Magellan Maestro 3100 3.5-Inch Portable GPS Navigator Reviews

• Great GPS for the price!

  
  By A3P3V8HUNW6E0A on 2007-05-18
  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 The NAVTEQ maps used by Magellan are much more accurate in the U.S. than the outdated TeleAtlas maps in my TomTom.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.
  
  

• Great value for the price

  
  By A1GHCGSMIWWJ2 on 2007-05-29
  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.
  
  

• Everything you need in an auto GPS

  
  By AJ3KQGZ2DI2T3 on 2007-05-25
  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.
  
  
  

• Terrible Navigation! Avoid at all costs!

  
  By A1DB9P7CS35K5O on 2007-11-24
  This past Black Friday, I picked up this navigation at Staples in Queens. I had driven to the Staples using Tom Tom on my PocketPC, but decided to test out the Maestro 3100 driving back. What transpired driving back from the Staples to the city would ultimately lead me to return the Maestro 3100 later that day.
  
  At first glance all appears well. It turns on quickly, and receives the satellite information, and then problems arise. Entering an address becomes a painful, and slow process. Rather than showing partial results, it waits until it thinks there are few enough partial results, or a specific confirmation from the user, make any mistake and you're punished with several dialogs. I was able to look past this problem. But, I was not able to look past the following three major problems.
  
  1. Navigation System will block out screen with Loading route information when it needs to reroute. I can't tell you how terrible this is. Every other navigation system out there will display this progress bar on the bottom of the screen while your map is still being displayed with a route. It's quite terrible when this navigation decided it needs to reroute while you're in the middle of a highway, or an important upcoming turn.
  
  2. It will need to reroute periodically for what appears to be no reason whatsoever. This coupled with 1 leads to terrible things.
  
  3. There's NO estimated time the trip will take, or estimated time you will arrive. This is an integral feature, as you definitely want to know how long your trip will take, or how long a miscalculated detour will take. This is especially frustrating when coupled with a misdirection due to 1.
  
  I got to my destination very frustrated, and immediately returned it to the closest staples. The entry level Tom Tom for the same price is LEAPS and BOUNDS better. I'm truly sorry I wasted my time with this unit, and advise you to avoid it.
  
  

• Thin, Light, and Cheap

  
  By A1BOM7C18G49BU on 2007-05-16
  I've been testing this little guy out for week and I can't find much to complain about. It is my first GPS unit and I like it because it has a simple, easy-to-use interface. The instructions are loud and clear. There is an empty SD Memory slot that must be for something. It has 48 preloaded US state maps on it and a 750,000 points-of-interest database that is pretty good (8 out of 10 times it will find fairly small resturants that I quiz it for and it hasn't missed any gas stations yet). One thing it doesn't have is the Text-Speech function which extends the simple turn by turn voice to also read out loud individual street names or businesses. Then again, is it worth spending more money on a more sophisticated unit capable of constantly reading stuff out loud to you? Dunno--I'm happy with machines not doing so much talking myself.
  
  
• Works Great in Every Way!
  By A3H5CCA6LSVEE4 on 2007-07-06
  I bought this unit on July 6th from a local electronics store, and paid $199 on sale. Normal price was $299. I took it out of the box, mounted it to the windshield, and it quickly found about 7 or 8 satellites with a strong signal. I'm currently on a business trip in an unfamiliar city, and I'd used map printouts to get me to the store. Well, this unit quickly and efficiently got me back to my hotel with ease. Calculations were fast, and the graphics are clean and crisp. The voice prompts are clear and loud...and this is where my original "Except" post title comes in. On the System Settings screen, none of the changes get saved. For example, it's stuck on the Int'l Date Line - West time zone. When I change the Time Zone to Eastern U.S., it doesn't "remember" it. The save button changes color, and it clicks at me, but (unlike the other settings screens) it doesn't announce nicely "Saved!" It also is stuck on the highest volume.
  
  I contacted Tech Support, first via the web (no response) and then via telephone. The call does get routed overseas (India is my guess, from the conversation). The gentlemen walked me through several rounds of hitting the Reset button on the side of the unit. Then he told me that this model doesn't say "Saved!" verbally on the Systems Setting screen, but changes indeed get saved. No dice, I said. Anyway, after about a 1/2 hour conversation, Magellan is sending me a brand-new unit in the mail, with a shipping label for me to send in my faulty unit.
  
