Magellan Maestro 4250 4.3-Inch Bluetooth Portable GPS Navigator
by Magellan
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List Price: Our Price: $58.00 You Save: $541.99 (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 4250 4.3-Inch Bluetooth Portable GPS Navigator
Customer Review: Solid GPS system for the price!
Summary: 4 Stars
I purchased my Maestro from Amazon at the beginning of May 2008 (for $260), after copious amounts of research (Thanks to everyone who has reviewed it so far).
So of course, the #1 complaint I read was the freeze-ups. I thought i'd take a chance for the price. So far (it is now July), I have experienced only one freeze-up (in early May), then it never happened again. I also updated the firmware a few days after the freeze, so it's possible that the firmware update helped.
but i've been extremely happy with it. It has some great features (Super Slim, Text-to-speech, voice recognition (although I don't use it that much), multi-destination planning, one-touch detours, route exclusions, traffic service, Bluetooth, HUGE POI database, etc.) and I got it for much less than the Garmin equivalent (basically the Nuvi 660).
As far as routing goes (which is of course the main reason you get a GPS), it has been outstanding. Always gets me to correct location, and re-routes VERY quickly if I happen to go off course or accidentally bypass a turn. I tested it in my hometown, which I know very well, and it often used routes that I take all the time and know to be the fastest way to get somewhere. However, some new areas are not on the Maestro maps, so I'm eagerly awaiting an update.
Not to mention I'm an AAA member, so that was another reason to get it (AAA membership entitles you to AAA updates, extended warranty, 15% off products (like map updates if they ever release them)). Magellan is also offering a free year of the traffic service right now, so that's another plus.
I gave it 4 stars vs. 5 stars because i was a little disappointed that there's no map update out yet. I wish i could give 4.5 stars.
Anyone buying the Maestro, I would also recommend the following products:
Navigon 4.3" Protective Hard Shell Case - fits the Maestro extremely well, and looks great.
Car Vent Mount for Magellan Maestro 3100 3140 3200 3210 3220 3250 4000 4040 4050 4200 4210 4220 4250 RoadMate 1200 2000 2200T Crossover 3000T 2050T 6000T 360 760 800 860T GPS - Great little mount that connects to your air vent (if you have an air vent with horizontal slats). You don't have to use a big and bulky dash mount, window mount, or friction mount.
Customer Review: Very Pleased with Unit
Summary: 4 Stars
Like everyone else, I spent weeks of painstaking research on which GPS to buy, I finally settled on the new Magellan Maestro 4250.
It was a close race between this and the Garmin Nuvi 660. Neither are perfect, so it was a matter of comparing features and picking which bells and whistles I wanted.
This is my first GPS so don't have anything to compare it to, except for using one in a rental car, which was also Magellan. So far, I am very happy with it. I have not registered or tried the real time traffic update feature yet.
Pro's
* Easy and intuitive user interface. Touch screen responsive to the lightest tap. Screen is large, crisp and easy to see.
* Clear and audible text to speech. Saying the street names is a tremdous help.
* Accurate and dependable directions. Seems to pick up even the new roads around. Tells you about upcoming turns in enough time to prepare. Also tells you which side of the street your destination is on when you get there.
* Quickly and automatically re-calculates route if you miss a turn (does not force you to make a u-turn to get back original route)
* Locks on to a satellite signal almost instantaneously when powered on, and so far, hasn't lost connection.
* Good selection of POI. Easily identifiable and easy to navigate. Very helpful if you are looking for a gas station or coffee shop! On the other hand you can filter out the POIs that you see roll by so the screen isn't cluttered. Very nice.
* AAA guidebook ... handy
* Day/Night lighting and colors
* Sleek black and silver design. Ultra thin and portable.
* Voice command .. very cool. It does sometimes takes a few tries to get Magellan's attention and for it to understand what you want. But, it's still useful. "Magellan, GO HOME" is my favorite. :-)
* Extras ... case, AC adapter.
Con's
* It doesn't always choose the most direct route (shortcuts I know) .. even after playing with the preferences (shortest route, fastest route, least use of highways ...), However, the routes that it does choose are reasonable.
* Bluetooth .. it loses a star for bluetooth. I have a relatively new Nokia phone that is not supported. In fact, the list of phones that is supported is rather limited, though I imagine that will improve over time.
Overall, for the price, it is a good product and a dependable navigator. I would highly recommend it.
Customer Review: Good but not perfect
Summary: 4 Stars
I bought the Maestro 4250 in early April because I had several scheduled road trips and got tired of playing with paper maps. For the most part it works as advertised and and I'm pleased with it overall but it does have some quirks.
Others have alreday reviewed teh major pros/cons of this unit and my expericence with it matches the majority here with problems turning the unit on and some odd routing that isn't as short/fast as it should have been.
The text-to-speech feature needs some common sense tweaking. Others have already mentioned the issue with "Dr" being announced as "Doctor" instead of "Drive" but sometimes it recognizes other common abreviations and other times it doesn't. For example, I live just outside of Boston and travel on MA Rt. 2 daily. In some places Rt. 2 is known as the "Concord Turnpike" which the unit corectly announces. In other places Rt. 2 is known as the "Cambridge Turnpike". The maps list this as the "Cambridge Tpke" and the unit will announce it as "Cambridge Tee-Pee-Kay-Eee". On other Turnpikes I've also had it announce the abreviation as "Tipika". It has a similar probem with the "St" abreviation. If it is in the map as "St." (with a period) the unit will announce it as "Street". If there is no period (i.e. "St") it will announces it as "Ess-Tee".
