TomTom GO 720
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"The CNET review misses some important points" on by mgibeault
Pros: FM transmitter, best navigation
Cons: Traffic data not as advanced in America
Summary: -You can easily change the keyboard input mode to QWERTY instead of alphabetical (in French I can also choose AZERTY).
-It doesn't have a hard drive but 2GB of internal flash memory (I was very pleased; in very cold temperature my previous GPS took a long time to start because it was hard drive-based. And flash memory is a lot more robust).
-You don't have to "go through several menu levels" to adjust the volume; one tap on the lower-left portion of the screen repeats the last prompt and shows the volume control slider.
-The limited list of supported cell phone is only for the Tomtom Plus services. My phone is not listed (Nokia 6300) but it works well for all the hands-free functions.
-The review missed an innovative and very useful feature; the unit can transmit audio via FM (you can select any frequency). That means that music, indications and incoming calls are heard through the car's stereo, without costly custom installation. Very nice feature because the music is muted when there are indications and during phone calls. The sound quality is then superb (depending on the car's stereo system I guess... But I think that even a very basic one is way better than what any GPS device can offer)Updated
The Where Am I? feature provides your location in precise, human language you can read to friends or emergency services. The unit'll warn you when you're near a school zone or exceeding the local speed limit, and it has lots of options that allow you to prioritize what you see onscreen while driving. A blazingly fast processor makes browsing and zooming in and out of maps a pleasure instead of an ordeal.
You can even record direction commands using any voice you want. (Mom? Is that you?). Buddy system shows where friends with 720s are.
The new MapShare system, which lets users update map content with road closures, accidents, you can even add new roads you discover! -
"Excellent features with a few significant flaws" on by khosea
Pros: excellent form factor, simple user interface, ipod support,
Cons: poor routing logic, limited cell phone support, lame desktop software, mapshare too hard to configure and save routes while in transit, crippled access to traffic reports
Summary: I bought the TomTom 720 to help me with my part time delivery job. It had several excellent features and I loved the form factor but at the end of the day it didn't work well enough for me to keep it.
I was surprised to find that the TomTom 720 had difficulty with simple routes that I used everyday. For example, in the Best Buy were I bought it, the 720 was the only floor model of the same trim level that could not locate my office (which is off of a major road only 3 blocks away). The Magellan 4040 and the Garmin Nuvi 660 both found the address and plotted a route right away.
The feature set on the TomTom 720 is very generous for a $499 gps unit. Unfortunately many of those features did not work for me. The mapshare feature was hard for me to configure especially considering that I was doing deliveries and did not have time to stop and correct inaccurate routes on the GPS or make notes about which streets were closed due to construction.
I also had difficulty with the desktop software which is where you upload map corrections for Mapshare. I tried to use the desktop software to update the maps on my new unit and download some new voices but alas I could not. The purchase features were set up for european clientele only, there were no prices stated in us currency.
To add insult to injury, it had bluetooth support for handsfree calling but only for gsm phone carriers on a very limited number of handsets. There wass no love for Verizon or Sprint customers here in the U.S. (which I assue is because they are based in europe where GSM is the universal standard for wireless phones).
Believe it or not, all complaining aside I really wanted the 720 to work well for me. I prefer their user interface over the other two big GPS competitors (Garmin and Magellan). Unfortunately the TomTom 720 did not come through for me where it counted the most - when I was on the job and on a very limited time frame. As a matter of fact it did the opposite of what it was supposed to do it...it got me lost because it could not warn me of a closed road through live traffic updates. I ended up spending 2 hours lost on the back side of the desert trying to find my way home using dirt trails and dusty poorly marked back roads. I took it back the next day.
In summary this is nice unit with plenty of nice features but it is far from perfect and not the best unit for delivery drivers. I would reccomend the Garmin Nuvi 660/680 or the Garmin streetpilot C580 for that type of usage instead. -
"Major bugs detract from an otherwise ok device" on by brbubba
Pros: Large screen, nice voices, FM transmitter
Cons: Complex menu, handsfree horrible, poor visibility in sun
Summary: I really wanted to like this device as my first GPS purchase. At first I found the directions and large screen size to be a big plus and the form factor, while not as small as some, was decent enough for my tastes. It even synced up with my Mac almost flawlessly, which is impressive when most devices these days don't have Mac support.
My first complaint came when I got deeper into the menu and preferences system. There is only one way to describe it, poorly organized and overly complex. It's hard enough to find options while sitting at my desk, forget about doing it while driving. Even trying to navigate the music player while driving is difficult and dangerous. Hands free calling is almost as bad. In addition hands free calls are useless unless your car is silent. Low speaker volume and poor microphone reception don't make for a fun experience. And in addition to that it froze my Sony-Ericsson phone twice, I had to pull the battery to get it to reset, a first for me!!!
