Magellan Maestro 3140 3.5-Inch Portable GPS Navigator Reviews

• Garmin who?!...............

  
  By A3ESMG31XIRL1R on 2007-09-10
  I have the pleasure of testing both this unit and the Garmin 370 (basically the Garmin 370 is a bluetooth 360, just with European maps included....and $150 more for me than the 3140).
  
  Comparing both, here are MY experience/conclusions:
  
  1.) 3140 has the brighter/saturated screen (about 2 notches better on a sliding scale--at the expense of battery life, of course) AND *louder/crisper/clearer* (less rattly) speaker (it can be a *BIG* factor if you're hard of hearing or have a noisy car).............However, this brightness/saturation is rather moot as strong direct sunlight will do a good job of markedly washing out the screens of both units (still useable though). At night, both screens do the job just fine as they switch to BLACK in "night mode", so brightness doesn't factor as much.
  
  2.) 3140 is made of sturdier plastic. Definitely more bulletproof, but at the expense of being a little thicker and heavier. Also, antenna is built-in vs. the garmin's flip antenna which could be foreseen breaking off at some point.
  
  3.) TTS is less robotic sounding on the 3140. It has only a female voice option, but it's very natural! Thusly, the pronounciations also are clearer and MORE pleasing (less grating) than the 370.
  
  4.) Touchscreen inputs are easier on the 370 b/c the electronic keyboard is bigger--less input mistakes (note, however, that I'm 6'4" with large hands). Also, the 370 allows you to scroll around the map with your finger (sort of what like Google maps allows you to do) -- *AWESOME* for getting a lay of the land!! The Magellan anchors your map and only allows the typical zoom in/out feature found on most GPS units.
  
  5.) While both use Navteq maps (what Google Maps uses), the 370 has a SLIGHTLY better sense of "intelligently" routing you. This is, of course, on a case-by-case basis of your area (your results will be different than my specific areas)! For instance, going to work in my area of San Jose, the 370 takes you off the highway at the correct exit. The 3140, on the other hand, takes me off the highway an exit early and routes me through the final portion of the expressway to my destination--a good route nonetheless, but it ISN'T "FASTER" than the Garmin's suggestion (i.e the route I choose all the time) due to the insane streetlight clog-ups during the morning commute (i.e. highway is generally always better than expressway in my area). Regardless, both units will get you to your place in one way or the other...
  
  6.) The 3140 gives you *MORE* flexible access/choices for routing (faster, shorter, more hwy, less hwy, avoid toll roads). Also, the "Detours" function is more customizable as to *WHEN* to route you back onto the freeway (3mi, 5mi, 10mi, 12 mi, custom). The 3140 screen also SPLITS telling you when to get off the freeway--better to have this for sure, but not necessarily better as the Garmin picture routing is simplistically very effective.......BTW, Re-routing calculations are CRISP/Fast on both units.
  
  7.) The 3140 map is more detailed and not as simplified the 370. I like this! But again, not instrumental in getting the job done (Garmin's philosophy is: less is more). However, more street detail allows you to use your brain on how to guide yourself when the computer will inevitably put you on a ridiculous route or stumble you onto a clogged streetway (which is bound to eventually happen on any GPS!)
  
  8.) Satellite lock is FAAAST (~10-40sec) on 3140.....markedly faster by minutes (~1-3 minutes) than the 370. This difference can make a BIG difference when coming out of a car park in a strange hustle/bustle city. The antenna sensitivity is also *BETTER* on the 3140 by a GOOD margin--surprising, since it's built-in! In the middle of a huge warehouse store, the 3140 (and other Magellans) had several satellite locks (6-7 sats), while no other unit from any maker aside of the Tomtom (1 sat weak signal) could get a signal. Inside my home, the same is true. The 3140 gets 7-8 satellite locks, the 370 gets about 3 locks. In the car, the Magellan gets more satellite locks as well.
  
  8a.) Satellite *accuracy* is also higher on the 3140. For instance, in my house that's at the "U" of a dead end street, the 3140 will pick up my location from my house. The 370, on the other hand, thinks I'm at the house on the other side of the "U" of the dead end street and plots a route from that location. Of course, the 370 corrects itself when you get in the car and go on your way.....But still, in one case, when getting on the hwy at a critical multifacted juncture, the 370 mistook a parallel road next to the hwy and guided me on that road giving me confusing misdirections (I used my brain to 2nd-guess the computer's advice)--it took over a ~3 minutes driving on the hwy for the 370 to correct itself (my wife found that error unforgiveable due to the separation distance of the parallel road to the hwy.)--this type of error hasn't happened on the 3140 b/c it's proven to me time and again to be more *PINPOINT*! Another great thing of the 3140.....if you're stuck in the middle of nowhere, it's nice to be able to call AAA (for which the Magellan has a handy "all in one" icon with AAA phone #/plot-point data on the screen) and give them EXACT longitude/latitude and not more effy plot points the Garmin gives me.
  
  9.) POIs: I get more hits with the 370 in MY AREA (your results may vary). Not surpisingly, it could be b/c the Garmin has a 6m+ POIs vs. the Magellan's 4.5m POIs (which is huge regardless & very competitive in the marketplace). HOWEVER, the 3140 does have the AAA Guidebooks which is *FANTASTIC* for roadies!!!! BUT!...The AAA POIs do need to be *INTEGRATED* into the 3140 POI database! Both are accessible only by pressing time wasting *separate* buttons/screens--hopefully, in the future Magellan will address this issue with future software upgrade??!! Magellan are you listening??......So again, it depends on what YOU value most from each of these units. One way or the other, it's all about tradeoffs folks! If Magellan brings up the POIs to 6m+ in an update and integrates the AAA databse then that would be fantastic!
  
  10.) Bluetooth is gimmicky on both units. Quality of call from both ends ain't that great--but doable. Battery life takes a good hit when bluetooth is on.
  
  11.) Accessories is better on the 370. The 3140 lacks an AC charger or pleather case, albeit with that $150 price difference you could purchase these things in auction....and then some! BTW, the $30 Garmin dashboard beanbag (portable friction mount) for the Nuvi units is awesome(!)--especially for us Californians who aren't allowed to suction cup things to the windshield--lest we get a ticket!
  
