Strengths: has aaa built in. hotels , discounts

Weaknesses: the AC plug comes in two pieces.

Summary: I could not get the bluetooth to work with my treo 650. Must only work with certain phones.this model is geared toward AAA members so if you dont have AAA, you would not be utilizing the full potential. has a large screen 800x600 resolution.

Strengths: easy to use worked out of the box

Weaknesses: to many features ;)

Summary: LOVE THE UNIT WAS NOT THE ONE I WAS GOING AFTER BUT MIGHT HAVE BEEN A BETTER CHOICE SALES EDWIN IN CARL PLACE KNOWS HIS TECH

Strengths: Has a large database of Points of Interest (POI), large clear screen, and works well with a Motorola Razr phone blue tooth connection.

Weaknesses: Maps have not been updated since 9/2006 and Maestro 4040 Voice Upgrade is an additional $99.

Summary: Upon registering, the Magellan website recommend I update the firmware in the 4040. I followed the directions to get the download but the link did not work. I called technical support who had me repeat the process even though I explained that the link was not working and instead of giving the download page was showing the site map. Technical suppport could not get the link to work and told me it would be fixed tomorrow but it still doesn't work. I have now found the link has been removed from the site.The link to the Voice Upgrade works for the fee requested.I found in the Chicago land area a major express way was missing along with numerous side roads. Technical support explained that the map was being updated but did not have a firm date.I am very discouraged with the product after taking the time and effort to determine it was the product best suited for me.

Strengths: AAA information very helpful, easy to use screen even for my non-english reading wife...

Weaknesses: Maps really need to be updated......

Summary: I have had this unit for about 3 months and found it to be easy to use and easy to see even with my aged eyes. It is very fast and very accurate when the roads have not changed. Which is often in the area of California I am from. So please update the maps.....

Strengths: Easy to use right out of the box, Strong signal,loud clear voice,blue tooth connected easily

Weaknesses: haven't found any yet

Summary: Bought product a week ago for my wife who does a lot of driving for work. She says she couldn't be happier with it. No problem getting her LG phone with verizon service to connect with bluetooth.Although when I call her I get a little echoing. Easy to see and easy to use....

Strengths: Inbuilt AAA Tourbook, Quick Spell, Large 4.3in screen, Extended warranty for AAA members

Weaknesses: Weak Bluetooth interface. Blue tooth pairing required manually, Slow navigation when switching between text and maps

Summary: This is my second GPS and so far i am pleased with the performance for the price. It was easy to install using the windshield mount. Also, included is the pouch which helps when i take out the GPS when not in use. It switches to night mode automatically during night time which helps in navigation without causing distraction to eyes. It doesn't have some of the fancy features like MP3 and picture player, but i don't think you really need those in GPS with much more advanced devices in place. Directions were very much accurate. Voice prompt helps in driving without having to look at the screen. Main disadvantage it has is the Bluetooth which requires pairing everytime manually. AAA members have extended 1 year warranty which is a big plus as well. Occasionally, it is slow when you are navigating and want to go back and forth between the text direction and the maps but its not getting used very often while driving so its not an issue.

Strengths: Compact design that fits in a briefcase or coat pocket, battery powered, many preloaded options for quick searches.

Weaknesses: Hard to understand how to use the SD card option for saving directions. Huge bummer is that you cannot load an address book into the phone feature.

Summary: The unit is great. Unlike previous review, I paired directly to a Treo 650. You need to link device from the menu. All accessories are discounted with AAA membership. Option available to purchase voice recognition unlock code. Excellent for the price.

Strengths: accurate, bluetooth compatible, AAA support, nice screen

Weaknesses: slow startup

Summary: The Magellan 4040 is your typical GPS. It has all the standard features and some. The extra features include bluetooth phone support, and AAA roadside assistance (for AAA members). Further, it can have live traffic and weather updates with an attachment (and monthly service I think). The only problem I have with it is that it takes a few minutes to connect to the GPS satellites, but this is generally not too big of a problem.

Strengths: good text-to-speach, expandable with traffic and (eventually) voice recognition, nice screen, AAA

Weaknesses: no way to load address book, weak speakerphone, software volume control

Summary: This is the first GPS I've owned and I'm generally pleased with it. Finding destinations and routing work quite well. Re-routing is a cinch too. The UI could use some work. For example, searching for a destination by name, you first enter the name and then the city. If you want to try another name you have to back up, enter the name then re-enter the same city over again. Overall the UI is like that; very linear with one thing following the next and no opportunity to jump around.Quibbles aside, I like my 4040 and would buy it again. It has all the things you want and nothing you don't. No media players, or flying toasters, or whatever (why, oh why would you put an MP3 player in a GPS? You're in a CAR for crying out loud! Cars have STEREOS!).

