Magellan Maestro 4250 distinguishes itself from crowded GPS navigation market with voice command and AAA TourBook reviews and ratings. The GPS navigation market leaves little room to separation as the core function of navigation varies very little from one unit to another. The accuracy of the GPS navigation devices are fairly similar from major manufacturers. The companies have added extras such as Bluetooth, media playback, and text-to-speech to entice consumer to buy their products. The voice command and AAA TourBook reviews and ratings add two features not found on most other GPS navigation units.

Screen

Magellan Maestro 4250 boasts 4.3 inch WQVGA touchscreen with anti-glare treatment. The screen was legible in any lighting. There were no problem reading the display in sunlight or dark environment. The touchscreen was not overly responsive. The touchscreen needs minimal effort to register touch. 4.3 inch area is nothing to write home about as it is fairly standard size for mainstream unit. But, it is very crisp with good color displays.

Ease of Use

The user interface is very simple and intuitive. You can use the unit right out of box without having to read the manual. Maestro 4250 has text auto completion which makes entering address easier. The included database automatically predicts the street address you are entering. The Point of Interest database makes for quick navigation to various destination. The voice command is fairly limited in functionality as you can't enter street names via voice command. Simple functions like navigating home or looking for POI is the limit of voice command function.

Reliability

The routing and directions were fairly accurate. As with other GPS units, it does suffer from occasional odd routes it calculates. There were some illogical routing on few occasion. The rerouting calculation was little off few times as well. Overall, the routes and directions were accurate even with some weird routing. There were some delays and longer than expected response time when inputting the destination or looking up POI. Nothing too worrisome but the delays were noticeable.

Battery Life

Magellan lists battery life at 4 hours at full charge. The tested unit held on for close to 3 hours on normal usage without power source. It should not matter to most people who plan to use it primarily as automobile GPS navigation unit. For those that want to use it another vehicle might want to consider another car adapter.

Features

Magellan Masetro 4250 is a full feature GPS unit. Masetro 4250 comes with Bluetooth, text-to-speech, integrated live traffic, voice command, AAA TourBook, 6 million plus Point of Interest database, SD card slot, and pre-loaded North American map. The text-to-speech was fairly easy to understand with clear pronunciation. It had little difficulty with most street names. The voice Command feature is nice bonus. But, as you can't enter destination via voice command, it renders it as an afterthought most of the time. The live traffic feature is free for the first three month. After the trial period, you must subscribe to the service. Make sure you are in the covered area for the traffic updates.

Expandability

The SD card allows for additional maps and contact lists. Magellan offers firmware and map update via their website. You can purchase various other services and softwares via their website

Pros

• Nice vibrant screen with good anti-glare treatment.
• Easy and intuitive user interface
• Good text-to-speech
• Good Point of Interest database
• Voice command is nice bonus
• SD card slot
• Mostly accurate routes and directions
• Fast satellite acquisition time

Cons

• Re-routing tends to give some problem
• Few random crashes
• Some delays in interface
• Some problem with power button response

Want to compare this model to other Maestro models? Click here to download Excel spreadsheet.

	Magellan Maestro 4250 4.3-Inch Widescreen Bluetooth Portable GPS Navigator (Factory Refurbished) List Price: $299.00 Sale Price: $119.99 Average Rating:

Magellan

In the GPS navigation industry, Magellan sets the gold standard with their range of GPS units. From the feature-packed to the wallet-friendly, Magellan is sure to offer a GPS solution for the needs of every driver. Unlike flashy systems, the Roadmate 1430 is a no-nonsense navigation unit guaranteed to get any driver from point A to point B.

Aesthetics

With a non-descript all-black design, the Roadmate 1430 fits perfectly with nearly any interior. In addition, the flat-black case is resistant to fingerprints. Plenty of real estate is available as the 1430 comes with a 4.3” color touch screen with WQVGA resolution to pick out the smallest details. While some devices may use a wide array of physical buttons, the 1430 is limited to a single power button; every function performed via the screen.

Durability

The Roadmate 1430 uses the Centality AtlasIII chipset, a well-designed platform that performs very similar to the higher-end SiRF StarIII GPS framework. While the AtlasIII may suffer from the occasional recalculation, glitches are rarely noticeable. During our tests in urban traffic and bad weather, the unit provided excellent routes and did so relatively rapidly. We also tested the device against the Garmin nuvi 660, and found that the nuvi acquired its initial position slightly faster.
Any GPS unit is only as good as its mounting system and the Roadmate 1430 leaves nothing to chance. While the mount is hand-operated, we found the GPS unit was held securely. In addition, the unit did not vibrate when we took it on the freeway.

Battery Life

The battery life on the 1430 is decent, coming in at 3 hours. However, this isn’t a big issue given the unit is packaged with a car adaptor for continuous use. The Roadmate 1430 also lacks media-playback capabilities, so this limited charge will go farther. For those who want media playback, the Magellan Maestro line is well-suited to the task.

Features

Even though the 1430 doesn’t have the bells and whistles associated with higher-end models, the features offered with this unit are sure to improve overall user satisfaction. Perhaps the most useful feature offered on the 1430 is the text-to-speech capability. While most units mutilate names and locations, the Roadmate is able to synthesize speech in a natural, easy-to-understand fashion. Unfortunately, the speaker can be tinny, especially when the volume is turned up.