  12.) Maps can always be upgraded with Garmin and customer service is second-to-none among GPS mfgrs. The Magellan? Where are your European maps? How about upgradeability and more readily **accessible**/knowledgeable customer service? The 3140 does have an SD card slot so I'm sure product is coming out for its use, but as of this writing, I'm not aware of any 2008 Europe maps.
  
  Which leads me as to why I'm choosing the Garmin 370 for MY NEEDS. I travel to Europe on a constant basis and the 370 has the Europe maps included, so my choice, BY DEFAULT, is obvious........FWIW, to add Garmin Euro maps to your non-370 unit, it costs $300(!!) from Garmin! So if you ever think of roadtripping Europe more than once, it's *MUCH* better paying the price premium on the 370 over the cheaper 360 (you'll save money in the long run).........If Magellan had Euro maps, then it'd be a different story--also, hopefully much cheaper(!!) than Garmin's ridiculous eye-gouging pricing of its maps (indeed, for $300, it's better then to get a latest technology Europe-specific GPS)!!
  
  If you don't need Europe maps, then it's a TOTAL no-brainer to take the cheaper 3140 over a Garmin 350/360. Aside from Garmin's ~1-2% more sensible routing in certain parts of my area (though LESS satellite accurate leading to errors, as explained above), the basic performance or price premium difference isn't warranted in the least....and even if they were at the same price, then it would become a matter of which gimmicky side-features you value more....To me, a MARKED advantage to the Magellan--if only for those AAA guides! (who here nowadays doesn't already have a much better sounding/more functional MP3 player than the Garmin anyway??!)
  
  I have faith Magellan will come out with Europe maps/updates in the Fall. But until then, if you frazzle easily with electronics or need your Europe fix *NOW* (like me) then Garmin will hold your hand much better as a customer....at least for the time being. It all depends on your specific needs and comfort level with these GPS devices.
  
  All in all, the 3140 is an extremely solid, simple to use unit and isn't shamed in the least by the famed more expensive "Mercedesesque rep" of the Garmin Nuvis.
  
  

• Wish I hadn't bought it.

  
  By A3AKOFUWVCL68Y on 2007-11-04
  I have had mine for about 3 months now. I chose this model because of the good reviews on Amazon and elsewhere. I have been very disappointed.
  
  The biggest problem is that the POI database is hopelessly out of date. When I purchased it, this was a product that had only been on the market a few months, and yet the POI database was over two years old! We have taken it on several trips now, and we have regularly been taken to places that no longer exist. Some of the places we've been taken I am pretty sure never existed, because there is no building of the type that, say, a Panera would be in at the address. And we will sometimes type in, say "Panera" and be told that there are none in 50 miles, and then we pass one half a mile later. The POI database is not completely useless, but it is a serious problem.
  
  The roads database also appears to be out of date - we have been taken to dead ends on a few occasions, some of which had clearly been changed many years ago, but this has been an infrequent problem compared to the POI database.
  
  The other significant problem, for me, is that one of the reasons I paid for this more-expensive model was the text to speech, and the quality of the TTS is terrible. Much of the time the TTS is incomprehensible. If you know the name of the road already (because you know the area, or because you just saw a freeway exit sign), then you can usually figure out what it was trying to say. If you don't have this prior knowledge, then 75% of the time you have no idea what it is saying, unless it's simply reading numbers. And why is it using TTS for numbers anyway? Recorded voice should have been used for numbers 0-1000. I have used factory GPS units in several vehicles which had considerably better TTS than this unit. Haven't used any other TTS portable units.
  
  The other advanced feature that led me to choose this unit was the traffic capability, and I have not tried that yet.
  
  All in all, it works well as a regular GPS navigator where you enter an address rather than use POIs and where you do not use TTS. But then, devices providing those capabilities are available for much lower cost than this unit.
  
  I would not recommend this product to anyone.
  
  Update, 2/18/08:
  
  As I have used this device more, another problem that I noticed but ignored at first has become more central for me -- the touch-screen scrolling is dysfunctional to the point that I sometimes want to throw the unit down and jump on it. The problem is that the screen tends to jump back to a previous position after scrolling, so there is a tremendous amount of wasted motion, and frustration. I've used many other touch-screen devices over the years and never had consistent problems like this. Sometimes they need more or less pressure, faster or slower motion, etc., but I have found no way of scrolling this one that doesn't fail regularly.
  
  Also, the battery life has dropped off dramatically -- down to 1-1.5 hours per full charge. In the beginning the battery exceeded the specification, going 3-4 hours on a full charge.
  
  There is finally a firmware update available. I will report back in a few months on how that changes things.
  
  To update my overall view of this product, I will probably never buy any other product from Magellan - it's that bad.
  
  
  

• Thee Best Portable GPS..........

  
  By A1A535TCGNMVPI on 2007-10-07
  After having tried the Tom Tom Go 910, Garmin Nuvi 350, I can say this is the best GPS! Why? Well the 3140 just came out in April of 2007 (Look at Magellan homepage for press release) so it's one of the newer versions.
  
  It gets the satellites fast! Re-Routs you fast and even allows you to re-route ahead of the time (if you want to look ahead at the way you'll travel), and is FAST to re-route while on the road if you come across an accident, bridge out, etc. And as I just wrote, the feature of route planning (with multiple stops), you can plan this all out ahead of time, actually look where you're going and plan stops and save them.
  
  The voice prompts are loud enough while driving so that you do not have to keep looking at the screen.
  
  One thing I wish it had was the ability to scan across a map. That is to roll your finger across the screen to go from place to place.
  
  The antenna is built in so that you don't have to worry about it breaking off like Garmins can. And the antenna is STRONG! In the house I get 8-10 satellites signal, and this is away from a window!
  
  And you get 4.5 Million POI. Yes, Garmin has 6 million POI, however a lot of those are churches and such.
  
  What is really great is the exclusive AAA feature. It gives you the ability to look for AAA rated POI, and that give a AAA discount (membership required). AND what's great if you're traveling and have auto problems you hit one button and it gives you the emergency AAA number, and your location both in the cross streets/lane and Latitude and Longitude! Very handy if you're in unknown country!
  
