5stars
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Easy to use75% agree
Good value75% agree
Reliable performance100% agree
140 Reviews
Maestro 4040 GPS new owner's review.
The Magellan Maestro 4040 has the look and feel of a quality navigation unit. The touch screen controls are easy to use and understand and the wide screen display and clear voice prompts make navigation easy in both city and highway. There are thousands of AAA listed restaurants, hotels, auto repair facilities, plus banks, hospitals, ATMs and about 3.5 million other points of interest available at your fingertips. One of the features that I especially like the restaurant and hotel guide that provides general pricing information, business phone numbers, hours of operation, instant visual and voice guidance to that location, etc. Quite handy when I am traveling about in an unfamilure area. The mounting system feels solid and vibration free. The one gripe that I have is that the sun tends to wash out the colorful video display on bright days so a sunshade for this unit is almost mandatory. This Maestro 4040 also has BlueTooth sync capability with most brands of cellular phones currently on the market so driving remains a safe, hands-on-the-wheel experience without having to fumble to answer your cell phone or place calls out on the road. I like my Magellan Maestro 4040 and, for the money, I think that you will too.Read full review...
Good GPS - Here's the Scoop
Pros:
Low price
Compact
Clever and workable mounting system
Easy to learn (if you have used a GPS before.)
Great voice commands - extra information really useful.
Rapid satellite acquisition - and actually works IN my house.
Lots of points of interest
Night mode quite effective
Cons:
Poor use of wide screen display
Inflexible display wastes height and width of screen and you can't change much of what is displayed or move anything around.
No display of miles to go - only calculated ETA.
Route markup hard to see - night mode better than day mode, but you can't choose which is enabled, it's automatic.
Not enough road name and route number markings
Auto speed-based zoom not very effective
Loudspeaker could be a bit better
Summary:
This is a good GPS for the money and beats many for twice the price. The reception and voice commands are excellent but the design and usage of the screen could be MUCH more effective. The nice wide screen is wasted by the very lame main GUI. I suspect that most of the GPS GUI designers did not really think about the new wide screens - just ported the old junk - too bad, our loss. My old Lowrance is MUCH better in this respect. I now use both devices at times - the Magellan 4040 mostly when the small size is important. Maybe there will be a firmware upgrade improving the screen layout - lots of luck.Read full review...
Magellan Maestro™ 4040 Car GPS Receiver
Accurate GPS with updates available from Magellen website. So far the GPS has worked without error. The bluetooth feature is great for using your cell handsfree when driving. Drawbacks are the battery life is less than advertised. The website reqires paying 99.00 for voice command. Expensive considering the GPS was 200.00. Touch screen works well but the number pad for the phone disappears to quickly if you pause slightly. Overall it's a good buy for the investment and much better than the Tom Tom from my experence.Read full review...
Magellan 4040 GPS
This is a very nice product and fairly easy to operate. The touch screen is a bit hard to use with fingers but works excellent with a pencil eraser or similar object. The direction and voice instructions are easy to follow and clear. With four different direction options this is a nice touch but sometimes the routes chosen don't appear to be the best. Using the bluetooth feature with cell phone works well but the set up with my phone was bit more difficult then expected. I think this is because I have a Treo phone. All in all this is a very good product and easy to use right out of the box.Read full review...
One Handy Direction Finder!
I purchased a Magellan Maestro 4040 to help me find clients as I drive the east coast and Canada. I have tried other GPS systems in rental cars and found the Hertz Never Lost System the most accurate and user friendly. Based on the Never Lost, I researched and found that it is manufactured by Magellan. After browzing the different units available from Magellan I found the 4040 the best fit for my needs. I have used it for my last three trips and discover my helpful features every time. I have downloaded the user manual from the Magellan web site but have not had an oppertunity to try to download specific software or updates to this unit purchased on eBay. One problem I have encountered is with the female portion where the power adapter plugs in. This plastic oriface was broke when I received the unit and disconnects from power from time to time. I tried to contact Megellan to determine if there was somewhere I could take it or send it to get it fixed. They replyed asking me where I got it and when I got it and will send me a return authorization to send it to them to attempt to fix it. I have not returned their response as I am not ready to send this unit away for an unknown period of time just to find out that it can not be fixed or the repair charge exceeds the price I paid for it...
Overall I am pleased with the unit. The small problem I am experiencing with the adapter connection seems to be a typical problem with this type of connection as I have had similar problems with other equipment such as radar detectors...Read full review...
