Magellan Maestro 3140
Manufacturer: Magellan Corp. Part number: 980935-01
- More product information:
- Editors' review
- User reviews
- Specifications
- Product series
- Manufacturer info
- Bottom Line:
- Sporting a sleeker design and interface, the affordable Magellan Maestro series offers drivers an accurate in-car GPS device with useful trip information, thanks to its partnership with AAA.
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Where to buy
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CNET editors' review
Magellan Maestro 3140 price range: $249.99
- Reviewed by: Bonnie Cha
- Reviewed on: 04/05/2007
The good: The Magellan Maestro series of in-car GPS devices features an updated and sleeker design and interface with a spacious 4.3-inch touch screen. All models offer useful information on points of interest from the American Automobile Association. In addition, the Maestro 4040 has integrated Bluetooth and text-to-speech functionality, while the Maestro 4050 adds real-time traffic alerts and voice commands.
The bad: During our road tests, the Maestro 4040 was a little slow to recalculate routes. The Bluetooth pairing process was also a bit difficult,and you can't transfer contacts from your phone to the Maestro 4040.
The bottom line: Sporting a sleeker design and interface, the affordable Magellan Maestro series offers drivers an accurate in-car GPS device with useful trip information, thanks to its partnership with AAA.
Compared to the competition, Magellan hasn't always offered the flashiest in-car GPS devices, but it's always offered a good value to the consumer. Now, with the company's new Maestro line of portable navigation systems, you can get both qualities. The three-model series, which includes the Magellan Maestro 4000, Maestro 4040, and the Maestro 4050, features an updated and sleeker design and user interface and all the navigation essentials at an affordable price. In addition, Magellan has partnered with the American Automobile Association (AAA) to provide useful travel information and access to roadside assistance.
For our review, we took a look at the Magellan Maestro 4040 ($499.99), which adds integrated Bluetooth and text-to-speech functionality to the entry-level Maestro 4000 ($399.99). Though we wish route recalculations were slightly faster and that the Maestro had better Bluetooth integration, we enjoyed mostly good performance during our test drives, and we think it's a good buy. Plus, we appreciate the fact that Magellan chose to concentrate on the features that would most help a driver, rather than adding superfluous things like a media player just for the heck of it. The Magellan Maestro 4000 and 4040 are available now, while the Magellan Maestro 4050, which adds voice command functionality and real-time traffic alerts, will be available in May for $699.99.
Design
The Magellan Maestro 4040 is probably the best-looking portable navigation system we've seen from the company to date. Unlike the somewhat bulky and uninspiring Magellan RoadMate 2200T, the Maestro 4040 sports a classic black-and-silver color scheme and a more refined and streamlined design. It's got a sleek profile and compact dimensions--at at 3.7 inches high by 5 inches wide by 0.8 inch deep, and weighing 8.5 ounces--for easy portability between vehicles.
Another attractive aspect of the Magellan Maestro 4040's is its minimalist design. The device isn't bombarded by external controls. There's just an SD/MMC expansion slot, a power button, a mini USB port, and a Reset button on the left spine, and a 3.5mm headphone jack and power connector on the right side. That said, we're fans of having volume controls on the exterior of the device for easy audio adjustment, so if we could add anything to the Maestro 4040, it would be dedicated volume up/down buttons.
Fortunately, the Maestro 4040 boasts a spacious and responsive 4.3-inch diagonal touch screen with a friendly user interface that makes adjusting the volume and general operation an easy affair. Magellan, thankfully, has updated the interface since the archaic-looking menus of the RoadMate 2200T. The Maestro 4040 now features attractive icons, and the menus are really simple to understand. We were able to use the device right out of the box without even having to read the user's guide.
The display itself is satisfactory. The resolution wasn't the sharpest we've seen, but it's nothing that prevented us from using the device. Maps were bright and colorful, and there's a night mode and backlight adjuster. In addition, the screen has an antiglare coating that did a pretty good job of keeping the display readable in various lighting conditions.
Magellan packages the Maestro 4040 with a vehicle mount (windshield and dash), a car charger, an AC adapter, a USB cable, and a protective pouch.
