Magellan Maestro 3100 3.5-Inch Portable GPS Navigator

I purchased this GPS for my fiance last Christmas. Living near Boston poses its directional challenges (Big Dig, anyone?), but to add to that, I sometimes think the boy might have trouble finding his way out of a paper bag. I tend to have a better sense of direction, but even so, a GPS is one of those things that you never really realize how much you would need it or rely on it until you have one.

It was a great price, and it was perfect - just a GPS that gets you from point A to point B, with voice commands and a touch screen. No camera or phone or any other crazy contraption imbedded in it to make it more complicated or unnecessarily expensive. It tends to have trouble with city streets because buildings block the signal, but overall we've both been really happy with it. I snag it when I can if I need to go somewhere new. It was the best gift he didn't even realize he wanted!

This product has been helpful on several occasions already. I tried it around town first to make sure it knew the best/quickest ways to get around and it passed with flying colors. It's built in avoid system is very nice for when you're low on cash and can't afford tolls. Very easy to use right out of the box. Screen is large enough to view from the farthest point on your windshield. The change from light to dark streets at night is an amazing feature, it tones down the brightness so your not binded everytime you look at it while driving down those dark streets. The sound quality is good, however if your like me and like listening to fairly loud music, you might need to check the screen more often to make sure you dont miss a turn. If you do miss a turn the GPS quickly gets you back on track the easiest way it can. I have taken it on long and short trips and hasn't let me down yet. This is a Great buy!! I'm now getting two more for my parents.

DO NOT PURCHASE THIS UNIT !!!!! I WAS TOLD I WOULD RECEIVE 1 FREE UPDATE WHEN I PURCHASED IT !! WHEN THE UPDATE CAME OUT THEY TOLD ME IT WOULD COST ME $80. I E-MAILED THEM AND TRIED TO EXPLAIN WHAT I WAS TOLD AND THEY REFUSED TO HONOR THE UPGRADE. THE POINTS OF INTEREST ARE VERY LIMITED. MY WIFE HAS A GARMIN AND IT IS GREAT!!! 6MILLION POINTS OF INTERESTS AND 1 FREE UPDATE. I TELL EVERYBODY TO STAY AWAY FROM THEM AND BUY A GARMIN. THE ONLY REASON I PURCHASED IT WAS THE FREE UPDATE. THE MAPS ARE 2006 AND IT WAS A GOOD PRICE. i WILL NEVER BUY A MAGELLAN AGAIN!!!!

GREAT INEXPENSIVE GPS FOR GRANDSON THAT COULDN'T FIND HIS WAY TO COLLEGE AND BACK EVERY DAY IF THERE WAS A DETOUR, WRONG PARKING GARAGE, ETC.!WELL WORTH THE MONEY, SIMPLE TO USE,SEEMS VERY DEPENDABLE AFTER FIRST 2 MONTHS! EVEN WORKED FOR THE OLD FOLKS THAT BORROWED IT ONCE.

Received this in a timely manner from Tiger Direct thru Amazon.com... I liked the unit, it had all of the basic features that I needed but... after a 2 week trial I found that the volume just wasn't loud enough. With the windows open or the radio on at a comfortable volume, I just couldn't make out the audio instructions that the unit spouted, even at it's highest volume setting... Nice unit, but I returned it...

Works fine, reliable just would like to see an enhanced database but works great as a basic unit.

In general the product has excellent features considering its price making it in my opinion an excellent value. There is one anomaly which is bothersome however. At the final destination the unit frequently will inform you the destination is to the right when in reality the destination is to the left, the same being true for the other opposite final destination.

I recently purchased mine. So far, very simple to use. I look forward to sitting down and going thru all the options.

I purchased this item for my daughter for her birthday because I already had one. It's convenient and for the price, it has great features. I love it!!

The best "Bang for the Buck" No Bluetooth, No MP3 Player, No loading pictures....Just a great basic GPS for your travels. The 3100 comes with a fewer number of Points of Interest than other comparable GPS units. But, you can go to the Magellan website and download or they will send you a disk for $4.95. This upgrade will give you nearly 3 times the POI.

