NaviGadget

Magellan Maestro 4700 now official

Jul 7, 2009 gps navigation 1 Comment

We had already announced the arrival of Magellan Maestro 4700 via FCC channel but now we get the official news from the company. Magellan Maestro 4700 as expected will have a 4.7″ touch screen and start shipping mid July for $300.

Here are the features:

• OneTouch favorites menu which lets you reach 12 of your with a single touch
• Bluetooth hands-free calling with noise-cancelling microphone
• Predictive traffic which can analyze past traffic patterns when creating a route
• Magellan-exclusive AAA TourBook guide.
• “Find Your Car” with Pedestrian Mode
• 3D Landmarks
• Completely interactive map screen.
• New Address Book: Makes adding an address a snap with smart address summary that lets users save complete itineraries.
• QuickSpell with Smart City Search

Magellan RoadMate 1470 review

Jun 3, 2009 gps navigation, magellan, reviews 3 Comments

Magellan RoadMate 1470 was announced back in April and today we have a review for you – in case you are interested in spending your money on one of these. (Currently $194 on Amazon)

The first you’ll notice about the RoadMate 1470 is that its huge 4.7″ screen. Compared to the usual 3.5″ and 4.3″ screens, 1470 is a behemoth. Another thing about the RoadMate series in general is the improved interface which includes quickspell, and exit POIs.

Here are some unlikeable remarks from the review:

• The font for distance to next turn (on the left side of the top bar) is smaller than other numbers displayed on the screen, making it more difficult to pick out this critical number at a glance
• The bottom of the unit power cord attachment is a bit of a pain; it can only be connected after sliding the unit into the mount
• I wish the RoadMate showed the speed limit, but you’ll have to step up to the Maestro line for this feature.

For all the positive things and the rest of the review go here.

Magellan Maestro 4700

May 23, 2009 gps navigation, magellan, mio 4 Comments

Magellan, which was recently acquired by Mio is about add a new system to their Maestro series called Magellan Maestro 4700. More than likely the device will feature a 4.7″ touch screen, have live traffic update, bluetooth connectivity, text-to-speech, FM-transmitter and maybe even more. We have very few details right now so you’re going to have to wait until it is put up on the Magellan Maestro site… via

six GPS navigation systems no longer with us

Apr 11, 2009 gps navigation 6 Comments

GPS navigation system market is very dynamic and fast moving. New features come out monthly, prices keep going down. Small brand names can’t just compete or the big ones (HP, Sony) just take a quick stab at the market and realize people just won’t give up their Garmin’s :)

Here are a few names that are either out of the GPS navigation market or about to be gone.

• Magellan


Magellan was one of the big shots here in the U.S. but recently was bought by Mitac Mio. Even though Mio said they’d keep the brand going we think it is a matter of time until the Magellan name completely disappears.

• HP


HP had a decent looking device called iPAQ 310 for a while but it turns out they’ll be discontinuing their stand alone GPS navigation systems and a few others such as iPAQ 312, 314, 316, and 318.

• Dash


These were the guys to first come out with a decent two way connected system. We really loved it. But they didn’t last long. When they quit they promised they’d keep their awesome user collected traffic information platform alive.

• Harman/Kardon


Harman did come out with a few models that really looked promising such as the GPS-810. But due to continued price cutting they’re out as well.

• Sony


Sony never really got traction in the PND market. They officially quit the European market. Even though SonyStyle for U.S. still offers the NVU series the fact that they haven’t offered anything new makes us wonder…

• Panasonic


Panasonic is also out but only for standalone GPS navigation systems like the Strada CN-GP50N, and CN-GP50U. They’re keeping their in-dash systems.

UPDATE (May 6th):

• Navigon


We’re sorry to now add Navigon to this list. They really had some decent devices but the aggressive pricing was too aggressive for them. They’ll continue business in Europe.

Mio buys Magellan

Dec 16, 2008 gps navigation, magellan, mio 7 Comments

OK, the title is not 100% correct, it really should say “Mio’s parent company MiTAC bought Magellan consumer products division”. But you get the idea. Magellan which was on a losing streak just got consumed by Mio which has been growing its market share here in the U.S. and the world for the last couple of years. If you remember Mio also bought Navman – another GPS navigation system maker – recently.

Nobody knows whether Mio will continue the Maestro, RoadMate and the Triton series from Magellan.

Maybe Mio is the next challenger for Garmin in the U.S. What do you think?

magellan OneTouch

Oct 30, 2008 gps navigation 4 Comments

Magellan is trying to push their Maestro 4350 and Maestro 4370 GPS navigation systems by focusing on their user interface which they now call “OneTouch”.