  As I indicated, everything "except" the settings screen works great! I would actually keep the unit as-is, because having the time be wrong is no big deal. I have a car radio for that, and a watch. Having the volume at its loudest isn't too bad, although at night it might be a problem. So, here's hoping "7 business days" pass by quickly, and that my replacement unit does not have this issue. I'll post an update when the new unit arrives.
  
  ***UPDATE***
  
  Magellan sent the new unit via FedEx and it arrived in 5 days. It included a pre-paid UPS label to return the old unit. Although I was given 30 days to do so, I sent it out immediately. The replacement unit works great, and I've had absolutely zero issues with it. It has already paid for itself. I am someone who gets very frustrated in unfamiliar cities when I don't know where I'm going or what turn to take. The Magellan Maestro 3100 is inexpensive ($199), small, well-designed, and portable--in short, everything I wanted in a navigation unit.
  
  
• long search for low cost gps is over
  By A1JYYDL09D7CN1 on 2007-06-12
  i've been watching this market for car GPS units for several years. Never could pull the trigger because the cost/benefit was always too high. Finally, there seems to be a set of new models from several manufacturers that allow sub-$200 prices. These units do everything I need. After some internet checks, I bought the Magellan 3100, and in its first day of trial, I am loving it. Advantages include small size, internal battery, fast & accurate satellite fix, good re-routing, very nice mounting system. Just flat out works. The only thing I could get with greater investment would be frills. I feel I am really missing NOTHING with this model. (Don't need fancier speech, bluetooth, big screen etc). So my conclusion: strong buy recommendation.
  
  
• Great basic GPS
  By A2LHL3RYUYLCN8 on 2007-08-26
  On a recent business trip, my rental car was broken into in a hotel parking lot. Though my Tom Tom Go was safe in my room, the mount and charge cords were stolen. Since my Tom Tom was a couple of years old, the battery life was poor and I needed to replace the unit to complete my trip. I purchased the Magellan 3100 locally and thought, "well, it's cheap, but it will get me through this trip." I didn't expect much, but was surprised how GPS technology has improved in the last two years.
  
  The Magellan is MUCH quicker to acquire satellite positions than my Tom Tom, and, like another reviewer says, can even locate the sky when indoors. My Tom Tom used to take a couple of minutes to acquire a signal when sitting in a rental car at the airport, delaying my trip. The Magellan is small and easy to put in my carry on luggage, vs. the bulkier Tom Tom which didn't quite fit anywhere.
  
  I haven't had to contact Magellan yet, so I can't compare their support vs. Tom Tom, but I can say that Tom Tom's support isn't all that helpful. Numerous messages posted to them have gone unanswered and they provided little help in my request to purchase the parts stolen from my rental car.
  
  Another reviewer commented that the maps on the Magellan can't be updated. If that is the case, for $200, GPS units are almost becoming throwaway purchases .... Tom Tom's map updates cost me about $150 over two years and didn't seem to come close to recognizing new roads and on ramps in Southern California or Pennsylvania anyway.
  
  What I love about the Magellan are the cool points of interest - everything from Starbucks to pizza can be easily found wherever I happen to be.
  
  There are far fancier GPS units out there, with all kinds of cool features. But if you simply want a basic unit from one of the recognized leaders in the industry, this is a good place to start. The Magellan 3100 is a great, small, basic GPS.
  
  
• Works Great!
  By A27S9FH40J97TT on 2007-06-18
  1st time GPS user. We used it over the past several days whenever we traveled in the Southern Cal area. It accurately defined travel routes and quickly recalculated if we deviated from its specified route. The smart way it figures out street names etc it a tremendous time saver. Especially nice is the one button "HOME" feature that will give you directions from where ever you are back to your home base. The display is very well done, with easy and intuitive icons. Particularly nice is the heads up it gives you before a turn is required and in every case for us also warned, for example, to keep left, to avoid a turn only lane. The womans voice and choice of queing sounds (bell, beep etc) were loud and easily understood. The display we thought might be on the small side, but their clever use of the entire display for maps while using command overlays for screen touch commands made it easy to view and manage while driving. The multi adjustable and locking arm lets you orient the unit any way you want. One complaint is the way the 3100 attaches to the adjustable arm makes it very difficult to remove.
  
  
• Inferior to Garmin Nuvi
  By A25LSE2TMJTS3J on 2007-06-11
  Do yourself a favor and spend the extra 80 bucks and get a Garmin. With no text to speech, you will be finding yourself straining to see the poorly lit screen while you try to focus on the road, and without map updates, this product will be obsolete in a short period of time. The routes provided are sometimes very peculiar, often forcing me to make U-turns on divided highways in order to reach my destination. In products such as these, the engineering makes all the difference, and that is where the Garmin products excel.
  
