Magellan Maestro 4040 4.3-Inch Widescreen Bluetooth Portable GPS Navigator
by Magellan
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List Price: Our Price: $62.97 You Save: $537.02 (90%) Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days Category: GPS or Navigation System See more product details |
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Digital Cameras Photo Reviews of Magellan Maestro 4040 4.3-Inch Widescreen Bluetooth Portable GPS Navigator
Customer Review: Gets me there...
Summary: 5 Stars
BLUF: This product had the ease and features I needed while operating in the United States. And will recommend it highly for such.
International travelers buy at own risk. I have had this product for over a week now and has worked as advertised. some of the POI's are outdated but that is expected (look at your current yellow pages). I have not had a problem with the devise or navigation so have not contacted customer service. Alot of companies have a challenge with this, so I tend to avoid unless there is a serious issue.
I got nearly immediate sat fix on my location when I turned it on (outside). Originally it had me somewhere in Ca when first booted up in my basement, that was very quickly corrected when I was close to being out doors.
At the price I got this (<$200) I can not complain. I read ALOT of customer complaints for customer service failure... but decided to roll the dice. So far, I am glad I did! I had no problem linking my phones blue_tooth with it, getting my self to a small street on the other side of town via a route I would not have used... but may use next time (aka better route than mine).
Comparative to what I used before: USASOC (Army) issued me a hand held Garmin vista (not the OS) (no voice, but great graphic route display). the Garmin Handheld literately saved my life in a couple theaters of operations. On an March 2004 (night) and again late Jun night in Baghdad via world wide addons/maps on my vista. This devise had all the world maps I needed to program courses to safehouses, some others got me out of and into explosive situation. However, back here in the US I needed something with voice capability on a limited budget. I am very loyal to Garmin, however my life is not riding on my current mission set. Maestro 4040 gave me the features I wanted (road names on turn and acquisitions time for the satellites at the price I wanted. Boils down to products built able for different operational mission set with awesome accuracy.
My big complaint with most, if not all good GPS is the desire to see systems for EU, CENTCOM AND AFCOM areas and US areas separately devise and software. And Magellan has NO ability to cover outside the US that will cover all areas (according to their tech support). Reps [reject a policy )they WILL NOT come up with a devise for the routine world traveler (sailors exclude). I would have shelled out the extra $250-$450 for the garmin versions that have units out the box to do this or sell maps for other area... I could not find on the Magellan website how to be able to us my 4040 in the US and EU. I was advise to not hold my breath. Makes NO SENSE when Garmin and others can do it, and without horrendous pricing. I am waiting on Mio for there version for overseas travel as they claim to have new mapping software in the pipeline. I may just regift my Magellan system or return it once Mio get there programs up and running! From what I read they will be kick bu# for world traveler's in the future!
Bottom line, I knew what I was walking into... very few Americans leave the US for any reason, for them, this is a near perfect devise for those who seek good POI bases, AAA rated/discounted products services and don't intend to travel abroad. May consider either waiting to going to Garmin if you are in current need. With everhing I know now, and if my situation keeps me OCONUS (inside the US) I would buy another with out hesitation!
Final Note: I will report back and problem with the Magellan Maestro 4040 when and if they come! So far, non to speak of.
Joe Bob says "check it out"!
Customer Review: Great GPS, Very Easy to use & Lots of bells and whistles
Summary: 4 Stars
I got this unit to replace my Mio c230. The unit came preloaded with maps; and ready to use right out of the box. The first main screen has three icons: "Show Map" (will show you the current location), "Enter Address", and "Points Of Interest". At the bottom of the screen there are three small icons: "Home" (to store your home address, by tapping on it the Maestro will take you home), "AAA Roadside Assistance" icon, and "Phone" icon (to make phone calls thru the unit's Blue Tooth). Entering address is real easy; you have a choice of entering zip code, city name, or current city. Then enter the street name, just few letters and the Maestro will find few matching street names to choose from; then enter the number, choose the navigation preference (Fastest Time, Least / Most use of highway or Shortest distance); that simple. The destination may also be an intersection, or picked from the address book, where you can store a large number of addresses.
The second main screen has three icons: Trip Planer, where you can enter multiple addresses (up to 20), then chose the sequence or let the Maestro "optimize" the rout for you. This "Trip Planer" is very useful for anyone especially succor Moms, sales people and the likes (Garmin does not have this feature). The second icon "Exit POI" will display a list of POI on the next Freeway Exit, be it Gas, Food, ... etc. tap on anyone, and the Maestro will take you there. The last Icon is "User Options", where you can setup your preference: the map region, volume, brightness, trip computer, 2D / 3D map, Language, Time Zone.. .etc.