Strengths: Large screen and vivid graphios, AAA info, clear speech with TTS, tons of POI information

Weaknesses: Bluetooth connectivity is the only issue so far

Summary: I bought this unit at a Black Friday sale at Staples to replace an older Mio unit and was looking forward to the AAA benefits since we are members. I found the display to be much better than the one I had been using - a MIO - and the text to speech addition was a real plus. Now I have not been able to get the bluetooth to sync with my phone yet. I may be doing something wrong and will contact Magellan (I hope this works out since it was a real plus to me). The transfer of the phone number info was not a porblem for me - I am primarily using this for the excellent GPS functions - by the way it started up very fast for me! Enjoy this great product!

Strengths: Columbus would have sold his mother for this.Starbucks was Captain Ahab\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\'s 1st mate in Moby Dick.The Ol\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\' captain would have been amazed that touching a sc

Weaknesses: Some GPS let you down load marine charts. As far as I can tell, you can\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\'t with the 4040. So unless I am wrong, boating is out.

Summary: I have been using GPS electronics for eight years. Before that I had to use dead reaconing navigation flying small planes and taking my boat out. I live in south Florida so travel the keys, islands, and inlets. The 4040 is much easier to use use than the old GPS. I happen to think its great!!! I take in the house to plan my trips and add places to the address book. I charge it at home or in the car. We just took a trip to test run it...It was great. I use the AAA list of places to find ATM\\\\\\\\\\\\'s, and of course, the nearest Starbucks. If you Play with the points of interest you will be truely amazed. How can you beat it for around three hundred dollars

Strengths: Accurate, easy to follow directions, voice guidence is easy to understand, screen is bright and clear.

Weaknesses: Short run time on built in battery.

Summary: Very easy to use right out of the box. Read the manual for additonal guidance on the many advanced features. Bluetooth connected with Motorola Razor within 30 seconds on the first try. Loud and clear bluetooth reception, without feedback. I would recommend this GPS to anyone looking for a mid priced navigation system. For the the price of the Magellan, the features and operating characteristics of this unit are comparable to an auto manufacturers $2000 factory unit, and the 4040 is totally portable. 5 stars overall satisfaction for the price.

Strengths: Screen size, north american maps, accessories.

Weaknesses: Backward navigation

Summary: Overall this is a nice unit. Starts up quickly, easy forward navigation of the menus, displays lots of information and many features like speaking street names and connects to my mobile phone via bluetooth. The thing I like the least is navigating in the backward direction. Seems a bit awkward that there is not a CANCEL button to take you back to the main screen, therefore, you have to keep pressing the "back" button on the screen.

Strengths: * Fast interface * Pastel color scheme is easy on the eyes * Improved menu UI over previous Magellan units * Loud built-in speaker (you can easily hear the Maestro even in a loud car traveling at highway speeds) * Four routing methods

Weaknesses: * Release button on windshield mount is located behind the unit, making it hard to see what you're doing when you want to release the unit from the mount (you have to look behind the unit to see the where the button it). Magellan should move the release

Summary: The Bottom LineThe Maestro 4040 is a flawed unit that has more pros than cons. It's not a perfect unit, but it does offer good basic navigation along with some powerful features unique to Magellan, a wide screen display, SiRF, updated NAVTEQ maps, Bluetooth, multi-destination routing, and AAA TourBook data. With so much going for it, it's just that much more frustrating that the Maestro falls short of being a great GPS due to irritating display issues and poor readability. I had really been hoping for Magellan to hit a home run with Maestro, but the product falls short of my expectations. Maestro is an adequate GPS that could be just a firmware update away from being a very good GPS. However, based on my testing of the Maestro (firmware version 1.06), at the $500 street pricing, I'm recommending the Garmin nuvi 250 or Garmin StreetPilot c550 over the Maestro. If you're on a shoestring budget, the Magellan RoadMate 2000 provides the same routing engine as Maestro and same mapping data (albeit with a smaller POI database, no AAA data, and no Bluetooth) along with many of the unique Magellan features and can be had for under $250. The Garmin nuvi 200 is also an excellent budget choice with a street price of around $400. If you absolutely must have the wide screen display, fork over the extra $100 and pick-up a nuvi 660 (which has become a bargain since the 680 was released).

Strengths: Great price on refirbished unit

Weaknesses: Database is outdated with $79.95 cost to upgrade

Summary: I would like to say that I recently purchased a Magellan 4040 GPS unit and when I started to use it, I quickly find that the database is obsolete. I emailed Magellan and contacted them by phone to discuss this matter. They tell me since I purchased a refurbished unit that they cannot offer free database update. The cost of the database update on a new refurbished unit is $79.95. What a rip off....don't buy Magellan GPS units. They are only a scam.