Saturday, October 10, 2009

TomTom GO 720 4.3-Inch Widescreen Bluetooth Portable GPS Navigator Order Now


At first, I loved the Tomtom 720. But, the problems began. First, there were times it would simply not turn on (I had power, the little green LED was lit, etc.) The only way I finally got it to power on was by resetting it, and then it had deleted the waypoints/favorites I had programmed for that particular trip (which was actually dangerous, since it was in the desert near Moab, Utah, and we then had to backtrack, rather than continue. Destroyed our plans =o( This problem with not being able to turn it on has happened several times since, as well.

On subsequent trips, I have noticed that the Tomtom 720 is off by about 200 yards. For this price, I would expect a much more accurate GPS system. It has told me to turn on streets/exits/onramps I have already passed, or has told me that an exit/onramp in on one side, but when I arrive, it's on the other.

These are just some of the problems I have had. A quick list of some of the others...

bluetooth connection with telephone: I can hear the other person, but they cannot hear me, no matter how loud I have the volume set, or if I am 2 inches from the mic, etc. Junk.

FM transmitter: fades in and out, and I have tried it on several cars.

Favorites: Sometimes you set a favorite to your current location, but later, when you'd like to return, the 720 can't find a route. It has taken me to different locations using the same favorite/address, as well. Frustrating.

Technical Support/Customer service: Good luck! Tomtom customer service simply ignores you, doesn't respond, etc. I guess they know their product has some serious issues, and have no idea how to fix them, and don't have the guts to communicate with anyone foolish enough to purchase their product.

Voices: I bought a celebrity voice (Dennis Hopper) to guide me, but he seems to be stuck in a rut. In the beginning, there would be occasional funny comments. Now, whenever I make a left turn, he says he is losing it. Every damn left turn. Annoying.

Settings: Sometimes, after the power problem I noted earlier, the settings are changed. Example: Text to speech of road names gets turned off, and I cannot turn it back on.

Finding streets/addresses/POIs/cities: Sometimes it cannot find well known streets, addresses, POIs (even though the POI came directly from their site) and even cities. I have it not find Atlanta, GA and Dallas, TX at times...not exactly podunk towns.

Overall, I am beyond frustrated with this product and Tomtom in general. Very disappointed that Tomtom couldn't care less about supporting this product, after spending $350. Let the buyer beware. Get more detail about TomTom GO 720 4.3-Inch Widescreen Bluetooth Portable GPS Navigator.

Friday, October 9, 2009

TomTom GO 720 4.3-Inch Widescreen Bluetooth Portable GPS Navigator Decide Now


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.Get more detail about TomTom GO 720 4.3-Inch Widescreen Bluetooth Portable GPS Navigator.

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TomTom melted in car after 11 months of use. Went on TomTom website and read the following under care of TomTom: Do not expose your TomTom to high or low temperatures, which can cause permanent damage. For example, don't leave it in the car on hot summer days or during cold winter nights.
What do they expect me to do? Remove the TomTom from the car everytime I stop at a store, etc? Should have a warning: Do not use in Hawaii or summer and winter in other states!
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Thursday, October 8, 2009

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Alot of in-depth review but some reviewers missed alot of key things. The Tom Tom 720 is a much better device than you would think.

Things I want to add.
1. The menu layout is completely user changeable so you don't have a cluttering of numbers and information on the bar. The reviewer doesn't mention that although he criticizes the 720 for having a cluttered info bar. That is simply a factory default setting that anyone can change.
2. The map layout, colors and ease-of-use is much much much better than both Garmin's and Magellan. The company I work for allows us to have private car service home when working late and I've seen and studied just about every brand of GPS in the various Town cars during my 1 hours commute home from NYC to Westchester. So I've gotten a sense of how cities and suburbs/rural areas are displayed on all these GPS units and the Tom Tom brand has the best, cleanest graphics. The reviewer fails to mention that when said and done, quickly understanding the screen graphics during a quick look up from the road during your journey is just as important as anything else.
3. The 720 also allows you to pick alternate routes based on how and when you want to get to your destination. The factory default settings on the 720 will obviously be way off and will have you driving around alot more than you would want to. Which is why I suspect the reviewer detracted from the 720 mapping intelligence when paired alongside the Garmin's Nuvi and Magellan's GPS units. I'm 100% sure he was routing under the factory settings so the 720 gave him longer and incorrect routes. Simple adjustments to your 720 factory settings will allow the unit to pick the best routes based on where you live and drive(whether in a city, near highways, or rural areas)
4. Outside of GPS function the 720 has a myriad of feautures that are on par if not better that Garmin's pricier Nuvi 700 line. In his Nuvi review he praises the Nuvi for having the "Where Am I" feature as if it is a rare and super cool thing. Whiles the 720 has the same features and he fails to praise the 720 for the same proficiencies.

