Magellan Maestro 4350 GPS

Magellan on Thursday announced the release of its newest portable GPS navigation device, the Maestro 4350, with the company's new OneTouch interface meant to reduce driver distraction by allowing users to find the nearest favorite store or other point of interest with a single press of a virtual button. The 4.3-inch, 800x480 touchscreen device also uses Magellan's pedestrian mode, which helps users get to their destination on foot after having parked their car.

The Magellan 4350 also features Bluetooth support to sync with compatible handsets and allow users to make hands-free phone calls. When not requiring the device's navigation abilities and access to the more than six million points of interest pre-programmed into the unit, the device is capable of playing digital audio and video files, along with viewing digital photos. Audio is sent to the car's or any other FM tuner-equipped stereo system thanks to the 4350's built-in FM transmitter.

A live traffic receiver is also part of the 4350's feature set, giving drivers alternate routes to get them to destinations as quickly as possible. As part of the pedestrian mode, a find your car option lets users saves the coordinates of their parked vehicle to help them get back to it. As with other recent Magellan GPS products, there is a 3D view mode that includes major buildings and landmarks.

The $100 price difference between the Maestro 4350, which is available now, and the recently unveiled Maestro 4370, is attributed to the 4370's higher-end screen, which is described as iPhone-like by a Magellan spokesperson. The 4350 is priced at nearly $500.

By Electronista Staff