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| Magellan Maestro 4040 4.3-Inch Widescreen Portable GPS Navigator | 
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| Brand: Magellan
Category: CE
List Price: $599.99
Buy Used: $119.99
You Save: $480.00 (80%)
New (8) Used (7) Refurbished (4) from $119.99
Avg. Customer Rating:  209 reviews
Sales Rank: 4164
Color: black/silver
Media: Electronics
Memorabilia: No
Batteries Included: Yes
Native Resolution: 480 x 272
Display Size: 4.3
Includes MP3 Player: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.5
Dimensions (in): 5 x 4 x 1
Legal Disclaimer: Warranty does not cover misuse of product.
MPN: Maestro 4040
Model: Maestro 4040
UPC: 763357116946
EAN: 0763357116946
ASIN: B000NMKHW6
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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| Customer Reviews:
 Frustrating August 28, 2008
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
I started experiencing problems with mine after updating the firmware. The unit has shown that I am driving off the map when in fact I am on a road that has existed for 50 years this has happend numerous times. The arrival time changes wildly while driving your route. Customer service HA! You'll get more satisfaction talking to a potted plant. Trying to get a problem resolved via the Magellan website is ridiculous.
 A Great Navigation Tool at a Great Price! July 24, 2008
3 out of 3 found this review helpful
Let me start out immediately by saying I really like the Magellan 4040 GPS but it isn't perfect. But then what GPS is? In general, a GPS is a great tool to have; however, I have yet to find any GPS that can replace local driving experience and good common sense. For example, I know that I can travel north on a particular route with no problem but I also know to avoid the same route when traveling south because of highway construction that closes down all lanes but one bringing traffic to a crawl. I had high hopes for this particular GPS because of the acclaimed Magellan Traffic Service that is available as an option. I purchased the traffic kit separately but the service is only available in certain cities and while Atlanta, GA (where I live) is supposed to be one of those cities, it seems there is no one manning the command post as I have yet to see any traffic alerts. The traffic kit consist of replacing the original cradle that comes with the unit and on the plus side it is made better and includes an external antenna connection which you don't get otherwise. I use an external antenna because I mount mine just below the radio beneath the dash and no GPS will pick up signals very well unless it has a clear view of the sky so I mount an external antenna on my rear shelf with a clear view via the back glass. I just don't like anything mounted on my windshield, besides they tend to get washed out by the sun light there. So while the Magellan Traffic Service is useless for me, the optional traffic kit mount proved to be very complimentary.
I recently used the unit on a 1300 mile round trip that consisted of combined scenic and freeway driving. I started out in Atlanta, GA and traveled to and from Mansfield, OH. I first planned my trip using a combination of atlas and mapquest.com. I wanted a mixture of scenic roads and freeways on the way up and absolute fastest time on the return trip. In addition, I needed to make a slight detour to Wytheville, VA on the way up. This is where the trip planner functionality of the GPS came in very handy. I was able to sit down on my sofa and enter all of my destinations and even run a simulation of the trip as if I was on the road. The simulator is excellent for just sitting down and learning all of the numerous features that this GPS is capable of. Of course there were times when the GPS wanted to go a different route than what I wanted and this goes back to my beginning statement alluding to the fact that the GPS can't take the place of the human mind. A GPS is nothing more than a small computer running a piece of software. Being a software developer myself I am well aware that an application can only be as good as the programmer(s) that programmed it. They also rely on having current map data to make correct determinations and this is where I think all current GPS units fall short. I would love to see Magellan or Garmin provide constant map data updates via the Internet. I would gladly pay a premium for a subscription service that would allow me to get updates on a daily, weekly or even a monthly basis. As it stands now the map data is at least 2 years stale right out of the box. There's gotta be a better way!
