The Garmin nüvi 265W/265WT 4.3-Inch widescreen Bluetooth portable GPS navigator with traffic might easily be Garmin’s best deal in their lower priced models. Right now the Garmin 265WT is selling for about $150 at Amazon. (That’s about the cheapest I’ve found it.) What’s so cool about the nuvi 265 WT is all of the features you get for the price.

Garmin nuvi 265WT Features

The Garmin nüvi 265W/265WT 4.3-Inch widescreen Bluetooth portable GPS navigator with traffic, of course, has the 4.3-inch widescreen. If you’ve never owned a GPS before, and if you’re thinking about getting one of the smaller screen sizes, be aware that the 4.3-inch screen gives you a whopping 60% more viewing area! When you’re in unfamiliar territory and you’re looking for a road sign and glancing at your GPS at the same time, that extra 60% can be really meaningful.

In addition to the screen size, the nuvi 265 WT also has Bluetooth™ connectivity, so you can use it in conjunction with your cell phone. Another feature I really like is the fact that the Garmin 265 WT comes with a lifetime subscription to traffic updates from Navteq. You might have noticed that the Garmin nüvi 265W/265WT 4.3-Inch widescreen Bluetooth portable GPS navigator with traffic has a “T” after it’s name. That means that the normally optional traffic receiver comes with the device. There’s nothing else to buy.

Of course, you get the super slim design that all of Garmin’s 2X5 series has. You can take the GPS from your dashboard and slip it into your pocket or purse. It’s rechargeable battery makes it really convenient for pedestrian use.

When you get your Garmin nuvi 265 WT, it will come pre-loaded with Garmin’s City Navigator NT maps for all of North America, lifetime traffic subscription, FM traffic receiver with power cables, a suction cup mount, USB cable, and a dashboard disk.

Here are the technical specs:

The TomTom XL 350 4.3-inch portable GPS navigator is probably one of the best buys that TomTom offers currently. Coming in under $130, the TomTom XL 350 4.3-inch portable GPS navigator is packed with features. Let me tell you about a few of them.

To start with the TomTom XL 350 uses the same user interface that the TomTom EASE does. That’s a real improvement for consumers in my book, and it’s finally a place where TomTom can outdistance Garmin. Not everyone wants to become a GPS nerd. Most of use just want to use a few of the features available in a GPS. Most people who use technology just use a reduced set of the features the technology offers–think about your smartphone.

To that end, with the TomTom XL 350 4.3-inch portable GPS navigator, TomTom has simplified the user interface a great deal. The XL 350 has plenty of features, sure, but the steps from turning the unit on and actually using it while driving down the road are greatly reduced.

Some of the other features are the 4.3-inch widescreen. Personally, I wouldn’t buy a smaller 3.5-inch screen model, now that widescreens are so cheap. (BTW, if you want to same device with an even wider, 5-inch screen, check out the TomTom XXL 550.

Of course, the TomTom XL 350 4.3-inch portable GPS navigator comes with pre-loaded maps of the US, Canada, and Mexico, along with over 7 million pre-programmed points of interest. It’s also got lane assist, and can intelligently factor today’s traffic into its calculations. Although we’ve come to expect it, I especially like the fact that the TomTom XL 350 4.3-inch portable GPS navigator says the names of the streets you’re to turn on.

Want to know more about the TomTom XL 350 4.3-inch portable GPS navigator? Just click the link!

Also, you can get lifetime traffic and map subscriptions for this device. For lifetime traffic, take a look at the XL 350T. For lifetime map updates, the XL 350M is what you need. And, finally, if you want both, you’ll need to look at the XL 350TM.

The IZZO Swami 1500 golf GPS unit is a really nice, mid to lower priced golf GPS. I don’t know about you, but knowing actual yardages is really helpful, especially on a course you don’t play every weekend. In general, a golf GPS, like the IZZO Swami 1500 golf GPS unit is much better than a laser rangefinder because you don’t have to get a line of sight. Basically, you don’t have to “see” the green from where you are. The satellite GPS system takes care of all of that.

