lot less than Toyota's at $2,500. Maybe the best solution is to have both kinds of GPS. I'll find out in the next few months.
So far, I'll give Maggie a couple of thumbs up and call her a fun date.
Dandydon
Customer Review: A Great Navigation Tool at a Great Price!
Summary: 4 Stars
Let me start out immediately by saying I really like the Magellan 4040 GPS but it isn't perfect. But then what GPS is? In general, a GPS is a great tool to have; however, I have yet to find any GPS that can replace local driving experience and good common sense. For example, I know that I can travel north on a particular route with no problem but I also know to avoid the same route when traveling south because of highway construction that closes down all lanes but one bringing traffic to a crawl. I had high hopes for this particular GPS because of the acclaimed Magellan Traffic Service that is available as an option. I purchased the traffic kit separately but the service is only available in certain cities and while Atlanta, GA (where I live) is supposed to be one of those cities, it seems there is no one manning the command post as I have yet to see any traffic alerts. The traffic kit consist of replacing the original cradle that comes with the unit and on the plus side it is made better and includes an external antenna connection which you don't get otherwise. I use an external antenna because I mount mine just below the radio beneath the dash and no GPS will pick up signals very well unless it has a clear view of the sky so I mount an external antenna on my rear shelf with a clear view via the back glass. I just don't like anything mounted on my windshield, besides they tend to get washed out by the sun light there. So while the Magellan Traffic Service is useless for me, the optional traffic kit mount proved to be very complimentary.
I recently used the unit on a 1300 mile round trip that consisted of combined scenic and freeway driving. I started out in Atlanta, GA and traveled to and from Mansfield, OH. I first planned my trip using a combination of atlas and mapquest.com. I wanted a mixture of scenic roads and freeways on the way up and absolute fastest time on the return trip. In addition, I needed to make a slight detour to Wytheville, VA on the way up. This is where the trip planner functionality of the GPS came in very handy. I was able to sit down on my sofa and enter all of my destinations and even run a simulation of the trip as if I was on the road. The simulator is excellent for just sitting down and learning all of the numerous features that this GPS is capable of. Of course there were times when the GPS wanted to go a different route than what I wanted and this goes back to my beginning statement alluding to the fact that the GPS can't take the place of the human mind. A GPS is nothing more than a small computer running a piece of software. Being a software developer myself I am well aware that an application can only be as good as the programmer(s) that programmed it. They also rely on having current map data to make correct determinations and this is where I think all current GPS units fall short. I would love to see Magellan or Garmin provide constant map data updates via the Internet. I would gladly pay a premium for a subscription service that would allow me to get updates on a daily, weekly or even a monthly basis. As it stands now the map data is at least 2 years stale right out of the box. There's gotta be a better way!
So, why did I give it 4 stars instead of 5? Partly because of the fact that you must purchase the optional traffic kit to be able to use an external antenna and but mainly because the firmware can be a bit buggy at times selecting routes. This occurred on my return trip to Atlanta. I live just north of Atlanta and when I was ready to leave Mansfield, OH, I punched in my home destination using the fastest available route and the itinerary initially had me going south of Atlanta before finally heading back north which would have been an extra 2 hours of driving. I say "initially" because as I got closer to GA, the itinerary miraculously healed itself and began showing the correct routes to take. Hopefully a future firmware revision will cure this but for now I will be very careful to double check all routes ahead of time. This might be a killer for many, but for me, the numerous positive features offset the negatives making this a great deal. Anything else I could say would be purely subjective to preference so I leave it at that.
Customer Review: Don't know how I lived without a GPS
Summary: 5 Stars
If you are one of those people who are directionally challenged, cannot remember the same path you have taken numerous times, or stress out over finding a location you have never been to, usually fumbling with a print out from Mapquest, then you are like ME. And you need a GPS. This gizmo has taken away a lot of my anxiety while driving.
I compared many models and finally chose the Magellan 4040 based on the features I wanted/needed and the price.
4.3" screen
I like the widescreen better, even though the difference in size between this and the 3.5" seems so minimal. With split screens showing a map on one side with the turn on the other, it is easily readable. Screen looks bright and sharp and is easy to naviagte.
Text To Speech - I wanna hear the street, not worry about looking at the map to see the street to turn on. It has pronounced many local streets correctly, with the rare but expected mis-pronunciation. Streets with 2 (or even 3) names/numbers can be a quick mouthful, though, so time to look at the GPS. The Voice is very clear and easy to understand. The volume level can be set very high, so no problem hearing it, either. I think I set mine about midway and it's fine, louder if I am blasting some tunes.
Bluetooth - was a nice option to have
The only person I have used it with claimed I sound too far away and it was "worse than that piece of junk Motorola" I usually use. I could hear perfectly fine, but even with it to the left of the steering wheel, it seemed too far away, at least for one friend, but he complains about everything. [Re-evaluated Bluetooth below]
I am still learning a bit, but seriously this thing is ready to go with simplicity right out of the box.
