Customer Reviews

Magellan Maestro 3250 3.5-Inch Portable GPS Navigator with Traffic and Voice Command

5 star:		(53)
4 star:		(43)
3 star:		(17)
2 star:		(11)
1 star:		(18)

 

 

I actually had ordered the 4250, but the seller accidentally sent me the 3250 and I decided to keep it since the only difference really seemed to be size, and I found the 3250 to be bigger than I thought.

I did a lot of pre-purchase research and had settled on Magellan partly due to the AAA integration, but then chose the Maestro **50 series because of the integrated live traffic updates which I think is a GREAT feature - especially since I work in a high-traffic part of the Northeast which I think has some of the most infamous and even nightmare-inducing roads.

I really enjoy the voice command features although I wish more of the system responded to them. For example, it would be nice if they could build in for basic commands to always be recognized (e.g. "Cancel" or "Yes/No").

I am finding the touchscreen to be easy to use and responsive, but would have liked a volume control wheel on the side of the device so that I could control the volume without having to back out of another screen I might be on.

Entering of addresses is definitely improved over older Magellan GPS devices that I've used in rental cars - a suggestion here, however, would be to make the type screen set up like a standard keyboard (think Blackberry) instead of laying out all of the letters in alphabetical order, but this isn't a big deal.

I love the Bluetooth integration, and it works great with my phone even though it wasn't on the pre-loaded list (the only thing it doesn't pick up are SMS messages, but I'm okay with that). A suggestion here would be if it could automatically connect to my phone when I turn it on (like my Bluetooth handsfree does) rather than forcing me to manually connect them both each time which is kind of annoying.

The only other issue I'm having right now is with turning the device on... Sounds strange, I know, but it doesn't seem to always want to come to life when I hit the power button - even if I hold it in for a few seconds. It comes back on easily when I leave it plugged into the car, however with GPS thefts on the rise, I have taken to unhooking it and keeping it with me.

Overall, it's a great GPS for the money and the live traffic, AAA integration, and voice response are, in my opinion, its best features. You can't really go wrong here.

I've been using the Magellan 3250 for a couple of days now and so far it's been a pretty good GPS unit. Among the positives:

Text-to-speech is accurate (although it pronounces DR as Doctor).

Driving on the open road I was consistently picking up 8 or 9 satellites. In a parking deck I was still pulling 2 to 4. The unit powers on and is ready to run in under a minute.

Missed turns and detours are calculated pretty quickly and the route exclusion works well if you are trying to modify the suggested route.

The screen is bright, although it did get a little washed out the afternoon setting sun.

Among the negatives:

It's crashed once already. We'll see if that is a reoccurring feature.

The route exclusion works great unless you try to use it twice. Then the unit goes back to the original route you didn't want to take in the first place. I kept trying to get it to follow my apparently unique path to the interstate and it never once figured out where my preferred exit was even with repeated re-route requests.

Don't call their customer service. I'm currently in the process of getting my three month subscription code to active the traffic monitoring service. The code was supposed to be in the box, but along with a complete lack of instructions or documentation there was also an empty spot where my code should have been. I've called Magellan twice in the last 3 days with no luck. I might get a callback within the next 24 to 48 hours with my code, but I don't think anyone I've talked to knows who has the authority to issue these codes.

This wouldn't be such a big issue if their traffic monitoring service wasn't what set them apart from Garmin. With the Garmin you have to spend $130 for the special OTA traffic antenna in addition to a year subscription. The 3250 has the value added perk of including this antenna.

Overall it's a good unit, but so are Garmin's. For the most part GPS devices work the same everywhere. So if you don't care about the traffic monitoring service and you think you might need to call tech support - go with the Garmin.

I purchased this unit last night to replace my Garmin i3. The Garmin is a great little unit, but I was ready for a few more features.

To read up about the Garmin i3 (and i2/i5) check this site: http://reviews.cnet.com/car-gps-navigation/garmin-streetpilot-i3/4505-3430_7-31468216.html

Short version:
Magellan 3250 is a great GPS unit and the price from Amazon was far the best one that I could find. Also, I ordered it last night and Amazon/UPS had the unit on my doorstep 24 hours later (and I didn't pay for overnight)!

Long version:
Within 30 minutes of having the unit out of the box, I was able to take it on a 90 minute road trip and compare back-to-back with the Garmin. Below are a few of my findings:

Screen size: The 3.5" Magellan screen was a nice bonus when compared to the Garmin's 1.5" screen. I was happy with the Garmin display, so I am that much more happy with the Magellan.

Screen Zoom: While the Magellan was fine, the default zoom level on the Garmin provided just a bit more information (zoomed out a little more) and I find that the added view was helpful when navigating unfamiliar areas.