  With the AAA POI feature, you can see the AAA rated hotels, restaurants, etc. so that you don't end up staying at a hotel with has loud parties all night long, or eating at the "greasy spoon" that effects your stomach the next day.
  
  It would be nice for it to of come with a case and AC home adapter. But with the discount here at Amazon, you can purchase them single at "auction" sites online and still be ahead in the price.
  
  IMHO, if you're going to spend the money on one of these, then spend some extra for a carry case, and screen protectors. The case can be purchased here at Amazon as well as the screen protectors (or else both at other online sites or stores). The case will protect it when you take it from the car and/or carry it in a bag. The screen protector is a little piece of plastic you put on the screen so that your nail or such does not scratch the screen. The protectors do not leave the screen sticky or such (when you remove them if the protectors get scratched.
  
  From the research I've done I think the 3140 is better than the 4040 Maestro's as people seem to have problems with the 4000 range. Not sure if it's a firmware problem, but do a search on the Internet or look at the Amazon reviews and you'll see. And look at Magellan homepage, the updates they have for the firmware and maps are stuff that's already inside the 3140! Seems they rushed the 4000's out the door before they were ready. But if you need a large screen and don't mind downloading upgrades, the 4000 range may be best for you.
  
  In the year 2007 there really is no excuse to get lost and waste time and get stressed out over finding your destination! With these GPS, you'll never have to worry! And if you know where you're going ahead of time, you can plan and save the trip on the GPS so when you're in the car you have it saved!
  
  All in all, this is very good GPS!
  
  UPDATE: 10/27/07....IF your area has heavy cloud cover or a storm, give the unit an extra minute or so to lock onto the Satellites and give you full bars. Seems storms and heavy clouds, effect the unit to not be as speedy in locking onto Satellites, but that's common with weather effecting electronics. Weather effects radio waves, TV satellites, etc.
  
  

• Good but not perfect

  
  By A2E17VAJ2E7KHF on 2007-10-16
  I have used other GPS units in the past - so this is not one of those 5 star reviews from someone who is excited about their first GPS unit. Overall the unit does what it is supposed to do but with a few shortcomings.
  - the battery doesn't seem to last anywhere near the time quoted. I like running the unit without the power cord connected to the lighter socket in my car, however the battery always seems to run out much sooner than expected. I have given up on cordless and use the power cord all the time now.
  - the lack of a hardware volume wheel is annoying. If you want to turn the volume up (or mute the volume) while the unit is navigating, the response time can be very slow as the processor is using cycles for other tasks. I like to keep the volume off and then turn it up if I am dealing with a tricky intersection. Sometimes the unit takes too long to respond to the volume request and I am already through the intersection.
  - when I navigate to intersections (e.g. corner of A and B) the green route marking is often a mess, e.g. a dozen crossed green lines all over the screen. The turn by turn directions are accurate but the green route depiction looks like graffiti
  - some of the routings can be boneheaded (or even take you to the completely wrong location) but I realize that is likely the licensed map data and not the fault of the unit
  - finally (and most annoyingly) I have had this unit for nearly 8 weeks and Magellan have not yet released the traffic kit for 3140. The Amazon description and the features section at the Magellan web site both state that the Traffickit is an option. What they don't tell you is that the option is not available for purchase. This is BS. I have called Magellean and they keep giving me different answers on when the Traffickit will be released. If it's not out by the end of this week (10/15) I am going to send this unit back to Amazon.
  
  There are also positives with this unit. The two features I like most:
  - the screen is bright,
  - the unit locks onto location very quickly
  
  If you want the Traffickit (or think you might) then check with Magellan on availability before buying.
  
  UPDATE: I sent this unit back to Amazon after endless BS from Magellan about when the TrafficKit was going to be released. How can they market an optional extra that does not exist?
  
  
  

• lot fo features for the given price

  
  By A210FKQJ0P7B87 on 2007-08-23
  I was looking for a cheap GPS unit for occasional out of town trips. Before this, I had bought Mio c220, but returned it after a week. I decided to put in some more cash and bought Maestro 3140. I am totally impressed with its performance. Here are some things which I liked about it:
  
  Every time you enter a destination, it gives you option to choose Fastest Route, Shortest Route etc. In other GPS, you have to go into settings and change it.
  
  Detour: If there is slow moving traffic on a highway, you can use this feature. It guides you to the next exit, gives directions on the inside roads and later puts you back on the highway. You can specify how long of a detour you would like. you can choose 5 miles, 10 miles and so on. Other GPS would try to put you back on highway at the very next entrance. What's even better is that it automatically senses that you have slowed down and would suggest you to take a detour.
  
  Exit POIs: Need food/gas? Just tap on Exit POIs button and Maestro will find the next exit which has a gas station or a restaurant. It will even give you names for each, so you can choose if you want to eat at Denny's or Taco Bell.
  
  Bluetooth: I used it a couple of times. The sound is clear and loud. Just tap on the green button to answer an incoming call. The only problem I noticed is that I have to 'connect' it to my bluetooth phone it evey time I turn it on. Probably I need to change some setting there.
  
  No folding receiver: I used Garmin 350 before and was always scared of breaking the receiver that needs to be flipped open before you use it. Maestro doesn't have it.
  
  Some things I do not like about Maestro:
  
  Garmins turn off automatically when they are plugged in and you turn off the ignition. This one doesn't. It can turn off automatically only if it is in the same position for 10 minutes and you have not pressed any buttons.
  
  little bigger than Garmin 350 and 200 so it's not really pocket friendly
  
  
• Everything you need and more
  By AOT43KZNF4GI3 on 2007-08-08
  Pros:
  Great Price
  2007 maps
  bluetooth
  4.5 million POI
  AAA travel guide
  Fast Calculations
  Loud
  compact
  Accurate
  Easy to Use
  
  Cons:
  Battery life
  No AC adapter
  Design not as sleek as Garmin
  Zoom In/out of map is very slow
  can't scroll around the map
  
  
• DO NOT BUY MAGELLAN PRODUCTS
  By A1EX862HNDWT8T on 2007-11-16
  Before you make your purchase, pick up the phone and call customer support. You will find it is in India and it is worthless. They will lie to you about shipments you have been promised, know nothing of the products and are completely useless. To test this report, I challenge you to try to find anyone in the USA to speak to. Every phone number is routed to India as if there is no US presence at all. DO NOT waste your money. Buy anything but a Magellan. Call (909)394-500 to verify that what I am telling you is true.
  
