TomTom GO 920
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"Good but needs work" on by ducati748
Pros: No flip-up antenna, desktop cradle, bluetooth, built-in FM transmitter
Cons: No port replicator on window mount, voice recognition, no carrying case,
Summary: Just got this. I was debating between this and the Garmin nuvi 660. A friend has the 660 so I figured I try the TomTom. In terms of navigation accuracy, it's pretty good. Locked in on a gps signal in seconds after turning it on for the first time; I was still in a covered parking structure.
Let's first start with the Pros:
1. Desktop cradle included to link to your computer
2. Slim but not as slim as the nuvi 660 since the TomTom has a curved back.
3. No antenna to flip up like with the 660
4. Multipoint destination
5. Voice activation (doesn't work well but at least it's included)
6. Bluetooth remote control included but TomTom could've created a remote that attaches to the steering wheel. Aftermarket car stereos have this very useful feature.
7. Search address with zipcode. 660 won't allow searches by zip.
8. FM Transmitter is built into the unit, unlike the 660 which is integrated into the car charger. So, with the 920, you don't have to connect it to the charger for FM transmission, unlike the 660.
Cons:
1. Windshield mount does not include port replicators (eg, car charging port). This means that you have to plug the car charger (mini-USB) directly to the unit. On the 660, it plugs into the mount so you don't have to mess with the wires when mounting/dismounting the unit. In addition, the mount only has one ball joint, near the attaching braket. The 660's mount has a ball joint near the attaching bracket and a hinge near the suction cup. With the hinge, you can move your unit up and down and eliminates having to remove the suction cup on the windshield to move it around.
2. Because of Con #1, the unit does not power on automatically when the unit is mounted and the car is started. 660 has this excellent feature.
3. Windshield mount fell off in the first five minutes. My 920 fell and I thought I broke it. I had it mounted near my rearview mirror. I know that the nuvi 350 I had before never fell off but that weighed much less than the 660 or the 920. I didn't use the included windshield mount but if I change my mind on the placement, I'm screwed. My friend doesn't use it on his 660 and never had a problem. I used some water (more like saliva) on the suction cup. I think that'll work.
4. No carrying case included. 660 has an included carrying case.
5. Voice recognition is very poor (that's for entering addresses verbally) and it's fairly limited. And voice activation is only for entering addresses within the same state last entered. You still have to press a button to begin voice activation or change the destination's state. That defeats the whole purpose of voice activation, although TomTom's literature specifies it's only for address entering. Unsuspecting consumers, like myself and others, would think that voice activation would be a little more robust and logical.
6. Auto Dimming feature is way too sensitive. During a partly cloudy/sunny day, the 920 thinks it's night so it's in night mode. If I want to change it to Day mode, it asks me if I want to disable the auto dim mode. If I enter "No," it won't let me get to the Day mode. Hence, I have to enter "Yes" but then it won't automatically go dim when it's night time. The nuvi never had an issue on cloudy days.
7. FM transmitter is weak and volume is very low. Volume for the FM transmitter do not have separate settings for the MP3 player and navigation voice. Also, volume for the FM transmitter and the voice via the unit's speakers cannot be adjusted independently.
8. Quick access to the TomTom Jukebox (mp3 player) via the Music Button on the driving map has a caveat: If other menu options are selected for the "Quick menu preferences," the Music Button becomes the "Quick Menu Button." That means that I you select the FM transmitter or 2D display functions for the "Quick Menu," the Music Button becomes the "Quick menu preferences" button and the TomTom Jukebox button is grouped with the FM transmitter and 2D display buttons on the next screen. 920's manual does not mention this and makes it appear that the music button is always available in the driving map if you select the option.
