HP TouchSmart. Touch the future now.
- Average user rating: 2.5 stars out of 23 reviews Back to product review
- My rating: 0 stars
Full user review
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7 out of 8 people found this review helpful
4.0 stars
"Nice device, but the new features are not worth. Get TomTom 920 instead and save money"
Pros: Excellent price to value GPS device, tones of features, customizable.
Cons: Lane's feature never worked, IQ rotes feature doesn't make sence. Some minor routing issues.
Summary: I bought this device based on the number of features included and the price that made more sense than comparable Garmin models that cost more and still missed some of the features that TomTom 930 has. Despite my high satisfaction with this model, I highly urge to consider twice this model because of the IQ rotes and Advances Lanes features (these are the only features that TomTom 930 model has and 920 model doesn't). Lanes have never shown up in Toronto and Montreal downtowns and major roads and highways, and with IQ rotes disabled I got excellent rote calculations anyway. To test routing abilities I tested rotes that I already know very well.
Considering that rotes are calculated very well with no IQ feature, why would I ever turn it on? I actually wouldn?t, because when I called TomTom customer service they explained that calculation for IQ rotes is based on customers' feedback (though it was advertised as it was done based on historical traffic info). Customer services also said that the lane feature is new and they are still adding maps for them. So both features seem to be in progress and currently it doesn't make much sense to have them.
Here is a quick list of pros and cons:
PROS:
1. Very rich functionality and it is very customizable. I've seen some complains about menus and usability in other TomTom reviews. The high number of customization features allows you to change a lot in how you see maps, use this device in general and some customizations of menus as well. So I don't see any problems here.
2. Music and FM transmission quality works nice, and I heard complains about the quality of these features in Garmin models.
3. In general Routing worked very well, I tested it with IQ rotes feature disabled. See cons section for some minor issues.
4. Voice directions are very useful and timely.
5. You get European maps included, which I didn't see in other GPS models.
6. You get big (4 GB) memory compared to other models, but keep in mind that it is mostly filled with maps. If you live in North America you can try to temporarily remove European (and vice versa). American maps are about 2 GB and European ones are about 1.5 GB
CONS:
1. The IQ rotes and advanced lanes features don't make sense.
2. Some small local roads are missing on the map (for example those on plazas and in townhouse complexes), even though those roads have been there for many years.
3. For some reason on several occasions the device would miss to route by making left turns, on the roads that I know for 4+ years. Not a big pain though, because it happened only on smaller streets and the way around wasn't too long.
4. Voice recognition feature isn't working fine, though it might be because of my accent
5. It takes about 3-4 taps to get from directions view to the music player. I didn't find a workaround/customization for this yet...
SUMMARY:
I see too many good things to be disappointed in some small, in my view, concerns. I'm not going to exchange this model for 920 because of the time it will take to find a good deal (regular price is higher than the deal I've got the 930 model for), and time it takes to return this one and to buy the new one. But for those who are just about to get a new TomTom 930 device - 920 is the way to go, unless you want to bet on the future of the updates that TomTom will do for IQ rotes and the advanced lane features.Updated
I bought this device based on the number of features included and the price that made more sense than comparable Garmin models that cost more and still missed some of the features that TomTom 930 has. Despite my high satisfaction with this model, I highly urge to consider twice buying it because of the questionable IQ routes and Advances Lanes features (these are the only features previous model 920 model doesn't have compared to 930). No lanes ever shown up on display in Toronto and Montreal downtowns and major roads and highways, and with IQ routes disabled I got excellent route calculations anyway. To test routing abilities I tested routes that I already know very well.
Considering that routes are calculated very well with no IQ feature, why would I ever turn it on? I actually wouldn?t, because when I called TomTom customer service they explained that calculation for IQ routes is based on customers' feedback (though it was advertised as it was done based on historical traffic info). The customer service personal also said that the lane feature is new and they are still adding maps for them. So both features seem to be in progress and currently it doesn't make much sense to have them at this point of time.
Here is a quick list of pros and cons:
PROS:
1. Very rich functionality and it is very customizable. I've seen some complains about menus and usability in other TomTom reviews. The high number of customization features allows you to change a lot in how you see maps, use this device in general and some customizations of menus as well. So I don't see any problems here.
2. Music and FM transmission quality works nice, and I heard complains about the quality of these features in Garmin models.
3. In general Routing worked very well, I tested it with IQ routes feature disabled. See cons section for some minor issues.
4. Voice directions are very useful and timely.
5. You get European maps included, which I didn't see in other GPS models.
6. You get big (4GB) memory compared to other models, but keep in mind that it is mostly filled with maps. If you live in North America you can try to temporarily remove European (and vice versa). American maps are about 2 GB and European ones are about 1.5 GB
CONS:
1. The IQ routes and advanced lanes features don't make sense.
2. Some small local roads are missing on the map (for example those on plazas and in townhouse complexes), even though those roads have been there for many years.
3. For some reason on several occasions the device would miss logical left turns, and instead would ask you circle a bit. Not a big pain though, because it happened only on smaller streets and the way around wasn't too long.
4. Voice recognition feature didn?t work well for me, however it might be because of my accent
5. It takes about 3-4 taps to get from directions view to the music player. I didn't find a workaround/customization for this yet...
SUMMARY:
I see too many good things to be disappointed in some small, in my view, concerns. For those who are just about to get a new TomTom 930 device ? I think 920 is the better alternative, unless you want to bet on the future of the updates that TomTom will do for IQ routes and the advanced lane features.Updated
Nice device, some features are promises yet to be met
Where to buy
TomTom GO 930 GPS:
$239.00 - $499.99
| store | price | in stock? | rating |
|---|---|---|---|
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$239.00 | Yes |
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Amazon.com Marketplace
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$499.99 | See Site |
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