After reading reviews on both the Garmin 660 and TomTom 720, I decided to try both. Today took them on a trip of about 200 miles round trip mounted side by side. There has been a ton of information written about both units, so I won't go into a lot of details.
Bottom line, the TomTom doesn't even come close to the Garmin in usability. Here is a list of a few of the issues I had with the TomTom.
1- Mount is cheap and flimsy.
2- Unit difficult to slip into mount - can't see mounting guide on back of unit to slip the unit on easily.
3- Power plugs into unit, not mount - a pain
4- Tried to route me on a street that didn't exist.
5- Routed me on a street that dead ended, which would not allow me to get to destination.
6- Does not have my local airport listed (Stuart, Florida).
7- Screen washed out in the sunlight - Garmin considerably brighter and sharper.
8- Map details lacking. Had a lot of POI's, but of little use as could not use the icons to navigate to them.
9- TomTom shows turn arrow and highway number, but not name of highway you are going to turn on. Garmin does.
10- Blackberry 8800 would not connect using Bluetooth.
11- Home Connect software installed ok, but TomTom would not connect using the Home Connect software.
12- Has fairly short battery life compared to Garmin.
13- Traffic not included and traffic option requires separate cable that plugs into bottom of unit - a pain.
14- Need a hospital in a hurry? You are out of luck because under "hospitals", the TomTom lists every clinic known to man. It does not identify true hospitals, a major issue in an emergency. The Garmin only lists hospitals.
15- TTS very poor compared to Garmin.
What did I like about the TomTom?
- It has a QWERTY keyboard - the Garmin does not.
- It allows you to display a lot of data on the screen.
Why should you steer clear of the TomTom?
- Very poor screen in sunlight - almost could not read.
- Routing could be a big issue.
- Hospital issue - a major issue to most of us.
Before you buy, try them both side by side in your car. You will be amazed at the difference in the displays.
Get more detail about TomTom GO 720 4.3-Inch Widescreen Bluetooth Portable GPS Navigator.
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