  
• My highest recommendation.
  By A2ASA0E0E1GSLW on 2007-07-21
  
  I can't say enough good things about this little marvel. I waited for this model and I'm glad I did. It's my first GPS but I think it absolutely ranks in excellence, or even exceeds anything on the market.
  
  I started a courier job delivering documents in a huge metropolitan city and there is no way on earth I could have found the addresses this device guided me to. The accuracy and joy of use was stunning. It is so user friendly and intuitive, it almost anticipates what you want to do before you have a chance to tell it what you want.
  
  The pleasant lady's voice is not robotic or aggravating with too much information. It just gives you precisely what you need as if you were riding with someone who built the roads you are traveling. It will alert you to upcoming freeway divisions in plenty of time to position yourself should you need to exit. It will state to stay left, or bear slightly right, or stay on the current road. You would not possibly be able to mess up.
  
  As you are nearing turns or maneuvers in your route, the display will automatically go to split screen. The right half of the screen will continue showing the large overall view. But the left side will show you a zoomed in closeup of your turn and a large arrow indicating exactly which way you are about to be turning. Just a quick one second glance at the screen and you see instantly what your turn looks like.
  
  This zoomed in closeup comes in so handy because it shows you whether your turn is a right angle or if you are only turning slightly to the right or left. This feature is in addition to the constant voice instruction. This is just one example of what I mean when I say it is so user friendly.
  
  The routing calculations are almost lightning speed. As you are pulling up in front of the door at your destination, the lady will politely say "you have arrived." And you can count on it that you have!
  
  It will even announce which side of the street your destination is on. If your road has a median and you are required to make a U-turn to pull up in front of the building, it will say, "at your first opportunity, make a 'legal' U-turn." Then it will guide you back to the address front door. It just doesn't get any better than this.
  
  If you bought this and didn't like it, I just couldn't imagine why. I am not easy to please but this ranks as one of the most amazing and user friendly gadgets I have ever owned. The peace of mind and sheer ability to relax while driving with this guiding you exactly where you want to go is almost too good to be true.
  
  Street names, freeways and all roads, are announced by name. As you are approaching a required turn, incredibly it will even give you a chime at the precise point you should turn. It's hard to imagine how this can be so accurate. If you happen to not hear a command, you simply touch the bottom left of your screen and the last prompt is repeated as many times as you want. So no worries if you don't hear it the first time.
  
  The maps are the latest and most current of anything on the market. I haven't even used a fraction of the goodies in this thing yet and already I just couldn't be more pleased.
  
  I can also speak highly of the customer service attention I received from Magellan. An AC home charger was not included in the box when I received it from the internet seller I purchased it from. This was not a mistake on the part of Magellan.
  
  The particular seller I bought it from sold the unit without the home charger included. I made a call to the California office of Magellan and told them this. They said they would take care of it and I would not be charged anything. The AC charger was in my mailbox three days later. Their concern for my satisfaction was superb.
  
  If you purchase it, be sure to push the power cord into the unit very firmly. It can fool you. It is a very tight connection. It will not receive the charge otherwise. Also, initially I thought the voice volume was too low. But soon I was hearing everything even over the sound of my radio. It is something you will adapt to very quickly.
  
  Hertz chose Magellan as the company to provide the navigation devices for their cars. I see why. The quality of this unit is outstanding.
  
  The only thing that could be even more amazing than what this GPS can already do to dazzle you, is if it drove the car for you.
  
  I am proud to recommend both this GPS and Magellan without reservation.
  
  
  
  
• Review by a Realtor Stops at wrong houses 8 of 10 times. On 3rd car charger cord.
  By ABUJ1X022YZZ5 on 2008-01-15
  First I sell Real Estate and drive to approx 20-30 houses a week. I originaly bought the 3140 because it has multi-point mapping which means I can input 20 houses at once and it will map to all of them at one time and in the most efficient order from the starting point. Ok here we go... one day after I bought it I was showing houses and the car charger cord stopped working and the 3140 battery died immediately. It takes several days of driving before it will fully charge by the way. Battery life 3 hours non-charger. I thought oh well that happens. I called Magellan and argued with the rep while I was calm just to get a new cord. No. 2 charger cord....died 1 week later. I'm currently on my third charger cord. 8 out of 10 (I kept track trust me) houses the 3140 said "You have arrived" and I was at the wrong house and sometimes as far away as 2 blocks. I was showing houses 1 week ago and had to figure out how to get to a street that the 3140 mapped to the wrong street. The maps are old and I tried to update the maps but you can't per magellan. Each time I called Magellan I could not understand the rep.(call center in India) I am not happy with the 3140 at all and plan to complain to the highest level at Magellan. I will not purchase another GPS from them ever. I hope this helps anyone considering buying from Magellan.
  
  
• Seems like it might be cool
  By A292DA3Z96FAPU on 2007-10-09
  I received this unit from my wife for my birthday and find it to be rather cool. There are all kinds of cool things I think it can probably do. It doesn't come with an owner's manual, so most of the features are not available to me. I called the company and they tried to convince me that owner's manual's are a thing of the past. I have figured out to type in an address and get from point A to point B. I live on the East coast and often have to drive near large cities. For one reason or another this unit thinks that the fastest route is through Time Square. Every time I am near a metropolis it attempts to divert me toward city center. If I had an owner's manual maybe I could figure out how to avoid this.
  
  This is really a hard item to rate. It seems like it has many cool features. I am not a tech geek, but I am not bad with electronics. I fiddle with this thing, but without an owner's manual, there is no way I will ever get a high percentage of this units potential.
  
  Computer programmers, this unit is likely for you. Other people may want to look elsewhere.
  
  
• The best GPS in this price range
  By A3QZDJRHSHLNSZ on 2007-12-04
  This is by far the best GPS out there (of course within that price range/category). In my personal experience, it is much better than the TomTom and even the Garmin Nuvi 350/360 etc.
  
  I have used the Magellan Maestro 3140 as well as the TomTom One and can definitely tell you that the 3140 is worth the extra money you pay for it.
  