So, why did I give it 4 stars instead of 5? Partly because of the fact that you must purchase the optional traffic kit to be able to use an external antenna and but mainly because the firmware can be a bit buggy at times selecting routes. This occurred on my return trip to Atlanta. I live just north of Atlanta and when I was ready to leave Mansfield, OH, I punched in my home destination using the fastest available route and the itinerary initially had me going south of Atlanta before finally heading back north which would have been an extra 2 hours of driving. I say "initially" because as I got closer to GA, the itinerary miraculously healed itself and began showing the correct routes to take. Hopefully a future firmware revision will cure this but for now I will be very careful to double check all routes ahead of time. This might be a killer for many, but for me, the numerous positive features offset the negatives making this a great deal. Anything else I could say would be purely subjective to preference so I leave it at that.
 Magellan Maestro 4050 Not 4040 Received July 23, 2008
Magellan Maestro 4050 4.3-Inch Widescreen Portable GPS Navigator
We originally ordered the Magellan Maestro 4040, but the seller ran out and sent the 4050 instead. We have a 4040 and love it and wanted to give it as a gift to our son. He is directionally challenged.
We did research prior to accepting the 4050. The reviews and descriptions did not state that it had sayware text to speech. Well after several hours of looking we finally found that the 4050 did have what we wanted. The 4050 is a newer version and has the traffic kit. Sign up with 3 months free and then you will be charged a fee. We do not use this feature.
The screen is large and clear. Programming is a cinch. This is a great tool for business travelers that have to hop off a flight and into a rental car to find an address that they've never been to before. We are very impressed with the 4050 and the 4040.
It is a wonderful GPS tool for the money....oh yeah, and the directionally challenged!
Magellan Maestro 4040 GPS July 17, 2008
Very user friendly and accurate. Takes you all the way to the specific address not like some that just get you to the general area.
The 4040 also has maps of Canada for our trip to Niagara Falls this summer. Large display screen is easier to see when driving.
 Great GPS, Voice Recognition Absolutely Pathetic July 16, 2008
3 out of 3 found this review helpful
First a Caveat: This product does not come standard with Voice Recognition. That is an add-on that you purchase through the Magellan Website, receiving a code that unlocks that feature. (AAA members can save $15 off the (GULP) $99 Voice Recognition upgrade (ripoff) by clicking on the 3A icon during checkout)
My wife has used this for about 8 months. She travels extensively in the Western US and it has made ONE mistake in that time. She doesn't even question it anymore because it is right so often. The Points of Interest (POI's) feature hooks her up with the nearest Starbucks or Gas Station as needed. She doesn't particularly like techie things, but the interface has never given her any problems. If you get one (or any GPS), spring for the beanbag dash mount for $12.
Bracketron UFM-100BL Nav-Mat GPS Friction Dash Pad
Now the Cons: The reason you need the Bracktron for this is the battery runs down quick (a bit over 30 minutes if you are using the menus) and the powercord, strung up to your windshield mount is a pain in the butt. The Bracketron lets you get a good position.
Firmware Updates/Map updates/any updates: The website gives clear directions that have no relation to reality. No Mac support, so I used my PC. No Firefox support for the update, but it didn't tell me that, I had to discover it on my own when it wouldn't update. Once I went through IE and got the update going, I never got the dialogue boxes my carefully printed instructions stated I would. I pushed the reset button on the device when everything froze, but I hadn't been prompted to do so. It worked. The online help is called "Maggie". She is a most unhelpful sort with no clue. She would probably be successful working with the Motorola Razr voice recognition crew. Birds of a feather...
VOICE RECOGNITION: Yes, I'm shouting. It absolutely sucks in capability and execution. The functionality is very limited. If you can't speak or program an address by voice, what is the point? and this system lets you do neither. If I only need to get home, it will let me select home, or POI's that it preselects, but no search via voice. As if that weren't enough, it wakes when it hears "Magellan", or "felon", or "chillin", or "gel inserts", you get the idea. The radio will wake it. The kids from the backseat trip it accidentally and it pops into voice mode, asking you to pick a command. Whoever executed this voice execution should be executed.
So, would I buy it again? Absolutely. Would I pay for voice recognition? Puhleeze... Oh, and as a final way of saying thank you, the Magellan website states that activating the Voice Recognition irreversibly alters the device and you can't go back. I now know why Voice Recognition orders are non-refundable. On second thought, maybe I'd shop a bit before I bought it again.
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