The only "Issue" I have is that my large finger don't always "fit" some of the selection boxes on the screen. I have found it much easier to use a PDA stylus or ball point pen with the tip retracted for making selections on the touch screen.

This unit has met all of my expections for a auto navigation system.

I Purchased the Maestro 3100 in July 2008, and put it to use right away. It was great, right out of the box...simple to use, and responsive.

Two things could be improved...the volume (maxed out) is very difficult to hear over the radio (turned low), and also, someone having a phone conversation in your vehicle.

The display colors could be more vibrant...they get washed out in sunlight...but, for the price ($129.00), it is a very good buy, and gets the job done.

Gerald J. Cifaldi

WOW. You can get this GPS for a song and it has everything you need to get going right out of the box. It might not have some of the features that some of the other higher priced units have but I like to use my other devices for phone and mp3 playing anyway. Text to speech is also not on this device but not needed at all. A chime rings when you need to turn, plus it gives you plenty of warning.

Only thing I would change is the low number of POI's. Other than that. This is a great little unit.

I bought this late in 2007 to help me from getting lost in Fairfax County VA. Since then, I've moved to Florida, and it's just as useful here. BUT YOU HAVE TO LISTEN TO THE MECHANICAL LADY. She is almost always right. I was lost one night trying to find a body shop that I'd been to several times during the day. The Magellan kept telling me to make unfamiliar turns and I was sure it was taking me on a wild goose chase. Nope, almost at the point where I was sure the thing was wrong, it said, "you have reached your destination," and there was the body shop!

I lent the unit to a German-born retired Florida Sheriff's Deputy. He was slightly confused on how to get from my home to his late at night. So I pulled the Magellan off the windshield of my car, and then thought to myself, "this isn't going to work because Johann will never obey the lady: he's a cop and a German to boot (and they never obey anyone.)"

So I told Johann to do whatever the lady said, even if he thought the lady was wrong. Yup, in about 1 mile Johann thought the lady was wrong, and she insisted that he make a legal U-turn. Eventually he did, and the unit took him flawlessly to his front door. HE WAS AMAZED WHEN THE LADY SAID, "YOU HAVE REACHED YOUR FINAL DESTINATION."

The only reason why I did not give the unit 5 stars is because it's not good on way-points, and once in a while, it does take you down a dead end street. I think that's because that street became a dead-ended when the housing industry slumped in Florida.

I have had this GPS for a month and just took it on a long trip. Save your money because you get what you paid for. This is an inexpensive unit and leaves a lot to be desired.

I named it Barbara after my mother in law (she is always giving directions) First, the maps are not up to date and do not have many current roads, at least where I live. On this long highway trip Barbara was mostly quiet except when you come to a major crossroad, then she tells you to stay on the current road at least three times, and sometimes more.

In my case I had driven most of this route many times and know the best way around some major cities. Barbara always wanted to direct me through the town and not give me the best route. In one case she had me going north when I needed to go west. Looking at my atlas I could plainly see that there was no way to get where I needed to be if I followed her directions. This happened many times on roads that have been around for decades. I felt that I could not trust the unit!

If you are in a strange area in the dark and there are not any alternate routes, Barbara would get me there every time. And I can say that that was a big help. But this was at the end of the route is a very rural area.

Next the display, if you can afford a larger display, buy it. This one is small and even with my small fingers I had trouble with some on the buttons. This is a heads up display with two nav bars at the top and bottom on the screen. They display the current road you are on and the one where your next turn is. My logic says the top bar should be the turn you are going to (heads up). But no, that is the road you are on and where you are going is on the bottom. Yea it's a minor thing but annoying.

OK, now try to find a point of interest while you are on a route. Food, Rest Area, etc. Your only option is to exit a point of interest. Now why would I want to exit if I was looking for one? I pushed the button and got a screen that would give me small icons with a distance from my current location. This was not any help at all, especially if I wanted to know where the next rest area was. To find that you must canx. your route and then pick the point of interest button. Barbara will then give you a list of categories to choose from. Alphabetical order, NO WAY!! Try pushing the little down button to find what you want, while driving. This makes you an accident waiting to happen. This unit should be classified in the same hazard category as cell phones!

