0ur opinion:

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Say a command and enjoy hands-free control of your Maestro! The Magellan Maestro 4250 GPS Navigation System features a large 4.3' wide-format color touch screen and amazingly easy-to-use interface to add pleasure to your driving experience. lt includes built-in maps of the U.S., Puerto Rico and Canada, 6 million pre-programmed Points of lnterest, integrated AAA TourBook guide information, SayWhere text-to-speech, LlVE traffic report capability and more. Plus, make hands-free phone calls with your Bluetooth -enabled phone. Say a command to access the most used navigation functions with Voice Command and Control. lts QuickSpell feature intelligently searches and checks spelling while entering addresses and P0ls, making it easy to find what you're looking for with just few touches of the screen while the lnteractive onscreen icons show nearby services. Touch an icon to see the address and phone number (when available) and get an instant route. lt even lets you store locations in the Address Book for easy navigation on recurring trips. Set the Home button to your house or any location to easily find the most direct way back from wherever you are. You can even backup your personal data using your own SD cards. The integrated traffic receiver offers onscreen traffic incident reports in real-time.Your Maestro 4250 automatically recalculates your estimated time of arrival based on traffic conditions and prompts you to reroute when a quicker way is available. The SiRFstarlll GPS receiver and built-in high-sensitivity antenna provide the fastest position acquisition in the industry for reliable navigation. SmartDetour prompts you to route around sudden slow freeway traffic. The integrated rechargeable battery provides navigation for up to four hours when power is unavailable. Ultra-thin, elegant and completely mobile; take your Magellan Maestro anywhere for easy, accurate navigation!

-- November 13, 2007:
We've been big fans of Magellan's Maestro line since it came out in early 2006. The Maestro interface is incredibly easy to use, even for those who are not completely comfortable with electronics. At the same time, Magellan was ahead of the industry with useful innovations like multi-destination routing and pre-loaded reviews for points of interest like hotels and restaurants (from AAA). With it's 3200 and 4200 series, Magellan has improved the Maestro line giving them a SirfStar lll chipset that provides super-fast. satellite lock and making them thinner. ln fact, at .7 inches, these are -- at the time of this writing (November 2007), the thinnest portable GPS navigators available. Distingushing between models is also fairly easy.

3200 and 4200 Family of Navigators
Distingushing between models is also fairly easy. The 3200-series navigators feature a 3.5-inch screen, while the 4200s have a 4.3-inch widescreen display. The 3200 and 4200 offer great, basic navigation with turn-by-turn spoken directions, pre-loade maps of the 48 contiguous United States, Hawaii, and Puerto Rico, and 1.3 million P0ls. The 3210 and 4210, add maps for Canada and Alaska, AAA travel information (see details below) and bump you up to 6 million P0ls. The 3220 and 4220 add maps of Mexico. The top-of-the-line 3250 and 4250 add a host of other features, including text-to-speech directions that give real street names, bluetooth for hands-free phone calls, integrated traffic (with a free 3-month subscription), and voice command.

What Makes the Maestro 4250 Exceptional?

Easy to use navigation features SmartDetour and auto re-route. View larger.

Access built-in AAA information from your GPS touch screen. View larger.

Easy To Use lnterface
The intuitive user interface makes the Maestro series incredibly easy to use. Use the big icons on the 4.3-inch widescreen touch screen to search for your destination by address, intersection, or any of 6 million points of interest (P0ls), including restaurants, hotels, airports, gas stations, and more. You can even touch an onscreen icon for a nearby destination, see name and address, and get an instant route. Turn by turn visual and spoken directions guide you every step of the way.

Auto re-route gets you quickly back on track whenever you make a detour or miss a turn. QuickSpell feature intelligently searches and checks spelling when you enter addresses. The 4250 offer multiple view options, including 2D, 3D, and TrueView that shows your upcoming turn using a 3D split screen. Maneuver List displays the full turn-by-turn details of your route. Auto night view adjusts color and contrast for easy night viewing.

Click to see a video on the Magellan Maestro 4250's Voice Command system.

Voice Command and Control
Voice Command further enables hands-free operation so you can keep your eyes on the road. Say a command to access the most used navigation functions. Find the nearest coffee, restaurant, gas and ATM or get an instant route home. Plus, you can ask for your location, the distance to your destination and quickly get details for the nearest roadside assistance and more, all with the sound of your voice.

AAA-enabled
With built-in AAA travel information, the Maestro 4250 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 4250 also provides AAA members roadside assistance details, with exact location and a toll-free number. Plus, the Maestro 4250 is Bluetooth-enabled so you can connect your Bluetooth cell phone directly to AAA for immediate help when you need it most.

Note: AAA member roadside assistance requires AAA membership.