  For beginner's, it has Text-to-Speech which means that it tells you to turn left on Elm Street v/s. saying turn left in 200 yards (TomTom). To TomTom's credit, it makes it almost impossible for you to miss the turn by constantly saying "Turn left in 200 yards", "Turn left in 100 yards", "Turn left NOW"...but I found that a little irritating - instead the 3140 will say turn left on Elm Street and give a chime a few seconds before to let you know that the turn is here.
  
  Second thing is the POI's - it has 4million as opposed to TomTom's 1 million. I know both sound a lot, but the difference is that the 3140 has 4 times as much information on the restaurants, groceries etc. I found Magellan had even the newer places already in their database too. Also, the PlacesOFInterest (POI) dtabase is organized - for example under restaurants, you can then choose cuisine type ie Thai etc.
  
  The final killer is the fact that it has AAA guidebooks incorporated in there - so no more lugging extra books with you.
  
  All in all, this is a great buy.
  
  
• Getting there.............
  By AGNBZBN6DGWP9 on 2007-09-27
  This is a great product. It is accurate and very intuitive to use. Considering the price, I should have saved the big bucks we spent for the Toyota installed GPS in our other car. In all necessary ways, this is as good and in some ways better. The touch screen is much easier to use than the scroll and enter system used there. My only complaint is that the screen is small and can be difficult to see in some lighting situations. It tends to bleach out. However, the voice commands are accurate and definitive enough that it's not all that necessary to look at the screen.
  
  
• Best at price point.
  By A1HLHKFOWH5T1L on 2007-10-28
  I recently got the 3140 and have used it quite a bit. Overall, the device has really no significant downsides. The most important feature is the text to speech voice guidance. While the screen is small, the voice guidance keeps your eyes on the road and not on the gps unit. The routing engine is robust and has not given me any problems. Satellite lock is very fast and reliable. Obtaining position from a cold start reliably occurs in less than one minute. Route recalculation is very fast for local trips. This makes the device in many ways better than car-based navigation systems at a mere fraction of the price. I have not had problems with the device recommending U-turns when deviating from the recommended route.
  Given the excellent performance, it is a close contender with Garmin. With the heavy discount on the price it should be a first choice.
  
  
• Worth the research!
  By A2HFYSAEG0QFN2 on 2007-09-23
  I did a lot of research before buying this GPS system. I wanted one that would talk to me so that I could keep my eyes on the road and also that would be easy to see directions on when I gave it a quick glance. The Magellan Maestro 3140 has done both admirably. I am more than pleased and would recommended it wholeheartedly. I use mine almost every day at work.
  
  
• overall disappointed
  By A1QCJOGQL05KRI on 2007-09-01
  this is the only GPS unit i've used so i don't know how to compare it to others, so i gave it a 3 because that's a middle score.
  
  I returned it after giving it several tries and becoming very frustrated each time, shutting it off and tossing it aside.
  
  I have to say that I have been spoiled for GPS apparently because for almost a year, i've been using the GPS navigation feature on my Verizon phone, it's called VZ Navigator.
  
  I never used GPS before i got that phone, but really needed it, i drive for my job and go many places i've never been before, and many times wished i had a GPS when i got lost, thinking about how much time it could save me.
  
  Then i got the Verizon phone, switching from a different carrier, it came with a free trial of the VZ Navigatore. It was one of those things i fell in love with, it was all i wanted and more. The $10 a month it costs seems like a lot, yet i wouldn't want to be without it. It makes me feel secure to know i have it. I had no other experience with GPS. I found VZ Navigator to be intuitive, straightforward, easy to use while driving, very helpful and accurate, i was really happy with it, very well designed, easy to see and hear the instructions.
  
  But recently it gave me some wrong directions, something it never did before, and i started thinking maybe i should get a real GPS.
  
  I shopped around a lot and decided on the Magellan 3140, and was really looking forward to it, but from day one, i was frustrated and disappointed.
  
  Right out of the box, i wanted to learn how to use it, get familiar with it, especially since i was used to a different interface so i needed to learn how to get the same results in a different way.
  
  Unfortunately, the battery was near dead and there was no charger. So how was i supposed to learn how to use it? Was i supposed to drive around in my car aimlessly for an hour while it charged? Was i supposed to try to learn the interface while i was driving? obviously not safe. So, i had to, with great difficulty, find a store that had a charger that would work with it, interrupting my work day; I called several stores before i found one at Radio Shack. Spending $35 on a charger and a adapter for the charger, i went back to my office and began exploring the GPS.
  
  So, off to a bad start.
  
  Also, they provide a suction cup mount and a glue on mount. I certainly didn't want to glue somethnig onto my car, especially before i'd tried it out. Unfortunately in my state, it's illegal to put anything on your windshield. so, i broke the law to use the thing and worried that i would get a ticket and a fine. I found that Garmin has a couple of removable mounts that don't have to be on the windshield, a friction mount and a bean bag mount. Why couldn't magellan have somethnig like this?
  
  As another reviewer said, i discovered on the first day that a crucial piece will unexpectedly fall off of the mount, it fell off without my knowing it, in my car, and when i discovered it was gone, it was upsetting because the suction cup mount will not work with out it, it's one of the tightening things, to adjust it. I was able to find it under my front seat, i was lucky it didn't fall in my lap and then end up outside the car. It would be easy to lose that piece if i had the thing very long.
  
  When i headed for home from the office, the GPS gave strange directions, steering me away from the freeway. Even if i chose "Most Freeways," it insisted on giving me the route with no freeways, apparently because that one was shorter and it is programmed to give the shortest route. When i played with it later at home, i entered in my office address and it absolutely refused to give me any directions using the freeway. The nonfreeway route may be a little shorter but it takes a lot longer--this is not good. I know the way to my office so i knew the Magellan was not giving me the best directions and can choose to go the best way instead, but if i'm in a strange place trying to get the fastest directions and it's going to steer me away from freeways, that is not good. I found that by using Detour, i could force it to give me the freeway route, but it was challenging, not something i'd go through while i'm out in the car, and if i'm in an unfamiliar area, i'm not even going to know if there is a freeway anywhere near where i am, so i could see that i would not be able to trust the GPS to give me the fastest directions, instead guiding me into surface street traffic. What's the point of having this feature if it doesn't work?
  