I could go on and on but I think you get my drift. When you buy a cheap product, you get what you paid for!

Jim

We prefer the TomTom because it has an easier to use (and more thorough) 'points of interest' and 'maps' program. This Magellan Maestro became a headache when we had to utilize without any addresses ...especially when many streets were not listed on the map function. As a sidenote, never leave your GPS in the car...don't even leave it in the glove compartment!

Magellan is a very accurate and helpful item. I use it very often, out of state, and never get lost when looking for difficult destinations. It gives pleanty of time when notifying of upcoming maneuvers. It was a wise purchase.

I have used my Magellan with great success.
Not being the one for great written directions
it has helped me a great deal.
My only complaint are the instructions with the package
need to be more informative re the need to download
or to upgrade.

This product is phenomenal. I bought the Magellan Maestro for my 74 year old father for Father's Day. He is, to say the least, non-computer savvy. However, he was able to use the GPS with ease. The instructions are easy to read, and the on-line help was fast and reliable. He is currently off roading in Nevada using his new navigation system and having a great time.

If you need not expensive GPS - this is the one from you and Amazon is the place to buy it.

Product is good. I travel for work and it is quick and easy to use. Sometimes it does take a long time to change to my location from a previous one.

Works well.

Acquires signal fast, maps equal to other units.

In addition to voice prompt of turns, it also signals via beeps right vs. left turn.

Handy device, well worth the price.

My husband bought this for me for Christmas. He says I couldn't find my way out of a brown paper bag when it comes to directions and finding places. I won't elaborate on that, but the gps has come in so handy and I love it.

I bought this as a Christmas gift and my friend loves it. Great buy.

Short and Sweet, Simply put, the Maestro Magellan stinks for three major reasons, I'll include in this review.

(1) You cannot depend on it's accuracy. If it tells you your destination is on the left side of the street it may very well be on the right, a block or two down.

(2)It does not distinguish between valid and invalid addresses. For example, say you make a slight slip and enter 112 Columbus Way, instead of 211 Columbus Way. Magellan will take you to 112 even if it doesn't exist.

(3) The Fastest Time feature is not reliable. Magellan Maestro might as well not even have it. What's the point if the equation doesn't factor traffic flow or lights, and stop signs. If it actually / technically does, I'm sorry but the equation still doesn't work. I deliver around town, Glendale, Denver CO, and it seems quite conclusive that the only things Magellan factors into its equation is distance and speed limit, which is totally bogus.

Basically, if you're looking for a little toy to sit on your dashboard and act as a sort of automatic map, Magellan Maestro's the one--and comes at a real bargain. But, if you're looking for something more than a map, something useful / something reliable, you best look somewhere else.

I don't know why this was on sale for $120 one day, but it was. Had one before, got stolen. Like the product, good price, fast delivery.

This is a great GPS for the price. I only wanted GPS and not all of the other bells and whistles (phone, etc). It works great and I'm looking forward to taking it on vacation this summer! And it did it right out of the box (after charging)!!

excellent product it has helped me on the highway.


Thanks Amazon

I was given the Magellan Maestro 3100 for a birthday present back in August of 07. I used it for no more than a month and it froze on me and would not reboot or anything. I called the customer service and they told me to send it in for repairs. I did this, after 3 months of calling them weekly I got my system back. Their customer service was awful, they kept telling me they were doing updates which is why it was taking so long. I finally got it back right before Thanksgiving and used it. It worked great here and there and then I went to put the newest updates on it and it froze again and the my computer kept saying something about the files being corrupt. So now, not only will my computer not complete the updates but the device is frozen. So now I have to send it in again FOR A SECOND TIME to get repairs. The device itself worked alright. Other than the minor problems I had with it: I live in a rural area and with all the trees I could not get a signal from it for about a mile to two miles. It did not say the street names before you turned on them other than saying the turn was coming up in .5 miles. I visited family in Philadelphia often and this was extremely unhelpful because you can't really take your eyes off the road long enough to see where you were suppose to be going. Plus with the how long it took to get a signal I was stuck roaming around in the city until it could tell me where to go. It took sometime to recalulate where to go so you missed the instructions before it even had a chance to tell you where to go. Between the little quirks, the system freezing twice on me now, and the horrible customer service, I would NOT recommend this product to anyone. I feel awful that someone spent money on this product for me.

