Customer Reviews
Magellan Maestro 4050 Not 4040 Received 
2008-07-23
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 2008-07-17
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 
2008-07-16
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.
GPS 
2008-07-14
This product so far as been reasonably acceptable. One small piece broke off of the docking station within the first week of use, but other than that it is working well.
Good when it actually works 
2008-07-13
I bought this GPS for the bluetooth and street names. If I had it to do over I would buy another brand. It would be nice to be able to change the voice but that's petty. I have bigger reasons for being unhappy with it:
- a major local highway extension built almost 2 years ago not on the map.
- the unit started having issues with the power adapter, the connection is loose and if the contact isn't perfect I get the message that it is switching to battery power. This blue screen pops up constantly and has gotten so annoying I can no longer use it.
- Customer Service is horrible. I contacted them about my problem and got a vague scripted reply telling me to reset the unit. I replied that it didn't help and didn't hear back. A subsequent email still got no response. At this point I'm inclined to toss it in the trash but it would be an expensive loss.
I will never buy another Magellan. Buy a Garmin or Tom Tom.
Get you there inefficiently... 2008-07-09
Elegance, simplicity and advanced features designed to save you time and effort on the road. Magellan Maestro 4040 makes driving more pleasurable and less stressful. Enter virtually any address on the freshly-designed graphical touch screen, or select from 4.5 million preprogrammed points of interest to get turn-by-turn voice guidance to anywhere in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. SayWhere text-to-speech tells you the street name for each maneuver, so you can focus on driving. Smart buttons and Magellan's unique QuickSpell function enables error free spelling to minimize steps so you get a customized route to your destination with just a few touches of the screen. It offers several AAA features especially suited for members. Bluetooth wireless technology enables hands-free phone calls with your Bluetooth-enabled phone. Store or sync numbers and contact information for clear communication through the integrated microphone and speakers. Easily add LIVE traffic incident reports and Voice Command control. Voice Command-enabled - Add Voice Command control for hand's-free operation with a simple upgrade from www.MagellanGPS.com (Activation fee applies). Expected availability in Summer 2007 Birds eye 3D view - Clearly see your surroundings in 2D or 3D Rechargeable battery - Navigate when you don't have access to power Select up to 20 destinations and choose order that best fits your needs Prompts you to route around sudden slow freeway traffic (no fee or subscription required) Auto Re-route Auto NightView Slot for SD memory Size 5. 0 (l) x 3.75 (w) x 0.88 (h); Weighs 8.5oz
Magellan 2008-06-18
Have used the GPS for one trip of around 1,000 miles. In most cases iT was OK. Did get lost in Flagstaff due to road construction and also on one road or street in Las Vegas near the strip.
One problem, I have, I probably have an update but it would appear that updates are only available on Windows machines and I have all Apple computers.
Fantastic 2008-06-15
This is my second Magellan Maestro. I can't say anything bad about this product.
It works extremely well. You will not be disappointed with this.
Don't waste your money! 
2008-06-13
The Magellan Maestro 4040 is the third Magellan GPS unit I've purchased. The unit is compact and easy to use. However the database it uses is terrible. Routes given by the 4040 are often 10% longer in time and distance than popular Internet mapping programs. Accuracy is poor also; usually a block difference between the 4040 and the real address. My suggestion is to look at other brands or use Internet mapping.
Magellan Maestro 4050 2008-06-09
I ordered the model 4040 but received the model 4050 which is the same navigation unit with the addition of the Traffic Kit and a carrying case. I took the unit on a 2700 mile road trip from Atlanta through New England and found it to be very reliable, accurate and quick to reroute if I either missed a turn or decided to take a different route than was programmed. The quick rerouting response was very helpful in New York traffic. I relied on it to get me to destinations through many unfamiliar areas and I was very pleased with the outcome. I did have one instance where it sent me out of my way for some reason. The only other difficulty I had was that I could not program it to avoid a particular route. In this case I wanted to avoid the George Washington Bridge so I used the Fastest Route option but used a paper map to find a road that would avoid the bridge and as soon as I went off the programmed route it rerouted me the way I wanted to go. I would recommend this unit. It was well worth the low price I paid for it.