5. The 720 does fail big time in the Battery Life department. I previously owned a Tom Tom 300 and once did a round trip from NY to DC (6-8 hrs of driving) on one charge before the unit's battery died. So I expected similar results from the 720 even though the Tom Tom 720's box advertises 4-5 hours.
needless to say, after a full over night charge I only got about 1 hour use before the battery died my first time out with it. After lowering the brightness to 50% I got about 2 hrs max.
I don't like wires across my dash so this was important to me; having the unit work only off its battery for the duration of my round trip commute of 3 to 4 hours max. I soon found out at a few GPS forums that to get about 4 hrs from the 720 you need to lower the brightness to 0% (and even at 0 it is still pretty bright), completely turn off the FM and BlueTooth features, take out any SD Card and turn down the volume and refrain from playing MP3s. Which worked to get me 3 to 4 hrs of battery life but totally elimated all the cool features that made me want to get the 720. At any rate, I went to a local car stereo shop and got a power lead installed behind my dash that goes up thru the windshield area and plugs into the 720 whiles it is mounted on the windshield. This is the best deal since the wire is pretty much hidden and not in front of my dash. I now not only get unlimited battery life whiles driving, but I can have the screen at 100% brightness, Bluetooth, FM and everything else that made me buy the 720 on and working whiles I'm on the road.

When said and done, the Tom Tom 720 is a stellar device!

OCTOBER UPDATE:
Last month I was in a car accident (a drunk driver plowed right into me) and my Tom Tom Go which was mounted on the windshield got destroyed (luckily I'm okay). I've since replaced the car and my Tom Tom 720 with another 720. I realize the battery life is much better on the newer 720 which leads me to believe I most likely had a faulty unit before. With all functions running I get about 1 hour more than I would have on my previous device (so 3 hrs instead of 2).

Also the software seems updated and the newer 720 performs routing and corrections much quicker.
I've also been using the MapShare and TomTom Home recently and find these features to be very useful and cool. It's like bringing you car inside and being able to plan your next road trip mile by mile on your computer (even download and install voices for your navigation to suit where you travel-i.e You can get a Southern accent for those driving thru the Dixie states or a Boston accent for those going up that way).

Overall, I'm even more impressed with my Tom Tom Go 720 now after a month of usage, than when I was under "wow-factor influence" as I unboxed it.Get more detail about TomTom GO 720 4.3-Inch Widescreen Bluetooth Portable GPS Navigator.

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We returned this product after two days because it did not announce streets by name. It will simply say something like "turn right" in so many feet but it does not audibly announce or confirm the name of the street. Our original GPS system was a Garmin which does do this so we were surprised to find that this particular Tom Tom model did not. We ended up buying another Garmin because we found the interface easier to use and it does announce the streets by name. This is a very useful feature and when shopping for a GPS it is probably the most important question to ask. Get more detail about TomTom GO 720 4.3-Inch Widescreen Bluetooth Portable GPS Navigator.

Wednesday, October 7, 2009

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TomTom GO 720 4.3-Inch Widescreen Bluetooth Portable GPS Navigator

The main reason for me in buying the TomTom over other units was that it had Thai language available.

My wife has recently immigrated to the US from Thailand. So I thought a GPS would be a good thing to help her find her way around when I was not with her. But I also realized that trying to drive on what to her is the wrong side of the road, remember new laws, find her way around a major US city while trying to translate computer spoken English into Thai may be over whelming for her. To make her a little safer on the road I started searching for a GPS with Thai.

TomToms and a single Garmin unit (the Nuvi 350 Asian) seemed to be my only choices. As the Garmin retails at $520 and seemed impossible to locate I went with the TomTom, and I am glad I did.

It is remarkably easy to set up and operate. My wife could figure out most of the functions with only a slight glance at the manual. Which can be downloaded in 22 different languages here:
http://www.tomtom.com/lib/doc/device/manual.htm

We have only had it a short time but have found the 720 to work much better than we expected. It locks on quick, the voice is very understandable and even better when sent through the cars FM radio system.

So if you or a love one is not native English speaker and your mother tongue is not one of the other 2 or 3 languages you generally find in on electronic devices (I.E. Spanish, French, or Japanese.) then this is an answer to your prayers.Get more detail about TomTom GO 720 4.3-Inch Widescreen Bluetooth Portable GPS Navigator.

Tuesday, October 6, 2009

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I like this unit a lot, but have a few complaints. Cell phone functionality not compatible with all bluetooth phones. Microphone for hands-free calling not very effective in an SUV. Directions are only about 90% accurate. When putting in destinations for locations I already knew, this unit sometimes took me the long way instead of the shortest route. It's also not very effective on military installations. I haven't tried the traffic antenna because I haven't heard good things about it. Both the accessory and the service subscription are expensive. The GPS unit does an excellent job of getting you from point to point in most other situations though, especially when you don't know where you're going or get turned around easily. I've made successful trips out of the state with little or no research using this GPS unit. FM broadcasting feature is awesome too! Two suggestios I would make to the manufacturer: 1. Sexier female voices, and 2. Free map updates for duration of ownership.Get more detail about TomTom GO 720 4.3-Inch Widescreen Bluetooth Portable GPS Navigator.

