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| Magellan Maestro 4050 4.3-Inch Widescreen Portable GPS Navigator | 
 enlarge | Brand: Magellan
Category: CE
List Price: $799.99
Buy New: $265.90
You Save: $534.09 (67%)
New (10) Used (3) Refurbished (2) from $148.52
Avg. Customer Rating:  66 reviews
Sales Rank: 7217
Media: Electronics
Memorabilia: No
Batteries Included: Yes
Native Resolution: 480 x 272
Display Size: 4.3
Includes MP3 Player: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 4.4
Dimensions (in): 5 x 4 x 1
MPN: Maestro 4050
Model: Maestro 4050
UPC: 063357116954
EAN: 0763357116953
ASIN: B000NMJJPM
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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| Customer Reviews:
 Pleased as punch August 1, 2007
2 out of 9 found this review helpful
The GPS is everything I had hoped for. Now I have to buy a new car to put it in!!
Very good deal.......... July 25, 2007
0 out of 8 found this review helpful
Good deal on the Magellan 4050 it'self !!! Warenty is different tho depending on where you buy the Magellan 4050. 1 year for $109.00 you can get 5 year extended for $79.00.
Magellan Maestro 4050 Portable Auto GPS System for U.S./Canada/Puerto Rico]]
 A great device that should rank amongst the top July 24, 2007
54 out of 54 found this review helpful
Since the maps and GPS chip in this model are the same as the Garmin NUVI 660 what sets them apart feature wise is the 4050s AAA database, and its' voice control (which isn't as useful as you'd think) --and the Nuvi's MP3/Picture player/Calculator/etc. Since the unit is likely destined to sit on your dash and serve as a GPS, the Garmin's features don't strike me as real incentives either.
What you get here is a robust, and solidly built unit with a strong mount, loud and clear voice, and responsive touch screen. by contrast the Garmin voice seemed quiter, and the overall build quality left me wanting more. The Garmin feels flimsy. the Magellan is built like a tank.
The unit gets strong signals even indoors, and the routing engine is very fast. It re-routes off course in only a few seconds, and the POI database paired with the AAA database is a HUGE plus. The traffic feature is actually pretty neat, and useful if you drive at different times of the day.
Also, everything is self contained in the
I had no trouble connecting my Motorola SLVR to the Blue Tooth receiver, and the POIs have phone number attached that can automatically be dialed. If you are a AAA member th choice is a no brainer. to be able to search for restaurants, car rentals, hotels, etc. that give AAA members discounts is awesome. just search your area and select your favorite to route too.
There is no perfect GPS though. A couple of times the voice sounded gurgly (probably a CPU overload) and the voice command feature takes a few trieds to hear you sometimes. Unlike the other reviewer I have never had the voice recognition come on unless I directly addressed it.
After a trip to LA and using Hertz neverlost we were determined to get a GPS. While the Neverlost was bulletproof, this GPS feels the closest to it. The Garmin looks good too, it just feels a little lacking in quality and the blutooth/traffic receiver being in the lighter bothered me. Also, the mount is smaller, so for those of you who drive a truck the GPS might just be out of reach with the Garmin.
EDIT - Just wanted to add that this thing caluclates time almost exactly. I have yet to arrive at any destination more than 5 minutes (more or less) off from the 4050s estimates. Remarkable!
A few things I noticed July 10, 2007
9 out of 14 found this review helpful
When you power up the unit, it does not automatically link to a previously paired Bluetooth phone. You have to push into the phone menu and hit "search for devices" OR place an outgoing call using the 4050. There should be an option to force auto-connection or not.
I have had Navi units in my Acura TL & RL, and they both allow POI searches by phone number. This would seem to be a simple feature to add.
When using the handsfree phone feature, be sure you are speaking straight into the mic within 2-3 feet, or you will sound unintelligible on the other end.
 Was released too early... June 12, 2007
172 out of 179 found this review helpful
June 12, 2007
I have used portable GPS units for some time, namely my old Garmin 2720, which has been a trouper over the years. The biggest problem was when we updated the software, and Garmin stopped getting satelite reception whenever it was turned off. This could be quite annoying, with the only solution being to tell Garmin that you were not in the state you were actually in, so it would use a wider search pattern. Because of this bad experience, and noticing prices were much cheaper now, I went with a different brand, and tried what I thought was top of the line.
The Maestro met all my initial expectations. It linked up with satelites quickly even when I was surrounded by tall buildings. The maps seemed more updated than the updated Garmin map I was using. The map style was improved over Garmin, and the detail level better. You could have POI's show up on the map, even if you were not routing to them. The voice prompting was much better, and had more customization (not voice but what information is communicated) than Garmin. The turns were described better (not everything is left and right some you keep on the highway you are on)and pictures described the turns as well. All the basic things were better.
