Price: $90.00
| Product Reviews | |
|---|---|
| GPS Magazine | 3 out of 5 |
| ZDnet | 7.9 out of 10 |
| Amazon.com | 4 out of 5 |
| CNet | 3.5 out of 5 |
| alaTest | 81 out of 100 |
The refurbished Magellan Maestro 4000 is a bottom of the rung navigation GPS device that you should probably avoid if you can pass up on the low price tag. Even though this model made it on our GPS below $100 list and the reviews from some of the major reviewing websites are decent there are some glaring problems with this device that would indicate to me that you should go with another similarly priced model (like the refurbished TomTom One Third Edition) instead of this Magellan.
Most notably missing from the equation is text-to-speech, turn-by-turn directions. This feature is essentially standard in more up-to-date automotive navigation units. What good is your GPS if you always have to be reading your screen to find out when you need to turn? While the screen is fairly large on this model (4.3 inch display) there is only so much you can do while driving. If you are new to an area or are on a long road trip you want what to do next to be announced to you well in advance, especially if you are driving at high speeds on a interstate or highway.
Another version in the same Maestro series, the refurbished Magellan Maestro 4040, does come with this feature is very reasonably priced.
But if you are seriously not interested in having the text-to-speech feature then you can still consider this model since the price is so low. Just know that Magellan has discontinued this GPS – meaning that they didn’t think that is was profitable to keep this type of device available for mass purchase. There are still some refurbished models floating around, but you might be hard pressed to find one that is going to be below $100 forever.
Product Features
- 4.3 inch Touch Screen Auto Navigation System
- Birds Eye 3D View Clearly See Your Surroundings in 2D or 3D
- 4 Easy Views Map View/3D Map/TrueView 3D Split Screen and Maneuver List
- QuickSpell/Easily Enter Addresses with Unique Auto-Complete Feature that Even
- SmartDetour Automatically Prompts You to Route Around Sudden Slow Freeway Traffi
Technical Details
- Brand Name: Magellan
- Model: Refurb Maestro 4000
- Connectivity Technology: USB
- Display Size: 4.3 inches
- Native Resolution: 320 x 240
- Battery Average Life: 2 Hours
- MP3 player: Y
TomTom GO 720
Price: $129.99
This refurbished portable GPS device is a solid addition to any family’s GPS arsenal. With TomTom’s TeleAtlas maps you get excellent coverage of European locals and solid state-side service as well. With text-to-speech, Bluetooth connectivity, a customizable progress bar, an extremely accurate SiRFStarIII GPS receiver, and millions of POIs stored on its expansive 2 GB hard drive the TomTom Go 720 will probably meet and exceed most first-time GPS buyers expectations.
The TomTom GO 720 was the first navigational GPS unit produced by TomTom to contain the useful Mapshare feature which can be used to help keep up to date on the latest changes in roads and businesses. The way MapShare works is that when you come a some part of your trip that isn’t accurately portrayed by your GPS then all you have to do is open up the editor on your device and make the necessary change. You refurbished TomTom Go 720 will automatically use this new information in all future routing.
Let’s say that you have a road in your neighborhood that really isn’t there, but for some reason it made it onto TomTom’s map and it keeps getting added to your routes. Just open the editor and delete that section of road and you won’t have that problem again. Isn’t that cool?
Well, it gets better. What happens when your friend Jim tries to use his TomTom to get to your house. Won’t he get routed through this non-existent street and then have to make the changes himself? Sure, you could do it that way – but there is a better way. You can share your changes with other TomTom users. That is why it called MapShare. This nifty feature is makes it a lot easier to make sure that your mpas are up to date and the best part about it is that you know your maps will be pretty accurate because actual people are making these changes to their own personal GPS devices.
The GO 720 does have a few issues. The first is that it is only is compatible with a small number of Bluetooth-enabled cell phones so if you wanted to use your GO 720 for making and answering phone calls and your phone is not on the list then you are out of luck. Also, the lack of external volume control makes it rather difficult to turn up the volume quickly when road conditions become very noisy or a heightened sense of anxiety gives you an urge to turn up the volume.
The refurbished TomTom GO 720 is going to provide all the benefits of a TomTom device at a very affordable and reasonable price. It won’t be as full featured as a GO from the 900 series, but it will be better than one of the ONE series GPSs. Also, some American users find the difference between the TeleAtlas maps TomTom uses and the NAVTEQ maps of Garmin and Magellan to be significant, much preferring the NAVTEQ maps. If you are looking for a refurbished GPS with an intuitive interface and lots of options at a reasonable price, the refurbished TomTom GO 720 is an excellent choice.
Product Features
Technical Details