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The volume is plenty loud enough. I purchased two (not from amazon). I really like this GPS. The voice is pleasant and easy to understand. This has only happened on start up. I keep the volume set at medium. The directions are accurate.I give the device a mediocre review for two reasons.
However, it is easily replaced for about $19. The screen is large. Both were new and the battery would not hold a charge. At dusk it switches from a bright to a dark screen. It is easy to enter street data. The second bad thing is that the unit will freeze up and need to be reset. It is easily reset by pressing the reset button on the back with a pen.
It has audio prompts to indicate when to actually make a turn and instructions as to how far your are away from making those turns with eg.'right turn in 3/10th of a mile'. Our Magellan gets us in and out of Seattle to clinics and restaurants to theatres in surprisingly quick routes. And we're pretty pleased with it because it has taken us from point A to point B very reliably. So it prepares you quite well without the stress that use to accoompany our trips into the unknown.
After our more than 50 trips into Seattle we are now sort of comfortable with the city's layout but not really. We've own this Magellan 5310 now for about a year now and are very happy with it. It also handles multiple turns quite well too. The unit that we have has completely dropped the map from its memory when the battery completely depleted itself and to get it back it lets you know that you should go to the Magellan site to recover full functionality in a matter of seconds after making connection. When our Magellan says we have arrived, "quoila" there it is.
For example it lets you know that you will be making a right turn and another right turn right after the other. We are quite computer and device savvy however.One more comment I would add is that when you look at the customer review ratings between Tom Tom, Magellan and Garmin the graph depiction from excellent to poor is about the same. We live in the Snohomish County in the State of Washington and whenever we drive in to Seattle it is like hell on wheels. I cannot comment on the customer service because I have never used it. Always to our surprise.
And we are surprised because we get to our destination by simply following the voiced instructions and the easy to read directions on the screen. The battery does not last very long so it requires it to be plugged into the cigarette lighter at all times. Didn't the smart phone business have about the same graph shape just before Apple showed up with the iphone.
When I opened the box for the first 5310 I received last year I found the power connection broken. I again called Magellan and discussed the issue and I was told it was not possible to repair or replace the unit since the warranty had expired. I was placed "on hold" while the call was transferred.
A few weeks ago the power connection broke on the replacement unit - which seems to be easy to do. I waited for return call just in case there was a mistake by the call center. After some arguing with Magellan tech support they replaced it.
Shortly after going "on hold" the phone went dead. I called Magellan and was on "terminal hold" for quite sometime. After talking with a customer service person they indicated that this unit was not repairable and I was offered a replacement unit - I was told by the call center operator that I would need to talk with another support person to arrange the replacement.
I never received a call back. I was offered a replacement unit at full retail if I wanted to buy another one - no way will I make the same mistake twice.
Startup is slow, but I have only owned one other and it too is slow. I literally have no idea where it thought it was going. Hmm, where to begin.The menues are generall buried and complex. I used it against known destinations, and it failed repeatedly. At least you won't have to worry about potentially dangerous artificial detours in the midst of a big city. The graphics are large; the only bummer here is sometimes it places green roads on green backgrounds - yes, the exact same shade of green. I live in the greater DC area - sometimes it took me away from the highways, managing to avoid both the shortest and the fastest routes.
No, not ones that were created by new construction, but to places that have been static for over a decade.I would not recommend anyone buy this unit. Yes, you really should not be driving while messing with the menues. On shortest route, it often took me to dead ends. This happens at unpredictable intervals.The real issue is the navigation system itself. Some times it took me 10's of miles out of my way on a slower route when I asked for "fastest route". You are better off with a city map, even in heavy traffic. Jon
The 5310 gives us a very bright and large screen---However, you don't ever get something for nothing. The battery life is very-very short if you have the screen bright enough to balance against the window light coming in behind it. The power up is slow and when using the Points of Interest Search by Name is often unable to locate even the most basic of services.Finally, the street finder has often drove me around in circles trying to isolate one address. This comes AFTER buying the $70 2009 Map Update.I'd not recommend buying this product.
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