Features
The Magellan Maestro 4040 is equipped with a SiRF Star III GPS chip and comes preloaded with Navteq maps of the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. If you don't need help getting to a specific destination, you can just tap the Show Map icon to get an overview map of your location, otherwise you can select Enter Address to input a specific address or intersection to get directions. If you're planning a trip with multiple stops, use the Trip Planner option, which can handle up to 20 destinations. Like many of Magellan's other GPS devices, the Maestro 4040 has the QuickSpell feature, which helps speed up the process of text entry. As you start to punch the numbers and letters of an address on the virtual keyboard, QuickSpell dims out any characters that don't match the city or streets located in the system's database. It's quite handy and worked well during our test period.
Like many of today's portable navigation systems, the Maestro 4040 can calculate routes based on fastest time, shortest distance, least or most use of freeways, and toll-free roads. There's also a Detour option if you want to avoid a certain part of the prescribed route. The Maestro 4040 doesn't give real-time traffic updates, but there is an upgrade option if you want to add this capability. (At the time of this writing, Magellan had not finalized the pricing of the TravelKit for the Maestro 4040.) Alternatively, the Magellan Maestro 4050 offers this functionality out of the box. The system provides text- and voice-guided turn-by-turn directions, plus text-to-speech functionality, which Magellan calls SayWhere, so the system will speak actual street names. Other features include 2D (north up or tracking up) or 3D map modes with night or day colors, automatic route recalculation, and a trip computer that shows your average speed, trip time, drive time, and trip distance.
The Magellan Maestro 4040's points of interest (POI) database contains a healthy 4.5 million entries, and includes everything from gas stations to casinos. You're probably thinking, "Yeah, so? A lot of other GPS devices offer the same POI features." Sure, but the differentiating factor is Magellan's partnership with AAA. This gives you access to AAA TourBook listings for AAA Diamond-rated lodging and restaurants, complete with information such as hotel amenities, restaurant description and hours of operation, admission prices for certain attractions, and so forth. Of course, you can instruct the system to route to that POI from your current location. AAA members will get even more out of the Maestro, as it provides listings for establishments that offer discounts to AAA members, AAA-approved auto repair facilities, and details for roadside assistance. More specifically, the unit will display the AAA member toll-free help number and your exact location, so you can give the operator all your information--a really nice safety feature.
Even better, the system has integrated Bluetooth, so you can pair your Bluetooth-enabled cell phone and use the Maestro 4040 (or the 4050) as a hands-free speaker system. With it, you can place and accept calls, view your call history, search the device's address book, and redial. We ran into some problems trying to pair the Maestro 4040 with the Samsung Upstage. Though the two appeared to be connected, the Upstage wasn't showing up as paired on the Maestro. We had to repeat the process several times before the nav system finally recognized the cell phone. Once they were paired, though, we had no problems making or taking calls. Unfortunately, you can't wirelessly transfer contacts from the phone to the Maestro 4040 at this time.
Finally, we want to comment on the Maestro's lack of multimedia capabilities. While some might criticize Magellan for not including a media player or image viewer, we actually applaud this move. We've always been a bit critical of the inclusion of such features on a car GPS system, because we don't think it's all that useful or relevant--not yet anyway. As such, we're glad that Magellan chose to concentrate on the essential and most helpful features to the driver.
Performance
We tested the Magellan Maestro 4040 in San Francisco, and from a cold start, the unit acquired a satellite fix almost immediately under clear skies. Subsequent starts were also instantaneous. The Maestro 4040 did a good job of pinpointing our location as we drove around the city, running everyday errands with no specific destination in mind. We also entered our standard trip from the Marina district to CNET headquarters in downtown San Francisco. The system was a tad sluggish returning with directions compared to other systems we've tested; really, it was only a matter of a few seconds, and it's not a major issue since you'll most likely be planning these trips before you hit the road. However, more concerning was the rate of route recalculation. We purposefully missed several turns along our trip to test the feature, and on several occasions, the Maestro 4040 gave us new directions just before we had to make a turn. In one instance, it got completely confused and had us going in circles, though it eventually got us back on track. The unit's battery is rated for up to 3 hours on a single charge.
User reviews
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Awesome Value
by BWojo on July 4, 2007
Pros: Price, Feature packed, Accurate, Large screen, clear volume, text-to-speech, bluetooth, Quickspell feature, Trip Planner option
Cons: Difficulty removing unit from windshield mount. Could be a bit faster recalculating Routes.
Summary: Let me start by saying I think this unit is awesome. Jam packed with useful features found on many more expensive units. Magellan has finally produced a really cool and ...