Some golf GPS systems can cost a few hundred dollars, but not the IZZO Swami. Currently it sells well below $100. And, to my mind, that’s money well spent. (If you like golf, which I do.)

Here are some of the features of the IZZO Swami 1500 golf GPS unit.

It’s powered by the latest GPS technology. In this case, you’re talking about the SIRFStar III chip. The IZZO Swami 1500 can show you the distance to the front, middle, and back of the green from wherever you are. You can use it on virtually any course in the US. I looked up the el cheapo county course where I take my kids to play, and even that was included. When you turn it on, you don’t have to do anything. If you’ve uploaded the course data, it will instantly recognize the course you’re on. (It can hold up to 10 courses.) Uploading is really easy, too. You get a cable, which you connect to your computer, and you upload that way.

The IZZO Swami 1500 golf GPS unit fits into the palm of your hand. There are only four buttons on it, so it’s really easy to use. Not something that would distract you on the course. You just pull it out, take a look at the distances on the easy to read liquid crystal display, then put it back in your pocket on your golf bag and continue playing.

You can find out more about the IZZO Swami 1500 golf GPS unit, here.

I’m not going to spend a lot of time talking about the TomTom XXL 550T’s features. You can learn all about that by reading my review of the TomTom XXL 550. What I would like to do is just draw your attention to the difference between the XXL 550 and the XXL 550T. The only difference is the 550T comes with a lifetime subscription to TomTom’s real-time traffic updates. With real-time traffic, you can see what current traffic conditions are up ahead and adjust accordingly. I don’t know about you, but for years I had a 50 minute commute. Most times the traffic was okay. Sometimes, however, there are major delays. Real-time traffic can help you navigate around situations like this and save a ton of time. To learn more about the TomTom XXL 550T 5-inch widescreen portable GPS navigator, just click the link.

The TomTom XXL 550 5-inch widescreen portable GPS navigator is an excellent, mid-priced navigator with a really big screen. Maybe it’s an age thing, but the older I get the more I appreciate a larger GPS screen. I used to have a Garmin with a 3.5-inch screen. That was fine until the 4.3-inch screens came out. What a difference the bigger screen makes. (It’s a whopping 60% larger. You wouldn’t think so, but do the math and you’ll see.) With the 5-inch screen, the TomTom XXL 550 is even easier to read when you’re in unfamiliar territory. And when do you need a GPS, if not in “unfamiliar territory”?

As I said, the TomTom XXL 550 5-inch widescreen portable GPS navigator is mid-range in terms of price. Right now it’s selling for a little more than $150 USD. In addition to the larger screen with the XXL 550, you get what TomTom calls IQ Routes. This is basically a way of calculating times given traffic conditions at different times of day. In other words, rush hour, etc, is taken into account.

The TomTom XXL 550 5-inch widescreen portable GPS navigator can say the names of the streets you’re to turn on. It also has lane guidance. I really like the lane guidance. If you’ve ever been in a busy, unknown, intersection and wondered what lane to get in, then I’m sure you’ll agree.

It has maps of the US, Canada, and Mexico, pre-loaded. Also the TomTom XXL 550 5-inch widescreen portable GPS navigator has over 7 million points of interest, also pre-loaded. Perhaps the best feature, besides the screen size, is TomTom’s new, easier to use, interface.

Borrowing from the success of the TomTom EASE, the XXL 550 has the same very easy to navigate user interface. You just tap the screen to get started. Also, the number of things to tap and decisions to make between turning on the device and actually getting on the road with it is minimal. To my mind, this is certainly a plus that TomTom has over Garmin.

You can click this link to learn more about the XXL 550.

Oh, one more thing.

