Wednesday, March 17, 2010

Magellan Maestro 4700

July 6, 2009 by Rich Owings  

Magellan Maestro 4700 OneTouch

UPDATE: Read our Magellan Maestro 4700 review

Over a month ago we broke the news that the Magellan Maestro 4700 had cleared the FCC. Well today its been officially announced, and here are some of the highlights:

  • A second screen has been added for the OneTouch menu, allowing you to store a dozen more favorite locations
  • A noise-cancelling microphone aims to improve Bluetooth sound quality
  • The Maestro 4700 adds “Predictive Traffic,” meaning the unit looks at historical traffic data when determining routes; this is similar to TomTom’s IQ Routes
  • “Find your car” remembers your location; handy for those mega-mall parking lots

The Magellan Maestro 4700 lists for $299.99 and is available immediately. And if it’s as good as the RoadMate 1470 I recently reviewed, Magellan could have a winner here.

I’ve got the full news release after the jump:

Magellan Maestro 4700

Magellan(R) Unveils Next Generation Maestro(TM)

Magellan Maestro 4700 Boasts a New Design with a 4.7-inch Display, Voice Command, Bluetooth, and Highway Lane Assist

SANTA CLARA, Calif., July 6 /PRNewswire/ — Magellan, one of the leading GPS brands, introduces the Magellan Maestro 4700 GPS device. The ultra-slim device features a wide 4.7-inch color touch screen and includes many premium features to deliver a robust navigation experience for users. In addition to Magellan’s OneTouch user interface, the Magellan Maestro 4700 device also performs advanced navigation tasks with built-in voice command capabilities and hands-free Bluetooth calling.

"The Magellan Maestro 4700 lets you keep your eyes on the road and hands on the wheel," said Mike Wagner, senior director of product marketing for Magellan. "We have incorporated voice command, Bluetooth, and highway lane assist to help you reach your destination with confidence. The large 4.7-inch screen is easily viewable in all lighting conditions. Thanks to our unique OneTouch favorites menu and our AAA partnership, the Magellan Maestro 4700 makes trip planning and traveling easier and less stressful."

  The Magellan Maestro 4700 features several premium features including:

  --  Exclusive OneTouch(TM) Favorites Menu:  Access favorite destinations
      and searches with personalized bookmarks. Reach your favorite cafe or
      restaurant in any city with a single touch.  To meet consumer
      requests, the Magellan Maestro 4700 now offers an additional twelve
      bookmarks to save favorites.
  --  Bluetooth Compatible Hands-Free Calling:  Make or receive calls using
      a compatible cell phone.  Access your phone's address book to access
      up to 1000 numbers directly from your Magellan Maestro 4700. The
      noise-cancelling microphone keeps road noise down so you are heard
      clearly.
  --  Predictive Traffic:  Analyzes past traffic patterns when creating a
      route to help you avoid known delays. Choose to stay on your current
      route or go with suggested less congested routes.
  --  Instant Access to All Points Of Interest (POI):  Perform one search
      and get results from both the standard POI database and the
      Magellan-exclusive AAA TourBook(R) guide. Results are organized in a
      tabbed format.
  --  "Find Your Car" with Pedestrian Mode: Remembers the location of your
      car in parking lots, airports, malls, universities, amusement parks or
      stadiums. When your day is done the Magellan Maestro 4700 will
      automatically guide you to your car.
  --  3D Landmarks:  Displays visual cues to help drivers perform maneuvers
      and find destinations.
  --  Larger Fonts: Makes viewing easier and safer while driving.
  --  Intuitive, Context-Driven Touch Zones: Provides drivers with a
      completely interactive map screen.
  --  New Address Book: Makes adding an address a snap with smart address
      summary that lets users save complete itineraries.

  --  QuickSpell(R) with Smart City Search: Allows quick, single-address
      entry or convenient multi-destination trip planning, including route
      optimization.

The manufacturer’s suggested price for the Magellan Maestro 4700 is $299.99. It ships with a windshield mount and cradle; 12-volt vehicle power adapter; USB cable, protective pouch, adhesive disk for alternative, on-dash mounting; and quick reference guide. For additional accessories, including cases, pouches, and other mounting options, visit www.MagellanGPS.com.

  Map updates for Magellan products can be purchased separately.

  About MiTAC Digital Corp.