Summary: Let me start by saying I think this unit is awesome. Jam packed with useful features found on many more expensive units. Magellan has finally produced a really cool and easy to use portable navigation system. I picked mine up for under $300.00. My last unit was a Nuvi 350. Unfortunately my Nuvi was stolen from my car forcing me to find another unit. When I stumbled onto the Magellan Maestro 3140 I couldn't believe it. More features than my Nuvi 350 at almost half the price. In fact you would have to step up to the Nuvi 360 to get some of the similar features found in the Magellan 3140. You will also have to pay a little more for the Nuvi 360. What I am saying is the Magellan packs alot of nice features into their 3140. I found the general operation to be easy and fair. A nice size touch screen is responsive and user friendly. The volume on this unit is pretty good. Maps are bright and colorful, and there's a night mode and backlight adjuster. The screen has an antiglare coating that works well in various lighting conditions. The POI database has a ton of stuff. If your a AAA memember this unit provides listings for establishments that offer discounts to AAA members, AAA-approved auto repair facilities, and details for roadside assistance. More specifically, the unit will display the AAA member toll-free help number and your exact location, so you can give the operator all your information--a really nice safety feature. This unit has integrated bluetooth which paired well with my Motorolla Razor. Although If you use a wireless head set with your phone I don't know you if would find the benifit of using the units bluuetooth. The speaker quality and sound through the unit is pretty good.I guess I prefer my headset. The magellan provides phone numbers to the POI in their database which is pretty handy when your looking for a hotel room at 11 at night. So what did I find bad about this unit? Not much to be honest. I think the windsheild mount (which looks alot like the Nuvi 350) is compact and easy to use. The issue I have is once you place the unit on the mount it's pretty difficult to get the unit back off the mount. In fact I gave up trying to remove the windsheild mount from the unit and find it easier to take the whole thing off the windshield. I noticed the re-calulation of routes could be faster. If your stationary when you make the switch or pull over to allow the unit to recalcualte it works fine. If your on the fly traveling 70mph it can be annoying. Although this unit has never not got me to my destination. So while the windsheild mount can be annoying and the re-calcualtion of routes a bit slow,
the magellan is still alot of GPS for the money.4 out of 4 users found this user opinion helpful.
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I really wanted to like it.
by jwat14 on July 30, 2007
Pros: easy-to-read displays
Cons: strange, inconvenient routings; inaccurate POIs
Summary: I was really happy to receive this and initially all seemed well; however after I tested it on some routine trips I've made for years, I noted that it ...
Summary: I was really happy to receive this and initially all seemed well; however after I tested it on some routine trips I've made for years, I noted that it had the tendency to calculate routes that either took me out of the way although I did eventually arrive at my destination, or it took me to the wrong location altogether. The problem may involve POIs that are incorrectly programmed, but I can get lost by myself. Customer service walked me through a reset, but that did not solve the problem. I sent the unit back a few weeks ago.
3 out of 4 users found this user opinion helpful.
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This unit has AAA database..priceless!
by maxvolt on October 22, 2008
Pros: The AAA database in right inside this little baby...instead of running to AAA for road trips to get the AAA Tour books, its already on this gps database...attractions, phone numbers, ratings..EVERYTHING! For $89 how could one go wrong?
Cons: Annoying female voice, but mute solves that.
At complex intersections, unit goes to split screen with detailed intersection drawings and traffic flow...nice feature, but it tends to overwhelm and confuse the user while driving.Summary: I have the magellan 3140 and its big brother the 4000...for the $89 price I paid for each....its hard to have any real issues with these units. The ...
Summary: I have the magellan 3140 and its big brother the 4000...for the $89 price I paid for each....its hard to have any real issues with these units. The bad features of the unit I identified are really personal annoyances more than design issues. I cant stress enough I have friends and been driven by limo drivers with different units , and I can HONESTLY say, I like my magellans better than all of them so far. The AAA partnership makes this unit A+++. I had an instance where the address I was given for a hotel was incorrect. I went into the AAA database found the hotel, told the unit to map it, and I was at the hotel five minutes later. While in the lobby two more people came in and said th addresses they typed into the hotel took them to some other location (which mine did as well)...but the AAA database in this unit corrected that mapping error and took me to the right place..they didnt have that feature...and one of the peoples unit was a $700 unit with voice commands...so much for paying big money. Buy these units you'll never be lost, and help is just a phone call away using the unit.