Brightness: I never had a problem with the Garmin, but the Magellan was definitely brighter.

Re-calculation: The Garmin was quicker to detect that I had left the route and start the recalculation. Once the Magellan detected that I was off route (usually at about 75% re-calc on the Garmin) it would initiate and finish the re-calc very quickly (usually at the same time as the Garmin, despite the Garmin's 75% head start). The quickness with which the Garmin detects that you have the left route is NOT always a blessing. One of my few complaints about the Garmin was that it was/is U-turn crazy. That is to say that it detects that you have the left route and tries to force you (repeatedly) into a U-turn to get back on route. I had no such trouble with the Magellan.

Bluetooth: The Garmin i3 is a budget model and does not have this feature. With the Magellan, my SMT5600 Smartphone is not on the supported list. However, it still works as a bluetooth headset, which is sufficient for me. The quality (both on my end and on the end of the person that I made the test call to) was better than my Motorola bluetooth earbud.

Traffic: This is another advanced feature of the Magellan, which the Garmin does not have. I was not able to test this feature because I have not yet started the free trial.

Maps: The maps are from NAVTEQ*** (6/2007) and were very accurate. The Garmin also uses NAVTEQ maps (~2004 edition) and are also very good.

Routing: Both the Garmin and the Magellan calculated the same base route when going from A to B (and it was a route that I know well and can attest that the selected route was good).

Re-routing: Here, the Magellan is the hands-down winner. Not only did the Magellan NOT display the "possessed U-turn demon" of the Garmin, but it seemed to make smarter assumptions (i.e. not forcing me back to the highway when local was just as fast) when re-routing.

Mounting: Because the Garmin is very small (fits in the palm of your hand), the mount is a ball-and-socket which makes it very easy to adjust to any angle. I was pleasantly surprised that the beefy Magellan mount provided a similar range of flexibility.

Navigation: While both systems navigate quite well****, I have to give the nod to the Magellan. Whenever there are complicated branches, the screen splits into two (map and branch) clearly showing which branch is the correct one to take. The Garmin describes the branch (stay left/right, then stay right/left), but a picture is worth a 1000 words! In some cases the Garmin did have a few extra niceties like the top screen banner indicating what the next major action would be (e.g. "on I696 to exit 165 John C. Lodge south"). Also, the Garmin uses names for highways (e.g. "John C. Lodge") while the Magellan uses the highway numbers (e.g. "M-10"). If you are local, the names might make more sense, but I know from experience that out-of-towners would prefer the highway numbers over the names (here the Magellan wins again). The Magellan has text-to-speech and the Garmin does not; I can see that this would be useful for out-of-town adventures.
Finally, one point to the Garmin for verbosity. The Garmin was/is always talking before the Magellan and sometimes even when the Magellan sat quiet (e.g. "stay straight for next 9.9 miles" would come from the Garmin after merging onto the highway). The Magellan said nothing to assure me that I merged to the right path; maybe a minor point I don't know.

Controls: This is the #1 reason why I am replacing the Garmin. The Magellan has a touch screen (as do most GPS devices now). The Garmin i-series uses a thumb-wheel. While the thumb-wheel is very fast to use while sitting still (possibly faster than the touch screen) it can become nearly possible to use while driving on less than perfect roads (a bounce can send the selection up/down causing you miss the selection or select the wrong item). I know that you are not supposed to play with the GPS while driving, but honestly - who doesn't!?? Since I do, the touch screen is a definite winner.

Boot-up: The Garmin always boots fast and doesn't antagonize with the nag screen for too long. The Magellan seemed to boot a little slower, but what really bothered me was the nag screen that sticks around for several seconds after it has been dismissed.

POI: Do NOT underestimate the importance of the POI database. In this case, both the Magellan 3250 and Garmin i-series have 6 million built-in points of interest. A lot (most) of the budget systems have "millions", which usually translates into just a few more than 1 million. If you do not believe that 6 million is a big advantage over 1+, buy two systems and compare for yourself. You will be shocked at the difference that it makes in finding exactly what you are looking for. BTW - Both the Garmin amd Magellan POI database includes accurate phone numbers as well. This is especially great on the Magellan because you can call directly from the GPS unit via bluetooth to your cell phone!

NOTES (a.k.a. Why all the asterisks?):
My first attempts at replacing the Garmin were all a bust. The systems could not hold a candle to the Garmin for accuracy or sheer number of POI.

