February 28, 2007

Magellan Maestro 4000, 4040, 4050

Magellan has officially announced three new GPS models, the new Magellan Maestro 4000, Maestro 4040 and Maestro 4050, with the high end of the line featuring voice activated controls. Yea, it will tell you where to go, and you can tell it what to do. This is reportedly the first line of units to be designed after the Shah Capital purchase of Magellan last year from the French Company Thales that had let the Magellan brand slide in recent years. I take it as a very positive sign that Magellan is:

Bringing innovation to the market with voice activated controls on the Magellan Maestro 4050 unit, and not just bringing "me-too" products to market, and

Magellan is competitively pricing these units, including the low end for a $399 list, which, I would expect, will compete in the "Just over $300" market online in the not-to-distant future.

All three are widescreened, flat form factors taking cues from the high end Nuvi 660. Smart.

Magellan Maestro 4050 - The high end of the line has handsfree operation with voice commands as well as Bluetooth handsfree calling, traffic alerts and text-to-speech capability. The unit will ship with pre-loaded maps of the US and Canada. Price is expected to be $699 (List).

Magellan Maestro 4040 - The mid-point unit will feature Bluetooth handsfree capability and maps of North America. You will be able to upgrade to voice commands and TMC traffic with this unit. Price is expected to be $499 (list).

Magellan Maestro 4000 - The Low end of the line is loaded with continental US map data and will still offer voice guided turn-by-turn directions. Price is expected to be $399 list.

The Magellan Maestro 4000, and 4040 should be available in March, while the Maestro 4050 will be available in May.