Magellan Maestro 4040 Review:
The Magellan 4040 is the latest in the Magellan product line. The Magellan Maestro 4040 Portable Auto GPS System is the ultimate travel companion. Re-engineered for easy use, it combines advanced features, elegance, and simplicity to make driving more pleasurable and less stressful. The Maestro 4040 has integrated Bluetooth and text-to-speech functionality, while the Maestro 4050 adds real-time traffic alerts and voice commands.

The Magellan 4040 features a 4.3-inch nonreflective QVGA display that I found very viewable in bright-sunlight driving conditions. For signal reception, the GPS is equipped with a SiRFStar III receiver and an integrated antenna—there’s no “patch” fold-out antenna. A relatively large rear-facing speaker provides robust sound. The generous 4.3-inch display offers large icons that make getting directions, finding a point-of-interest, or planning a trip easy. The Maestro 4040 sports a classic black-and-silver color scheme and a more refined and streamlined design. It’s got a sleek profile and compact dimensions–at at 3.7 inches high by 5 inches wide by 0.8 inch deep, and weighing 8.5 ounces–for easy portability between vehicles.

The device isn’t bombarded by external controls. There’s just an SD/MMC expansion slot, a power button, a mini USB port, and a Reset button on the left spine, and a 3.5mm headphone jack and power connector on the right side.

With built-in AAA travel information, the Maestro 4040 gives you instant access to the most trusted source for trip planning; searchable AAA TourBook® listings, Show Your Card & Save® locations for member discounts, approved auto repair facilities, attractions, events, and more. The Maestro 4040 also provides AAA members roadside assistance details, with exact location and a toll-free help number. The Maestro 4040 is also Bluetooth-enabled, so you can connect your Bluetooth cell phone directly to AAA for immediate help when you need it most.

The Magellan Maestro 4040 includes maps for all 50 states, Canada, and Puerto Rico. Those of you with Bluetooth-enabled phones will appreciate the built-in speakerphone function. You also get a larger POI database with millions of business and service listings. The Magellan 4040 is upgradable to provide live traffic info, if you purchase the optional TrafficKit and a subscription to traffic-data services. The Magellan 4040 snaps into the TrafficKit cradle, which has an integrated FM-TMC receiver. No additional wires or antennas are required. Finally, you can enable the Maestro 4040 to accept voice commands, for virtually hands-free operation. In addition, there’s QuickSpell, included on all Maestro series GPS devices. QuickSpell speeds data entry by graying out unavailable letters on the alphabetically arranged keyboard.

Magellan 4040’s Map options include the standard 2D North and 2D track-up as well as 3D track-up views. There’s also an auto TrueView and Split TrueView, turn previews that appear on the map view. The user options menu also has a simulator mode that lets you preview your route at up to twice real-time speed.

The Magellan Maestro 4040’s navigation view is very clean, and only a limited amount of information and a handful of icons appear on the screen. Of course, there are icons for zoom in/out and one for speaker volume/mute. There are also indicators for GPS signal strength and travel direction (N, S, E, W.). A tap of the direction icon brings up a screen with your exact location, a speedometer, and an altimeter, and offers you the option to save your current location. For each saved location, you can enter up to three phone numbers that you can dial using the Bluetooth phone interface.

The POI menu on the Maestro lets you search by name or by category. Within each search type, you can search near your current position, near a city, or near an address.

Magellan Maestro 4040 Features:

• Sophisticated and simple: Streamlined touch-screen buttons minimize steps to locate a destination
• Sleek design: Integrated GPS antenna provides excellent satellite reception in a slim and compact design
• Graphical interactive maps: Maps and destinations for the U.S., Puerto Rico, and Canada are built-in, so you can travel far and wide and always know where you are and where you’re going
• Traffic-enabled: Add the Magellan TrafficKit™ to your Magellan 4040 to get live traffic incident reports; activation and subscription fees apply
• Voice command upgradeable: Add Voice Command control for hands-free operation with an upgrade from Magellan; activation fee applies
• Bird’s-eye 3D view: Clearly see your surroundings in 2D or 3D; also choose between Map View, TrueView™ 3D split screen, and Maneuver List
• Rechargeable battery: Navigate even when you don’t have access to power
• Multi-destination routing: Select up to 20 destinations and choose the order that best fits your needs
• SmartDetour™: Automatically prompts you to route around suddenly slow freeway traffic
• Auto re-route: Never miss a turn and quickly get back on track whenever you make a detour
• Auto night view: Adjusts color and contrast for easy night viewing
• QuickSpell™: Easily enter addresses with unique auto-complete feature that even corrects spelling
• Complete mobility: Transfer to any vehicle with no installation
• 4.5 million points of interest (POIs): Optimized database to easily find gas stations, restaurants, ATMs, and more. And with smart location you can search by name, category, and region. There’s even a Coffee category so you can quickly find caffeine whenever you need it.
• Interactive POI icons: Touch an onscreen icon for a nearby destination, see name and address, and get an instant route
• Customizable route method: Fastest time, shortest distance, least or most use of freeways, avoid toll roads
• Route exclusion: Select streets and freeways to avoid so you can get there your way
• Address book: Create and store personal points of interest for easy reoccurring trips
• Instant locate: One touch shows your location; quickly advise roadside assistance or emergency services

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