Magellan - Maestro 4250

The personal navigation systems market currently has an astonishing variety of products, each product trying to offer more powerful and user-friendly navigation tools. Even then, the features offered tend to be more or less standard – ability to input a destination and calculate the route, vast points of interest databases and reasonable text or voice guided directions. In such a scenario, the Magellan Maestro 4250 comes up with new features that should put it way above the rest of the competition. It tries to offer advanced yet useful features like operating the device by voice. Users who are trying to drive their car or bicycle and at the same time operate the device will definitely appreciate the power of this hands-free navigating facility. Of course, the Maestro 4250 also offers the basic solid navigation features with precise directions and an integrated Bluetooth functionality.

Design Features

The Magellan Maestro 4250 is very compact and lightweight weighing just 6.8 ounces. You can comfortably carry it in a bag while traveling or hold it in your hand if you are moving on foot. Magellan also provides a soft cover for protecting the device, particularly while in transit. Though the new Maestro 4250 has been redesigned to look and feel compact, efforts have been taken to see that this in no way affects the size of the screen. The model has a display area of 4.3 inches and is a touch screen. You interact with the navigation system through the touch screen, in a smooth and quick manner. The display works well with clear and sharp images and text.

The Magellan Maestro 4250 has a very user-friendly interface and allows even a novice to start using it immediately. A QuickSpell feature aids the user while entering text and also to correct any errors in city or street names.

The device comes with all standard ports and jacks as well as the standard accessories. One major facility with this model is the ability to mount it both on the windshield and dashboard of the vehicle.

Performance Features

The Magellan Maestro 4250 holds the high-end SiRFStarIII GPS chip and also has preloaded maps of the United States, Canada, Alaska, Hawaii, and Puerto Rico. It is very easy to plan your trip using the Maestro 4250 navigation system as it contains most of the standard navigation tools. One new feature is the ability to view a split screen on the display that shows your current location on one side and the next maneuver you are to make, in the other. However, as we mentioned at the beginning, the outstanding feature of this model is the voice control feature. You can use your voice to perform a limited but useful set of tasks – finding points of interest like an ATM or a gas station, finding the best route home, determining your current location and so on.

The Magellan Maestro has thus combined very effectively the most useful and standard navigation features with advanced voice control functionalities to truly bring out the power of GPS devices.