*** Something that I noticed on the other units is that they were all using TeleAtlas maps instead of NAVTEQ maps. In some cases the TeleAtlas maps had N-S streets swapped with E-W street names. I actually ran into a situation where the map claimed that there was a street where there was none, and obviously hadn't been one anytime in the past 20 years. Some people blame the navigation for these errors (i.e. the GPS vendor and not the map maker), but clearly inaccurate maps are not the results of a GPS navigation issue. They are simply bad maps. My advice is to avoid units that use TeleAtlas maps.

**** An issue, which probably is navigation related but could stem from the bad maps, is that one of the systems consistently took me to the back side of destinations. On a trip to Radio Shack, this is not a big deal. On a trip to the airport, this is a huge deal because it can lead you miles out of your way!

I have been using the 3250 for about two weeks. This is the best gps I have ever used. The ones that I'm comparing it with are TomTom One 3rd, Mio 220 and 230, Garmin Nuvi 350, and Garmin streetpilot 330. The Magellan is not quite as easy to use as the Garmin units, but lets the user have more control over navigation.
Pros:
-Best poi database I have seen with AAA tour book
-Voice commands, really cool
-TrueView map. Shows you the intersection turns on the left of the screen
-Up to date maps, 8/2007
-Text to speech
-Traffic conditions
-Interactive POI icons. On map screen icons, touch and see what it is.
-Navteq maps. Better than TelAtlas thats on TomTom and Mio
-Tells you what side of the road your destination is on. Garmins do this too.
-Quick spell. Makes entering in you address much easier.
-Multi destination routing.

Cons:
-Customer support. Website and phone not that good
-No user guide
-Rerouting after missing a turn a little slower than the others
-Some buttons are too small

Overall I really like this Gps. If you want alot for your money this is the one. Check prices, because on some sites the price changes daily. I paid $299.00.

I am a wind farmer; I plant GE wind turbines in rural Indiana. I work on setting up wind farms. I use the where am I to set the Turbine site numbers. Some of the roads in rural cannot support the heavy trucks to deliver the turbine parts so I use te trip planning to take me as 'FOLLOW ME' driver without getting onto the no-travel roads.

After a new pad is set, I use the 'Where am I' to log the site number.

Part two of my job takes me to other parts of rural america on my leased 4x4 Dodge Cummins truck. The Magellan Maestro 3250 gets me there from here. I grew up on the west coast so mountains are my reference.

Here in Indiana, it's easy to get lost without the sun (cloudy) or points of reference so the Magellan Maestro 3250 gets me there and out of trouble (like talking on the phone while driving, since I use the bluetooth to do my talking while driving.

Update: I went to O'Hare Airport in Chicago to pick up wife who came to visit over New Years. After the airport, I ask magellan for a nearest pizza resturant. I wanted the Chicago deep dish style that I have heard about. The magellan found a pizza place just off the exit and we had a wonderful treay of Chicago pizza.

I had the 3250 route me away from construction and avoided toll roads enroute back to Indiana.

Update 2: I noted that there were a few complaints about third world support. I called the toll free number and was greeted by Melvin, as I understand that he is Mombie, India. I can understand that speaking so they can understand you may be an issue. My technical question was: may I use a charger with the min-USB2 plug to charge the Maestro 3250; his answer was that it will charge the 3250 BUT it will sense that it is connected to a computer and I cannot program the GPS while plugged into the wall outlet. I will have to wait until the 3250 is charged, then do the trip planning. A very reasonable answer.

Granted, I am Chinese and understand that others may not be as understanding in trying to listen to the answer. I interact with americans from all over the USA so trying to understand Texans or Carolinians requires me to ask or repeat back what I have heard.

Update two: this magellan GPS does not like the cold. It was -5 below zero farenheite today and the GPS stopped working. Pulled it off the mount, put it in my pocket to warm it up and the unit started working again.

Update three: 2009 map update on SD memory card was just insert into SD slot. Be sure to update firmware to 4.86 before doing map update.

Just bought this for my wife a couple days ago, and it works perfectly fine. However, a couple things to note, or watch out for: Make absolutely sure that your specific model phone/carrier will bluetooth-pair with this unit (this is true for ANY GPS unit, not just this one). Maybe that's common knowledge, but it wasn't to me. 2 different salespeople I spoke with didn't say a word about this, when it's actually pretty crucial. And if you have Sprint (like I do), forget it. I couldn't find ANY GPS device that could pair with a Sprint phone. Sprint just recently got on the GSM network, so the pairing options may expand, but for now if you're a Sprint customer and you want bluetooth GPS, you'll have to change phone providers. So my initial anger at Magellan for not making this tidbit obvious morphed into utter disbelief that I couldn't find a device to work with my Sprint phone. Also, if you're a Mac user: when you pop in the cd, you will have Mac-specific instructions. However, none of the links worked (other than product registration), so I STILL do not even have a manual for the thing. And the product is so new that, as of today, you can't even get any information on the Magellan website.

