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497 of 504 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great GPS for the price!, May 18, 2007
This review is from: Magellan Maestro 3100 3.5-Inch Portable GPS Navigator (Electronics)
I'm a long time TomTom user, and I bought this GPS for my wife because it is small, simple, and inexpensive. We've been very pleased! The SIRF star III GPS chipset is incredible! It was able to lock onto 8 satellites from INDOORS! My TomTom GPS receiver is lucky to find 4 signals in the backyard with a clear sky. The NAVTEQ maps used by Magellan are much more accurate in the U.S. than the outdated TeleAtlas maps in my TomTom. I used both devices to search for 5 random addresses from my address book -- all of which are at least 5 years old. The Magellan found them all flawlessly -- even those with re-mapped zip codes in mid-2006! The TomTom found 1 of the 5, got me close to a second, and didn't have a clue about the street names in the other three. (Incidentally, TomTom won't provide me with a map update because they dropped support for my device, which is only 3 years old!)
The Magellan Maestro 3100 doesn't have all of the bells and whistles that the more expensive devices have, but it does GPS navigation as well as anything I've tried -- and I've tried most of them out there. I didn't buy a GPS to be an MP3 player and a picture viewer -- I already have an iPod for that. Any my car stereo has Bluetooth, so I didn't need hands-free phone capability. Why pay for features if you don't want/need them?
The only disappointment in the 3100 is the Points of Interest database. It only has 750,000 entries, whereas other competing (albeit more expensive) devices have several million. Still, it was able to find gas stations, ATMs, restaurants, hotels, grocery stores -- all the important stuff -- with no trouble. So I can't find campgrounds and beaches -- big deal! I usually don't get a spontaneous urge to go camping while I'm driving around anyway...
A previous reviewer mentioned the SD slot. Currently, it is used only to backup and restore your Address Book, Favorites, etc. Maybe a future firmware release will provide additional functionality...
Other nice features include trip planning with multiple stops; an address book where you can enter custom names,addresses, AND phone numbers; a Favorites list; a dedicated "home" button; detour planning; etc, etc.
There is also a great "where am I?" feature that with a single button push will display your precise location -- street, nearest intersections, lat/long coordinates, etc. This could be very useful if you need to summon emergency help.
All in all, this newly released (April 2007) GPS device should definitely be on your shopping list if you're looking for basic, low cost navigation.
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224 of 225 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Great value for the price, May 29, 2007
This review is from: Magellan Maestro 3100 3.5-Inch Portable GPS Navigator (Electronics)
I have used it only for a week , Once for a long trip spanning 3 states, otherwise local routes.
Pros
---- Nice interface, very easy to use,works right out of the box, minimal setup. very friendly & intuitive user interface.
---- Price, as low as $200 if you look around, a great bargain
---- Decent maps/updated NAVTEQ mapping data (I think as of April 2007)
---- fast re-routing/detour calculations
---- Fast satellite acquisition even indoors
---- Nice features like Current location finder
---- Decent size for portability
---- So far no crashes or freezes
Cons
---- No AC adapter included in the box, need to charge in car
---- No provision for Map updates in future
---- No text to speech/Bluetooth
(No other GPS at this price range has these features anyway)
---- Uses Windows CE, no wonder it is sluggish (but once route is prepared it is quick to reroute or detour calculations)
---- Terrible battery life
Overall, For price around $200, it is a great bargain. I initially bought Mio C220 but returned it next day. I think in budget GPS category, there are very few if any who can give you so many features & performance as 3100 gives.
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169 of 172 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Everything you need in an auto GPS, May 25, 2007
This review is from: Magellan Maestro 3100 3.5-Inch Portable GPS Navigator (Electronics)
I borrowed the Magellan Maestro 3100 and found it to be a great auto GPS. It has all the features you need in an auto navigation system. Because it has none of the extraneous features unnecessary in an auto GPS, the price is a deal. Magellan got it right with the Maestro.
Favorite Features:
Entering locations turned out to be easy with the predictive input system.
Setup was super easy. I had it up and going in less than a minute in my car. As I was borrowing it, I didn't have a manual or anything, but all the screens were so intuitive, that was never a problem.
The screen was so easy to read. I was expecting problems in sunlight, etc. Not a chance.
Routes were calculated quickly. I intentionally missed a few turns to see how it would handle re-routing. It did so quickly.
Touchscreen was perfectly responsive.
I'd recommend this to anyone who wants an entry-level auto GPS. It has all the features you'll want while driving.
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