  By far the thing that I found the most frustrating and the most inferior to the VZ Navigator was that if i didn't hear an instruction, because the speaker just isn't loud enough, or because i was daydreaming and not paying close attention to the GPS on a long drive, or because i'm on a cell phone call, I can't push a talk button and have it repeat the direction. On VZ Navigator, if you want to hear a direction again, you just push Talk and it will repeat it as many times as you want. This seems like such an important function, i would've just assumed all GPS units would have this, but i now know this is not the case--not only the Magellan but almost all models i looked at, all brands, do not have this important ability.
  
  I found it much easier to hear VZ Navigator on my RAZR than to hear the voice on the Magellan. And the Bluetooth stays connected on the cell.
  
  Another important feature on the VZ Navigator that i sorely missed on the Magellan is that on the cell, i can easily intuitively scroll forward to see the next step in clear colorful imagry and words, just using the right button on the phone, or the left, to go back and forth. I can keep pushing on the right button to see each step that's ahead of me individually, to plan in my mind, to conceptualize the route.
  
  On the Magellan, to see the next step of the route, i have to use the touch screen which is not sensitive enough, so that it required me to use my eyes to focus on the screen and to search on the screen for what i needed to press, and to press hard enough to get it to respond, and then, it would go to a screen that had a textual list of all the steps in the trip, which i would then have to read closely. Whereas on the VZ Navigator, all i had to do was simply press the right button on the phone, without having to look down at the phone to go from step to step, and when i look at the phone to see the step, it's in simple bright colors showing one step at a time, that i just have to glance at, or, i can press the middle button on the phone without looking down, which is the Talk button, and i can just hear the step. There is minimal distraction.
  
  Until i got the Magellan, i took these user friendly features on the cell for granted, i just assumed GPS devices had these features and more, and better, because a phone isn't really a GPS device, but as it turns out, the phone GPS is much more advanced and better designed for its function and purpose.
  
  So, i was quite spoiled by the VZ Navigator experience. If i had never had that GPS interface, i may have been happy as a clam with the Magellan 3140, but that's not how it happened.
  
  I consider it a huge flaw that you can't have it repeat a direction. That would seem like a no brainer.
  
  And being able to scroll from step to step is very helpful.
  
  I also had the Magellan have occasional crashes, freezes and bugs, like a couple of times in the two weeks i used it, it completely crashed and shut off, and a few times, it simply wouldn't let me type the address in--like if i wanted to type 99th St, it would give me a list of streets right after i typed the first 9 and wouldn't let me finish the address, that happened at least twice. Very frustrating, my time is short, i don't have time to pull over and struggle with the GPS to get directions.
  
  Another annoying thing was the autofill text. On the VZ Navigator, it quickly learns your frequently used addresses and cities, and even if you've only used an address once before, it quickly offers you the choice if you start typing a couple of letters of the name. I live in Los Angeles. All i have to do on the VZ Navigator is type the letter L and it gives me Los Angeles. On the Magellan, i always had to type L-O-S-A-N before it would give me the choice of Los Angeles. So i have just been spoiled by a better interface that makes everything easier. I would love to find a dedicated unit that had an interface like that.
  
  Finally, i was looking forward to having the Traffickit feature when i got the Magellan. The day i received it, i called their customer support and asked how to sign up for it and how much it cost. I was put on hold for a long long time and then finally told that right now, that model does not have the traffic feature, even though the ad on Amazon says "you can get up to the minute traffic reports," or something like that. The rep told me that in 6 months or so, this model will have the traffic feature.
  
  I decided to add another $4 to my cell phone bill and use Verizon's traffic thing, it works great.
  
  There were a number of positive things about the Magellan unit. My perspective was naturally affected by having so many superior features on my phone GPS.
  
  First, it was very good price, i thought, a little over $300.
  I got it through Amazon from 6ave electronics and their customer service was the best, A++++++. Free return shipping and refund within 24 hours of when they received the unit, friendly and helpful. I would do business with them any day, and appreciate the Amazon merchant system. Every time i communicated with 6ave and they noticed that it was an Amazon transaction, they went into a 'no problem' mode. They took good care of me.
  
  I thought the user manual was thorough, clear and well organized. I didn't even get a manual on CD because i have a Mac and their manual is only for Windows on their CD, but the online manual on the Magellan website was helpful in figuring out the interface. I'm sure it would've been easier for me if i wasn't already trained to use a very different interface.
  
  I found the Magellan to be fast in coming up with directions.
  
  I gave a three star rating even though my experience was more negative than that, but i am taking into account that i might have liked it better if i didn't first have the other interface, and from what i could tell in my research, the other GPS brands are similar to the Magellan and not like the VZ Navigator. So compared to the Tom Tom and Garmin, it may be as good or better.
  
  
• Magellan 3140 Rocks!
  By AQAV5CDHTBLP on 2007-07-02
  I don't know why Circuit City reviews of Magellan products are so poor, nor why the salespeople seem to discourage the purchase of this unit. I used this, right out of the box, with no need to peruse the directions. It is extremely user friendly, intelligently designed, and with the tech. that provides a strong signal even in a parking garage!
  It also shaved a whopping 90 minutes off my time on a recent 5 and a half hour trip. So yes, it will save you money.
  Don't get me started on the bluetooth feature or on the AAA built-in connection. I paid $299--the deal of the year!
  
  
• As easy as they promised
  By A3VW3HB4GFF6WF on 2007-07-08
  I ordered this GPS because it was supposed to be so easy that "If you can
  figure out an ATM, you can figure out this GPS." They were absolutely
  right! We can't imagine driving now without it--especially in Boston.
  Our daughter borrowed it for a trip and was raving about it after the first day! The screen is also easy to read and the directions given are well done. For example, fastest and shortest routes aren't necessarily the same. Having all the AAA information at your fingertips is great and
  the Bluetooth capability makes it so easy to talk and be hands free. This
  is for EVERYONE.
  
  
• Decent, but not perfect
  By A6ZM6UBHN2WLF on 2007-09-24
  For the most part this is a decent GPS. Routing engine seems to be fairly accurate, spoken directions are clear.
  
