New to Magellan? Here is an introduction to some of its portable GPS units.

It will certainly provide you with an insight on the specific highlights of a Magellan model.

The Magellan 5310 sports a 5-inch screen, AAA TourBook information, Includes traffic antenna and three-month subscription, Internal battery.

However split-screen views are not always helpful. It does not offer multimedia features and there is no Bluetooth.

All is not lost yet. The Maestro 5310 also comes with three months of free TMC traffic (the package includes a wire antenna), SmartDetour, which routes users around sudden traffic jams, and an internal battery-something the Garmin nüvi 5000 lacks.

Another model to give you a better feel of the Magellan model is the Magellan 1212 which sports a 3.5″ color touch screen offers budget-conscious consumers fully functional auto navigation of the 50 United States, Puerto Rico and Canada at a low price. Stylish, pocket-size design includes an intuitive, new user interface that guides drivers to their destination via voice and on-screen prompts.

This is a basic model that first-time user would require. The case is made of high-impact plastic. Preloaded maps US, Puerto Rico and Canada.Size is 3.3″H by 3.63W by 0.69″ D. Very compact and light at 4.9 ounces. It is accurate and has a battery life of up to 3 hours.

Lastly, the Magellan Maestro 3100 has a simple and compact design, and it offers the navigation basics at an affordable price.

This Magellan GPS system however froze on a couple of occasions, and route recalculations can sometimes be slow. It’s also difficult to remove the device from the vehicle mount.

The Magellan 3100 is an affordable, simple, and basic portable navigation system for first-time buyers, but you can get better performance from other similar systems.

GPS receiver: 20 channel ; Destination: Automotive ; Weight: 6.5 oz