Touchscreen - easy to manuever. Keyboard is nice and big, although I found it odd not to see a querty - but it's not like I am going to be texting or using it for any purpose other than typing in addresses and POIs.
Finding my position - almost immediately upon turning it on it locates me. Even when I turned it off in the middle of a trip, then turned it back on 10 minutes later, the map was exactly at my location.
Battery life has been as specified 2-3 hours. You will want to carry the car adapter with you in case you are like me and are always walking around with a dead cell phone because you forget to charge the device at home.
Cons:
Not sure, but I don't think you can quickly save a POI you have routed as a "favorite" or whatever they call it under the Guide Me Section of saved routes. Would be nice to just click "save" rather than have to look it up again, type, etc. Please correct me if it does do this.
One time I could have made a right to get to the road I needed, but it insisted I make a left repeatedly as I ignored it. So I finally made the left as it kept re-calculating the route saying to make that left. And then it had me make a right. And another right. Yes, virtually in a circle, which led me back to the road I could have made the right on originally. Granted I get confused with the one-way winding streets in this specific area of town, but it was so odd. Not like I lost much time, and it did get me to the correct road, but still.
Overall, I really love having a GPS and am happy with this purchase.
Update 12/30/2007
Now I must add the BT feature is GREAT.
Bluetooth/Hands Free - Originally I had placed the GPS to my left of steering wheel, which apparently blocked the mic and made it difficult to be heard; after positioning the GPS in center of dash, all callers had no problem hearing me, including my friend who always complains he cannot hear me.
With the Magellan, They hear me, and finally, finally (!) I clearly hear the caller. What a concept - hands free that works!
Customer Review: Compared 2 4040's side by side,, and Nuvi 360. buy 4040
Summary: 1 Stars
Magellan 4040 purchased 11/19/07 requested a returned 11/26/07
Advise: If you want something to take you to a specific address DON'T BUY a 4040! (SEE update dated 12/01/07 below)
The 4040 is a fantastic GPS navigator from point A to B, but fails getting you to C (the finale address)! It gets the major routes right every time. It is getting to the specific address that it fails miserably! My Son also has a 4040. We took both units in my car and compared them side by side to see if it was just my newer unit. I had the new firmware upgrade (2.24) but he did not. They acted in unison down to the finale address "You have arrived" over 10 times on 10 different destinations. You would "arrive" 9 out or 10 times either 500 feet to 2 miles past or before your specific address! On one occurrence it was 2 miles off. It RARELY tells you if your destination is on the right or left side of the road. So if your night driving you will have to bring a flashlight to see address, especially since it will say "you have arrived" feet to miles from your real intended destination. It does get you to the right street 9 out of 10 times. Also my sons 4040 had a major melt down during the test. It locked up and had to have it's major reset button pushed, then it took 5 minuets to lock onto the satellites again.
The ONLY time the two units were dead on target was when we were driving south in the fast lane of a 4 lane divided city road when the two 4040's said "you have arrived" as we passed our intended target on the opposite side of the road on a un crossable divided road. The unit never told us which side of the road the destination was on, just "you have arrived". You have to whip your head around and physically look for your destination, then find somewhere to make a U turn to get back to it rather than it routing you through the previous stop light into the destinations parking lot.
All the features of this unit are excellent! The off ramp "exit Poi's" were very helpful, yet again when you use them, they are 500' to 2000' off. It gets you close so you can see it go buy, or look for it after it says "you have reached your destination". I had a Magellan road mate 800 that was DEAD ON target 90% of the time. I would rather have it than this 4040! I am leaving the Magellan family for a Garmin Nuvi 360. I hope it is more like my old Road Mate 800!
I would like to add that 6ave (Sixth Avenue Electronics) have been very helpful on this matter and have promised a full refund! I would do business with them again!
UPDATE 12/1/07
I aquired a Garmin Nuvi 360 before I had sent this 4040 back. I did a side by side comparison with the two units on my dash. Believe it or not the Magellan 4040 was better! BOTH units are NOT accurate to get you to the exact address. Both will get you within 3 to 4 houses of your desired address. Someone e-mailed me and sugjested "setting the gps" to a spicific address to "calibrate" it. Also Magellan service sugjested doing this. You just tell it where it is by giving it your street address and it aquires the satelites and says "done". I thought this was used more to aquire satelite signal where the unit is having problems, but I guess it helps it figure out where it is also. Either way the 4040's error factor went down to 3 to 4 houses (100-500 feet) from 500 to 2000 feet or more. Overall the Magellan 4040 has better features, POI's, and useability than the Garmin Nuvi 360.
I will post a new review on my side by side evaluation of these two units but this post is allready too long to read! I am sending the Nuvi 360 back and keeping the 4040!