Magellan Maestro 4040 Impressions: AAA Built in, Might Not Suck

If you've ever owned a Magellan GPS portable navigator, you may know that they tended not to have any endurance. Okay, fine, they crapped out a lot. Two RoadMate 700s both managed to die on me, once while I was driving through a nasty part of Boston. A few weeks ago, after a two-year hiatus from Magellan, I was using a RoadMate 6000T. I was headed to an out-of-the-way airport with my in-laws in the car, when the thing decided to freeze up. When my father-in-law asked why I had no maps in my glove compartment, I glared at the 6000T and wondered the same thing. More »

Magellan Makes Maestro Line Official, First GPS with Voice Command

Magellan confirmed those leaked Maestro GPS systems today, giving them better prices than we had initially reported. The top of the line Maestro 4050 will be the company's first GPS to support voice commands and sell for $699 when it drops in May. The 4040, which loses the 4050's voice command and real-time traffic features, but keeps Bluetooth and text-to-speech will go for $499, whereas the entry-level 4000 will debut in April (along with the 4040) for $399. Personally, I'd wait till TomTom makes their SMS-capable unit official before committing to any of these systems. – Louis Ramirez More »

Magellan's New Maestro GPS Line Leaked

Looks like the folks at online retailer TigerGPS have accidentally released details on Magellan's new Maestro line of GPS systems. The new line includes the entry-level Maestro 4000 ($449) which will come with a 4.3-inch touch-screen display and voice-guided directions. For $599, you can upgrade to the 4040, which ups the stakes with text-to-speech voice directions, live traffic capability, and Bluetooth. Meanwhile, at $799 sits the top of the line 4050, which offers everything the base models do and adds voice recognition technology, so you'll be able to command the unit with the sound of your voice. All three will be out next month, though I'd personally go for the 4050, just so I could whisper sweet nothings into its ear. – Louis Ramirez More »