Bluetooth for Hands-Free Calling
The Maestro 4250's Bluetooth wireless technology lets you make hands-free phone calls with your Bluetooth-enabled phone. You can store or sync numbers and contact information through the easy-to-use touch screen, and even place calls directly through the Maestro 4250's integrated microphone and speakers.




lntegrated Real-Time Traffic
The integrated traffic receiver offers onscreen RDS-TMC traffic incident reports in real-time. A free 3-month traffic service subscription makes it easy to avoid accidents, slow downs, road closures, severe weather and more. Your Maestro 4250 automatically recalculates your estimated time of arrival based on traffic conditions and prompts you to reroute when a quicker way is available.

0ne of the thinnest portable GPS navigators on the market

Take lt Anywhere
The 4250 is super-thin, lightweight and fits easily into any pocket. The integrated rechargeable battery enables you to operate the Maestro 4250 away from your vehicle for up to three hours. The battery recharges while driving via the included vehicle power adapter.

Tons of Data
The 4250 comes pre-loaded with Navteq maps of the United States and Canada, and 6 million points of interest (P0ls). P0l data includes telephone numbers and addresses.

lt also has an Address Book in which you can create and store P0ls and addresses that you use frequently.

Flexible Routing
The 4250 provides a particularly large number of routing features relevant to its price point. Multi-destination routing lets you select up to 20 destinations and find the best route to get to all of them. SmartDetour prompts you to route around heavy or stopped freeway traffic.Customizable route methods let you choose between several different routing methods, including 'Fastest Time', 'Shortest Distance', 'Least or Most Use of Freeways', and 'Avoid Toll Roads'. Route exclusion lets you pick streets and freeways you want to avoid.

What's in the Box
Magellan Maestro 4250 GPS receiver, Adhesive disk for dash mounting, Basic cradle, Vehicle power adapter (12-24 watts), Quick reference guide and CD, Windshield mount

0ptional Accessories
AC Wall power supply/charger, USB data cable

About Magellan
Magellan is a leader in the consumer, survey, GlS, and 0EM GPS navigation and positioning markets. Recognized as an industry innovator, the Company is the creator of the award-winning Magellan RoadMate series and the Magellan Maestro portable car navigation systems, the Magellan eXplorist and the Magellan Triton outdoor handheld navigation devices, and the Hertz NeverLost car navigation system, the best-selling single frequency GPS survey product line on the market. The Magellan Maestro series includes such unique features as built-in AAA travel information and voice command and control driving which no other portable GPS manufacturer in the U.S. or Canada offers. The company is recognized worldwide through its Magellan brand and has experienced dramatic revenue growth as GPS technology has proliferated across a range of consumer and commercial applications. The Company is headquartered in Santa Clara, California with European headquarters in Carquefou, France.









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Testimonials

Average Buyer Rating:

Buyer's feedback: - * Disappointing mounting system ...
I couldn't believe what I found when I tried to mount this unit in my wife's van. Since it can't be mounted on the windshield (too far from the driver's position, plus a long dashboard), it would have to be mounted on the dash. Well, the dash is curved, with no flat area on it at all. The 4250 mounting bracket only is adjustable with 2 degrees of freedom - up/down, and left/right. There is no way to pivot the unit clockwise or counter-clockwise on the mounting bracket, which is what is needed for this van's dash. If I mount it as it is, the screen would be tilted about 30 degrees off of level horizontal. This seems like a nice unit, but some designer had his head in the sand when designing the bracket. The Garmin units have a great mounting bracket, so that's where I am going next.

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Buyer's feedback: - Excellent unit!
I spent 3 months researching GPS units. I had a Garmin C330, and my major issues with this unit were satelite reception/aquisition. Tried Garmin, TomTom and Magellan. It came down to the Magellan Maestro 4250 vs the Garmin Nuvi 680. I only use my GPS once or twice a month, so my purpose was finding an affordable unit that had bluetooth, text to speech and live traffic updates. Was not necessary to spend the extra $100 on the Garmin. This unit is the best around for $250!

Pros: Live traffic works well, although have only used this feature twice. bluetooth works great for me. Others have complained about low speaker volume. I do not have this issue. Phone is loud and clear to me. Satelite acqusition is VERY quick. reception is top notch. Wide, bright screen, intuitive menu. Have found that it is very accurate. Text to speech feature is great. split screen direction feature. And Exit POI is great, WITH PHONE NUMBERS! Free year of traffic updates

Cons: Large, awkward mount. the unit shows that you are located before the raod even when you have passed it. (not a deal breaker, the chime sounds when you need to turn), sometimes need to turn it on twice.

I would definately recommend this unit. I feel it is the best around for a bargain price!

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Buyer's feedback: - * Painful to operate ...
This GPS is very difficult to work with. Sometimes talks to you sometimes it doesn't. It constatntly asks "what you want to do"? in the middle of your route. I would not buy this product again.