When you are paying $500 for a device that has all the bells and whistles I expect those bells and whistles to actually work for me. General GPS navigation seemed fine to me, no complaints there, but the bugs with the other features completely turned me off of this device and TomTom. I returned this unit and will be trying a Garmin next. -
"Addressing the Reviewer's Two "Cons"" on by ecandersonii
Pros: Fantastic Apart from Cons, Below! Great ergonomics, straightforward menu systems and touch screen control.
Cons: Lack of Assistance with BT Data Functions; Inability to Route Hands-Free Through FM or Audio Cable
Summary: The original review complained about two things, the first of which was evidently an oversight by the reviewer, and the other a point of contention but with a potentially surprising upside for those with a little time to sort things out.
First, the lack of an external volume control: This is managed with a quick swipe along the bottom edge of the touch screen with a finger. Easier than fumbling for a dial or knob. It's as "external" as they get. The default can be set in the system configuration, but immediate changes are always conveniently available at the touch screen in "driving mode".
The second complaint was a paucity of supported BT phone models. This requires both a clarification (many will work with the 720 in hands-free audio mode) and a more detailed explanation (lack of specific support in no way means that the "data mode" features of TomTom Plus aren't supported, although phone book transfers may not work).
The 720 uses Bluetooth for three primary functions: 1) hands-free phone operation, 2) phone book transfers from the handset to the 720, and 3) TomTom plus features that require network connections. The latter set includes such things as weather forecasts, direct download of some features, and perhaps most important -- the use of a BT enabled phone to obtain traffic reports. This last is perhaps the most useful BT feature, and obviates the cost and use of the RDM-TMC receiver and its associated issues.
While TomTom has tested and provides simple Bluetooth data connectivity for only a handful of phones, a prospective buyer should not necessarily feel left out just because his/her phone isn't on the list or their provider or phone included in the list automatically supplied on the 720.
I have successfully connected a most unlikely phone (the Nextel iDen i870 by Motorola) through the Sprint/Nextel system. Why did I think this likely?
Fire up your BT enabled phone and using the BT GUI that came with your Bluetooth dongle for your PC, discover your phone and make an inquiry about what services it supports. If your phone reports that it supports the Bluetooth DUN (Dial-Up Networking) profile, and if you have a data plan with your provider, odds are that there's a way to get this phone to do what needs to be done. The trick is to simply lie to the GO 720 during data connect configuration, supply it with something possibly not even remotely close to your own phone type, and then select "Other" when asked for your provider's name. You'll need to know the login name and password that is used by your provider for using your cell phone as a "Bluetooth modem" for dial up networking services.
As an aside -- you can demonstrate whether this will likely be successful in advance -- set up your PC to connect via "Bluetooth modem" for dial-up networking and insist that this connection (not your internal LAN, DSL or cable modem) be used for a connect to the internet. Having provided the appropriate dial-up networking information to your computer, you should be able to fire up your favorite browser and actually bring up (albeit slowly, in many cases) the internet via your cell phone.
IF what I've just described is possible, then a connection of the GO 720 through your cellphone is just as possible. Supply that same dial-up information to the 720 and it is quite likely that the connection will work, enabling the various TomTom Plus services for you.
Hope that was useful to someone out there.Updated
The original reviewer actually had a 3rd complaint which I did not address in my original comments.
The reviewer complained about the alphabetic keyboard, wishing that a QWERTY style keyboard were used instead. As with the external volume control, this would have been an oversight by the reviewer.
One of the GO 720's configuration options ("Keyboard") allows not only your choice of alpha ordered keys (the default), but the QWERTY asked for by the reviewer, and even the Dvorak style keyboard for those that prefer it!Updated
To the user below who was unhappy about the fact that the 720 did not pronounce street names -- a review of the manual may help.
There are two "voice types" available on the 720. One is a set of recorded, live human voices. While very natural sounding, these voices include only about 80 basic words/phrases. The "text to speech" feature requires that you instead select one of the "computer voices". Having done so, you will find that the street names are indeed pronounced, however badly they may sometimes be mangled in the process! For whatever reason, the unit insists that the highway sign on I-25 for Lyons, Colorado, should be pronounced "EL YONS". Perhaps someone fat fingered it and the internal database sees a space between the "L" and the "Y"? -
"Excellent consumer product" on by djnsn
Pros: screen size, keyboard, acquisition time
Cons: SD card install to increase memory is a convuoluted process
Summary: Have now been testing this 720 against a Cadillac CTS factory installed GPS and find:
1. 720 far easier to use
2. Maps much more current with free updates vs Cadillac charge of $500.0
3. screen is just as easy to read as the CTS
4. Recalculation for route recovery fast and seamless.
5. Have a major displacement error in the 720 in that my HOME gps indicator has displaced its marker by 1 street and no amount of effort seems to correct. Will seek TomTom tech support.
Bottom line . . why pay $2000 for an in dash unit that is nowhere as efficient as the 500.0 TomTom portable 720
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