MiTAC Digital Corp. is a wholly-owned subsidiary of MiTAC International Corporation and promotes and sells products and services under the Magellan brand name. Magellan assists people to travel, work and play their way with leading portable navigation and positioning solutions across multiple consumer markets. Recognized as an industry innovator, the company is the producer of the award-winning Magellan RoadMate(R), and MaestroTM series portable car navigation systems, as well as the Magellan Triton(R) outdoor handheld navigation devices. MiTAC Digital Corp. is headquartered in Santa Clara, Calif. For more information on Magellan, visit http://www.magellangps.com/.

About AAA

As North America’s largest motoring and leisure travel organization, AAA provides more than 51 million members with travel, insurance, financial and automotive-related services. Since its’ founding in 1902, the not-for-profit, fully tax-paying AAA has been a leader and advocate for the safety and security of all travelers. AAA clubs can be visited on the Internet at www.AAA.com.

The Magellan logo, Magellan, RoadMate, QuickSpell, Triton are registered trademarks of MiTAC International Corporation and OneTouch, Maestro are trademarks of MiTAC International Corporation and are used under license by MiTAC Digital Corp. All rights reserved. The AAA TourBook, Roadside Assistance are trademarks of American Automobile Association. AAA(C) 2009 All rights reserved. All other trademarks and registrations are the property of their respective owners.

Comments

10 Responses to “Magellan Maestro 4700”
  1. Pythagoras says:

    How does this compare to the Garmins?

    I am very sorry to hear about the new tax.

    • Tim C says:

      I have the 4700 and is on the mark about 10′ on – better than Garmin which is at 30′ +
      What I like about the 4700 vs the Garmin is that if you take another rout it tracks that new rout in the existing rout instead of like the Garmin which keeps wanting to recalculate and a lot of time is wasted while driving. I have always used a Garmin but after owning the Magellan Maestro 4700 I will not be going back to Garmin. One extra note the software updates for Magellan is half that of the Garmin which is a Big Plus i my Book. One more note -it doesn’t have a mp3 installed in it but I am after a GPS not a mp3 player.

  2. Rich Owings says:

    In general, I think Garmins are better. But Magellan has made some amazing strides lately. I’d have to compare the price to a similarly featured model.

    Re: the tax. Thank. I’m hoping we survive it.

  3. Pythagoras says:

    thanks!

    I am still shopping! I am trying to understand the wide range of prices – I don’t want to spend a lot of money but I don’t want a hobbled unit either…

    I guess the 265wt is the best compromise but it is still expensive

    Plus it has been a long time since Garmin came out with a new model and I am afraid they do so right after I buy!

  4. Rich Owings says:

    Garmin has just released the 1200, 1300 and 1400 series nuvis, but unless you want the ability to use pedestrian / mass transit maps for major cities, it isn’t worth it.

    If the 12/13/1400 series is cheaper, go for it. The only feature you might give up is speed limit display, which isn’t found on some of them, so check that carefully if its important to you.

  5. josef says:

    does the new magellan 4700 caculate fast the routes? what aboute when i use the road avoidance option does it work as slow as the 3250-which is very slow

  6. Rich Owings says:

    I haven’t tested it so I can’t say.

  7. diane beem says:

    we tried various brands years ago, and went with a magellan 860T. Time to move up, so tried all the brands again. after test driving, (upstate NY to Long Island & back), NONE of them warn you properly about getting ready for exiting a highway. Tomtom:”ahead left, then right, then left”. ?????
    Garmin & tomtom have bells & whistles to drool over, but, keep in mind, it’s not a video game. If you want dependable directions, go with magellan.
    the 4700 recalculates as quickly as the other brands. All the brands hate DH’s voice, but I have no problem with voice recognition. Never misses.
    Shoddy holder, no simulator, no map color changing, (meh,it’s good enough as is), no voice changes, but, as long as it tells me correct information , IN A TIMELY MANNER, clealy, loud enough, what of it?
    I wish that the voice recognition would allow you to control zoom, because with the “auto zoom”(instead of split screen, it zooms in when you are at an intersection), sometimes it doesn’t zoom out enough.
    Not perfect, but at least, it didn’t reboot & come up in a foreign language while trying to exit the freeway, like our other brand trial did.

  8. Rich Owings says:

    Thanks for taking the time to share!

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