I have only had to use two times since I purchased.
I normally get lost around the corner..
I arrived at both destinations with out a problem.

That's good enough for me.

Do yourself a favor and buy a competing product. My Magellan 3100 arrived from Amazon and worked for a few months but it wouldnt shut down when the motor was turned off. I have been trying to get it either repaired or replaced since I purchased it back in december. Its incredibly complicated just to get the request to them, they want everything but your Dog's name. They have had this information for literally weeks and all I want is a return authorization which they said I needed. I got one email saying they were going to make my request a priority then nothing. I cant even get the return authorization for them to look at it much less the actual repair. Do yourself a favor and get a Tom Tom or something. This company doesnt care.

I'll keep it brief. Customer service is beyond non-existent!
Bought hand held unit, worked fine in US.
Bought Direct Route EU, software. Would not load on unit.
After 7 months yes 7 MONTHS of emails/letters/ phone calls.
Magellan finally agreed to exchange, but they sent wrong software.
THEY DO NOT CARE, and just give me a run a round AGAIN.
So I have a useless GPS.

I am thrilled with this. Entering an address or destination is very easy. The product will even search for specific points of interest such as Italian restaurants in a given city.. or gas stations..tourist attractions..etc.

The kind female voice tells you exactly when a change is coming. This would be anything from freeway entrance/exits, a turn, a need to stay in a specific lane.. etc. You get several friendly reminders. If you still make a wrong turn it will re-calculate and give you a new route to your destination. The touch screen is clear and fairly easy to read. The package includes a disc with a sticky side and a smooth side so you can mount it on a porous surface in your car. The suction cup also attaches to your window easily. I am horribly directionally challenged and this is a fabulous product. I will never have to worry about getting lost.

Absolutely love this little tool. Super easy to use and I'm technologically challenged. Screen size big enough to give adequate detail and multiple views.

I really needed a Navigator to go around the city as I am frequently moving. I am impressed by the accuracy of this GPS. It has very reliable features like the "Home" one, which as you just click on it and no matter where you are, the Magellan Maestro will take you back with impressive diligence giving you the choice for the Fastest or Shortest Distance road.

The other day it even took me through so many neighborhoods, short streets, curves and turns that I wondered myself if those satellites did not get crazy...but no way...it was right on time and place!

It is very simple and in comparison with the others in the market is cheap. I called on the phone to Magellan's Company and they told me that for the 3100 they expect to have a map update later this year, as this one dates from 2006; but so far it has not failed me in finding the addresses I have typed. It also shows you the speed and miles to the target while you are driving.

The Current Location feature also gives you the choice to save any address you arrived without having to type it. For instance, if you get into a place you would like to visit again, just push on the little Truck Sign on the main screen and it will show the exact coordinates where you are. Just click on Save, and next time, from wherever you are, the Magellan Navigator will bring you there.

Very useful and reliable indeed.

(Alejandro Roque)

I bought the Magellan Maestro 3100 after having considered Garmin, TomTom, etc, and the various Magellan products. This model is full featured and very cost effective. I used to add a Hertz Neverlost system into my rental cars for $10 per day, but have eliminated that cost. Now, I can pre-program where I am going, and once I get off the plane, I am ready to go. It is also compact enough to simply slip into my briefcase for a trip. For a business traveler, it is money well spent.