  
• Random freeze-up
  By A2HOYLB0HXLLJJ on 2007-07-14
  The software is still buggy. It froze up for no particular reason, in the middle of driving. In my recent 800-mile trip, it froze up once on each way. So get a paper clip handy in the car in case you need to reset it.
  
  
• Danger Will Roberson!!!!!!!!!
  By A2ENS4KOERME82 on 2007-12-02
  Magellan has the worst customer service in ANY industry. My unit stopped working so I called and got a return number and had to mail it to them at my own expense. It came back four weeks later with no repairs made to it. I sent it back again, at my own expense, and received it three weeks later. It now works only on the cool days. If it's to hot outside the unit reboots itself. I started a calling campaign to get this and another item that failed replaced. The phone conversation ends with one of three answers; "Call us back next week," "There is nothing I can do to help you," and "the item will be sent out today and at your front door by Friday." That was months ago and still no functioning GPS unit. The technicians speak very poor English and will tell you anything to get rid of you, mainly because they don't know anything. There is no one else to contact unless you write a letter straight to the Corporate Headquarters, which I'm sure is vectored to their overseas "Help Desk" a term I use loosely.
  
  
• Customer Service Horror Story
  By A75RV3DTXW1PU on 2007-08-21
  I purchased a Maestro 3100 3 weeks ago from a reseller. I had the unit for less than a day and then it would not charge. I walked thru all of the steps as mandated by your tech support representative, but we could not get the unit to work. This was on Monday July 23, 2007. I called and talked to Lisa the support center. I told her that as I had just purchased the product brand new I did not want it repaired, and wanted her to send me a new product. She told me that she would do that and I gave her a credit card number, that was to be credited when the old unit was received. She also stated that she would expedite the unit out to me. I was leaving that Friday on a trip, where I needed the unit, so I thought everything would be good. The unit did not get there in time, but I thought you would still honor your commitment and send me the unit. 10 days later no unit, I called into your support organization again and this time I talked to Andrew. He stated that the reason the unit had not shipped as there were not any in stock. I asked why I was not contacted and he did not have an answer. I asked multiple times to speak to a manager and was never successful in getting to one. He stated that one would call me back within 24 hours. Based upon previous history, not sure I can expect that call to be returned. In summary, I bought a brand new unit, it did not work, Magellan promised to replace it, but I have received nothing and they have my original unit. I have since called and talked with support who refuses to let me speak to manager, will not give me a tracking number for the replacement unit, but continues to make promises that they will ship one. I am out my original unit that I shipped back, along with not receiving a replacement unit....Filed a complaint with BBB
  
  
• NEVER BUY A MAGELLAN
  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.
  
  
• Good Starter System... but has some major issues
  By A3R2RTQ59CRK8P on 2007-07-31
  My wife and I bought this GPS because we wanted the ability to not use those silly printed out maps and if there was any urgency such as an ATM etc.
  
  So we tested this system vigourously for 4 weeks when we started our apartment search in San Francisco. We were looking at 4 to 5 apartments a day and used the device to punch in addresses one after the other.
  
  So from a performance standpoint, the Magellan knew every single address and was generally very accurate. The screen was the perfect size and the graphics are excellent. The vocals of the person speaking was very clear. And we did not need to read the manual to start using it.
  
  BUT... we had a few major issues. The first was the lack of signal on numerous occassions. This was really apparent in the city, where at times it would take more than 5 minutes to get a signal. It places you at the last location that it stopped at. While one could overlook this occassionally, I found that the GPS failed to do so at least a third of the time. Secondly the lack of POIs (Points of Interest) can be an issue when what you are looking for is out of the ordinary. For example, it would not find a chain of gyms that I belong to.
  
  Pros
  - Detected every single address
  - Easy to Use
  - Nice Sized Screen
  
  Cons
  - Did not pick up signal quickly
  - Lack of POIs
  
  Overall this is a starter device that is handy but the lack of a signal is a major issue. The lack of POIs seems to be minor, but once you start using the Magellan, you keep trying to find POIs and can be frustrated when the devise does not find it.
  