Then there was the voice recognition.
The voice recognition comes on all the time, even though it is only supposed to come when you say Magellan. When it does, you can just say cancel, but the popup is annoying. And if you verbally cancel route, it does not default back to the map. There are not a lot of voice command options either. A lot of time the voice recognition stops responding, and will only start up again when you 'reset' the device. Overall, you just want to stop up the microphone with a wad of bubblegum.
And then I saw an add for this same model (in Smart Home I think) which mentions an mp3 player, which my machine does not have. Which I thought it might, since it has a slot for an SD card.
This machine is fine in the basics, but the rest is just messed up. I am hoping to get a software update to get the kinks ironed out of this one.
July 10, 2007 UPDATE...
Well, thought I might add a few updates to this review, as it takes a while to fully test a GPS unit, especially one that is quite loaded with features. So, let me just say that there is STILL no official update to the software on this unit, which I purchased on memorial day, and I find this a bit surprising. I suppose they are trying to get a fix-all patch, or a combo firmware software update. If they ever do get a fix, I feel I owe it to you to let you know if they have it and how well it works...
Address/POI routing: Most attempts have been pretty close(I usually use the address, not POI's), but the ones that are off might be off MORE than 1 block (happened at least four times to me). One time, when I POI routed to Radio Shack, Magellan told me it was five miles north of Shawnee. I found a natural gas well at the actual location it routed me to. But still, overall, pretty good with address routing.
POI's: Mostly current, but some quite out of date, and it seems to be missing some places I would expect (like Bass Pro Shop, and Abuelo's in OKC).
Traffic updates: Coverage is very sparse (say it limited to interstates in Oklahoma City), but I have not been routed to a major construction delay. I have, however, been routed to a 10 mile stretch of construction on I-35, but it did not prove to be much of a delay. Now, you could call that failure of the system, or you could say that the traffic update was geared towards traffic DELAYS. I don't know what to make of it.
August 1 2007 Update
Miscellaneous Weirdness: Interupting the power while routing can cause catastrophic reboot. Basically what happens is if your DC car outlet switches off with your engine, and you happen to stop for gas while you are routing, it can cause problems. You might expect this, and it was a real problem with my older unit because it took some time to relocate the satelites. In general, relocating the satelites is not a problem this unit, and you can interupt the power on the unit any time and start up again while routing without a problem. In fact, since it has a battery, when the power is interupted it goes into a 30 second countdown if you want it to go into sleep mode. Yet, on at least four occassions, I have had a problem with the unit under power interuption circumstances. Basically, it wont come back on. Normally, when you restart the power, it comes out of sleep mode, but on these occassions, even when I have double checked the power connections on both ends of the cord, the unit does not power up. When the power button is held for a few seconds (the normal method of powering up the unit), the unit does not power up. When the button is held for longer than a few seconds, the unit does not power up. Only after the button is pressed several times for extended periods of time does the unit power up. And then, when it does, it shows a progress bar, which indicates that it has rebooted. The routing is not reset however. I have not tried the reset button, however, although it has occurred to me to try it next time...
August 3rd, 2007
Overall impression: 3/5 Ok. Overall, I still feel this unit is not too bad, but with some problems which seem to ruin my appreciation of it. I thought, since I have owned the unit for so long, I could detail it's performacne rating by category...
Satellite location: 5/5 Great. Satelites are located quickly, even indoors or in poor conditions. If this is your biggest concern, this is one of the best units I have ever seen. Bear in mind my other GPS was the Garmin 2720, so there might be other good ones out there, but the 4050 is great at locking in satellite signals.
Routing: 3/5 Ok. The maps aren't perfect, but neither were Garmins, and incorrect maps makes routing a problem. In fact, even stretches of highway are incorrectly displayed as minor, while the older highways they replaced are displayed as major. The actual time it takes to complete the routing (routing time) is comparable to my old Garmin 2720, which some might consider slow. If you miss a turn in the downtown of a major city, it might have a hard time rerouting before the next block. Still, you can get to where you want to go, but the routing speed seems too slow to be practical in some situations. Not a big problem to me but lots of room for improvement. 1 star off for the inaccurate highway labels, and 1 star for poor speed.
