Magellan Maestro 3100 3.5-Inch Portable GPS Navigator
by Magellan
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List Price: Buy Used: from $30.99 (click here) Category: GPS or Navigation System See more product details |
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(Click here)
Customers in the UK,
Buy this product at amazon.co.uk
for British Pounds
Digital Cameras Photo Reviews of Magellan Maestro 3100 3.5-Inch Portable GPS Navigator
Customer Review: Worth the price
Summary: 4 Stars
I purchased this last year for $169. Considering my needs this unit works very well. The only complaint I have is that it doesn't give you the street name with its spoken directions. This is troublesome since I am not so good at looking at the screen while I am driving and in unknown neighborhoods I will end up missing my turn since the GPS isn't exactly on the mark. It might say "make left turn in .2 miles" and I will have passed the street at .1 miles. Having the street name spoken would eliminate this problem. I haven't had the problems some have said about wrong directions. This is much better than mapquest and certainly more accurate. Sometimes the recalcuation takes time but not enough to be annoying. This would probably happen with any GPS system depending on where you are located. I am in NY State and have had no problems driving in NYC, Long Island, Westchester, Rockland and surrounding areas with this GPS.
P.S. Plan to purchase the 3140 which speaks the street name (now around $150 from Amazon). You can't find this feature in the other models (Garmin, TomTom) with SIRF, which is the latest receiver technology, for the price. I have found Magellan models to be the most cost-effective models out there especially since I don't need bluetooth (have built in car-phone system and my car stereo with 5 CD changer gives me more than enough music).
Customer Review: surprisingly good unit; 'questionable' customer service
Summary: 4 Stars
The 3100 seems like a solid little GPS. I thought that the 3.5 inch screen would be too small, given how they are now making most GPS systems larger, but I've found it to be perfectly fine. Nice display; more than enough points of interest and all-around accuracy, around here anyway. Quite easy to handle for a first time GPS user.
Thing is, I recently had it freeze while attempting the latest update -- 2.18 I think. I was initially using a Vista PC when it happened (the Magellan website says their $5 disk is Vista compatible, but don't you believe it); however, I think there is reason to think this update is trouble for many non-Vista people, too.
Speaking of trouble, Magellan customer service is very problematic. They either told me things that were erroneous ("just disable your firewall"), or tried to get me off the phone ("call us back if what I said doesn't work"). Finally, on my third call, I was able to get someone who said to return it for repair. They also said they would install the update before returning it. I'm not hopeful - given some things I've read - but I'll wait to see what happens.
UPDATE two weeks later, 3/27/08: ...Well, they fixed the unit and sent it back, with the update, in fairly quick time. I'll give them credit: they did what they (eventually) said they would do.
Customer Review: Excellent value for the money.
Summary: 5 Stars
I bought this unit on a Black Friday sale for $150 after extensive research and I was actually going to return it based on a review which said the 3100's maps cannot be updated. I contacted Magellan support and found out that this is false. The maps can be updated to a current version, and the device comes with a USB cord. This is not a throw-away unit. If you're looking for Canada, Mexico, HI, AK, etc. and if text-to-speech is a must, then avoid this unit. If you're looking for a basic value-priced GPS for the contiguous 48 states, look no further. It does what it's supposed to do....navigate you from point A to point B; provide detours and directions.
I saw Magellans in action in a Staples store and they were the only units that would get a signal; while the TomToms and Garmins couldn't. No external antennae to break and a rock-solid mount. For what this unit does and the price point, I think a top ranking is warranted. The only other GPS I would consider other than this one is a Garmin Nuvi -- 260 or higher so as to get the text-to-speech and more maps (which themselves can cost almost as much as this 3100 GPS!).
The 3100 got full signal strength even inside my house. I already programmed almost 20 addresses into it. The POI database is a little light at 750,000, but for most purposes, it's good enough.
Customer Review: DO NOT BUY Magellan!!! YOU WILL REGRET IT!!!!!
Summary: 1 Stars
I purchased this unit from Amazon Brand New, and the first time I plugged it in the unit froze. In order to use the unit, I had to carry a paper clip with me and pull over to reset it everytime it would freeze (which was everytime I used it). I did this for two weeks before I could not take it anymore! I called Magellan (which has an incompetent customer service department) and they told me this is a common problem with the unit, and to return it to the retail store in which I bought it from. I returned the unit to Amazon (hassle free I might add), and they sent me a new one. This unit did not freeze, instead this Magellan 3100 (again Brand New)......did not hold a charge. So, I was able to use the unit about four times until it would not hold a charge anymore and it would not turn on again!!!! Again called Magellan, they were NO help. They told me they would call me back several times and they did not keep their promise. I ended up returning it back to Amazon and this time bought a Garmin Nuvi 200 which is an AWESOME GPS for the price in my opinion! Don't waste your time with this Magellan! I would consider another GPS like Garmin or TomTom!!!!! One more quick note....Amazon's customer service is incredibly accomadating. They are by far the BEST I have ever dealt with! Thank's Amazon!!!!!Customer Review: Very Good Product
Summary: 4 Stars
I bought one for my sister, one for both of my brothers, and another one for myself. Sounds a little crazy isn't it? but we just recently moved from MA to GA and so this lil' gadget comes in handy.
The product is very good and it does exceeds my expectation for an entry model. Routing is very accurate so far (the longest trip was from boston to atlanta). Rerouting is very fast and it picks up satellite signals the second you turn the car key. Of course, it doesnt come with text-to-speech like other expensive GPS out there but honestly it doesn't make much of a difference for me.
Though, one thing you should consider before buying this product, Points of Interest. It has very very poor POIs database on this model. Well, all the hospitals and ATMs are there but if you want to catch a movie on Friday night then its a prolem. It tells me to drive for 10 miles to nearest theater when there's one right down the street from where I live that I could literally walk to. Restaurants, shopping, and gas stations are not quite reliable either.
Other than the POIs problem, everything else is great. If you are looking for one that helps you explore foreign cities then perhaps get the higher-end models (there's one with 6 millions POIs). For me, this thing is great enough. Hope this helps!