There’s an XXL 550, an XXL 550T, and an XXL 550TM. These are all the same device. The 550 doesn’t come with lifetime traffic or map subscriptions. The 550T comes with lifetime traffic, and the 550TM comes with lifetime subscriptions to both traffic and updated maps. There’s about a $50 difference between the 550 and the 550TM. If you’re planning on keeping the device for a few years, then I would probably go with the 550TM. You’ll save money and hassle in the long run.

You can learn more about all three of these, here.

Garmin vs TomTom? It’s frankly a place many of us get to when we’re deciding which GPS to buy. You like TomTom’s features for the price, but you’re sort of blown away by Garmin’s great product line. You can decide which Garmin or which TomTom to get later. For now, to solve the conundrum of Garmin vs TomTom, let’s get an overview of each company’s product line. If you want more specifics, you can click on the links and be taken to product pages that have specific information for each model I talk about.

Ready to solve the Garmin vs TomTom issue?

Garmin vs TomTom: Garmin’s Product Line

Garmin used to have two lines of products, the StreetPilot and the newer nuvis. The StreetPilots are discontinued by the company, although you can still pick up a few new ones from online retailers like Amazon. I’m going to just focus on the nuvi line, because these will be the ones that Garmin supports in the future.

To understand the nuvi line, you basically have to understand Garmin’s numbering system. By that I mean, for the purposes of our Garmin vs TomTom article, we’re just going to talk about the actual numbered product line, instead of particular units. I’ll throw in my two cents about a few individual products, as I just said.

To begin with the Garmin nuvi line is broken up into their 2X5 series, 5oo series, 7X5 series, 1200′s, 1300′s, 1400′s, and their newest (coolest) series, the 3700. Also, currently Garmin is offering one unit in their 800 series, called the 855, and one in the 1600 series called the 1690.

Basically, you get more features and also have to pay more money the higher the series number. Although with the also newer 1200′s and 1300′s that’s not totally the case. So, let’s break down each series so you can start to compare Garmin vs TomTom.

Garmin vs TomTom: 2X5 series

The 2X5 series currently takes us from the entry level model, the nuvi 205 to the more sophisticated 275T, and the newest, ultra-cool nuvi 295. The nuvi 205, for instance, is just a basic GPS, 3.5-inch screen navigator with maps of the lower 48 United States. There’s actually a 205 and a 205W. The W means widescreen, or in the case of GPS’s a 4.3-inch screen. Get more information on the 205, here.

As you go up in number, the features increase. Most of the 2X5 series is the smaller, 3.5-inch screen. But, without spending a ton of money, you can get Bluetooth™ for hands free calling, text to speech (which means your GPS will actually tell you street names), and real time, FM traffic via either a subscription or with some few models, it comes complete with the price of the unit. The nuvi 265 is an example of a model that comes with lifetime traffic.

One of my favorite GPS’s in the 2X5 series is the newer Garmin nuvi 295W Wi-Fi GPS navigator. Built much like a cell phone and with loads of new technology, the 295W is a way cool GPS that you definitely need to put on your short list.

Garmin vs TomTom: 500 series

I’m sure you’ve heard of Geo-caching and the general craze about off road GPS’ing (if that’s a word). It’s kind of a pain in the neck to have too many GPS’s floating about, one for traveling, one for off road. The 500 series is Garmin’s attempt to solve this problem. Currently, there are two nuvis in the 500 series, both support topographic maps in addition to road maps. Is this as good as the kind of GPS you would take backpacking? Probably not. But for the weekend trekker wanna be, a nuvi 500 might easily be the ticket. You can find out more about the nuvi 500, here.

Garmin vs TomTom: 7X5 series

Okay, we’re back to “normal” GPS’s with the 7X5 series. Basically what the 7X5′s add over the 2X5′s is lots of newer, advanced features. Not only that, but they’re all widescreens. 4.3-inches on the diagonal. That’s a whopping 60% more viewing area over a 3.5-inch screen.

