TomTom GO 720 4.3-Inch Widescreen Bluetooth Portable GPS Navigator by TomTom
|
List Price: Our Price: $199.00 You Save: $250.95 (56%) Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days Buy Used: from $64.75 (click here) Category: GPS or Navigation System See more digital camera details and other models |
|---|
Digital camera reviews of TomTom GO 720 4.3-Inch Widescreen Bluetooth Portable GPS Navigator
Digital camera Review: An amazing GPS unit, period.
Summary: 5 Stars
I purchased this TomTom 720 after weeks of research - this IS our first GPS after all! I purchased one for my husband and I, plus one for my mother's companion as her gift to him. She told me whichever one I chose was good enough for her, and she trusted me. (no pressure there!)
I originally purchased a TomTom XL 330S, but returned it because it did NOT have an SD card slot.
This one DOES have an SD card slot (which is good for storing maps, poi's (points of interest), music files, etc.) so that you have the option of expanding the memory of the unit. This helps keep it from becoming a dinosaur too quickly.
The unit is compact, has a bright screen, clear graphics, easy to use software (TomTom Home is a bit "old school" - I'll explain later in this review), and is easy to use period.
I made sure to purchase additional accessories:
4gb SD card
carrying case (take it with you when you park your car - do NOT leave the GPS visible in your car or it will be stolen!!)
screen protectors (matte)
beanbag mount for the dash
alternate mount kit (from TomTom)
The day after I received it, I used it to navigate my way to a job interview. It tried to take me a VERY roundabout way out of my own development, so I just drove the way I wanted to. It recalculated (silently, thank you, instead of stating "re-calculating" like I have heard other machines do) quickly and continued coaching me on where to turn. Since then, I learned how to change the route BEFORE getting into the car so it doesn't do that, and so far I have been pretty successful.
I had bad luck with the "neck" it comes with. It was too short to use with my beanbag mount (it actually made the device come out of the beanbag), so I ordered the "alternate" mount from the TomTom website. This works GREAT with the beanbag!
I kept it plugged in to the cigarette lighter for the entire trip, just to be sure it wouldn't poop out on me - TomTom's are notorious for their short battery life - and it worked fine.
It connected to my Palm Treo 700p as a bluetooth device with absolutely NO problem - actually, it asked ME if I wanted to connect. I didn't expect that. I wasn't even thinking of using bluetooth (I do NOT have a bluetooth headset, rather I have a wired headset for my cell phone), but now I like it. The only thing that is a little weird is that it WON'T connect to my cell phone when I am making an out-of-state call (go fig!).
The updates were really easy to do, but the downloads were a little tedious. The "Home" software is a little "old school" in that once you find something you want to add to your device (such as points of interest) and download it to the device, you have to return to the very first page of the software and start searching all over again. It SHOULD have a "sticky" interface that could remember what page you left off on before the download started. This makes it VERY time consuming.
I made sure to download the 2 free "computer" voices so the TomTom would speak the street names during navigation. It comes with one, but I really like "Susan" out of all of the computer voices.
You get 12 months of mapshare downloads for no charge. At the end of that time you must purchase a full map upgrade to continue with free downloads for another 12 months. The full map upgrade averages between $80 to $120 depending on what you need. (BTW, this is comparable to the prices for map upgrades from Garmin, Mio and Magellan, but these companies do NOT allow for free downloads during the rest of the year.)
Also, you can submit map changes to TomTom - that means if something has changed since they did the map, you get to add your info! Garmin, Mio and Magellan do NOT allow you to do this, either. What does this mean for you? The power to help yourself and others. Heck, why not? Maybe your correction will help someone from getting lost and in return maybe someone else's corrections will help YOU from getting lost!
I purchased this unit (new) for $199 (that was my max budget). Since then it has jumped up to $300+. I guess that means it is in demand, but the newer models are around that price, so if you are in the $300 budget range I would research the newer TomTom's to see what they have to offer before buying this at $300.
If you are new to TomTom's or even just GPS in general, make sure to check out the user groups at: forums dot gpsreview dot net. You can find help for any and every brand/model.
That's all I can think of for now. If I forgot something I will re-post. Happy Travels!
Digital camera Review: Argh! out of the box
Summary: 3 Stars
This seemed to work when I first got it, then I did the updates and then it didn't work any more. I kept getting a blinking red X and the unit was unusable. It was evening, so calling support was out. I found a tip on the internet about forcing the unit to reinstall:
1. Save everything (just in case). My TomTom backup wasn't working at the time, so I just looked at the drive via my computer (like any external drive), and copied the entire contents into a new folder.
2. Delete all the top-level files (don't delete any folders). You don't have to delete, the .bmp files, which are just images (and I didn't get them all back).
3. Disconnect your device via TomTom HOME or by putting it away.
4. Restart it and reconnect it.
5. TomTom home will tell you you need updates; do them; restart as it tells you to.
6. This put me in Guam, where I was stuck. Then you go into the preferences and change maps back to North America.
Sorting through all that took many hours of my time, so I hope it helps you!
That was a major major frustration... my other frustration so far is that I was going to Montreal and the address had been given to me in English, "University Street". TomTom does not know that name... it knows only "Rue University". Maybe this is to be expected? I find it annoying.
I'll report back after I've actually used this for a trip.
After first trip report: Very happy with the unit. I should probably mention that I'm a first-time GPS user... I was very happy to have this to help me navigate to an unfamiliar city.
The things I don't like are accessory related. I'm glad that I got the TomTom case to safely store this when I remove it from the car. The mounting and the USB port could both be improved. I chose a dashboard mount so that the unit is closer to me, but alas, this does not work well with the USB port... the USB jack sticks out too much from the bottom of the unit. I can't fully adjust the angle, and am forced to leave it slightly upward facing, which means that on a sunny day, it's all glare. In addition to redesigning the USB port to work better in the car (it's designed with the dock primarily in mind, I think), it would be nice if the mount had a longer neck.
Digital camera Review: Avoid this GPS!!!
Summary: 1 Stars
I have owned this GPS for 6 months and although I like the interface, it is useless if you want to take your family on a trip using the POIs. They are consistently wrong. When you do a search for a Mcdonald's for example, it lists it with the correct address but doesn't get within a mile of the correct location. I took my family to New Hampshire to Santa's Village and although the address was correct in the GPS, it took me in the opposite direction as I got close. It also took me up a gravel road in the mountains that was 7 miles long and only for campers. I've updated the software and received the most recent map, but this thing is horrible. Definitely not worth the $500 I paid for it when it came out.Digital camera Review: Awesome GPS!
Summary: 5 Stars
You can't beat the price on this GPS
I have been using a Mio GPS that cost the same for a couple of years. When I got this, it was a night and day difference! The Tom Tom is so much easier to operate, the display gives me so much more information.
I appreciate that the Tom Tom is able to be updated, and I like the fact that you can download community changes. I have not downloaded any new voices, but the concept intrigues me!
Overall, I would definitely recommend this GPS for it's features. I will caution you, that the bluetooth speaker phone feature is a little weak. It works, but if you have a noisy car, you will have a hard time using it for making a call unless you are parked.
Digital camera Review: Awesome!
Summary: 5 Stars
What a blessing as a means of finding my way around my local area, my state, and this entire 48 lower states plus Alaska. Going through Alaska way a breeze using my awesome TomTom. Everyone MUST try a TomTom. You will be hooked. I go to the speciality section to locate banks, restaurants, parks. etc. Thank you TomTom.