The map screen ("Normal" and "Routing" mode)is displayed while navigating, this is what I like the most: On the top it shows the name of street you're on, the direction of travel (N, E, S, W) and the satellite status. The bottom of the screen shows the time of the day, Main Menu Icon, and current speed. On the sides there are icons to zoom in or out, change volume or mute. If you tap on the direction indicator, it will show your current location (Street name & nearest crossing street) which can be saved to the "Address Book", and useful if you need roadside assistance . An arrow indicate your position on the map. In "Routing" mode, the screen shows the next maneuver icon in the lower left corner, tap on it to display a list of maneuvers. As you approach POI, it will be displayed on the screen, tap on POI, and the Maestro will take you there. As a maneuver is approached, the Maestro will automatically split the screen to show the shape / direction of the next maneuver. The bottom display is replaced by distance to next maneuver and remaining time / distance to final destination.
This unit also has an SD card expansion slot, and a standard earphone plug (which is helpful if you are in a convertible or on a motorcycle, I replaced my Mio C230 only because it lacked this feature). It comes pre loaded with maps for the US, Canada, Alaska, Hawaii and Puerto Rico. A voice command option is available as well as traffic alert. Included in the box with the Maestro 4040: A/C home charger, Car Cigarette Lighter Charger, Windshield mount, Adhesive disk, Protective Pouch, Quick reference Guide, User Manual on CD and USB Data Cable.
This unit is very good overall and very easy to use. One thing worth noting: It will not remember a destination unless you save it in the address book; i.e. it will not keep a history log. I've also done some search, and it seems that there is no road map for Europe compatible with this unit. If someone knows of an available one, please let me know.
Customer Review: Great GPS!! But Poor!!! Technical/Customer Support by Magellan.
Summary: 4 Stars
I read some reviews of the Magellan Maestro 4040 and heard some bad things about it being slow, calculating routes the wrong way and re-calculating routes very slow. I had the unit so far a week and do not find it slow at all and in fact I kept trying to confuse the unit and each time it re-calculated the within a couple of seconds. I like the unit very much and the POI database is very large. The Bluetooth feature is not as advanced as others but it pairs well with my Motorola RAZR 3c even though the website does not list my phone as one of the supported Bluetooth phones for the 4040. You can dial the POI numbers directly via Bluetooth. The speaker in the unit is very clear and I can understand it when says the name of the streets. This was a negative in some reviews but again I have not had any problems understanding it. It has an integrated antenna within the body of the unit and there is no need to pull out an antenna like on some other more expensive brands.
It does not have an MP3 player or pic viewer, but I have an iPod for that purpose.
My only complaint is that my unit came with the wrong cradle. This is very annoying because I have to use my cup holder and can not read the screen well when it is sideways. I call customer support and the option for the maestro series guides to a recording that says "your call can not be completed at this time, please try your call later" :-) I pressed the 3rd option on help with navigation and was connected to a live person. I tried explaining this to the person but they I guess did not care because a week later it is still that way :-) I explained the problem about the cradle and they said right away that they will send me a new one and I will get it in 7-10 business days. That was last week on 5/16. They said that I would get an email confirmation, but nothing. I call again today (used option 3 :-)), and they said that they will ship me a new one today and I should see in three days. Hhmmm We should see. This is the reason for a 4 star rating instead of 5.
Other than customer support, the 4040 performs very well and is very accurate in my opinion. For $400, you can not go wrong. I don't see the MP3 player and extra Bluetooth features (like synchronizing your phone contacts - which is neat) worth an extra $200 to $300 dollars.
Remember, if you need customer support, don't use the maestro option or you will just get a recording :-) unbelievable :-) Use option 3.
For now I will keep using my unit in my cup holder :-) until I hopefully get my replacement cradle.
UPDATE: 5-25-07, I just called Magellan Support today because 3 days have gone by and I have not seen any cradle and/or updates. They told me that the cradle is backordered and they will not receive any until the first week of June on the 7th and I should see it in about 2 weeks but there is no guarantee. Their excuse is that technical support mis-informed me about the status of the cradle. This will put me into the second week of June without using my GPS properly on the windshield mount.
Unbelievable! I would send it back to Amazon but the unit itself works flawlessly and with my luck, a whole replacement would probably net me a broken unit. So I continue to wait.
UPDATE: 5/29/2007, I sent Amazon customer support an email. They sent me a new unit overnight and this one came with right accessories. Thank you Amazon!!! Too Bad for Magellan.