On one trip from Boston to Lewes DE, I took I-84 west through CT and when I crossed into NY the exit ramp led to I-684 which you can take South to either New York or North to Pawling. The exit description comes up on the Maestro as "New York C/Pa" and the unit announces it as "Exit #xx; New York Ka-pow". :p
It also has issues with exit numbers where there are "A" and "B" exits. It will properly announce Exit 27 as "Exit Twenty-Seven" but Exit 27A will be announced as "Exit Two Seven Ah" and Exit 27B will be annound as "Exit Two Seven Bee". Apparently the A/B designation throws the unit off and it defaults to a strict "announce-it-one-digit/letter-at-a-time" mode.
One final nit - one feature that I would really like to have seen on this thing is the ability to tell it that I'm driving a commercial vehicle and be able to tell it my vehicle weight and then have it figure comercial vehicle exclusions when it calculates my routes. This should be a basic feature for any automotive GPS but few seem to have it. If you plan on buying one you'll need to exclude any road with commercial vehicle exclusions yourself.
Customer Review: Very nice unit overall, especially for the price
Summary: 4 Stars
I have had the 4250 for a few days and overall I'm very happy with it. I was a bit worried about the power switch problem everybody seemed to be having but I have turned the unit on and off through quite a few cycles and have really not had this issue. The switch does seem to have a "sweet spot" and if you press it as it likes to be pressed, it seems to power up readily. When I use the cigarette adapter, the unit powers up with no problem without any button pushing at all.
I have tried the voice command and it is picky about the way it like to be spoken too... but overall it works OK. Of course the less outside noise, the better the voice command works. The bluetooth also works OK... not stellar... but I called home and talked through the unit at about 45 MPH. I would have liked a little more volume through the speaker, but I could hear the call and my wife said she heard me just fine. I did have an issue where the touch screen would not go into paired mode. When I was on the phone page and pressed pair mode, the page would come up and immediately go back to the menu without pairing. I did the reset where you hold the power switch down for 10 seconds and restart and the problem went away. It remains to be seen whether this will be a recurring issue.
The display is great, sharp and detailed. The voice that announces the manuvers is pleasant enough. The GPS itself has been dead on accurate and the maps are great. I take I-78 to work from PA - NJ every day and the unit can actually tell if I am in the local or express lanes! Only once or twice have I had some minor routing issues. I knew the unit was going to take me a bit out of my way, so I excluded the manuver... had to do it twice before she told me the fastest route. Funny thing was, the day before maggie told me the fastest way the first time.. go figure.
Overall, I am very happy with the 4250, I have 30 days to decide if it's a keeper and for now, it definitely is! I would have given it 5 stars if I didn't have to re-pair up my phone to the bluetooth each time.
I also have to mention, I was blown away by the service I got from Amazon with this order... I ordered the unit on Wednesday at about 4 in the afternoon... right after Christmas. I selected one day shipping. Within a couple of hours I had an Email saying the unit had shipped, and I had the unit in my hands the next day! WOW!
Customer Review: BUYERS BEWARE******
Summary: 1 Stars
THIS COMPANY IS NOT ONE YOU WANT TO BUY FROM OR DEAL WITH! I bought a brand new gps online, and after I received it, it malfunctioned on the 2nd day of having it! It was stuck on a settings screen--unable to be used. I tried to reset it, but it was evident that my new unit was defective when I got it. Magellan doesn't have customer service on the weekends, so...... I had to wait until Monday to talk to a technical support person. I was told to send it to the repair center. I talked to about 5 representatives who all must be overseas, and no one was concerned about my defective unit. I asked to speak to a supervisor, and I was sent around in circles without getting any help. I have wrote letters, made calls and even got the better business bureau involved. THIS COMPANY IS NOT WILLING TO BACK THEIR PRODUCTS. THEY ARE NOT WILLING TO SATISFY THEIR CUSTOMERS. If you received a defective unit, tough.....now you have to pay to get it to the repair center. Evidently, they do not invest in testing their products beforehand or pay a little more for American representatives to service Americans. HOW CHEAP! BEWARE!!! I've read reviews before where people received defective units, and I said, oh, that's just one in a million--it won't happen to me. Well, you never know, do you? If they are not willing to back their products, how reliable will their products be? How many times will I have to send it off for repairs?
On its use, its probably near the same as other gps devices. On several occasions, I tried to go a certain route that I knew, and the gps would recalculate my route and tell me to go to the next exit and turn around to get back on their route. How absurd! I didn't want to go that way, so I expected it to reroute me a different way. It didn't. The Bluetooth wanted to turn off when I wasn't talking on it, even though I wanted to keep it enabled while driving. So, forget it, enough hassle. When typing in a point of interest by name, the buttons are sensitive and letters get repeated. When using the trip planner, I wanted to find out the route from one destination to another, but I couldn't get that info until I reached the first destination, then it would take me to the next one. Great idea, but this trip planner needs some work. I would definitely suggest looking into a reputable company for a gps, not Magellan.