  
• Stay away from Magellan
  By A32LQXPR50RLPR on 2007-09-27
  Buyer Beware! Good luck getting any reasonable customer service from these people. I purchase the 3000T less than one year ago and also subscribed to their Traffic Master service. After a few months, the Traffic Kit - which powers the unit and works as an antenna for the traffic service - stopped working. After repeated emails and phone calls, I can't get them to replace the unit (which they acknowledge is defective) nor will they cancel or suspend the subscription. The product is only as good as the service they put behind it. Stay away.
  
  
• Good For The Price
  By A1MADL7UMDRH89 on 2007-06-12
  This is my first GPS, so, I have no way to compare this unit to others. I had been hesitant to spend the money on a GPS, until I found this unit advertised locally for $199. The windshield mount is nice and sturdy, and it is quick to set-up. I had it operational by the time I left the store parking lot without reading the manual.
  
  The display is bright and easy to read, and it immediately picked up several satelites.
  
  If you intentionally miss a turn, it quickly recalculates and displays an alternate route, but if you ask it to calculate a route to a new destination while driving, the unit hangs up and reboots. That may be normal for GPS systems, I just don't know.
  
  I only found one brief mention in the manual that describes use of the included USB cable to charge the battery. Seems like a strange reason for including a USB cable but no AC charger.
  
  Overall, considering the price and ease of use, I am pleased with the Maestro 3100 and would recommend it.
  
  
• The Maestro 3100
  By A2293321RUSCGH on 2007-08-06
  I bought this Maestro 3100 due to a really reasonable price, took it on a trip and returned it to Amazon the next day. We could get used to it not telling us street names (after all the price certainly is just entry level), but the real problem was that we couldn't hear what she had to say and with the a/c and radio on, we missed several turns. The volume was up to the max and we still had trouble hearing the instructions. Broke down and bought the Garmin Nuvi and absolutely love her. If you just need an inexpensive GPS, the Magellan is ok. But if you can spend a bit more, you will love the added features of the Nuvi such as street named turns and excellent volume control. The Nuvi gets an A+++
  
  
• Magellan 3100
  By A1GT6C0SDAFK9H on 2007-12-11
  DONT BUY MAGELLAN!
  Totally unreliable, died when I needed it during a trip in Florida. The Call support center has been outsourced to the Phillipines! I had to send the dead unit to Texas. They have had it for almost one month, cannot fix it and do not have a replacement to ship to me. So I continue to wait in limbo. Will never buy a Magellan again or recommend it to anyone.
  
  
• Great GPS except for one item
  By A2ITJUOP718G8A on 2007-06-18
  Did a lot of research before deciding on the Magellan 3100. I made the decision based on the fact I did not need an MP3 player, picture viewer, etc just a good GPS unit. Also Magellan is a solid company and was chosen by HERTZ (which says a lot). It also has NAVTEQ mapping software which I heard time and time again is the best in the US. The 3100 has many great features and does everything the average person wants. The screen is easily seen, voice is clear and easily heard and the windshield bracket is easy to use and solid (however, if you plan to constantly remove the unit for safekeeping it is a 'two handed' job). Note though the one shortcoming is that the POI database is very small. I knew this before I bought it and did not think it was a big deal but now I realize that I do use the POIs more than I thought. I believe Magellan will offer POI upgrades in the future. Overall, great GPS at a great price.
  
  
• I was impressed!
  By A1A2XYRKVFW8CN on 2007-06-27
  I have been interested in getting an auto GPS for several years but have been put off by the cost - so when Amazon's gold box had this one for $199 about 1 week before our 6/15-6/25 New England vacation, I jumped at it.
  
  In the past, no matter how much I created detailed driving instructions and highlighted maps using various websites and software, my wife (who just can't read a map to save her beautiful soul) would not be able to respond quickly enough when we would approach an intersection - causing us to miss the correct turns and have to backtrack or pull over so I could figure out where we had gone wrong.
  
  This would inevitably cause some friction between us when we should have been enjoying the trip.
  
  As mentioned in other reviews, I was immediately able to get 8 satellite reception even inside my home office. I was somewhat disappointed with the Point of Interest database - it did not show several of the various attractions, hotels, etc. that I knew we would be visiting. But using the unit on battery power, I was able to enter the specific locations of various destinations and save them as my "favorites". I found the interface very intuitive and with a bit of practice, no longer had to consult the manual.
  
  The unit exceeded our expectations on our trip - no more arguments or panic when approaching an intersection - even if we inadvertantly made the wrong decision, the Maestro quickly recalculated our route to get us back on track. It made our trip so much more enjoyable when we knew we didn't have to worry about getting lost.
  