The live traffic feature is a new feature to the 1430. To receive updates, the device uses an FM transmitter to relay the information over the Radio Data System. The FM Radio Data System is the same platform used to send station IDs and song information. Each unit comes with three free months of service and regular price is $39.99. If an alert is sent out, the device will display detailed information and offer a choice to reroute and avoid the problem. However, we noticed a number of times when the device displayed false alerts.

When it comes to finding a restaurant or gas station, the 1430 is sure to please with its database of six million points of interest (POI). On top of this, the unit has an exit POI feature that shows points of interest at highway exits.

Expansion

The Magellan Roadmate 1430 can be updated annually for a fee. Due to the long update time, road changes can become an issue. For those who want current data, TomTom offers updates on a much more frequent basis.

Pros

• Quick startup time
• Fast routing engine
• Slim design
• Arrival time updates on-the-fly
• Multi-destination routing
• Route exclusion capability
• 3D rendering of upcoming turns

Cons

• No voice recognition
• QuickSpell not included on POI searches
• Daytime screen persists in menus while in night-mode
• False traffic alerts

Want to compare this model to other Magellan models? Click here to download Excel spreadsheet.

	Magellan RoadMate 1430 4.3-Inch Portable GPS Navigator with Traffic List Price: $449.99 Sale Price: $92.98 Used From: $69.99 Average Rating:

Magellan

A leader in the navigation industry, Magellan continues to outperform the competition with its wide range of GPS units. With solutions available for every budget and feature-set, the Maestro line truly stands out with its unique combination of features (including Bluetooth, text-to-speech, and traffic alerts) and reliability. For the budget-conscious consumer, the Magellan Maestro 3100 is a compact, no-frills device sure to get the job done.

A Window into the Heart of the 3100

The Magellan Maestro 3100 differentiates itself from the competition with a 3.5” QVGA color touch screen. Unlike bulky alternatives, the Maestro won’t invade windshield space and is easily viewed thanks to its anti-glare coating. Even though the screen may be small, the crisp 320 x 240 LCD easily displays minute map details.

Built Strong to Last Long

The Maestro 3100 is a very reliable device. While most GPS units suffer from crashes or the occasional freeze-up, the 3100 is seldom, if at all, impacted by these glitches. Accuracy is not an issue with this device, as it shares the same chipset (SiRF Star III) with the high-end Maestro 4050. The SiRF Star III is a 20-channel receiver that does not require line-of-sight to the sky, and is able to maintain a strong signal in the most difficult of environments.
When driving, the routing engine is very efficient and offers four routing options to adapt to varying road conditions. However, the 3100 fails to calculate the drive time for each routing option. When I tested the rerouting, the 3100 left a lot to be desired. Instead of calculating a new route, the device requests the driver to turn around and resume the original path.

The Energizer Bunny’s Weaker Sibling

The 3100 has a shorter battery life then many competitors’, only lasting 3 hours at minimum brightness and 1.5 to 2 under average use. However, as the 3100 lacks media-playback capability, use of the battery is unnecessary given the included 12v car adaptor.

Easy as Pie

While many other units boast large screens and complex interfaces, the 3100 keeps things simple with a row of three large icons (Show Map, Enter Address, and Points of Interest) above, and two smaller icons (Home and Tow Truck) below. To enter addresses, the 3100 uses a bold virtual keyboard with QuickSpell technology. QuickSpell eliminates letters as one types, enabling the user to spell better and avoid accidental adjacent tapping.

Everything but the Kitchen Sink

The Magellan Maestro 3100 may not have flashy add-ons such as Bluetooth and text-to-speech, but the device has several unique features that make it a must-have. One of the features is known as Route Exclusion. With this, users can delete certain portions of a route, such as a specific road or highway. Another feature that enables drivers to avoid slowdowns or heavy traffic is the “detour” functionality. With “detour,” one selects the number of miles they would like to avoid the current route for. The basic presets on the 3100 are 3 mi, 5 mi, 10mi, and 12mi, but custom distances can be set if needed.

In emergencies, the “AAA Roadside Assistance” screen displays the driver’s current location information. In addition, users can set their AAA membership number (if applicable) and the 3100 will automatically display the respective AAA toll-free numbers.
Tired, hungry, running out of gas? The Maestro 3100 ships with a POI (point of interest) database of 750,000 locations. This is a relatively small database, compared to 6 million in the Garmin nuvi, and over 10 million in other high-end systems.

Outstanding Advantages

• Clean, easy-to-use interface
• Top-quality SiRF Star III chipset
• Small, compact form factor
• QuickSpell technology
• Anti-glare coating
• “Detour” functionality

Slight Disappointments

• Sub-par battery life
• Small POI database
• Poor automatic rerouting
• No media playback

Want to compare this model to other Maestro models? Click here to download Excel spreadsheet.

	Gilsson 12V Cigarette Lighter Adapter for Magellan Maestro 3100 3140 4040 4050 Magellan Roadmate 800 2200 3000 3050 6000 List Price: $24.95 Sale Price: Too low to display Average Rating:

	Gilsson 12V Cigarette Lighter Adapter for Magellan Maestro 3100 3140 4040 4050 Magellan Roadmate 800 2200 3000 3050 6000 List Price: $24.95 Sale Price: Too low to display Average Rating:

Magellan