Okay, you must be thinking... Wow, a one-star review for this new TomTom GO 720... why is that? Let me summarize first, then I will explain in more depth later.
Currently, you cannot install ANY additional maps (other than the factory-installed ones) onto a TomTom GO 720 device.
So, if you wanted to download some European maps from TomTom, copy them to your SD card and bring your new baby to Europe - that's not going to happen.
This is a major oversight by TomTom for two reasons; 1. Many people buy new portable GPS's only because they are planning a trip to an unknown country and 2. the European maps are already available for the TomTom GO 720 - they come preinstalled on the GO 720's sold in Europe (I've used them).
I purchased my GO 720 in Wash. DC before a recent move to Italy. My sales 'professional' at circuit city said that I could download all the European maps I needed from TomTom's website. Once I arrived in Italy and got high-speed internet, I tried buying additional maps from TomTom. Well, TomTom's US website does not sell downloadable maps (at this time) - I switched to the UK website, which had all the maps available. I purchased the maps from the UK site, downloaded them and tried to install them to my GO 720. The new TomTom Home software (v2) would allow me to purchase the maps, download them and transfer them to the device - but the final step, the activation of the maps, it would crash and give an application error. I know my way around computers, but this was a major issue. I phoned US customer service - they said that they would write a ticket for the event but offered no solutions. I then phoned UK customer service and after 20 minutes of juggling reps - I finally got the news bomb....
TomTom has not yet released downloadable maps for the GO 720 or 920. That's right, they released hardware (for 3 months now) but did not 'update their website' to allow purchases of additional maps. Even though these 'updated' maps come pre-installed on the GO 720's sold outside of North America... hmmm?
Be aware that none of this important information is available on TomTom's website - even a Google search turns up nothing. This is critical information to those who travel to Europe or any other part of the world.
Others have reported on this piece of hardware (with rave reviews), which I mostly agree with. However, the map software is currently another issue altogether.
UPDATE NOVEMBER 15, 2007:
TomTom has updated all of their websites except the US version to include the 720 compatible maps (v7.10 for Western Europe). I again, spent several hours attempting to install new maps, still to be met with consistent software restrictions and confusion. TomTom customer service, while polite, were completely incapable of providing any answers. I am a tech-literate consumer and I am not easily dissuaded, but I have reached my limit with this product and TomTom.
Please be aware that I am far from the only person to have experienced these types of issues with TomTom. Look elsewhere for your GPS Navi needs.
NEW UPDATE DECEMBER 6, 2007:
Alright. Finally after all these months, TomTom has released v10 of their Maps for download. And after several attempts at downloading and installing, I can now say that my GO 720 is no longer just another expensive toy collecting dust in my electronics cabinet.
So, the title of my review is no longer accurate - you CAN now install additional maps to this device - please be advised however, that you may only do this using TomTom's Home software and it must be updated to the latest version and because it's a 1.7 G download, you need a long time to complete the process.
I suggest you bring your patience and be thankful that you didn't suffer as I have.
Otherwise, all of the positive reviews about the hardware, mapping and routing are accurate. This is still a quality product and without the Map issue, I would have been a happy camper from the beginning.
NEW NEW UPDATE SEPTEMBER 22, 2008:
After nearly a ten month span of relatively trouble free and constant usage, another issue has arisen with my TT GO 720. But first, I will report a few other minor issues that occurred since my last update.
In the winter, while the unit was plugged in to the auxiliary port in my car (a Peugeot 308), the screen would go blank when the unit was touched. As you can imagine, when every time you touched the screen of a touchscreen device, it blacked out, this is a minor inconvenience. The only way to revive the unit was to a hard reset (using the little pin hole in the bottom). This method erased all our favorites and add ons and left us bummed out.
The screen black-out issue only happened when you touched the screen and did not happen when the unit was not plugged in while driving and it did not happen when it was plugged in on its base unit, powered by USB. The best we could determine was that unit receiving an electric shock from the power cord once we touched it, thus grounding it and closing the circuit. The problem was resolved when I sold the car and bought a different one. In the new car (Honda Jazz) and my wife's car (Volvo V40), the black-out issue has never resurfaced.
There have been some minor issues like varying times to lock into the satellite - one day it takes 60 seconds, the next 5 or more minutes - same exact route, same exact time of day... ?
It's also important to note that I have kept the device up to date using the TomTom Home software (which still is buggy and unpleasant).
Ok, now on to the current issue. Recently, the mini USB power cable (the end that plugs into the unit) has stopped working - or so I thought. Basically, the unit will not receive power from the power cable. So, I thought that the cable had gone bad and I tested plugging it into the USB base and it had the same problem - not receiving power. I tried a new TomTom power cable (from an electronics store), but still not getting power. So, it looks like the female end of the power in slot (on the bottom of the unit) has become defective. At this point, I have not received any positive response from TomTom - the unit is just a few weeks out of warranty (ironically) and I'll keep trying to find a solution.
I will update when there's more to report.
One last note: Some commentators have asked why I still show one star on my review, even though I would surely raise it now. Well, Amazon.com does not allow users to change their initial star ratings - so, until their policy changes; we'll be stuck with this issue as well.Get more detail about TomTom GO 720 4.3-Inch Widescreen Bluetooth Portable GPS Navigator.
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