I've only had this for a day, so I'll edit this review if there's anything else to report. I'm only giving it three stars b/c I feel like it's missing simple features like a port replicator for the windshield mount and very poor voice recognition/execution. As for the mapping accuracy and navigation, it's fine. -
"Excellent Device" on by ProTechCPA
Pros: Full Featured Reliable and Accurate
Cons: No Phone To Auxillary Speakers and No Specific POI By Voice
Summary: I have been using this unit for a few days and I like it a lot. I had the Tom Tom Go 720 for a brief period and replaced it with this unit. If you are considering the 720, spend the extra money. You will not be sorry. I was disappointed with the 720 because, like the 920, even though a 1/8th jack is provided for an external speaker, the unit switches internally back to the built in speaker when using the bluetooth phone feature. I must say that the phone interface is one of my favorite features as I am on the road everyday for my business and handsfree is the only way to go. Both the 720 and the 920 pair fairly easily, but the 920 seemed to be the better of the two. I loved the fact that I can transfer all my contacts from my Motorola Razr2 V9 directly to the hard drive on the units via bluetooth. It only takes a few seconds and my client list is huge. That allows for calling through the GPS without touching the phone. Where the 920 stands head and shoulders above the 720 is that the unit speaker volume sounds twice as loud as the 720. I was having problems hearing the person I was connected with when I had the 720 and that is why I purchased an amplified external speaker, which was of no benefit because the unit reverts back to the rear speaker on calls. Tom Tom should address that issue. The volume on the 920 is so much louder that it is not an issue at all. I actually have to lower the level a couple of notches when listening to directions because it is so loud. The other feature that makes the 920 stand out is the remote. You can do practically everything with the remote and avoid leaning forward to touch the screen when driving. I found on the 720 that I was often dialing the wrong person because it was difficult to be precise while moving and trying to touch the correct name on the screen. The same goes for selecting cities when programming destinations on the fly. The voice activated feature is nice but it usually takes more than one try to make the unit understand which city you want. Another major drawback that could be easily corrected by Tom Tom is the limited compatibility with wireless services for immediate traffic updates and weather. Neither my particular phone or my carrier was supported (I have U S Cellular). I also purchased an alternate mounting device from Tom Tom, a long neck flexible extension that I mounted on my dash, but has a very secure lock down suction base that would work much better that the standard unit on the windshield. This allows me to bring the unit closer so my voice can be better heard through the front microphone. The GPS functions has proved to be accurate and easy to set up. I traveled about 250 miles to Reston, Va recently using interstate going and back roads returning. The Tom Tom was flawless. I always feel much better prepared and without concern when exploring knowing it is handy. Do not leave it in your car overnight though. They do not like extreme temperatures.
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"great, maybe even better than OnStar" on by ang-h-el
Pros: fast, correct
Cons: not found any yet
Summary: After using Garmin Street Pilot for years, my husband got the TomTom Go920 at Costco for $ 399 - what a deal. I have OnStar in my car. So we made a 400 mile trip with my car using Onstar navigation and TomTom Go920. Result - TomTom was faster, more prezise, repeated the directions more frequently. One thing with OnStar was better - clear voice with music volume lowering, thats why I "only" give a 9
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"Not worth the price and map update problem" on by FGJ521
Pros: User friendly
Cons: No map update for Europe; Enhanced Positioning Technology is just not working; and voice recognition is useless.
Summary: I mainly purchased the GO 920 because it came with both North America and Europe maps pre-installed.
Here is the catch: TomTom only offers update for the North American map. If you want to update the European map, you will have to purchase a costly new map. Be careful, Tomtom's web site says otherwise. In fact, they even say that they guarantee the latest maps available.
Moreover, the maps installed are somewhat old (7.1x installed vs. 7.5x currently available) so you can consider that you will have to update both both maps.
Very expensive device for not much return either. Enhanced Positioning Technology is just worthless in downtown situations (at least in Montreal and Toronto). And voice recognition is just not useful when you are driving.
Better think twice if you're going to spend that much money. Personaly, I am taking it back to the store. -
"Many more ups than downs" on by Vinnie_D
Pros: Very solid GPS unit, well designed, great feature set.
Cons: Quirky computer sync software, European TMC traffic antenna not included and must be purchased separately.
