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(More customer reviews)I have had so many portable GPS units, it's not funny. I've had one of the first Tom Tom and about eight or nine others including Pharos, Garmin, Nokia, and several lesser brands.
These boasted of being accurate, having media players, blue-tooth, fm transmitters, etc.
My recent gps was a Nokia. Who knew they made one. Big mistake buying it. The blue-tooth was terrible at best. Part of this being the speaker. The fm transmitter was absolute garbage. It did a terrible job putting it on any channel. The media player was a joke. The USB connector for the power had five metal prongs, bare prongs. Everyone else has them mounted on something so that one of the prongs won't get bent like mine did. Not worth fixing since it wasn't considered a defect.
Some of the other units I've had had had poor mounting systems that allowed the unit to bounce or was a pain to have to re-mount if I moved it from one vehicle to another. Most have stupid gooseneck mounts, which you can never seem to position correctly and which bounce slightly when you drive. Some used a proprietary charger. Most came with just one charger and no case.
Some of the units had poor graphics or too much on the screen. Most you have to manually turn on and off in the car. Some had the software on a SD card. If you wanted to put music on it, you needed a new and bigger SD card and you had to move the software over to the new card.
Anyway, the best piece of advice I can give anyone is to buy a GPS at a store where you can return it, even if you have to pay a 15% restocking fee. The Nokia I bought recently was a POS but because I bought it online, I could not return it. If I had bought it at, say Best Buy, I could have returned it, even if it meant paying $20 - $25. I wouldn't have been stuck with it.
Now on to this Magellan, the 4370, which is a newer model of the 4350. First of all, Best Buy had it on sale for $149, which was a great price. I bought it knowing that I would have no issues paying 15% of the price for re-stocking if I didn't like it.
The bad (cons) first:
1. Doesn't show your speed.
2. Weird location for the plugs; there are two. One for the headset which doubles as the antenna port and the USB port for charging/power. They are on the right side of the unit with the headset port above the USB port. The USB cable is angled to the bottom so it points to the front windshield.
3. Included case is a POS. It's not an enclosed case for one thing.
Now all the good stuff (pros). Pay attention because this is important stuff most of you have no idea of.
1. Great graphics or at least very clear because of the higher resolution screen.
2. Easy mount to use since it's basic. The suction cup is small but holds this thing really well on the dash. By the way, for you folks in California, the law is that you have to mount this puppy on the lower left area of the front windshield. Don't mount it in the middle of the front windshield or anywhere where it can interfere with the driver's view to the front. The mount is firm but again, can be positioned easily. Plus the pivot points have teeth so once you tighten the mount, it will not move at all.
3. Great price at Best Buy. (That was important to me, although even at full price it was nice.)
4. Comes with home and car chargers.
5. The software is stored internally so the SD slot is available for all the pics and music you can store on an SD card. I have an 8GB card with lots of music and lots of pictures.
6. You can play music and still navigate or play pics and listen to the turn-by-turn directions or turn the music off.
7. The FM transmitter works well, even on strong signal stations.
8. Blue-tooth is good and even does texting on the GPS screen. I have never heard of that.
9. Volume is loud and you can change the voices (different races and gender).
10. This is a big one for me. TURNS ON AND OFF by itself in the car if you use the cigarette/car adapter. No more having to turn it on or off manually.
11. The satellites are picked up very fast.
12. The names of the streets are pronounced.
13. Comes with a case. It's not very good but good enough to put in your glove compartment.
14. Easy menu to use.
15. Tells you what path to take when the road forks before you get there.
16. Bright screen during the day and changes to a screen that is easy to see at night.
17. Lots of options for use, including the ability to immediately see where you are using GPS coordinates.
18. AAA Roadside and other AAA information readily available.
19. Once you get to your destination, it tells you that you are there and it's done. Some GPS units start telling you to turn around right away.
So far, I think this is the best GPS that I've had, especially the graphics. Hope this helps.
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Magellan Maestro 4370 4.3-Inch Widescreen Bluetooth Portable GPS NavigatorEffortless navigation! The new OneTouch menu, featured on the Magellan Maestro 4370, gives you instant access to your favorite places and searches. Simply customize the OneTouch icons to display the points of interest you want easy access to--restaurants, banks, businesses, and so many more. OneTouch also saves searches. Program your favorite coffee shop to a OneTouch icon and you can easily search for that shop anywhere you are at the moment.
The Magellan 4370 also makes the perfect travelling companion with maps of the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. Getting to your destination is made easier with announced street names and directions, voice guidance, lane guidance, and 3D buildings to easily spot landmarks. Live traffic reports allow you to navigate around heavy or stationary traffic, while Pedestrian mode makes it easy to continue your route once you've parked the car.
With 6 million points of interest, the question isn't "how do I get there" but "where do I go next".
OneTouch MenuEasily bookmark favorite destinations and searches with personalized bookmarks so you can find them anywhere you travel. Find your favorite caf� or restaurant in any city with a single touch.
4.3-Inch, WVGA Color TouchscreenProvides clear, crisp on-screen graphics and seamless touch panel control.
3D LandmarksNavigation gets easier with easy-to-spot visual cues--in color.
Spoken Street Names Announces street names and directions at each turn, so you get a clear understanding of when to make the next turn while you keep your eyes on the road.
Bluetooth CompatibilityConnect your compatible cell phone via Bluetooth and use your Magellan Maestro as a hands-free device: initiate and receive calls, send and receive SMS messages.
Lane Guidance Get a clear image showing you exactly which lane you should be in--ideal for complicated highway exits or intersections.
Live Traffic Capability Provides you with real-time incident reports to the screen with alerts for slow downs, accidents, road closures, severe weather, and more. Should you come up on an incident, the Maestro 4370 will automatically prompt you to reroute when a quicker way is available.
FM Transmitter Hear voice guidance through your car's FM stereo with the built-in FM transmitter function. Allows you to connect without the nuisance of an auxiliary cable.
Built-in AAA TourBook No membership required� The Magellan-exclusive built-in AAA TourBook guide provides ratings and descriptions on AAA approved places to stay, play, dine, and save.
AAA Roadside Assistance Screens gives your location details and the AAA phone number. In case of a flat tire you know who to call and what to tell them.
6 Million Points of Interest (POIs) Gas stations, restaurants, hotels, ATMs, and millions of other destinations are searchable from the huge POI database.
QuickSpell Auto-Complete feature makes it easy to enter destinations with just a few touches of the screen and even corrects spelling.
Pedestrian Mode Allows you to continue on your route once you've parked your car.
SmartDetour Automatically prompts you to route around sudden slow freeway traffic. Different detours are calculated using the same routing method that was used to create the route, and a list of alternate routes is displayed.
Rechargeable Battery Lets you navigate for up to 4 hours when power is unavailable.
Automatic Re-Route Missed a turn? Forced to detour? Automatic re-route quickly gets you back on track.
Customizable Route This method lets you select your preferred route from options displayed with driving time.
Integrated Media Center Insert an SD card into your Magellan Maestro with audio, video and picture files. Listen to your favorite music during navigation, and view pictures or watch video files while not driving.
Watch Your Speed Drive safe with the optional speed limit warning. A voice and icon will let you know when you are exceeding the speed limit.
What's in the Box
Magellan 4370, USB Cable, AC Adapter, FM Traffic Antenna, Windshield Mount, Cradle, Protective Pouch, Quick Start Guide, User's Manual
Click here for more information about Magellan Maestro 4370 4.3-Inch Widescreen Bluetooth Portable GPS Navigator