  Since we had a lot of extra time when traveling from Portland, ME to North Conway, NH I told the unit to route us using the shortest route rather than the fastest. We got to see a lot of beautiful scenery we would have missed if we had taken the "fastest" route. It even routed us to our resort via a one-lane hilly curving maximum 20-mph road named "Hurricane Mountain Road"!
  
  Although I found the battery time adequate for my needs, I do wish the unit had come with an AC adapter and perhaps a padded storage case.
  
  So, was it worth it - you bet! Kind of reminded me of my first garage door opener - before I had it, I wasn't sure I needed it - after having it, I don't think I could live without it.
  
  So, although this is a great unit, I think I'll probably upgrade to one with more features - but, on the other hand, I already know what my son is getting for Christmas!
  
  
• Great entry level GPS
  By A2RRR2I3PK1NV on 2007-07-06
  This is a great GPS unit if all you're looking for is a navigation aid. If you don't need another MP3 player, picture viewer, bluetooth hands-free kit, and only want a GPS navigator, this is a great system for the price. The screen is easy to read while driving, the turn-by-turn directions have proven to be accurate in my experience and the audio prompts make it easier to focus on the road.
  
  If you've been on the fence about purchasing one of these units, wait no longer. You won't be disappointed (unless you want all those extra bells and whistles).
  
  
• Was good for about 30 days
  By AEC0I4XOMJJ72 on 2007-11-29
  This is my 3rd GPS, I've had a TomTom & Garmin also. I thought this was better (more accurate) with a few exceptions, such as it doesn't remember your own city, so you have to hand type it in every time and a few other things in setting up for a trip are not as easy as the other 2 models.
  
  It was accurate until it gave out in the middle of a trip (in the middle of nowhere) around 9PM. Thankfully I had an atlas w/ me so we could find the rest of the way.
  
  They will NOT repair w/o proof of purchase so don't lose your receipt!
  
  
• DO NOT buy Magellan
  By A18T0XX2IAZ6AK on 2007-12-17
  When returning a unit under warranty, they replaced it with a cheap model. Their customer service is the worst!! The 3050's are unrepairable so they replace them with cheap models. I will never use a Magellan product again. They will not return calls as promised. You'll be sorry...
  
  
• Great Deal for the Money
  By A2X5X91WD2TWCP on 2007-07-09
  A $199 price point has been the holy grail for retailers for a nice touch-screen GPS unit, and Magellan has done it with the Maestro 3100. I have been using this unit for about one month and am totally pleased with how it operates. The touch-screen works great and the interface is easy to figure out and navigate. I have never looked at the manual. The inclusion of the Sirf Star III chipset means it gets a quick fix and will even work indoors. Using the Navteq mapping software means that the roads are up-to-date. As far as all the other bells and whistles (Bluetooth, MP3, etc.), do you really need those? I have other devices for those purposes. This unit is designed to get you from point A to point B with no hassles, and it delivers. I only have a couple of minor complaints. One, it is slightly difficult to attach the unit to the windshield mount. It just seems like a poor design. Two, it will occasionally lag when navigating. This is particularly evident after you enter a new favorite and click the return arrow to go back. It can take 8-10 seconds...no big deal. Bottom line, this is a great deal for a name-brand GPS.
  
  
• Good Value but limited POIs
  By A39J1PFUG0S6UN on 2007-11-19
  At less than $200 I find this a very good value if you intend to use it to navigate to known addresses, but inadequate if you intend to use it to find local Points of Interest. The unit performed perfectly out of the box, and has a large, easy to see screen. Navigation to pre-programmed street addresses entered by me was flawless. Many reviews comment on the limited POI file, and they are indeed very skimpy. Although the unit correctly found the closest ATM and gas station, it has no knowledge of about 1/3 of the restaurants, coffee shops and retail businesses in my town. There seems to be no rationale to which POIs it knows. It missed top-quality, well established restaurants that have been in the same location for years, but knew a KFC only a year old. The unit ships with a data cable, but Magellan has no improved POI software available. You can manually enter custom locations, but it is a slow process and you need to know the street address. I recommend this unit for local use where you just need navigation to a street address that you already know. I do not recommend this unit for business travelers or vacationers trying to find POIs in unfamiliar cities.
  