Among all the other features, the 7X5′s can do two things, which I really like. You get what’s called lane assist, which means the device will tell you actually which lane to get in when you’re going through interchanges and intersections of larger roads. That’s really worth it for longer trips. Also, your nuvi 7X5 can speak through your car’s stereo system. You don’t have to just hear it through it’s own speaker. Personally, I like that a lot. I think that makes the instructions easier to hear. Of course it has text to speech, or the ability to tell you which street to turn on by name. Some of the 7X5′s have Bluetooth. Some have lifetime traffic subscriptions, and come with the optional traffic receiver (the device that receives the traffic signal from the air waves).

Another great feature is the 3D building view. You can also access Panoramio and get user generated pictures of various places on your viewing screen. Is that absolutely necessary? No! Heck, you can go back to road maps! But frankly, it’s really cool. It’s a feature that I really like.

Find out more about the nuvi 7X5 series, here.

Garmin vs TomTom: 1200 1300 series

The next big grouping is the 1200 and 1300 series. I’m doing these in one section, because they’re basically the same, except the 1200′s have the 3.5-inch screens and the 1300′s have the widescreens.

The 1200 and 1300 series is a fairly new series, introduced only a year or so ago. This is Garmin’s attempt to upgrade their entry level models with new features. Instead of just putting all these new features into the 2X5 series, they just came up with a whole new look. For instance, the nuvi 1200 sells for about as much as the nuvi 205. But the 1200 has a few newer features. It’s got Garmin’s new pedestrian oriented map capability (you have to buy and download the city you want), and it’s got ecoRoute™, which is the ability to give you the most fuel efficient route. The case is redesigned. It’s basically thinner. Also, you get the user generated photo option I spoke about earlier. For more information about the 12oo’s check this out!

The 1300 series is the same as the 1200′s, but with the 4.3-inch widescreen.You can find out more about the 1300′s, here.

Garmin vs TomTom: 1400 series

If you like the features you get with the 1200 and 1300 series, but like the widescreen you get with the 1300′s, then the 1400 series might easily be for you. The big key to the 1400′s is that they have a really wide, 5-inch screen. The 1450 has some really great features like pedestrian maps and ecoRoute. The 1490 adds lifetime FM traffic and Bluetooth™. To find out more about the 1400 series, check out this page, here.

Garmin vs TomTom: 3700 series

Finally, we’ve arrived at Garmin’s top of the line, most technologically advanced GPS’s ever! The 3700′s!

You can find out more about the three models in the 3700 line, here.

For a quick run down, let’s just say the following. The 3700′s come in a new ultra-sleek, ultra-thin design. They sport Garmin’s nuRoute technology, which means basically that some degree of artificial intelligence has been added to them. For instance, any of the three can keep track of your most frequently taken daily routes. They can figure out where you’re probably going and automatically route you around any traffic issues. This would be perfect for someone with a longish commute, for instance. All three have glass instead of plastic display covers. This will make your device more easily readable and also will make it last longer. (Harder to scratch.) They come with a variety of other features like Bluetooth™, pedestrian navigation options, lifetime FM traffic, and neat features like “Where am I?”, or the capability of locating you quickly and also locating the nearest emergency services.

For prices and more information about the 3700′s, just click here.

Garmin vs TomTom: Conclusion about Garmin

Okay, we’re half way there. That’s a good basic run down of Garmin’s product line for after-market car GPS navigators. Now, let’s take a look at what TomTom has to offer, then we’ll do a little comparison to round out this Garmin vs TomTom buyer’s guide.

Garmin vs TomTom: TomTom’s Product Lines

Just like Garmin, TomTom has several overlapping product lines. I know it’s all very confusing, but just as I did with Garmin, I’m going to try to sort this out for you with TomTom.