Both devices have a large 4.3″ touch screen, offer real time traffic updates, support bluetooth connectivity, and have a lane guidance feature. In addition they each can stream the directions to your car’s audio using the built-in FM transmitter. The maps cover all 50 states plus Canada and Puerto Rico.

The only difference between Maestro 4350 and Maestro 4370 seems to be type of the display they’ve used.

• 4.3″ WVGA on 4370
• 4.3″ VGA on 4350

Maestro 4350 retails for $413 on Amazon whereas 4370 for $360 on Bestbuy. Maybe we’re missing something…

Magellan Maestro 4370

Oct 21, 2008 gps navigation, magellan 9 Comments

Magellan Maestro 4370 which we first mentioned at the beginning of this year has shown up recently on Magellan’s website. It is priced at $600 making it their most expensive GPS navigation unit.

Looking at the features we can’t quite tell why it is so expensive. It has a 4.3″ screen, text-to-speech, bluetooth, FM transmitter, traffic receiver, and maps for the 50 states, Canada, and Puerto Rico, and lane assistance.

I guess thinking about it, it has almost the same features as the Garmin Nuvi 765T which is also priced at $600.

What do you think?

Jeep GPS RT-300 review

Oct 14, 2008 gps navigation 1 Comment

Remember the Jeep GPS RT-300 we talked about almost a year ago? Well finally we have a review for you.

Well it turns out there’s nothing special about the RT-300 just like we suspected. It’s all standard, and at a time when most manufacturers provide widescreen options paying close to $300 for this device with a 3.5″ screen does not make sense.

Overall, I was disappointed in the Jeep RT-300. For a $250 unit to earn a place on my dashboard, it needs a 4.3-inch screen, for starters. But even among products with screens about 3.5 inches, there are several others that offer at lot more features and better value than the RT-300. The Mio Moov 200, which features text-to-speech lists, is just $199, and you can find it online for less than $130. For a few bucks more than the Moov 200, you can get the Moov 210, which includes live traffic and a one-year subscription. Similarly, Magellan’s Maestro 3250, the 3.5-inch sibling of the top-of-the-line Maestro 4250 is available online for $189.

Maybe it is a Jeep thing :) Read More …

three gps units for under $100

Oct 13, 2008 gps navigation 1 Comment

You probably weren’t aware of the wide variety of sub $100 dollar GPS units out there. Don’t worry we weren’t either until our editor told us to get busy and find some. Without further ado here are three great deals to get you were you’re going.

Magellan Maestro 4000

• Features include spoken turn by turn directions
• Automatic smart update which routes you around traffic (free service)
• Auto reroute in case you ignore your GPS and get lost
• Large easy to read 4.3” touchscreen display

Can be found for $89.99 plus free shipping here.

Garmin StreetPilot c330 (Refurbished)

• Pre-loaded maps
• Large 3.5” touchscreen display
• Voice guided turn by turn directions
• SD memory slot for adding additional features

Can be found for $99.99 here.

Nextar S3

• Pre-loaded maps for the United States
• SD card slot for loading additional information
• Brilliant 3.5” color touch display
• Spoken turn by turn directions
• Pre-loaded with 1.6 million points of interest including restaurants and gas stations

Can be found here for $79.99.

Now you really don’t have a good reason not to own a GPS. If you get lost and eaten by a bear it’s your own fault!

(decent) gps navigation systems $200 or less

Jul 5, 2008 garmin, gps navigation, magellan, navigon, tomtom 7 Comments

Here we have a (possibly incomplete) list of GPS navigation system for $200 or less. We decided to stick with most common brands. Let us know if we’re missing any.

tomtom one 130 – $150
tomtom one 3rd edition – $148
tomtom one 130s – $199

garmin streetpilot c550 – $188
garmin streetpilot c530 – $180
garmin streetpilot c340 – $156
garmin streetpilot c330 – $127
garmin nuvi 250 – $189
garmin nuvi 200W – $198
garmin nuvi 200 – $161

magellan roadmate 1412 – $189
magellan roadmate 1200 – $139
magellan maestro 3100 – $104
magellan maestro 3200 – $101
magellan maestro 3250 – $186
magellan maestro 3100 – $144
magellan maestro 4000 – $155
magellan maestro 4200 – $188
magellan maestro 4210 – $181

navigon 2100 – $118
navigon 5100 – $199

mio moov 310 – $196
mio moov 300 – $180
mio moov 200 – $141