Summary: I did my research on a new GPS after my Navigon 5000 died in less than 6 months from purchase. My requirements were simple;
1. A good GPS unit.
2. User friendly interface with aesthetically pleasing design, maps and interface.
3. US and Europe maps because I am in the Air Force stationed in Germany and travel frequently back to the states.
4. TMC-RDS traffic capability which is free and robust throughout Europe
5. European speed camera POI database
Homework. My research to include user ratings narrowed my choice down to two units; the TomTom GO 920T and the Garmin Nuvi 660. The main reason I went with the TomTom GO 920T besides getting it on sale for over $200 off tomtom’s MSRP were its features and design that met more of my requirements. I have had my TomTom GO 920T for 2 days now and am overall very happy with my purchase but I wanted provide some good-bad data points for you to consider prior to purchasing yours.
Good. The TomTom GO 920T is an awesome looking unit that is well constructed. The window mount (compared to my Navigon 5000) is very simple, sturdy, stylish, and small, it secures the GPS unit with very well and with ease. The software provided, exceeded my expectations (again in comparison to my Navigon), it allows you to update your maps, POI database, software, download voices and choose your GPS user preferences like your home location, but it’s operation is somewhat glitchy (see bad in the next para.). The desktop cradle is very good quality and allows easing charging/syncing with my computer and the internet. The TMC-RDS is awesome here in Europe and a must have once you get the right antenna (see bad para.) The GPS sync took about 3 minutes the first time turned it on but only takes 30-45 seconds on average for subsequent startups. The user preference menu is awesome and very extensive allowing you to set up the quick reference menu and bottom menu bar how you want them to look and feel. When you press the GPS strength bar it displays the battery meter, number and strength of satellites signals receiving and lat/long coordinates that you can display in mins/secs and decimal format. The “help me” icon is truly amazing, it displays verbatim “I am on xxxxx street between xxxxx street and xxxxx boulevard”; awesome when you might be in shock from an accident and need to phone this info in. It also offers a few other sub-menu icons like walk to or drive to the closest hospital, public tranpo, police station, auto repair, gas station, vet, etc. The enhanced positioning Technology is awesome, this allows your GPS unit to keep your position moving down the road and voice upcoming turns even when you don’t have a GPS signal, like in a tunnel. You normally only find this feature in GPS units that are built into the car.
Bad. When I put the TomTom GO 920T to the test for the first time, everything worked great except the TMC-RDS feature. I plugged in the antennal that came in the box and a message came up on the GPS screen stating “the TMC antenna was not compatible with the map selected”. Like I stated earlier, I am stationed in Germany so the Europe map was being displayed. So I called the TomTom 1-866 number and explained the problem. They said that because I purchased the unit from a US vendor, the system comes with a US TMC antenna that works on a different frequency than the one in Europe. They said that if I wanted TMC-RDS traffic updates in Europe, I would have to purchase a European capable antenna. So for an additional $60, I now have both antennas. Buyers Beware – there are 2 separate antennas and you will have to purchase the other one you don’t have if you travel between continents. The European antenna costs about half the price of the US one. So if you want both, I would recommend buying the 920T US version. I highlighted to TomTom customer support that I felt this was misleading and false advertising because nowhere is it stated anywhere on the TomTom website, the box or literature provided with the unit does it state that there is a US frequency antenna and a Europe frequency antenna. They didn’t seem to really care and said I could purchase the European antenna if I wanted TMC-RDS in Germany. Bad customer relations if you ask me.
Like I stated in the good paragraph, the software that I loaded on my computer had quite a few glitches the first time I used it. When syncing it with my TomTom, I received multiple error codes but most were actually solved by selecting the back key and letting the software restart. Somewhat annoying considering the price of this unit but still workable. Other bads; no case, I purchased a third party case, a Covertec Universal GPS Nylon and Neoprene case for GPS with 4.3" LCD - Size 3" for $19.99, it’s a great, high quality case that doesn’t appear to have the same “zipper problems” user reviews highlighted a flaw in the TomTom case.
Other/Summary. There a lot of gadgets on this device that I will probably never use, like the remote (I mean come on people the thing is within arm reach), picture viewer, MP3 player. I will probably try out the FM transmitter and Bluetooth phone sync eventually but it’s not why I bought this GPS. I bought it because it is truly the best GPS device that had all the features I wanted and then some. So in conclusion, I highly recommend the TomTom GO 920T, I am more than satisfied and my wife loves its ease of use.
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