I know you're thinking "well, why on earth are you giving 4 stars?" Bottom line is, no matter how pi**ed I was, the phone compatibility thing is ultimately my fault. Just didn't do enough research. And the widescreen models just take up too much room in the car, so the 4:3 is just fine. Also, not needing an extra antenna or bluetooth for the traffic functionality is huge.

Another quick tip: pricing on GPS units fluctuates more than almost any other type of product I've ever seen. DO NOT pay anything even close to retail, if you search for a couple days you are guaranteed to find an exceptional deal. I absolutely do NOT work for Amazaon, but some of the best prices were here.

First of all, let me start by saying that this is my first GPS purchase. After doing research for a few weeks, i decided to go with the Maestro 3250.
When it arrived, It turned on and I started playing with it right away trying to figure out all the features. You basically have to do this since there is not much of an instruction manuel with this machine. The only feature I could not (and still have not) is the voice command. That could just be my lack of knowledge, but other than that, it was very easy to figure out. I have used it around town the last two days just getting used to it. I thought it was working exceptional(although i dont have anything to compare it to). Then tonight on my way home, it was just after dark where I live and so the screen projected night time as well. Then all the sudden, the screen just lit up, very cloudy looking. I went back to the menu screen and when looking at the screen straight on the way you normally would, the blue background was almost white and words were very difficult to read becasue they were almost the same color as the backgroung. So as soon as I got home, I called customer support at Magellan. I spent approximately an hour on the phone with people i could hardly understand. Their first suggestion was to adjust the brightness. Of course I had already tried that and it was not the issue, even dimmest level was still coudy and bright. Their second suggestion was to hold in the reset button on the side of the GPS. It reset but the screen was the same. After this did not work, their customer support told me just to use it like that and to keep the brightness adjusted down. I basically had to tell them the machine was broke, I had just bought it and that I would not use a 2 day old defective product of theirs.
That was about 35 minutes in. The last 25 minutes, I was put on another line with a repair service rep. This guy was no easier to understand than the first guy. It took him this long to give me return authorization number and an address to send it to to have it fixed. I was told it would be a 2 to 3 week turnaround getting it back, and somehow i doubt that.

OVERALL impressions MM 3250 GPS:
1) Loved the size and ease of use (except for voice command and thats probably my fault)
2) POI's, AAA, and Traffic subscription definitely a plus.
3) Instruction booklet is horrible, its not even a booklet, just a little fold out.
4) Durability is definitely questionable after a malfuction just over 24 hours after recieving it.
5) Hope you never have to call customer service.

**I will update this when i get it back**

I own the Magellan 3250 and have found the perfect hardshell case for it.
The Johnson&Johnson "First Aid To Go" comes in a hardshell plastic box that is the perfect size for the 3250. costs $0.97 at Walmart. This box looks like it was made for the 3250.... plus you also get 12 bandages !!

The 3250 is a must have if you drive in Los Angeles

...but, unfortunately, it's buggy.

This is my 5th GPS unit. Pros are its very easy to use and generally intuitive interface, nice form factor, points of interest database, speedy response, good satellite reception, and contrasty screen. When it works the way it is supposed to do, which is most--but unfortunately not all--of the time, then it's the best GPS that I've used over the years.

In the ten days that I've owned it, however, it has frozen twice, requiring hard resets. The voice recognition is spotty. It stopped responding once, requiring a hard reset to restore its hearing, and it often will come on out of the blue (barking, "Say a command") without first calling it to attention with the magic words ("Magellan", noting that, should you fancy, it also responds to "Miguel" and "Ellen").

At least for my phone, Samsung M610, the blue tooth connection was also dodgy. Voice commands, at least for my phone, are non-existant and don't work with dialing or answering functions.

I would recommend skipping the blue tooth and voice recognition and getting its less expensive twin, 3210.

A minor point is that the mapping algorithm is different from prior Magellan units and on some trips I think it prefers to take a somewhat longer route--at least it's a different one than the older unit used to recommend.

Let me close, however, by saying that if you've never owned or even used a GPS unit, by all means, get one. The technology is as close to magic as anything I can ever think of. It will come in handy time and time again. Your family will love you for it.

-Edit--
After a few more weeks with this product, I am DOWNGRADING to DO NOT BUY. It is consistently buggy. It rarely gets through a trip without doing something it shouldn't. When voice recognition is activated it will randomly ask you to "say a command" and in so doing interrupt the navigation. It has now begun to automatically start up in the system preferences screen and there is no way out. Even a reset does not always fix that one. I will be contacting the vendor or manufacturer about returning it. VERY DISAPPOINTED.

