Magellan Maestro 4050 Auto GPS Navigation System » only $346.86 + Free Shipping

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@ 6ave.com: $369.00 - 6% Coupon = $346.86 + Free Shipping

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[Odeen]

I don't want to dump on the OP's post, as it is a low price for this particular unit, but I'd like to share my experience with the a similar GPS, the Maestro 4040. It's the same hardware, maps, and mapping engine as the 4050 but no voice recognition.

The device ships with very old maps (there is a right-turn-only intersection of Forest Ave and Castro Valley Blvd in Castro Valley, CA where, if you're on Forest Ave you cannot turn left onto Castro Valley Blvd nor continue forward on Norbridge Ave. You can only turn right on Castro Valley Blvd. It has been built like that since 1997 or so, and the device still insists on having me turn left).

Another usability concern: - you cannot specify "the location I'm at now" as a point of interest, just a street address. This means that if you're an apartment dweller and your parking lot is a few feet off your actual street address, you can never "reach" the "home" destination.

Quality of routing is not as good as Garmin (But not as atrocious as Mio or other Teleatlas-based-units)

Consistently overestimates speed on surface streets. As a result, for instance, when coming up into Castro Valley, it will insist on taking you off the freeway at the 92 interchange, then taking surface streets into CV. As those of you familiar with the Bay Area would know, it's faster to take 880 North further, then go 238 to 580.

In the South Bay, it's confused about a turn off Trimble Rd onto Central Expressway in San Jose / Santa Clara area. Shows the right turn on the map, but there's no "turn right" instruction in directions.

Annoyingly insists on giving a "keep going forward" instruction while on the freeway. I don't want to know to keep straight on 101 North at the 237 interchange, go 20 miles, stay straight at the 92 interchange, go another 10 miles, stay straight at the 380 interchange, and stay straight at the 80 interchange. Just tell me to go 45 miles on 101 North and the next peep I want to hear out of you is when I should STOP being on 101 North.

Very slow processor (slow screen redraws, occasional freezes)

No video or mp3 player (even the othewise simplistic Garmin 6x0 series has mp3 and audiobook functionality)

Doesn't take advantage of the widescreen format (i.e. you have all this extra width. I don't want to know that there's a park two miles to my right. Give me a full height map that shows where I'm actually going, and show me the next 3-4 maneuvers I'm going to make, my current speed and direction in a section off the screen off to the side.

All I want is the Mio C520 functionality with Garmin-quality routing. Too much to ask?