To begin with, let me say that I’m writing this from a United States point of view. TomTom is a European company, and they have many models that focus on European countries. If you’re buying a GPS for European use, you might want to go with TomTom over Garmin, just for that reason. Right now, this website is focused on the US marketplace. (Later, I’ll expand it for other countries including links to Amazon and my other retailers in other countries.) So, just bear in mind that I’m talking from a US point of view. Okay, having said that…

For the US market, we see basically five models in TomTom’s car GPS line, the ONE, the EASE, the GO, the XL, and the XXL. Let’s take these in order.

Garmin vs TomTom: The TomTom ONE and the TomTom EASE

There are three ONE’s currently for sale in the US (at least through Amazon, which is my main retailer that I link to), the ONE 130, ONE 140, and the ONE 3rd Edition. All three of these are the smaller, 3.5-inch screens. The ONE’s would correspond roughly to Garmin’s 2X5 line. They’re somewhat older models; they do all the basic stuff, even with a few neat features like saying street names; and they’re priced somewhat less than $200. You can find out more about the TomTom ONE’s, here.

As opposed to the ONE’s, which are slightly older models, recently TomTom introduced the EASE. The EASE is a completely remodeled entry-level GPS navigator. It doesn’t have tons of features, but it’s got great maps, and what I really like a really simplified user interface. If you were buying a basic navigator for your mother or your technologically disinterested significant other, the EASE might be an excellent choice. You can find out more about the TomTom EASE, here.

Garmin vs TomTom: The TomTom GO

Two of my favorite TomTom GO’s are the 630 and the 730. Both have lots of features, like Bluetooth™.  The GO series as a whole is a little newer and slightly more expensive than the ONE’s. The main difference between the 630 and the 730 is the 730 has FM transmission capability. In other words, you can hear it through your car’s stereo system. That costs about $50 more, but again, it’s a feature that I personally like.

To learn more about the GO line, check this page out.

Garmin vs TomTom: XL and XXL’s

The XL’s and the XXL’s represent TomTom’s newest lines. The main difference between the XL and the XXL is the screen size. The XL’s have the “normal” widescreen. It’s 4.3-inches on the diagonal, while the XXL’s have an even larger 5-inch screen. Other than that one (albeit big) difference, both these lines come with all the bells and whistles you would expect in a GPS that costs between $100 and $200, Bluetooth™, TomTom’s IQ Routes technology, which actually uses average speeds on certain routes to calculate the route and times, MapShare technology, which lets you modify the maps in your device for various road conditions, and turn by turn voice instructions.

Click here to find out more about TomTom’s XL and XXL models.

Garmin vs TomTom: Which Should You Buy?

I guess this is what you’ve been waiting for. Me telling you which to buy. Unfortunately, I can’t do that. What I can do, however, is summarize what you’ve just read.

The way I see it, as far as Garmin vs TomTom, the GPS market place is divided into two sections–your average, everyday, workaday GPS, and the much more technologically advanced GPS’s with tons of new, cool features.

As far as the upper end of price and innovation, Garmin has it all over TomTom! Watching this over the past few years has been like watching a horse race. For a while TomTom was gaining ground, but now, Garmin is streaking ahead with innovative products like the 295W and the 3700 line. If you want the coolest, most technologically advanced GPS on the market, that’s Garmin. No questions about it.

At the lower end of the spectrum, however, it’s not so cut and dried. What a lot of users like about TomTom over Garmin is the fact that TomTom’s interface is a little easier to use. Now, that’s just anecdotal. There’s no way to measure this. But I read a lot of forums and comments on sites like Amazon about various devices and ease of use is certainly an issue. Of course, it doesn’t take that long to learn Garmin’s interface, so after a few weeks that might not be an issue, either.

You won’t go wrong buying either one. But frankly, right now, I think Garmin has TomTom beat.

One more thing: this is all my opinion. I don’t receive money from either Garmin or TomTom to write reviews. I do receive money when you click through one of my links and buy a product through Amazon. But that’s a third party and doesn’t sway my opinion. You can read more about this on my Privacy Policy page at the top, if you’re interested. Just know that I’m giving you my opinion. Think of me like a trusted friend. I’ll just tell you what I think. You buy what you want.