  
• For $189, hard to beat
  By A1RXHARLQXD7PA on 2007-06-18
  After a week's worth of travel, I must say my first in-car GPS ownership experience is worth every penny. The interface is mostly intuitive, though figuring out where addresses are stored (i.e. "addressbook" versus recent versus ...) and how to access each in terms of setting up a route is a tad confusing. My only other complaints - sometimes it gets confused and draws a waterway (e.g. stream) as a road (white with black outline). During 4 days of use, the unit rebooted at least 4 times while recalculating a route. It comes right back up and you can continue your route ... not a big deal, but hopefully to be fixed in an update soon.
  
  While there may be several complaints, they are mostly minor. The overall experience is very good, the price is out of sight. POI's are a bit on the thin side, but if you are looking for a cheap GPS, you can't beat a portable from a top brand in this price range.
  
  
• Very Nice
  By A120DE65Y5X1BH on 2007-06-23
  I have played with several GPS systems... Although this one does not have all of the bells and whistles that the Garmin Nuvi has and some of the other high priced units. This GPS does what it says... It has a very nice clean interface and gets the job done. For a unit that comes in right at $200 you can't beat it. I have had no problems with this unit and have no complaints other than it would have been nice to have an AC adapter in the box. If you want a good GPS that will get you where you need to go and not break your bank. Buy this 3100....
  
  
• GREAT BASIC GPS without the bells and whistles
  By A2LZZJVSMRGNGT on 2007-07-05
  3100 is an excellent buy for the $$$. Do not pay more than $200 for this unit. I recommend this unit to everyone who can accept the following.....
  1. the unit only has 750,000 POI's which seems like alot but its not by any means. (this doesn't matter as long as you have the address of your destination)
  2. the unit was programmed with maps from the 3rd quarter of 2006, which is by all means obsolete with the rate of construction in most areas. (BTW the update is not yet available and no ETA when it will be). It will appear on the GPS as if you have driven off into the woods when on new streets. (this won't matter if you're in an old city where everything has always been the same.)
  3. Does not call out the street names. It displays them extremely accurately and tells you when to turn but who wants to look at it to see street names while you're driving.
  OVERALL IF YOU CAN ACCEPT THESE 3 THINGS YOU'LL LOVE THE GPS. I AM A HUGE CRITIC BUT I FIND THE 3100 ACCEPTABLE AND A GREAT BUY
  
  
• MAgellan Maestro 3100
  By AN2EPLMWXFXC3 on 2007-07-24
  I've been shopping for a navigation GPS for a while, and had pretty much decided that $200 was my price point. I was zeroing in on the Mio C220, but my wife really wanted a Magellan, since she'd seen one at the store. We were in Target yesterday and the Maestro 3100 was on sale for $199 so we went ahead and purcgased it. Interestingly, within two or three hours it was put to a pretty decent test when I had to go to a strange part of the county to pick someone up at a hospital and then ferry them to a pharmacy and hotel. More on that in a minute.
  
  Setup was quite easy. Basically, you stick the mount to the windshield, plug the unit into the cigarette lighter and push the "On" button. The first time I turned it on it took a minute or so to figure out where it was, but since then it's come on very quickly. I assume that's because it wakes up in the same place where it went to sleep. I'll be able to know for sure that's the case the next time I take a business trip.
  
  Inputting an address is fairly easy, but can be a little bit frustrating, especially if you don't know the city name of your destination. That sounds odd, I know, but when you enter an address you first have to enter the city or zip code, then the street name, then the number of the address. It works great if you KNOW the name of the city, but in larger metropolitan areas it can be a little difficult. By way of example, the hospital was in Tukwila in a neighborhood called "Highline" and the pharmacy we needed next was in Des Moines. We were able to get to the hospital by using the Points of Interest feature and the name of the hospital, but the pharmacy was a little trickier. We had the street address, but because the GPS was "smart" enough to know the range of street addresses in Tukwila we couldn't simply enter the address of the pharmacy. We tried several other names, but eventually has to call the pharmacy to see what town it was in. Once we found out the name of the town, though, we were able to get there quite easily. From there to the hotel was quite easy as well, using the Points of Interest to find the Doubletree near our location. Getting home was simply a matter of puching the icon for "Home" and telling the GPS to calculate the fastest route.
  
  One other thing that is a little odd is that there's a CD and a USB cable that comes in the package with the GPS that have no real function (as nearly as I could tell). The CD simply has a link to the Magellan website and a user manual in PDF format. The USB cable doesn't seem to have any real function, or at least I haven't found a use for it so far.
  
  Overall, it seems like a great value. I'd certainly recommend it for anyone that wants a simple device to use in unfamiliar areas. Although it doesn't have all the bells and whistles of a more expensive device, it performs its job as a navigation aid quite well.
  
  

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