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EXTREMELY POOR SERVICE - My TomTom 720 worked great....for awhile. Then, right after my warranty expired, it stopped. This is what industry calls "Planned Obsolesence". Turns out I need a new motherboard for an additional $175. I missed my warranty deadline by a few days. Ok, so these things happen, right? I even went so far as to try to purchase another TomTom. This time, since I am moving to another country, I called TomTom and asked if I could purchase it with a map other than the U.S. map as the default map on the device. A very unapologetic, could-not-care-less customer service rep gave me a flat no on that one. Then she stated the obvious by suggesting I buy a new unit (hundreds of $)and then purchase the map I want as an add on....for yet another $149.99! What a shame. I was willing to come back even after my first unit died prematurely and they could not even meet me half way with a discounted second map if I bought a new unit after my original Tom Tom 720 died prematurely. Miserable service = miserable company = a customer gone for good!Get more detail about TomTom GO 720 4.3-Inch Widescreen Bluetooth Portable GPS Navigator.

Monday, October 5, 2009

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The bad:

- The TomTom Go 720 will not recognize my bluetooth enabled Blackberry.
- When taking a detour for planned route, the GPS will automatically guide you back to the route you took a detour from.
- Battery life is about 1.5 hours when not in power saving mode.
- Points of Interested data base needs to be updated, not all POI's are listed, i.e. ATM's, Gas stations, restaurants.
- Complex navigation menu, takes too many steps to find what is important.
- Not as slim as you think, it will not fit in pockets without printing.
- Short, flimsy, suction cup mount makes it difficult for average hight users to touch the Tom Tom.
- Hiss when using the FM output.
- Slow response time when calling customer service.
- No case included. Even a cheap silicone cover would be nice.
- Voice guidance feature does not pronounce names correctly. I'm sure most systems currently perform this way.


The good:
- High quality construction. Heavy weight non-clip plastics and metal accents.
- Descent screen resolution
- Multi funtional: plays MP3, views pictures, video, and documents (I havn't tested this yet, but its nice to know it's there).
- Map share, allows user to download free map updates from the TomTom users community.
- Fast satillite aquisition, when in open area, even while moving.
- User customizable menu
- Big screen
- This has taken me where I want to go, in and out of unfamiliar territory, even making unplanned trips to the gas staion while I'm traveling.
- Map of North America (Canada, US, Mexico?), I know US and Canada is included for sure, and thats helpful to me since I drive to both places.
- SIRF III chipset, 400 mhz processor,2 gb of on board memory, 64 mb of RAM, and an open slot for a high capacity SD card is a powerfull combination.

Notes:

I was conscidering buying a Garmin Nuvi 255w. But since the technical specifications is less than the TomTom Go720, I decided to purchase this GPS unit. It is a better value for me, since I found a good deal on a recertified unit that is priced bellow the market value for a new Garmin Nuvi 255w. If size where a major issue, I would go for any Garmin Nuvi, since it's slimmer.

I suggest finding an alternative mounting location, and avoiding mounting this unit on the windshield because it cuts your field of vision by at least 10%. I drive a compact sedan, and relative to the size of the unit, thats how I estimate that number.

I need to contact tech support to resolve my bluetooth issue, I will post and update ASAP.
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We already own a Go 720 and we liked it so well that we bought another one for our son for Christmas. It's very easy to operate and I especially like that it gives you street names. Very good for someone like me that is lost all of the time. It's the best purchase that we've made in a long time. I would recommend it to anyone. Get more detail about TomTom GO 720 4.3-Inch Widescreen Bluetooth Portable GPS Navigator.

Sunday, October 4, 2009

Buy TomTom GO 720 4.3-Inch Widescreen Bluetooth Portable GPS Navigator


Tried the Garmin 680 first and liked some things about it, but it had 2 big negatives vs. Go 720...

The 680 has a better suction cup mount...that clamp is nice and secure. Tom Tom is less secure and they should adopt a clamp mount.

680 has somewhat better sensitivity and gets satellite lock faster. TomTom will often not lock indoors while garmin usually will.

Go 720 lacks an AC adapter (cheap!) 680 has one.

Go 720 lacks a carry case (cheap!) 680 has one.

680 manual is awful. Does not even tell you you will be single state limited if you enable WAAS. TomTom is better.

Navigating ability is comparable. Neither is perfect.

Go 720 is more of a quality piece. 680 is just a bit cheap-feeling. The ball mount on the 680 is Micky Mouse.

The FM broacast capability on the 680 is simply inadequate. The Go 720 is MUCH better. Garmin should not even claim this as a feature.

The 680 navigation screen is pretty, but information poor. The Go 720 is very information rich in comparison, but some will claim that this makes it look confusing. They are wrong.

The user-updatable maps of the Go 720 are a big plus.

Garmin map updates are considerable cheaper.

The Garmin battery lasts a bit longer than the Tom Tom battery. Neither is long-lived.

The Garmin internal speaker is worse.

I wanted to like the Garmin 680 more, but the sparse screen info and pathetic FM capability were a deal killer. The Go 720 is the way to go.

I am also going to try to enable voice input as it seems that this can be done with at least some U.S. units.

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