1 out of 1 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Don't Buy it!!
by jimbeattie on June 20, 2008
Pros: Helped me only in places I knew.
Cons: gave me wrong directions on a regular basis
Summary: Like someone else, I wanted to like it. I had an early hiking Magellan GPS and I loved it. But this automobile GPS is not the old quality. It was ...
Summary: Like someone else, I wanted to like it. I had an early hiking Magellan GPS and I loved it. But this automobile GPS is not the old quality. It was seriously wrong so often that I took it back and got a refund. friend had warned me against it, but with my good past experience, I didn't believe him. He was right.
It is fine if you know the general area where you are traveling, but don't trust it where you don't have maps...so why have it if you need your maps to make sure the GPS is right?
I wanted to take a trip in a direciton east from my home. The GPS took me to the freeway and wanted to send me 90 miles west the wrong way and 90 miles back to where I started to get on the freeway before it would send me the right direction east.
I thought it was just one little mistake--nothing's perfect--but it has consistently done this.
Furthermore, the last update was 2006 and it appears that they have no plans to update it...even though they give you a USB cable so you can. There are no map updates on their web site and only one firmware update from 2006.
I emailed them about my problems. They sent me back a "non-answer" email and told me to go to the web site for the solution. There is no solution and no support.
I think this item is on its way out so do your homework and get somethinng where they really do updates on the maps and firmware.1 out of 1 users found this user opinion helpful.
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in less that 6 months no longer work
by vermontrican on October 1, 2009
Pros: while it work was a excellent equipment
Cons: System brokedown to fast
Summary: too much money and no warranty
Summary: too much money and no warranty
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I love my magellan, I have not had a probem
by lee_thomas40 on June 28, 2009
Pros: I love my magellan, I have not had a problem with this product, it have got me to point A to point B with no problem
Cons: they could have made the turn by turn voice a little louder.
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Good Product - Poor Support
by tempo35 on September 27, 2008
Pros: Navigation Instructions, Blue tooth, POI's
Cons: POOR CUSTOMER SUPPORT/ PRODUCT UPDATES, Poor cell phone microphone,
Summary: EXERCISE CAUTION
While the design and functionality of this product is very good the Magellan customer and product support leaves a lot to be desired. I purchased the Maestro 3140 ...Summary: EXERCISE CAUTION
While the design and functionality of this product is very good the Magellan customer and product support leaves a lot to be desired. I purchased the Maestro 3140 less than 4 months ago and found the maps to be extremely out of date and no new maps available on their web site. While reviewing their site recently I found their was a new maps update.
Here is the clichcer. It costs 79.99 and they will only provide free of charge for products purchased within the last 30 days. There is no literature in the packaging to instruct anyone they have 30 days to update their software.
The update has been out less than a month. This leave anyone who purchased their out of date GPS with an additional $118.00 bill to bring it up to date.Yes I did say it was only 79.99, but because it is not available for download on line I am being charged an additional $25 dollars for shipping for a CD. This is quite lucrative for such a small item. They are trying very hard to get the printer and ink marketing in effect here.
It is such a shame they lack business sense to the extent they market out of date products with no sense of duty to ensure the product performs well, but rather look for ways to stick it to the consumer with hidden costs and over priced services. Their business practices over shadow the quality of the product they manufacture and this is very unfortunate but but even more unfortunate in that it is a growing practice which Magellan obviously subscribes to.
In closing, I was told by one of their service managers the current maps they are MARKETING could be up to 18 months out of date. If you live in a high growth area maybe you want to try TomTom or Garmond. They don't seem to have map datum issues. -
PERFECTLY SIMPLE
by teckygirl on February 16, 2008
Pros: Fast to reroute,clear voice, bright & clear screen,easy to store sddress, bluetooth
Cons: none that I found
Summary: I own this GPS as well as another newer model and this one beats it hands down. User friendly,clear instructions,bell to alert you is great bonus. Took it ...
Summary: I own this GPS as well as another newer model and this one beats it hands down. User friendly,clear instructions,bell to alert you is great bonus. Took it on a 13hr.trip out of state, alone to the land of unknown and never got lost! The street names & left/right announcements are helpful as well as the bluetooth which works perfectly. The address book stores up to 200 entries and is easily accessable. A must have, won't travel without it!