  Unfortunately the bluetooth implementation is horrible. You have to reconnect your phone each time the unit is turned off (won't automatically connect when phone is in range). You can't access your phones voice dial features like I can from pretty much any other bluetooth handsfree devince. Lastly you can't transfer your contacts from your phone to the unit. This wouldn't be an issue except for my previous point of not being able to access the phones voice dialing features from the unit. Voice quality is also suspect at best. I have had many bluetooth headsets and handsfee units and all work far better than this one.
  
  Forget about dealing with Magellan's customer support. You'd stand a better chance yelling on a street corner.
  
  Accessing POI's while on a route is worthless. Can't access regular poi's and AAA poi's jointly. You have to search each indepentantly.
  
  All in all I would buy something else had I known all the quirks of this unit.
  
  
• Website/Customer service is a joke.
  By AKEDPVD4AQ2GL on 2008-01-22
  I bought this product to use with my boat and car since it is advertised as being marine capable. What they don't tell you is that the marine maps do not come with the unit and must be purchased from their website. Here is the problem. I purchased a downloadable version of a marine map online which states it will only take minutes to download. Well, here it is 11 days later and still not able to download. I have been on the phone with their obviously overseas customer support staff over five times, and many hours with them trying to resolve this issue. To make a long story short, the website does not work when trying to download. If you do buy this product and wish to purchase a map, order the SD card version and have it shipped through the mail. Don't fall into the same trap I did.
  
  
• Magellan Support less than satisfactory
  By A3OZR3XMVTD7UW on 2007-07-22
  I received my Maestro 3140 over a month ago which was delivered with a faulty car adapter and a CD with a program on it no one can figure out how to use. I have contacted Magellan's customer service 4 times now. They keep promising to ship out a new adapter in 3-4 days. That was a month ago. I hope people who own these units don't ever have to have help from customer service - they won't get any. My unit is being shipped back asap. Garmin's receive much better reviews.
  
  
• Great GPS. Very Easy to Use...
  By A2THMLHGAGY7G9 on 2007-11-24
  This unit functions flawlessly. The unit's screen is easy to see and the Bluetooth function works great! The software has been spot on and still amazes me. The touch screen is very nice and the unit's voice is clear and concise. This unit has many of the POI's (Points of Interest) in its memory. Also, with the Bluetooth enabled on my Motorola Razr, it will dial the POI numbers for you at the touch of one button.
  
  
• Just Buy it.
  By A2MOSUYE1IAGOL on 2007-11-27
  Before starting this review I have to say I had a Garmin Nuvi 350 before buyin Magellan 3140.Magellan served my purpose far better then Nuvi350 reason is with Magellan I can create a route up to 20 stops and it will sort all your stops from my nearest point to the further distances,I am a customer service engineer and this feature itself woths every single peny I spend on it.Other advantage over nuvi is this thing is really fast when my nuvi took longer to recalculate and reroute Magellan was twice faster and saves you a lot of time especially in traffic.It is sturdy and didn't give me any problems so far(4 Months of ownership)
  
  
• worst piece of junk ever
  By A2XV4AMX2C8SFF on 2008-02-29
  I got this for my boyfriend who just moved to my city and didn't have a clue how to get around. He has to plan every trip outside the neighborhood, to the last detail - which this GPS is GREAT for. IF you have the EXACT address, and already know where you are going in general. This IS NOT a good gps to have if you are lost, or need spontaneous directions from somewhere you are unfamiliar with. It got me lost several times, took me through some crazy winding neighborhoods and ended up spending an extra hour to get home.
  
  Like I said, you need to have a clear plan of where you are going before you leave, and know the exact address of where you are going. You cannot be in the middle of the city and decide you want to find the nearest Home Depot or movie theatre. It has a few restaurants and gas stations programmed in and that is it. You cannot see ahead of the map, only what it shows you. Navigating through the menu is the most frustrating thing because you have to enter in every letter and number, go back, figure out how to save it, etc. Not user-friendly or for someone who isn't a gadget freak. Most of all, I totally lost confidence in it because it has gotten me lost on more than one occasion. LOST!
  
  **UPDATE 09/12/08**
  I am still hating this GPS system, in fact I refuse to let my boyfriend even use it when I am in the car because it's so irritatingly WRONG. I know Atlanta like the back of my hand and on NUMEROUS occasions this thing gave wrong directions. It doesn't recognize our exit, which is off of another exit making it a little complicated but HELLO there are signs that point to our road but this GPS can't figure it out. It also stalls right when you need to know where to turn and you end up missing the turn. It has helped my boyfriend out a few times when he needed to get somewhere without me but other than that, this thing is totally worthless. You are better off googling the directions beforehand or getting GPS on your phone. This thing should be recalled.
  
  
• Some problems, but still good
  By AHQNDJ5S5DNVK on 2007-08-05
  I just bought this, and used it on a drive from New Jersey to Lousiana. Here's what I don't like:
  
  This only comes with a car charger.
  
  The unit kept saying low battery and would turn off throughout the ride( a lot!), even though it was plugged in and recieving power. Don't know if this is my car's problem or the units problem, but it never stayed dead during the 24 hours I drove, so it was getting power.
  
  Some of the mapping has been wrong and outdated.
  
  This comes with no user guide! Only a CD. I guess this is normal for GPS but it's annoying. They should include a manual.
  
  Sometimes the text to speech is too slow, and you miss your turn. This didn't happen too much, but it was frustrating.
  
  And one of the worst things is that the maximum volume is not loud at all. I could barely hear it when driving. I really had to pay attention or else I wouldn't hear. This kind of made the text to speech useless so I just watched the map. If you want to listen to music, and hear text to speech, forget about it, because you'll barely be able to hear it over the sound of your car driving.
  
  One of the plastic mount screw cap things doesn't stay on. There's supposed to be a little thing inside it to lock the screw through it, but mine didn't have it.
  
  
  The good things are that it's fast, and pretty accurate for the most part. It's also very easy to use.
  
