
I need a GPS this new year for my driving from Los Angeles to San Francisco vacation. I first bought a Tomtom XL-W. The box inludes only a quick set up. The quick setup neglects to mention that the TTS is not on by default (it is advertised prominently on the box though), it took me a few days just to find out how to set up the correct TTS (change the speech to computer voice). On the box, there is a bluetooth symbol, but I found out, again after a few frustating days trying to connect my phone, that the XL-W bluetooth is only for traffic report not handfree phone. The last straw is that it refused to connect to my computer. Calling tech support did not sems to help, they recommended that I returned it for another one. I decided to return it for a different one, a TomTom 720 because it has handfree bluetooth. Since I already have experience with the XL-W, I know how to change the default speech (no TTS) to TTS. But the TTS has a problem of correctly pronouncing the many spanish street name in California. If you did not read the name on the GPS before hand, you would not know what in the world it was saying. The 720 however, connected to my phone just fine. My trip to SF from LA through Santa Barbara was uneventful with the 720. It worked fine most of the time but with a annoying flaw: it always announced that I have reached my destination about 50-100 ft away from the Hotel or at my home. Some of the tall buildings in downtown SF caused the 720 to lose the satelite tracking for a few minutes. It was unerving to drive in downtown SF in the rain trying to find your way in bad traffic & had the map screen suddenly rotated around when the car was iddling or was going straight. It directed me to turn left on some streets with no left-turn. The battery only last 3 hours, may be four with the power-saving on. After, I got home from the trip, I tried to update the 720 using the latest TomTom Home which I download from the TomTom website. The software update downloaded and installed fine as report on the TomTom home screen but after I tried to turn on the updated 720, it gave me the TomTom version of the blue screen of death and refused to work again even after I pushing the reset button. I have to return this one too.Get more detail about TomTom GO 720 4.3-Inch Widescreen Bluetooth Portable GPS Navigator.


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