I hope this Garmin vs TomTom review has helped you. If so, leave a comment. If I’ve left anything out, or you would like to know more about something, likewise let me know.

Instead of just covering various GPS systems, I wanted to take a moment and talk about GPS’s, in general—what they are and how they’ve changed our lives. Right now, I can think of a few ways that GPS’s have changed my life. For one, I became fascinated with everything GPS a few years ago. That resulted in several websites on the subject and literally hundreds of articles, which have been republished all over the Internet. The other thing is that I’ve given up maps.

I actually love maps…real maps. You know, paper maps that tear along the creases. I love compasses. I used to do orienteering when I was a Boy Scout. Now, although I have a collection of zillions of maps, I don’t use them anymore. Why not? Well, my GPS is so much easier to use. (There could be a problem with this, which I’ll talk about in a moment.)

It’s only been ten years since President Clinton opened up the GPS satellite system to commercial, civilian use. At first, the satellites, which power the GPS grid were for military use only. Like the deregulation of ATT years ago, this access to GPS technology spawned a whole new industry. Now, we have GPS’s in cars, after market GPS’s, GPS’s for golf, running, boating, flying, and fishing. We’ve got GPS technology in our phones. Heck we can even put it under the epidermis of our dogs. (What’s next? Our kids?)

I love GPS’s in particular and technology, in general. So, I’m not trying to be some sort of luddite, here. All technological advances, however, carry the seeds of loss of privacy, and with that loss of civil rights. And we have to keep this in mind with GPS technology.

It wasn’t but a few short months ago, that our current President (Obama) suggested that we install GPS’s in everyone’s car in order to control gasoline usage. That’s certainly a “green” thought. But it’s also a dangerous thought. I just read an article about the amazing amount of data that Facebook compiles and sells on its users. Just think what Uncle Sam could do with detailed knowledge of where you drive, when you drive, how long you’re parked in various places. Couple this with the fact that census workers are supposed to get the coordinates of the front doors of the residences they visit, and…you have the stuff that conspiracy movies are made of.

Science fiction aside…(or is it sci-fi?) …GPS technology is really cool. I especially love the trend that Garmin is taking lately of merging GPS’s, cell phones, and mobile Internet browsers. My dream would be to have a device that single-handily took care of all of my information technology needs. I don’t know what you would call it. (Let me know, if you have any ideas.)

What can we expect in the near future for GPS technology? Personally, I think we’re headed in the direction of single device integration. I hope, however, that this is more than just one device with a zillion icons, just sort of a portal where you choose the app you need. I hope that we can get this down to the point where we have apps that do more and handle more. Think spreadsheet, word processor, PowerPoint, Internet browser, media collector/player combination. One app that does more. I think it’s going to be a while before we get there.

BTW, here’s an article I read in PCMag that sort of launched me on this track.

Enough playing around. I’ve got to crank out a few more product announcements and reviews.

Lee

The Garmin ASUS M10 Nüvifone is it! With this product, Garmin has seamlessly combined cell phone technology with mobile computing with GPS receivers. There’s really not much the Garmin ASUS M10 Nüvifone can’t do. Imagine having access to Garmin’s incredible GPS maps and technology, the Internet, even Facebook and YouTube, also to plenty of other apps via Window’s Marketplace! With the Garmin ASUS M10 Nüvifone you get all of this and a 5 MP camera.

You can basically do everything that needs doing right on this one unit. You can use the Garmin ASUS M10 Nüvifone just as you would a normal GPS device in your car. It comes with a car kit and power cables for such use. Just plug it in and start driving. You can even sync the Garmin ASUS M10 Nüvifone with your own computer over the air. The GPS part of the device has voice prompts, text-to-speech, Garmin’s award winning maps, lane assist and millions of points of interest. For the moment, you can consider the Garmin ASUS M10 Nüvifone to be the complete smartphone/GPS combo.

