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Magellan preps Maestro 4000, 4040, and 4050 GPS units for release
Magellan's been known to toss out GPS units three at a time before, and while the company hasn't come forward yet about its presumably forthcoming trio of navigation devices, we've got the skinny anyway. All three Maestro units will sport a 4.3-inch WQVGA touchscreen display, SiRF Star III chipset, and an in-car mounting kit, but the similarities basically end there. On the low-end, you'll find NAVTEQ maps for the 48 contiguous United States, QuickSpell, 1.6 million POIs, and a rechargeable battery with around three hours of juice. The 4040 steps it up by adding more detailed map coverage, 4.5 million POIs, text-to-speech / Bluetooth capabilities, and by playing nice with the real-time traffic add-on service. The flagship unit boasts all the capabilities of its lesser siblings, but also adds traffic functions right out of the box as well as voice recognition software. The Maestro 4000 / 4040 are each slated to land in "early April" for $449.99 / $599.99, respectively, while the high-end 4050 will demand a somewhat steep $799.99 for its niceties when it arrives in May.Read - Magellan Maestro 4000Read - Magellan Maestro 4040Read - Magellan Maestro 4050[Via GPSGazette]
Magellan RoadMate 2200T GPS unit reviewed
Let's face it, getting lost trying to find grandmother's house is no way to enjoy your holiday travels, but considering the coinage you're dropping to drive there, financing a GPS unit could be an issue. Enter Magellan's RoadMate 2200T, which provides a no-frills alternative to the fancy (and pricey) navigation units also out there. While the screen size and list of extra are both short of breathtaking, reviewers at GPS Magazine were thoroughly impressed at the value presented in this $400 device. Noted as a "strong performer," the crew admired the newly-revamped routing engine, and found that its Exit POI, Route Exclusion, and SmartDetour functions were all well implemented. Also, they found the actual map screen "among the best they'd seen," stating that it presented information in a useful and easy to read manner. However, a low-end unit typically drops the ball in at least a few areas, and the 2200T was found to have an "essentially useless" MP3 player, as it can only be used when not navigating your routes, a volume control "awkwardly buried in the menu system," and text-to-speech performance that doesn't live up to the TomToms and Garmins of the world. Regardless, the RoadMate 2200T was deemed satisfactory in the areas that matter most, and while we'd still eye a few other options before making any snap judgments, these folks felt it was simply "the best GPS in its price category."
Magellan teams up with AAA for RoadMate RS2.0 GPS
For those of you who can't ever settle on which routes to take, or just favor devices that make the decisions (including your vacation stops), Magellan is busting out a portable RoadMate navigation device with all the AAA-recommended hotspots already laid out. Teaming up with America's best-known roadside aid and "TourBook" creator, Magellan's new RoadMate AAA RS2.0 comes pre-stocked with AAA rated hotels, restaurants, and attractions as a part of the built-in goodies available only in this special edition unit. The device touts a small 5- x 4- x 1.5-inch enclosure, 3.5-inch touchscreen, "QuickSpell" technology, multi-point routing, and JPEG / MP3 support. AAA Mid-Atlantic, California State Automobile Association, AAA Western / Central New York, and AAA Auto Club South will be offering the lightweight GPS to its club members online and in their respective offices soon for an undisclosed (but probably discounted) price.[Via MobileWhack]
Magellan pops out RoadMate 2000 series
Magellan is taking things to the low-end with their new RoadMate 2000 series, but the new portable GPS units aren't without frills. The base-model RoadMate 2000 brings the SiRF Star III action for a mere $400. At 7.9 ounces and 1.1-inches thick, the device sports a 3.5-inch display and includes SmartDetour re-routing, along with battery power for use when traveling on foot. Another hundie will get you the RoadMate 2200T, which can handle extra info via SD memory, along with real-time traffic, points of interest, text-to-speech directions, MP3 playback and photo viewing. The unit purports to have an eight hour batter life, and can wear an optional "Sports Guard" jacket for impact and water resistance. At $550 the RoadMate 2500T features the "CrossoverGPS" capabilities available to the 2200T via SD card expansion, allowing for all sorts of off-road and backpacking exploration fun. The unit also comes with the Sports Guard sleeve for extra rough-and-tumble action. The three GPS units should be available in North America this September, October and December respectively.[Via gps tracklog]
Mio C310 GPS receiver / MP3 player reviewed
Personal Tech Pipeline got a chance to tour around with Mio's C310 portable GPS receiver with built-in DAP that we first spotted at CES, and claim that although the unit is a pretty good value, its performance is a bit underwhelming. Rather than building a product from the ground up like the Garmins and Magellans of the world, Mio has assembled a Windows CE-powered unit featuring software from Destinator Technologies and maps from TeleAtlas -- which, while not necessarily a bad thing, means some of the features aren't as polished as they are on vertically-integrated products. For example, PTP found that many important options were buried under several sub-menus, which made simple tasks like changing to night mode or selecting a new destination while driving more difficult than they should be, and probably more dangerous. The C310 seemed to perform its navigation duties fairly well, though, and even ships with ActiveSync for loading up your Outlook contacts' addresses, but little annoyances like a cluttered 3.5-inch screen and awful built-in speakers might be enough to convince most folks to put their $600 towards a more expensive model that operates a little more smoothly.
