It would seem that the manufacturers of GPS devices have gone a little crazy over the past few days, as three of the most important such companies (namely Pioneer, Garmin and now Magellan) have announced some new addition to their product line-ups. However, Magellan's announcement is by far the most impressive, as the company has announced the release of two new lines of products, dubbed the 4250 and the 3250, which include 7 new products, each such product providing advanced navigation features as well as other interesting extras.

Although their extra-features and design differ quite a lot, all the devices from the two new series share more or less the same basic features. Thus, they're all built around SiRF Star III GPS chipsets and also provide very large and searchable database of POIs (points of interest), which makes traveling a lot easier. Moreover, the devices provide such important navigation tools like the SmartDetour feature to help drivers route around freeway traffic, Trip Planning for multi-destination routing when drivers need to make several stops or the Night View to optimize display viewing based on time of day.

"We already have seen tremendous sales growth this year with consumers embracing GPS devices that are more portable and more affordable than ever before. Our engineers and product development team have worked to make this second generation of Maestro units even more powerful and more intuitive to use, with an industrial design that we're proud to say is the smallest in the industry," said Christian Bubenheim, vice president of product marketing for Magellan. "With a diverse selection of units at price points between $269 and $499, we think Maestro will be among the best-selling electronic gifts this holiday season."

The Maestro 4200 line-up includes three new models: the 4250, the 4220 and the basic 4200. The 4250 is the top-range model, offering integrated live traffic with 3-month trial subscription to Magellan's real-time traffic service, Magellan's industry-first voice command and control, built-in AAA TourBook and Roadside Assistance information, SayWhere text-to-speech technology and Bluetooth compatibility for hands-free calling.

The second device in the series is the 4220, which features a 4.3-inch QVGA, full-color, anti-glare touch screen display, as well as preloaded maps of Mexico, in addition to the 50 United States, Canada and Puerto Rico. Moreover, it includes 6 million searchable points of interest and SayWhere text-to-speech.

The three models in the 4200 series will be available in October and will retail for around 500, 450 and 350 US dollars respectively.

The second series of GPS navigators released by Magellan is the 3200, which, in its turn, includes no less than 4 models, namely the 3250, the 3220, the 3210 and the basic 3200.

The 3250 is touted by its manufacturers as the most compact portable auto navigation device on the market, with a 3.5-inch touch screen, as well as a 3-month trial subscription to Magellan's real-time traffic service, voice command and control, built-in AAA TourBook and Roadside Assistance information, SayWhere text-to-speech and Bluetooth compatibility for hands-free calling.

The 3220, the second model in the series, provides pretty much the same features as the 4220 model, except for the display, which, in the case of the 3220, measures just 3.5 inches. The company also launched the 3210 model, which is identical to the 3220, except for the map of Mexico, as well as the basic 3200 model.

The devices in the 3200 series will also hit the shelves in October and will be available for some pretty affordable price tags, ranging from 400 to 270 US dollars.

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