Maps: 3/5 Ok. Like I said in routing, the maps are not perfect. POI's are fewer than Garmin, and some are really current, and some are strangely missing. No GPS unit has perfect POI's, of course, and while I am more or less happy with the POI's I found some of the omissions unacceptable. Street numbers are almost always not correctly located on their respective streets which can lead you astray as much as a few blocks at times. This happens rarely, but when it happens it is really unacceptable. POI's don't help much, if you follow Magellan's instructions, arrive at her destination, and are still unable to spot the place you are trying to find. 1 star off for POI omissions, and 1 star off for incorrect street numbering.
Display: 5/5 Great. I love the display, with the routing helps, and the various others things displayed. The screen is bright and easy to read. The night mode looks great. The level of detail displayed is superior to anything I have seen.
Voice prompting: 4/5 Ok. I love the voice prompts, and the volume level is great, and easy to hear. Four stars for only one voice available.
Vehicle mount: 4/5 Good. The suction cup mount is a little on the flimsy side, but I like the inclusion on the unit. It also contains the traffic module, and the weight of the GPS and traffic module is a little heavy for the hinges, and you have to tighten them up periodically. 1 star off for flimsy.
Menus/Options: 4/5 Good. There are very few things you can adjust with this unit. I mean, you can't change the drive speeds on various roads, which means, Magellan always suggests that I will arrive much later than I actually do. It is not uncommon for me to shave say, 15 to 20 minutes off my arrival time (on an approximately 1+1/2 hour trip). The Garmin 2720 was more customizable. You could choice the voice for voice prompting, and set the speeds for different levels of roads, edit POI's easier, etc. However, on the good side, typing in addresses is easy with this unit as it narrows down the possibilities available in the town you selected with each letter you push. This is a neat feature, and one that makes address entry a lot faster.
Voice Recognition: 2/5. Poor. Or you could say good, while it works. My unit seems eager for you to use the voice recognition as it comes on when no one is talking, or if people are talking and not saying 'Magellan' and sometimes, it will not come on at all no matter if you are parked and carefully enunciating 'Magellan.' Usually, you can get it to respond again by resetting the unit, but since you need to pull over to perform this operation, this nullifys any value you might get from voice recognition. Actually, one of the bigs perks of voice recognition would be impressing your friends if you use it on a trip with them in the car. I did that, only to be embarrassed as Magellan kept asking me what I wanted to do when the car was silent, or when we were talking, or all the time. I was eventually forced to disable the voice recognition from embarassment.
Other features I haven't had enough experience to comment on. Traffic updates I have commented on, but quite frankly, I have yet to have another experience with routing and construction delays, so I just haven't 'used' it enough yet to rate it. I don't use bluetooth phones, and the rest of the features I don't use much either.
Personally, if you are still interested in this product, I would consider either getting a 4040 without the voice recognition, or waiting a while yet to see if they even address my issues with a firmware patch or a software patch, or whatever it needs. I still like this unit enough to use it every day, but I kick myself for spending money for voice recognition that is just flat out embarassing.
October 31st, 2007
More Miscellaneous Weirdness:
Weird thing that happened to me on the way back from Penn Square Mall in Oklahoma City, but first let me tell you what happened on the way up.
On the way up (with Magellan guiding me) I-40 was blocked off to one lane, and traffic was to a crawl. I am scheduled for traffic updates, but it did not automatically reroute me. It did show up as a road with construction, but you have to touch the screen and tell it how many miles you want to reroute, which I don't understand. Why do you have to choose something when you want to be routed around traffic? Doesn't make sense [to me], but this isn't the point of this story.
Point is, I wanted to return to Ada south through Norman to avoid the creeping traffic east of Oklahoma City. To do so, I did what I normally do with GPS units, I did my own thing and I expected the Maestro to catch up with me. It is definitely quicker to Ada south on I-35 when you get past I-240 than to turn around and leave OKC east on I-40, but the Maestro seemed determined to keep me on her initial routing. She wanted me to return to I-40 for at least 20 miles past the point that was feasable, even when I was south of Norman.
When it finally did suggest I stay on I-35 south (just 3 or 4 miles south of Norman), my ETA suggested 2 hours of trip left when it should only take 1 hour to get home. Later, I found out the reason was that it had routed me south to Pauls Valley, when there were two earlier exits which would have been faster. Never have I been routed to Pauls Valley when traveling south on I-35 going to Ada, since it takes 30 to 45 minutes longer to go that route. Misrouting continued until I was 15 minutes outside of Ada. I shaved 53 minutes off the ETA it had considered in Norman, driving slower (close to the speed limit) than I normally do, and running into contstruction south on I-35. What caused this wackiness? Maybe some one can explain it to me, but I have no idea. I hope it doesn't happen again.
And, by the way, the guys at Magellan still don't have an update for this unit at all, which I find really disappointing.
Till later then...
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