Magellan Maestro 3100 3.5-Inch Portable GPS Navigator
by Magellan
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List Price: Our Price: $30.99 You Save: $119.00 (79%) Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days Category: GPS or Navigation System See more product details |
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Digital Cameras Photo Reviews of Magellan Maestro 3100 3.5-Inch Portable GPS Navigator
Customer Review: consider about it before buying~
Summary: 3 Stars
This is my 3rd time to buy this product, same model. But, I have to say, I'm so DISsatisfied this time. I bought the 1st one for my aunt, 2nd one for my friend, and I even used those in their cars by myself. I felt it's pretty good and not expensive, so I bought one for myself recently after I bought my current car. But this time, when it's for me, the little thing was malfunctioning within a week of purchase. The center of the touch screen seems to be touched continuously while it's not. That wouldn't allow me to set any location, as long as it's powered on, the middle of the screen looks like to be heavily touched.... I replaced that with Amazon (customer service is good), as I thought maybe that was the only one defect item, as i bought 2 others, which are pretty good so far~ But the replacement, though doesn't have the same problem, is very slow in reaction. It took much more time to calculate route, than the previous 3. I don't know what's wrong with it, but anyway it's a working one. And I don't want to bother to return or replace again.
I don't know whether the general quality is dropping for this model, or I'm just bad in luck for something bought for myself.... Yes, I bought the 1st one in this summer, maybe in June, I forgot; the 2nd one in Sep.
Before, I would say, I recommend this product~ But now~ I won't say so~
But still, I like Magellan, the brand~ It's better than some other brand I can see in my other friends' cars.
Customer Review: Poor routing but otherwise ok
Summary: 2 Stars
Got this on Black Friday 2007 after having used Tom Tom and would have to advise against buying this. You need to download the Firmware update to get many of the earlier bugs fixed but make sure you do not attach to your PC before starting the update or you may have USB Hardware issues. Firmware update does allow you to see expected arrival time (by tapping on distance to go).
My biggest hate though is the routing. I wanted to go from Alpharetta, GA to Panama City, FL. I've done this journey numerous times and it should take 5 1/4 hrs and about 320 miles. When I ask the unit to calculate the Fastest Route it takes me on a 500+ mile trip on I75/I10 and it says it will take 8+ hours. When I ask for the Shortest Distance, it more or less takes me the way I want to go (says the 320 mile I expected) but says it will take around 6 hours.....so how comes it won't pick this for the Fastest route. (For comparison Mapquest calculates my preferred route at 319.75 miles and 5 3/4 hrs). I found a similar issue with some local routes also....very odd and very annoying.
I saw other comments about maps out of date. Mine just says version 27 (with no date) and the Magellan website says they expect to issue updates every 12 - 18 months although does not state what, if anything, they will cost (the firmware update is free btw)
Its not a bad unit but I just know the Tom Tom is better and about the same price
Customer Review: Great Bang for the Buck!
Summary: 5 Stars
Definately alot of GPS functionality for the money. I've been holding off buying one until the prices came down, and happened to pick mine up on a "day after Thanksgiving" sale at Radio Shack for about 129. I've seen complaints about sluggish performance, but every route I have attempted so far comes up in less than a minute, typically 20 to 40 seconds. The touch screen is great, easy to navigate. Features like a "Home" button, an Instant locator which tells your exact location at any given moment-excellent for emergency situations. Address book, Trip planner with multiple stops.
Battery life seems acceptable, I would however recommend that after the intial full charge you fully expend the battery before recharging as recommended for most re-chargable devices. The size is great, easily fits into a shirt pocket, Will be excellent of site seeing etc. The Traffic re-route is awesome, it gives you options for how far to re-route so you can avoid being dumped back into traffic.
POIs are great, has an "In the area" option which quickly gets you to gas, food etc. I've heard other more expensive units have more POIs, but I've yet to be disappointed.
Bottom line - An excellent product for the money. There are more expensive units out there, but if you are on a budget, and don't want to spend three to seven hundred on a GPS unit, pick one of these babies up for less than $150, Great Bang for the Buck.
Customer Review: Magellan Maestro 3100
Summary: 3 Stars
Just got this product a couple of days ago. Comparing it to the Garmin Nuvi 200 it has an SD/MMC card slot, USB port (cable included), headphone jack & power connector (for ac adapter and/or cigarette lighter adapter - the latter included) & a CD came with it including the manual on it. The Nuvi just has the card slot & the power connector. Both have pros & cons. The Nuvi voice announces an upcoming turn by saying "turn left" or "turn right". The Maestro voice announces an upcoming turn by saying "approaching left turn" or "approaching right turn". Neither one says the street name. The Maestro gives better directions, but Nuvi has better updated maps. The Maestro has a 2.18 update available on line only for XP windows, which took about 2 hrs. to download, via DSL, on my computer, but I can't install it into the Maestro until I buy an SD card. I may decide to keep & give the Maestro a better rating after I see the improvements the update has made.
About price. Both units are close in price. The Maestro is on sale at Radio Shack for $169.99. I didn't even consider looking there because Amazon prices are generally cheaper. I paid $191.86 for the Maestro incl. shipping. Plus, I have to spend another $10 - $15 to buy an SD card to install the update. If it wasn't so much of a hassle to send it back & get credit, I would do it & go buy it at Radio Shack.
Customer Review: Easy to use and works well! I bought a second one!
Summary: 4 Stars
I got a 3100 on black Friday and since that time have used the heck out of it. It's a simple GPS that gets you there. It does not have some of the fancy features that more expensive models have, but I find that to not necessarily be a negative. The lack of extensive features tends to make it easy to use. I let my wife have a go at it and she was able to put in a destination address and set a route without help. Fewer features equals simpler user interface! We basically use it to get from point A to point B, and it does that very well.
I am on a business trip right now and it is in my briefcase. So far, it got me from the Philly airport to a client in King of Prussia, then to a client in Horsham, then to Gettysburg, and back to the airport. It takes all the stress out of driving in unfamiliar areas!
My son's birthday is coming up in a few days and I have another 3100 on order for him. I figured I would stay with the same unit because (a) it works well, and (b) everyone in the family already knows how to use it.
My only concern is the availability of updated maps and POI database in the future. The machine does have an SD slot and USB interface, so I am hoping that Magellan will explait these to provide update capabilities. Even if they don't, I expect the 3100 will be quite functional for the next few years.