About one year ago, I purchased a Magellan Explorist 400. This was a good unit that I used a lot. After about eight months the unit quit working. I called Magellan Support and told them the problem. They were good about everything and ended up telling me to send the unit in for warranty repair. It was to be returned after four weeks.
Six weeks later I called Support and told them the situation. They asked for my work repair number, which I gave them. After being on hold for twenty minutes, I was told that my Explorist could not be repaired and wasn't made anymore so it would be replaced with a Triton 400. After I received this unit, I took a couple of weeks to read about it and familiarize myself with it. At that point, I realized that it would not read coordinates correctly. The coordinates of my house, my geocache and several geocaches that I previously had found were all different than what my Explorist read and different that what GEOCACHE.COM had on their web site.
I called Support again and was given instructions as to fixing this. It didn't work. I emailed and received other instructions - didn't work. I called support again and received other suggestions - didn't work. I called again and was given other instructions. This finally improved the accuracy but it is still incorrect.
Examples: my home coordinates are, 40 40.566N and 95 51.606W. This can be verified easily and I have done this with two other GPS units. At first the unit read coordinates that were 26 miles SE of my house. Now the Triton reads 40 40.38N and 95 51.49N. About 200 feet away from my house.
A geocache near my house is listed on geocache.com as 40 40.776N and 95 51.761W. Originally my Triton 400 read 40 67.960N and 95 86.275W. Now it reads 40 40.37N and 95 5156 W. This is much closer but impossible to find a geocache that is still 200 feet away.
After making the last adjustments that improved the readings, I now find it won't accept coordinates that I attempt to enter. I tried to enter 40 40.776N, the GPS would only let me enter digits as far as 40 40.77, the curser simply would not move to another digit, and when I added the N and pushed enter it just said INVALID COORDINATES, TRY AGAIN.
I have been frustrated by this unit from day 1. It still doesn't read accurately, I can't enter coordinates and have spent hours working on it and HOURS on hold with tech support, and I no longer want this unit. I demand a refund of either the price of a Triton 400 or the price of the Explorist 400 that I purchased one year ago.
No, I have no receipts because when my Explorist wasn't repaired, I threw the receipt away. When I got a factory replacement Triton, I got no receipt. Please respond soon as I've been without a GPS for five months and need to get this resolved.
As I said, I no longer want this unit or a replacement. I expect your confirmation of my refund.
TWO WEEKS LATER - Let me add this after trying to contact your offices in California. As there is NO WAY to access a human being at the phone number 909/394/5000, I see that you have joined the ranks of dispicable, disgusting, cowardly and corrupt organizations called "corporations". Let me reinforce my previous statements. I DON"T WANT THIS UNIT FIXED AND RETURNED. I DEMAND A REFUND OF THE COST OF EITHER THE EXPLORIST 400 OR TRITON 400 AT WHICH TIME I WILL NEVER AGAIN DEAL WITH YOUR "CORPORATION". ALSO, IF THE BUSINESS OF YOUR CUSTOMER CARE FAX LINE IS TO IGNORE ALL FAXES, THEY ARE DOING A WONDERFUL JOB. Have you ever heard the saying " a happy customer will tell five people, an unhappy customer will tell fifty people". BELIEVE IT!

ANOTHER TWO WEEKS LATER - I have now been waiting two weeks for a return for repair mailer which has not yet arrived. I have been without a GPS unit for five months because of your incompetance and disregard for your customers and have now purchased a new Garmin unit. If I don't get a refund of the cost for a Magellan Explorist 400, I will proceed to write my personal evaluations and comment and post them on Amazon and (m)any other on line seller that allows personal evaluations. This letter will be included.

This product works wonderfully. VERY user-friendly and easy to understand. I do not like to go anywhere without it.

This is a good GPS system at a good price! The shipping time was incredibly fast! I ordered it on a Friday and had it on a Tuesday!

Very easy to use right out the box, but I was surprised by how inaccurate the map was for in city driving.

