TomTom GO 720 user reviews

3.0 stars

"Flawed GPS programing and useless features & too pricy" on August 8, 2009 by TT720review

Pros: Bluetooth capable, wireless mp3 playable but completely unlistenable because of signal degradation.

Cons: Read review for complete cons.

Summary: After owning the TT 720 for over a year my buying recommendation is a resounding no. If you are buying it for the added features like map share upgrades you will be disappointed. I have yet to receive one loop, lane, court or street upgrade from this function even though I have downloaded upgrade to my unit many times. Map share does not add one iota upgrade of anything. If you have decided to buy any of TT?s unit for the RDS-TMC feature be advised it?s going to cost you $60.00 yearly to subscribe for this service, but before you can use the service you must purchase the antenna plug receiver for over $130. I?ll sell you mine for only $90. The navigation part of the unit itself is questionable, I?ll have to give it a B+. The unit redirects your route if you miss it, but remember it?s an electronic device that?s as good as its programmers. I?ve had instances where I?ve missed a turn, and instead of redirecting to make a u-turn when possible it took me around the block of neighborhoods, other times more times than I care to remember the unit because of the lapse in receiving the satellite signal told me to make a turn when it should not. If you are buying it for its mp3 capabilities please be advised that if you use it wirelessly the signal is very poor and most of the time the signal is in and out making listening to music this way completely insane.
My recommendation to you is to get a unit that was manufactured within the past 6 -9 month and pay as little as possible and discard it and buy a new one when you need to.

Updated on Dec 8, 2009

Overall, this product features are pointing in the right direction,but as the old saying goes it all comes with a hefty high tag. Yes you get an updatable (not map share: it does not work) GPS that will cost you $11.95 to update per quarter. To get traffic information you will have to spend on the antenna ($130) and annually thereafter $60 subscription fee. With this product you get Bluetooth capabilities, but according to some postings it works with certain phones and not with others. Would I buy a $300 + updatable(how recent are TT updates ?) GPS or instead purchase every 3 to 4 years one that cost $100 that?s already updated?? and now-a-days you have these broadband phones that will almost do anything for you. You decide.I bought this GPS because you could add music to an SD card and play it wirelessly through your car speaker. I was very disappointed with the static I got, because listening to music this way is unbearable, it does not work as it should.

3.0 stars

"Enable instructions through FM Transmitter" on June 23, 2009 by wlsjoh013

Pros: Navigation
FM Transmitter for Music and Instructions.
Easy to access map data as well as free update of maps when purchased.

Cons: Hands free not possible through FM Transmitter (Calls do not come through on the FM Transmitter)

Summary: How to get your TomTom Go720 to read instructions through the Car audio system/radio. Go to - "Change Preferences" -> "Speaker Preferences" you will then be asked how you would like the TomTom to read instructions. Select "FM to your car radio" should you require it to read instructions while playing music. Its rather annoying that this is not possible with calls, as I find it extremely difficult to hear anything through the built-in speaker (not much better than Loudspeaker on my phone).
The main objective of this review was to provide users with access to instructions via FM Transmitter as requested by dssbigboy.

2.5 stars

"Not as good as it could be." on March 9, 2009 by davemciver

Pros: Great extra features, Looks great, Beautiful screen/resolution

Cons: GPS accuracy was no good

Summary: The TomTom Go 720 has tons of great features like: FM Transmitter (great idea), MP3 player, photo viewer, etc. All of those things though, can't make up for the fact that the actual GPS function is sub-par. It was not accurate at all, and chose foolish routes to easy-to-find locations. Also, when missing a turn, it was not terrible at making new calculations, but it took a little longer than I would have liked (enough time to miss the new turn it has instructed you to take).
I also found that the menus were quite convoluted, it took a long time to get through all the menus and submenus to get what you were looking for. This is however, mostly due to the fact that it has a lot of extra features, so with that you have to take the good with the bad.

Overall, I decided to return this GPS. TomTom just isn't the quality that the brand name would have you believe. I'll most likely stick with a Gamin, which in my experience has been super-accurate as far as GPS goes, even if there are fewer functions. GPS is the main thing, after all.

1.5 stars

"TomTom Company is a slow learner" on January 8, 2009 by Semiretired48

Pros: Screen size is good, millions of poi's and map colors available, rubberized case.

Cons: Inaccurate maps(even on the newest models), customer corrections ignored by TomTom, lousy mount, much shorter than advertised battery life, needlessly complex menu, high dollar map updates w/no guarantees of accuracy, hard to see screen in sunlight.

Summary: This units shortfalls and TomTom's "couldn't care less" attitude make me wish I'd done a lot more research before making my purchase. TomTom can rest assured that I won't make that mistake again.