Magellan 4200 series - industry's thinnest GPS units

Thin is in

16 September 2007 18:36 GMT / By Amy-Mae Elliott

It looks like Magellan aren't going to let Navman and ViaMichelin grab all the swanky-new-GPS-headlines and has launched a new range of devices in the UK.

As well as being a competent-looking range, the second gen Maestros also have an "-est" accolade - thinnest in the industry, at precisely 17.8mm.

Magellan's new Maestro 4200 series have a sleek "industrial" design and should appeal to those looking for portability as they are "the industry’s most compact, portable auto navigation units."

Preloaded with maps of Europe, across the range you get Marco Polo Travel Information points of interest, which include road-side assistance deets and there's Bluetooth hook up with your mobile for direct dialing.

The flagship model of the new range, the 4245, offers a built-in RDS-TMS receiver and matching premium life-time Traffic Master subscription.

It also boasts "voice command and control" for hands-free operation for many of the common functions drivers use that enables users to speak commands to "Go Home," "Roadside Assistance," or - and this has got to be a major selling point - "Nearest Coffee".

The range includes the Maestro 4245, with a 4.3-inch touch/widescreen for £299.99, the Maestro 4215 that offers the same screen but minus traffic and voice command for £229.99 and the Maestro 4200 for £189.99.

The new Maestro 4200 series models feature:

* SiRF Star III GPS chips
* QuickSpell for fast data entry by reducing keystrokes as it checks spelling
* SmartDetour feature to help drivers route around motorway traffic
* Searchable points of interest (POI) database for finding and routing to businesses and services like petrol stations, ATMs, hotels, restaurants, airports and more. Listings include a phone number, address and the travel distance.
* Trip Planning provides multi-destination routing when drivers need to make several stops – up to 20 destinations
* Exit POIs conveniently list petrol stations, lodging and restaurants at motorway exits to help drivers plan stops in advance
* Night View to optimise display viewing based on time of day
* Integrated antenna and battery for added portability and cord-free operation in or away from the car.