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Best GPS I ever had!
by msn843 on August 13, 2007
Pros: Great map design
Cons: volume is not loud enough
Summary: The Magellan Maestro is a very nice GPS. This unit has alot of points of interest (poi) and alot of features. The map coloring is great. The menu is realy ...
Summary: The Magellan Maestro is a very nice GPS. This unit has alot of points of interest (poi) and alot of features. The map coloring is great. The menu is realy easy to use: just click menu on the screen when you are navigating. The unit is small enough to fit in a pocket. The only thing i did not like was that it did not have a batery indicator on the unit, you have to turn it on to check. Also,the volume is not loud enough, espesialy when listning to music, or when your windows are rolled down.
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Buy a Garmin instead!!!!!!!!!!
by tgun65 on March 13, 2008
Pros: Text to speech
Cons: Bluetooth is HORRIBLY implemented
Summary: I bought this over many other choices because of the bluetooth. Boy was that a mistake. Won't allow you to voice dial, won't sync address book from phone, ...
Summary: I bought this over many other choices because of the bluetooth. Boy was that a mistake. Won't allow you to voice dial, won't sync address book from phone, doesn't automatically connect to phone when you turn it on (hmmm, aren't these all things you would expect of a bluetooth handsfree?. The directions are OK, the text to speech works OK. Hope you never need support from Magellan. You'll be lucky if you can get someone that speeks English understandably, and even if you do all they know what to do is say "I'm sorry for your inconvenience".
0 out of 1 users found this user opinion helpful.
Specifications
- Manufacturer: Magellan Corp.
- Part number: 980935-01
- Description: Magellan Maestro 3140 offers advanced, premium navigation at an affordable price. The most intuitive graphical 3.5" touch-screen interface available makes navigation easy. Enter virtually any destination and get turn-by-turn voice guidance. 4.5 million preprogrammed points of interest help you find your destination even when you don't know the address. Smart touch-icons and Magellan's unique QuickSpell function enable error-free spelling, minimizing steps, so you get a customized route to your destination with just a few touches of the screen. See your location, route, direction, next turn, destination and more. Say where text-to-speech tells you street names for each turn for worry-free navigation. Bluetooth hands-free calling adds safety and convenience to your drive when using your Bluetooth-enabled mobile phone. Maestro 3140 is designed for those who enjoy precision technology with style! It has been created by Magellan; the first name in navigation, and built on years of experience providing the best in GPS navigation.
General
- Width 4.3 in
- Depth 1.1 in
- Height 3.5 in
- Weight 6.3 oz
GPS System
- Recommended Use Automotive
- Receiver 20 channel
- SBAS WAAS
- Accuracy Position - 3 - 5 m ( With WAAS ), Position - 7 m
- Voice Navigation instructions
- Antenna Built-in
- Features Preinstalled POIs, 2D / 3D map perspective, Hands-free calling via Bluetooth
- Maps Included USA, Canada, Puerto Rico
Navigation
- Trip computer Back-On-Track, Avoid freeways, Avoid toll roads, Fast/short route
Built-in Display
- Type TFT
- Resolution 320 x 240
- Diagonal Size 3.5 in
- Display Illumination Yes
- Color Support Color
- Features Anti-glare, Touch screen
Battery
- Battery included qty 1
- Battery required qty 1
- Battery technology Lithium ion
- Mfr estimated battery life 3 hour(s)
Product series
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Manufacturer: Magellan Corp.
Specs: Automotive, Audible signals, 0.5 lbs
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Manufacturer: Magellan Corp.
Specs: Automotive, Navigation instructions, 8.5 oz
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Manufacturer: Magellan Corp.
Specs: 20 channel, Automotive, Navigation instructions, Voice command recognition, 8.5 oz
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Manufacturer: Magellan Corp.
Specs: 20 channel, Automotive, Navigation instructions, 6.5 oz
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Manufacturer: Magellan Corp.
Specs: 20 channel, Automotive, Navigation instructions, 6.3 oz
Manufacturer info
- Magellan Corp.
- Manufacturer profile
- Browse Magellan Corp. products on Shopper.com
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- Website: http://www.magellangps.com/
- Address:
960 Overland Ct.
San Dimas, CA 91773 - Phone: 909/394-5502
- Email: alinsey-jackson@thalesnavigation.com
- Fax: 408-615-3960