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Buyer's feedback: - Masterful, outstanding GPS
First and foremost, this is a truly great GPS. Second, you MUST upgrade the firmware to the current level -- makes it perform at peak level. (Also, if you're a AAA member, upgrade the AAA Tourbook data and get your free, members only warranty extension -- see [...]). Third, make your own assessment, don't put too much faith in the negative reviews -- I frankly question the honesty in some of them.

I've only had my 4250 for a few days, but both my wife and I agree that it's an incredible device. Read the previous review by BrandonNM, "Jeff" and see that I agree completely with his comments. But also notice that many of the cons are being addressed by Magellan with the new 4350 and 4370 to be released in July 08. I read many, many reviews and user comments in trying to decide whether to buy the Maestro 4250, wait for the new one or go with the Garmin 760. I'm glad I chose the 4250 and can happily wait a couple of years to get a newer Magellan replacement.

If you have or buy the 4250, be sure to tap on every icon and every info box to see what it will display. The manual is definitely too brief (that's a minor negative) and doesn't show all the options (and that's a major plus -- there's more here than meets the eye). An example, tap on the "Arrival time" box when you're in a route, it changes to remaining time and remaining miles before going back to arrival time. It seems everything has buried options underneath.

I read many reviews and user comments. Some are clearly biased, others I wonder how they got a unit that was bad. Mostly I just don't accept the negatives I read. Except for not having enough time to see if it will break down, I've exhaustively checked every option more than once. Most complaints about the 4250 not doing this or that are because the reviewer or user didn't take the time to find the proper path or method. Another example -- a major review that said you can't change a planned route once it is entered. I planned a route for my current 1000-mile round trip. I then Optimized and Saved it. I went back and added a new stop (Append) and re-optimized. I went back and deleted one of the stops and re-optimized. All went perfectly. It even found for me a shoe store in a huge shopping center -- the shopping center wasn't mapped, but the shoe store was pinpointed on my GPS and it told me I was there when I got to within 50 feet.

The new firmware definitely improves responsiveness and re-routing if you make a wrong turn. For example, a new stretch of highway was put in where the older instructions said to turn. Before I was 100 feet on the new road, I heard the "calculating route" message and a corrected route taking me in from the opposite side was displayed. Fantastic! And that happened more than once! (Lots of new roads on this trip.) The map is the same NavTec map in use by all current GPSs -- an update is expected this Fall and hopefully that will resolve some of these. I had no problems finding any of the POIs we chose -- that will certainly be hit and miss as on any GPS as places change over time. But the AAA data was accurate and up-to-date to the last quarter. We have been AAA members for many years and have always relied on the AAA tourbooks, getting new ones for every trip. Now we don't have to get the newest annual book unless we want it -- the most recent updates can be downloaded every quarter to the 4250.

We haven't yet tested the Bluetooth, but our phone is supposed to be compatible. At this point using Bluetooth is problematic between any two devices, so it's just not a big issue for us.

One thing I want to point out, is that Magellan appears to be addressing many concerns with the 4250 (the 2007 high end model) both with firmware updates and corrections in the manufacturing stream (later purchases don't have the same issues are the earliest ones). They are also making changes is the 2008 line (4350, 4370, etc.) to address concerns like not being able to enter addresses with voice commands (the 4350 will have that as well as a "pedestrian" mode.

Some more good things: The touch screen is quite sensitive and almost always responds to a tap. Occasionally, it will miss (just re-tap) or will pick up a double-tap (oops, go back) minor stuff. The screen brightness is great, but definitely bright at night. Volume and brightness can be adjusted with the Options menu and there you also can see your battery level. The volume is orginally set to High -- too loud for our relatively quiet Camry, but that's fine with loud music. We found no problems at all with the Magellan responding to our voice commands. Normal tone of voice, picks up my low voice and my wife's higher voice with no problem at all. I actually like the window mount. Set it up properly, and it easly turns from side to side (driver to passenger) while staying in place for finger taps and remaining level to both views.

I also had to contact Magellan Tech Support because of a difficulty signing up for the 2nd year warranty (it never told me it worked). I got a response within 24 hours confirming my extended warranty.

If we have any problems over time, I'll post here. We are extremely happy with our purchase. If you don't like some of the current concerns (no voice address input, 2007 map, etc.) wait for the new releases and pay a few hundred dollars more. Or do like we decided -- get a great GPS and plan to upgrade in a couple of years when it's a lot better. (You can see the new features for the 4350 series on the tigergps site -- Amazon will probably add that info soon.)

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Buyer's feedback: - * Love it!! ...
I purchased the Magellan Maestro 4250 4.3-Inch Widescreen Bluetooth Portable GPS Navigator Magellan Maestro 4250 4.3-Inch Widescreen Bluetooth Portable GPS Navigator about a month ago. It is awesome! Easy to use, small and light, it is exactly what I needed. For those of you that have not owned or used a GPS, they are great for traveling, but also can come in handy around your home town. Plug in the address, and it will get you to your destination with very little stress. I recommend this product hightly.