Customer Review: how did i ever get along without one
Summary: 5 Stars
After months of research and reading review after review on the various gps units I came upon a very interesting review on this site. The person suggested that most of the negative comments he read, and researched these comments, were probably due to outdates software. So, the positives were so positive that i decided that this was the unit i wanted. It came and i quickly read the overview and took it for a spin. It worked flawlessly. I especially like the fact that if you made a "wrong turn" it did not prompt you to turn around, but simply recalculated the new route. I made a few turns that were other than the shown route and within seconds it had the new route processed and displayed. I especially like the street names read out loud. I mean, there is really no need to look at the screen if you don't want to. One of the complaints was it didn't tell you how many minutes to your arrival time, but displays the estimated arrival time. Give me a break---how lazy can we get. What i thought was interesting was i was stopped for about ten minutes for a large construction project and it simply added the time to the estimated arrival time. Very good feature. The voice is very clear and understandable, the directions were flawless. I see no problem with the size of the letters on the screen. It tells you which lane you should be in, it tell you at each major intersection, even though the roads are clearly marked, where you should be. I have been in a lot of cars with the units but i have to admit that this is the best one i have seen so far. I didn't get the one with the mp3 player as it didn't interest me. This unit will do everything you could want it to do as far as getting you where you want to go, without the stress of wondering where you are, how far the exit is, whatever. I can't find a thing i don't like about it. Oh, i especially liked the fact that on the highway it gives you about a two mile warning of a lane change, exit, etc. then at one mile then at .5 miles. when you are in the correct lane, and about 200 feet or so from the actual move, it gives a signal. Very complete package. Plus, the large screen is really nice.
In my opinion this is probably the best unit for the money. Amazon offered the best price i have seen anywhere. Merry Christmas.
Just came back from a 240 mile trip which included 90% highway and 10% in town travel. I was amazed at the accuracy of the route selected. In town was a mass of small, close streets, and to be honest i expected to have some problems. directions were announced clearly and accurately. It did take me a few block out of my way, but really nothing to be concerned about. it made the whole experience a lot less stressful and announced my arrival, to include which side of the street the home was located.
It warns you two miles in advance of any intersections on the highway, tells you to get into the correct lane or tells you to stay on the present route. The voice is clear and the streets are understandable. I did buy the dash mounted holder. It's like a beanbag that the unit mounts to and it puts it on the dash, not blocking visibility and makes it easier, and safer to use. I highly recommend this product. 5 STARS.
Oh, it couldn't be easier to use. As far as the negative comments that i read on this site, well, i just don't see them. read the directions and it's a go.
Customer Review: Buyer Beware!
Summary: 1 Stars
My name is Tony Essery, I have until very recently been a loyal Magellan customer having purchase 5 Magellan GPS units. In April I purchased a Explorist 400 for my birthday and intended to use it in July on a trip to Southern Mexico. Well the product never worked, I tried to return it to sears but it had already been 30 days since purchase so they would not exchange it. I then contacted the support group whom gave me a return authorization # and address to send the unit to. The tech on the phone said this was a common defect and this would be a quick turnaround. I mailed it to your Texas repair facility Via USPS with delivery confirmation (you received the Item on August 3) I waited almost 3 weeks for the item and then called for a status. The tech said there was a software problem at there end and could not verify any information for me. The tech also informed me they would call me before the end of the day. The next day I still had not received any call, so I called back. Now the tech informed me that they were very sorry and my gps would be sent out immediately, I should expect it in 3-4 days. 1 Week later still no GPS, I called back and asked for a supervisor (Rita, they would not tell me last names) whom apologized and said in fact there were no 400 models available to ship (so they never shipped or called) so I asked for the next level of upgrade since I basically had a brand new unit that never worked. Rita agreed and said she would be sending a NEW 600 explorist out immediately, expect this in 1 week. 1 Week and 2 days later still no GPS. So I called back This time I asked for the head of the dept. I spoke with Tanlee (again no last name) He informed me the item still had not shipped (gave me no reason) but he was shipping the I tem out immediately and I would receive it in 1 week. I explained that I would need proof as this has already been promised to me, he said he could provide no proof due to soft ware issues on their side. One week later I still had no GPS and very angrily called back and spoke with supervisor Sam Daniel, whom again promised me the unit to be shipped in 1 week. Now I called back and spoke to Supervisor Wilson whom only could repeat every promise made earlier to me and swore I would definitely receive my gps in 1week. 1 week and 2 days later , I called again and this time I got the supervisor so upset he informed me that he had already done everything in his power and they could not give any additional information or contacts out. By the way every single person I spoke with was from India so I could hardly understand them and they could often not communicate with me, Can you even imagine how upset I now am? I have tried to call the cooperate HQ on several occasions and never could get anyone on the phone due to the automated response system. I sent Magellan an certified return receipted letter (Which was received and signed for) to their Corp. HQ in CA. I have never in my life (32 years) been so insulted or had worse customer service. It is now October 17th And I still have not received my unit or any explanation from Magellan. Buyer Beware!