The Garmin nüvi 295W Wi-Fi portable GPS navigator represents yet another one of Garmin’s innovative, new products. Another trend going on here is the merger of GPS devices and cell phones. You can see this both from manufacturer’s like Garmin and also from cell phone makers, where you can get maps and software that will turn your cell phone into a GPS device. We’ve got a long way to go, though before the world of GPS’s and the world of cell phones are completely merged.

With entries into the marketplace like the Garmin nüvi 295W Wi-Fi portable GPS navigator, however, it’s easy to see what direction Garmin is taking. With GPS navigators like the 295W and also like their 3700 series, Garmin is moving more toward a single device that does everything you would possibly want it to do, cell phone, GPS, mobile browsers, camera,…everything!

Let’s look at some neat features of the Garmin nüvi 295W Wi-Fi portable GPS navigator.

Since the Garmin nüvi 295W Wi-Fi portable GPS navigator is designed to be taken with you, you can use it in either landscape or portrait views. This is especially helpful, if you’re using the device as a pedestrian. Pedestrians will find Garmin’s City Navigator and cityXplorer maps both excellent for a walking tour of your favorite city.

Another thing I really like about the Garmin nüvi 295W Wi-Fi portable GPS navigator is the fact you can use it as a browser. You can surf the Internet, access your email, even use Word Excel and PowerPoint on the device. One benefit of all of this is the fact you can use Google’s Local Search, find the movie theater, restaurant, whatever you’re looking for, then pop that directly into the maps part of the device.

There are plenty of other features the Garmin nüvi 295W Wi-Fi portable GPS navigator has, too. Like the 3 MP camera. Not only that, but you can get the whole thing for less than $300!

In my book this is a deal! Learn more about the Garmin nüvi 295W Wi-Fi portable GPS navigator, here, today!

I’m biased towards the Magellan Maestro 4040 4.3-inch widescreen Bluetooth portable GPS navigator. As a matter of fact, I’m biased towards virtually all of Magellan’s products. I know they’re not the industry leader—Garmin is. I know that Magellan’s not coming out with cutting edge GPS devices every other day like Garmin is. I also know that Magellan builds a really quality product and has some features that Garmin will never have, like the AAA Tour Book right on the device. I’m not saying that I don’t like Garmin. And I’m definitely not some sort of Garmin hater—you know how certain people are Bill Gates haters? Nothing like that. I actually prefer Garmin, in general, over Magellan. But I’m just pointing out that Magellan’s GPS’s have a lot going for them. Including the Maestro 4040. So, with all of that said, let’s look at the Magellan Maestro 4040 4.3-inch widescreen Bluetooth portable GPS navigator in some more detail.

First off, if you’re a member of AAA, then you’ve got a good argument to buy a Magellan over anyone else. With your membership, you get access to AAA’s Tour Book right on your device and also to their road side assistance. In addition to AAA, the Magellan Maestro 4040 4.3-inch widescreen Bluetooth portable GPS navigator also has Bluetooth capability. This means you can use your GPS for hands free calling. I don’t do a lot of cell phoning while driving, so frankly, this feature doesn’t mean as much to me as it does to others. What does float my boat is text-t-speech.

Text-to-speech means your GPS actually tells you the names of the streets you need to turn on as opposed to just saying “Turn Right.” That particular capability means a lot more to me than Bluetooth does. Not that there’s anything wrong with Bluetooth. Just that it’s a personal preference.

The Magellan Maestro 4040 4.3-inch widescreen Bluetooth portable GPS navigator relies on a SiRFstar III chip to do its actual work. The SiRFstar III is a fast chip, and in my experience, Magellan’s devices which use this chip perform very well.

There are a couple of other features that I like. 3D maps and traffic updates. I drive a lot in a congested area and having reliable traffic updates really helps.

For more information about the Magellan Maestro 4040 4.3-inch widescreen Bluetooth portable GPS navigator, check out Amazon today!