All in all, we're happy with it. But a couple of things would make it better. A minor thing is the lack of an AC charger. Not a big issue; but when trying to learn how to use it before getting behind the wheel, it ran down the battery before we were finished.
Secondly, it comes with a USB cable - but I'm not sure why. (will that charge it? I couldn't find anything in the manual about that). But I assumed there was software for your computer so you could back/save trips, update maps, etc. Not for this model. I hope that's in the works?

I read some of the complaints regarding this product, like that model does not speak the street names! Well, if you read the description of this model, you will read that it does not speak the street names. For less $150, you are getting a ENTRY-LEVEL GPS that does the job - gets you to your locations! If you want more features (bluetooth, different speakers voices, street names, etc), then you have to pay more than $150. I loved it so much, I purchased one for a girlfriend that travels locally alot. Soon I will be upgrading to a model that speaks the street names and I will give the 3100 to my nephew for graduation. As much as I love this Magellan, I am not sure if I will upgrade to another Magellan, after reading about the poor tech support received by many Magellan customers. My sister has a Garmin which she loves! For this Magellan model 3100, I am going to upgrade to in-store extended warranty and that should eliminate my possible interaction with Magellan's tech support. For the price, you cannot go wrong. But if you are looking for a model loaded with features, then you have to pull more money out of your pocket!

cons...
1. no wall charger (easily obtained on Ebay for less then the $20 that Magellan is charging)(to load the update, I had to initially charge it in my car).
2. Update is almost a 900MB file that took about 1 hour to download using a DSL line. Otherwise you can pay about $5 (not sure if that includes shipping) for Magellan to send you the update CD.

I received this GPS unit for Christmas and am very happy with it. I doesn't have a lot of the bells and whistles of more expensive versions, but the screen is very clear and it does what I want it to do.

I have two minor issues that keep me from giving it five stars.
- Something is draining the battery even when the device is off, so if I leave it in the glove box for a day or two after driving with it plugged in, I have to plug it back in.

- The voice spells out the letters and numbers as you type in an address. Unless you have it on mute, this gets old fast. I don't type unless the car is parked, so I don't need the audio feedback.


On the other hand, I just had a GREAT experience with their customer support. I had to call because the system was acting strange right before a cross-country drive when I really wanted the unit to be working. I was talking to a live person within two minutes and he fixed the problem within another two minutes.

Based on that, I give the company five stars and encourage you to buy the unit with the features and price range you are looking for.

This product has been really helpful on our trips and for around town. It has also been good for finding addresses. It does, however, not have as many points of interests as I would like. I can't find Targets or Wal-marts using this thing. Its stores previous addresses so that is awesome. Overall it is a good buy and I am happy I have it.

fast shipping and product arrived in good condition. good buy, would have liked for the smaller cities to be more up to date, but it works great for the larger cities.

Fun to use, even locally. You will never be lost again, the reroute feature is wonderful. Plenty of POI's. You can't beat this unit for the price!

Nice Little unit.Gets the job done!!!!Nice screen and easy to use.Battery isnt the strongest but all in all,nice.

Bought it, received, tried it once it, tried to update the software, the device crashed, sent it ot Magellan, haven't received it back and it has been days. I had called techsupport 2 times the only advice they could give me it was to send it to repair previously. Called Magellan wondering about it, they say they would send it back after the weekend, no more information avilable. Not happy. No Magellan....

this is one of the best gps systems i have seen on the market yet it comes with every single thing you need to make it work to your convience you can add maps and all that it's extremly eassy to operate it talks which is very safe because i'd rather keep my eyes on the road and it's actually 99% acurate i use it all the time since i have had it and it has only been about a couple of houses away off twice.

I've wanted a GPS system for a while and when I saw the Magellan Maestro 3100 for $150, I pulled the trigger. I also had an easy time justifying the purchase because I had a $50 Amazon gift card!

The GPS system was fantastic out of the box. Very easy to use and program. I also have large hands, and the touch screen was still very responsive.

I would recommend getting an AC adapter for battery charging (one is not provided at this price). I would also recommend the 1 GB download as there are many upgrades to this GPS system included (the download is free).

I have found that this GPS provides easy to understand features at a very reasonable price