Overall a good value
I am not a fan of Magellan. However the 4040 has a good CNET rating and its well deserved. Advantages include its relatively fast satellite start up and recovery time is comparable to Tomtom or Garmin. It also names the street. I had to look up the instructions for favorites and phone book as it is not as intuitive as the others. However it is easy once you know how to get to it. It doesn't have voice commands but voice is expensive and rarely works well. If you have AAA then the updated points of interest are great. I got this as "used" which was just without a box from eBay through Microsoft live and it was an exceptional value - 25 percent of the list price.Read full review...
Magellan 4040 Portable Automotive GPS
First, I have to describe my experience with GPS systems. This is the first such device I have ever purchased. There might be better GPS units, but I have not used or had experience with them. Anyway, I felt the price of the Magellan 4040 was great for the features I got. The unit I purchased was factory refurbished, and it cost about $130 with shipping. The only drawback was that my unit came with outdated maps, but for the price I paid it was not a big deal.
I must comment how easy the Magellan 4040 is to use. I am by no means a computer savy person. However, this device is simple and easy to use right out of the box. There are a few features I had to read the CD manual in order to understand, but I could basically operate the unit without directions as it was that simple to use.
My GPS does a decent job of getting me to places. I work as a firefighter in small/medium sized city of roughly 50,000 people. I know the area well, and it plans routes that I would deem as acceptable during my test period. I have tried to throw the unit off by intentionally missing turns to see what would happen. My Magellan would re-calculate the route in a timely manner. My system came with the latest software updates which helped to minimize the number of "make a u-turn" statements that I read in previous reviews of this GPS model. I also realize that these devices are not infallible. There are times when the system thinks it is at or gives appropriate directions to a set location even when I know they are not right. However, that rarely occurs in my experience. Personnally, I believe it is still just a computer which relies on people to properly program maps, etc., and; as a result, this type of system will not be perfect. Therefore, one cannot rely on the GPS 100% of the time, and the user should still utilize common sense. The system will get you in the ballpark which for me is good enough.
I also must comment on a few other things. I do not use the Bluetooth function on my GPS unit as my truck already has it. I cannot comment how good or bad that feature works. I like the reminders as to approaching turns. I feel it is very helpful. The menu screens are bright blue even at night which can be a distraction when driving at night. I think that is a nuisance more than anything as the map screen is fine.
I think the Magellan 4040 is a decent GPS unit. I have not had any problems using mine, and I feel it does a great job of getting me places.Read full review...
Magellan Maestro 4040 car GPS Receiver
I purchased this GPS as an upgrade to a previous Magellan receiver I had purchased and started having some issues with. At first I wasn't to happy about the touch screen on this machine because it wasn't reading very well when using your finger. It took multiple times touching either a letter or a number before it would read. I tried using the eraser end of a pencil instead of a finger and that seems to have corrected the problem. I don't know if that is characteristic of all brands or even this particular brand and model. It is characteristic of this machine and maybe why the person sold it?? Overall I am currently satisfied after finding a solution to the problem I was having. Hopefully this will be the only issue I have.Read full review...
Caught a napper on Ebay & $51 snatched it 10 sec left!
I have a Garmin as well. I do like all the gadgets especially bluetooth. I think its a cool system but that many more distractions. Im interested in the updates to see how they compare. Garmin is just by far the best for simplicity and efficient yet a 5 year old could use it. The map visuals are inferior too. But if you never had one you would never know. If you can grab a Mag cheap like I did it's worth it but it doesnt even belong in the same category to Garmin. If you gotta budget of $200, goin Garmin without a shadow of doubt!Read full review...
DONT BELIVE EVRYTHING YOU READ !!
well, s ok, it does work and take you where you want to go. But heres some news for you....THEY ALL DO! No great feat here. I purchased two of these. One for my wife and one for me. MISTAKE!They lock up while your using them and you have to reset. The data base is SOOO far behind its not funny. Maps are NOT up to date(doesnt do you any good if half the roads in your town arent even on it like ours. the road i live on isnt even on it.AND I LIVE IN TOWN! The speaker for voice direction is pathetic. Dont plan oh hearing the "2 miles to destination" or any other voice commands if your radio is on even softly or the window is down or god forbid someone is talking. It will get you where your going if you dont let your guard down and paying attention. Plain and simple the speakers in these suk. If you want a good one for way less $$$$ buy a tom tom. Thats what my friends have and im SORRY i didnt get one. Also if your in an area with say dirt roads (parks,camps, etc....) these units will not leave a crumb trail like the tom toms do so if your in unfamiliar territory you can follow your trail back out even if the roads arent on the map. THAT SPEAKS VOLUMES. I recommend buying ANY gps except these.Read full review...