  
  
  
  
  
• Bought for my "mature-aged" mother; she loves it!
  By A1H2C8LIVHBUDQ on 2007-09-24
  My sister and I bought this for our mother, who is not very technically savvy but capable and is doing a lot of driving now in unfamiliar neighborhoods (she is the unofficial chauffeur for her friends). We chose it over less-expensive options because of the simplicity of the interface (I've rented Hertz cars with Magellan systems) and the text-to-speech directions which read street names rather than just turn-by-turn. I set it up (basically charging and putting in my mother's, my and my sisters' addresses), attached it to her car windshield, showed her briefly how to use it and she was off. She loves it, and was raving about it to me on the phone this evening. Highly recommended. {Jonathan}
  
  
• Does the Job for the Most Part
  By ATXRV6Z3N08ZX on 2007-12-22
  I have had my Magellan Maestro 3140 GPS for almost 3 months now. I really like it, although it is not perfect. The unit will get me right to the destination, or close to it. The real problem that I have with it, is that it will get you to the street, but it does not always get you to the exact address correctly. In that case, you still need to look at the address on the house or building. Once there, you can save the location into your address book, so that the next time you visit, you will have the exact location.
  
  One good example of how this unit performs, just days after I bought it, was a business trip to Atlanta, GA. My colleagues and I were caught in rush-hour traffic on I-75, heading to the airport. We were in the far left lane when the airport exit was approaching. We TRIED to get over to the far right lanes to exit, but could not get over in time, and missed it. The unit recalculated a route 2 exits below, onto a local road that ran just north of the airport. We took the local road back over to near the airport exit, and right to the rental car return. I would not have been able to figure that out so quickly, especially when driving. I was impressed!!!
  
  The other things that I like on this unit is:
  - Clearity of the voice, although some streets are not pronounced exactly right
  - Picks up satellites fairly quickly, and even can detect signals through the roof of my house, when on the 2nd floor!!
  - Detour function, which is great in large traffic jams and other unexpected problems on your route
  - Fastest, Shortest, Most Freeways routing choices
  - Points of Interest and AAA Tourbook information, which are like having yellow page and AAA books with you
  - Current Latitude/Longitude/Altitude/Speed
  - Next street ahead and last street behind, with distance
  
  What I think needs improved on this unit:
  - Greater accuracy of the final destination
  - Ability to set way points so that the route is more accurate to the way you want it, instead of the unit calculating the newer route as you miss its suggested turns [on purpose]
  - Bread crumb trail to follow back, as on some other GPS units
  - Ability to avoid very curvy or hilly routes
  - Ability to add new roads instead of it telling you that you are off the road, which is rare though
  - Longer battery time, as currently is only 3 hours compared to some other GPS units out there
  - Additional points of interest, especially churches, which are not listed
  
  Overall, this unit does what I need it to do, so I recommend it. It comes in really handy, especially for roads that you have never been on. I travelled on such roads at least 5 different times since I have had it, and I never got lost! So why rent Magellan's commerical unit, NeverLost (from Hertz), or any other, when about 10-20 days of rental will buy you a unit that you can fit in your pocket, minus the mount. And you really don't need a mount to use it, although it can be more difficult to just glance at the unit without it. [I highly recommend the Nav-Mat dash mount since the Maestro only comes with a window mount, that doesn't stick when the window is cold.]
  
  
• Wait till you deal with Customer Service! WOW!!!
  By A2TFHTE7IYXTCW on 2007-12-30
  Great unit and does the job. I hope you will never have to deal with their Customer Service. Terrible! Been trying since 10/12/07 to get a new 12/24v cigarette adapter cord , the insulation is dry rotted and peeling and cracking. Called them four times, have confirmation numbers, asked to talked to a supervisor, does no good. I will be calling them again after New Years again to find out what the new excuse will be!
  
  Well as I said I called and the previous order (#4) had to be cancelled again and re-ordered ,ORDER #5. No custumer service rep can tell me why they just can't ship the cord. I was told there are 4,800 in stock, I only want one! Asked for a tracking number, asked to have an email sent to me when it ships (ha,ha) must to complicated for them. I have never seen nothing like this. Tried calling the shopping network were we bought it, no help there either. Didn't have a problem taking the money did ya!
  
  I see there is an update on their page for the 3140, almost afraid to download it after reading some of the reviews on other units after updating.
  
  Don't know how they stay in business. Megellan service is a joke!
  
  
• Excellent for the price
  By AYLBCCXA5AIHM on 2008-03-12
  I was mainly looking for Text To Speech. I bought this for 149.99 and have had it for about 2 weeks. I am happy with the unit so far. The POIs are sligtly outdated. It did not know about a mall 10 miles away from my home. But its not a big deal. It grabs satellite signal very fast, reroutes quickly and gives efficient routes. The coolest feature is Multiple Destination Routing and how it optimizes where you should go first. (This feature is only available in Garmin's higher end units.) Bluetooth feature was an added bonus (the other side could hear me clearly). I had researched a lot before buying and was aware of the very low battery life (compared to other brands available in the market), but then I use it only in my car, so I don't even need an A/C adapter. The car adapter works good for me. Overall, this unit is very economical, does what its supposed to do very well (give routes), and good value for money.
  
  Update 03/21/2008
  I did a bit of research online. Firstly I updated the firmware to the latest version from Magellan's website. According to people's reviews, its supposed to improve some things, but I haven't had got opportunity to play around with the unit much after upgrade. But most importantly,
  http://forums.anandtech.com/messageview.aspx?catid=66&threadid=2120938
  provides a way of updating Magellan 3225's POI database to 6 million. Those instructions work for 3140 too. And after upgrading, it does find the new mall 10 miles from my home, which I had said earlier it couldn't find. I highly recommend Magellan 3140, now that you can easily upgrade it to 6 million POI which is the industry standard now.
  
  
• This thing is GREAT!
  By A1WYGELVU6B9L6 on 2007-06-21
  Very user friendly! I didn't even have to look at the guide to know how to use it.. Just a few seconds and you're ready to go down the road. I've never had one of these things so I can't compare to others but for getting around town and to a new place it works great!
  
  
• Magellan 3140 - nice
  By A2RUWNFRK1O7AO on 2007-06-28
  My 2nd GPS device - love the size. Great maps, very current, many, many POI's and with AAA POI's - comparable to Garmin 350 which was my other choice. You can't go wrong with this GPS.
  
  

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• Bracketron UFM-100BL Nav-Mat GPS Friction Dash Pad
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• Magellan 980905 Protective Pouch for RoadMate 2000/ 2200T/ and Crossover GPS
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