--Second Edit--
It continues to malfunction. After two months of ownership it is currently totally unusable and frozen on a screen requesting that it be plugged into a USB port for a system update. I have had my first long run in with customer service. After two phone calls to India and one to the Philippines, each time tediously repeating the same information to representatives with accents so thick as to be barely understandable, I was told that I could ship it in my own packaging and at my own expense to a repair facility in Texas, that would spend 4-6 weeks servicing it and then return it by ground shipping.

This is the first GPS unit I have ever owned, and for the most part, I love it. It's easy to enter in new addresses, save addresses for future reference, recall saved addresses, etc. One of the first things I did was go into preferences and change a few things, like the POI filter (I change this often depending on if I'm just trying to find a shorter way to get to point A or if I'm going out of town, etc.). There are A LOT of POIs to choose from. Another thing you may want to change is the volume of the speaker. I tend to listen to loud music so I have mine on the loudest, which people on my cell complain about, but it's not like there's a volume control on the outside of the unit that I can just turn down if I get a call.

I have a Bluetooth but hardly ever use it so that is one feature I can not speak on.

I like that the colors adjust automatically for night driving since I don't want any cops thinking I have a small TV in the front seat, which is illegal in CT.

Originally I bought the thing that allows you to set up the GPS on the top of your dashboard, but I found it left a mark after a couple days, so I ended up just attaching it to my windshield. It can be tricky to find a spot that is in sight, easily accessible, but doesn't block your view at all. I own a Honda Accord and I ended up putting it as high as I can and as far to the left as I can. Although this may sound gross, I find the unit tends to stick better to the glass if you lick the suction cup before attaching it (you want just a fine film, you don't want a whole lot of spit all over it or it will just slide down the glass or fall off). The unit is a little heavy so just try not to get in an accident if it falls down mid-trip. This has happened to me several times, which may be affected by the recent drop in temperature, but it can be rather startling, as well as painful if it falls on your hand. If you're able to put it on your dashboard without it leaving a spot after a few days I highly recommend it, because of the risk of it falling while you're driving.

One of the main reasons I did not give it a 5-star rating is because I sometimes get lost or miss turns and have to backtrack. I live in a city where several major routes intersect so I can see why trying to direct someone through it can be confusing, but sometimes it doesn't tell you about an upcoming exit till it's too late for you to get over 3-4 lanes, which I think may partially be due to the unit not registering right away when you've taken an exit (from the intersection of 91 and 84 to my exit off 84 is only about half a mile, and half of that is driving through a tunnel, obviously blocking the satellite). Under normal circumstances it tells you 2 miles ahead and reminds you again a couple times, and then beeps when you get to the actual turn or exit, but again, in the middle of a city on a toll-free highway (Route 84), the exits come up fast and in CT the ramps are very short, for getting on and off the highways.

So if you know you are going to be going into/through a city I HIGHLY recommend writing down exit numbers ahead of time and also if the exits are on the left or right of the highway. You can get this information easily by clicking on the bottom left of the screen where there's usually an arrow showing your next move. When you click on it you can scroll through your entire trip ahead of you (you can't go back as far as I know, it's just from the point where you are when you check going forward).

Another warning is that it sometimes takes upwards of 3 minutes for my unit to get its bearings. This could be because I live in a city and the tall buildings may block the line to the satellite, but who knows? I usually try to enter the address and click on how I want to get there (there are several options, which is a definite plus. Some of the options are "fastest time," "avoid highways" and "shortest distance.") before I have to start driving but I am one of those people who often runs late, so sometimes I have to input the information while I am driving (which I do NOT recommend) and, like I said, sometimes it takes a couple minutes to find where I am.

Another plus with this unit is it charges with a mini USB plug and a converter is included so if I need to charge it fast (and I do this at work all the time since I have the ports right on the front of the PC tower), I just plug the unit directly into my PC tower or the side of my laptop at home. A screen will come on saying something about the USB port being active, but I usually then hold down the power button until the unit goes off again. Turning it off after it automatically turns itself onto the charging screen seems to double the charge rate. I should also note that when you use the wall charger or the adapter I just mentioned, you can NOT access maps, directions, addresses... anything. But if you're in the car and have it charging through the car charger, THEN you can access everything and navigate while it charges.

I know this has been one of the least technical reviews you've probably read, but I am not the most technical person, at least when it comes to things like this. If you have questions for me please reply to my post and hopefully I can get back to you within a reasonable amount of time. Thank you.