TomTom GO 720 4.3-Inch Widescreen Bluetooth Portable GPS Navigator
by TomTom
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Digital Cameras Photo Reviews of TomTom GO 720 4.3-Inch Widescreen Bluetooth Portable GPS Navigator
Customer Review: TomTom GO 720 is a winner!
Summary: 5 Stars
I bought this and returned the Navigon 7100 (see my review on the 7100, which was 4 star).
The reason I initially decided to try this unit was the ability to update the maps by connecting to my computer and then to their website. This of course is a great feature - it allows me to get map corrections on a regular basis, plus loading photos, music, and backing up everything to my computer (and downloading new voices, etc etc). What I did not expect was the software updates... WOW! New features suddenly appeared! Really nice ones.
Once I started playing around with the unit, it became clear that they had a much better user interface than the Navigon - one simple enough that you really didn't need a user's manual to use, with a few rare exceptions for uncommon functions I actually have never used (but played with). Bravo to TomTom for a great user interface!
For images, if you upload larger images, you can zoom in and drag the image around to look at the details. Somewhat like an iPhone, but for zooming, press the + in the upper right corner to zoom in, or - in the upper left corner to zoom out. Very nice!
I like the way the cell phone connection is automatic, and that you can transfer your contact list to select from on the touch-screen. However, what they don't allow at this time is to use the voice command function of the phone - i.e., you can't connect to the phone unless you provide a number to dial, either manually, or by selecting from the contact list. I hope they add this feature in the future.
I like the "quick menu" feature - access by a single touch to selected menu items. I like the graphic menu - a set of icons with text - very large, easy to see, no problem accidentally touching the wrong one. I like the compass display - you can configure it under settings in different ways. I like the "avoid" capability - where you can set it to avoid certain routes.
There are a number of features I can't use, which require a data connection in my phone. This includes weather and traffic updates, fuel prices, and buddies. I plan to purchase an iPhone, and hope it will work with that... if so, that will add to the functionality significantly.
The speed of acquiring GPS, and the 5-bar signal strength indicator are very helpful. This unit is sensitive enough to work even in some parking garages, and in most homes with wood construction.
The display brightness can be set to automatically adjust to the light level - very nice. You can browse the map, and view the map in 3D or 2D. You can make map corrections, which will get uploaded the next time you connect to your computer. You can download maps you need into the unit (such as a Europe map, if you plan to travel to Europe). Multiple language support as well (I only use English, but you can also have British and Austrailian voices if you wish - also male or female).
Overall, a great buy - highly recommended!
Customer Review: Saved me on the road
Summary: 5 Stars
I borrowed the Garmins 350 and 360, very good units, simple to use etc.
However after much research and use of an older TT One. Based on feedback on this site and others I decided to acquire the TT 720 as I wanted the steets names with directions.
I waited for the 720 to come on sale, acquired for $340 w/shipping. Just got back from a 7000 mile trip. Best purchase I made in an electronic device. It made driving on busy freeways much less stressful. It gave us advance information which lanes I should follow on multi-lane/highways. Thats a huge plus when traveling unknown areas, especially in heavy traffic. Not sure if Garmins do this, as the ones I used were never exposed to this scenario.
I quite frankly wouldn't travel in unknown areas again without a GPS again.
I don't need or use blue-tooth, weather, traffic info, however it available if you need it.
It has a neat feature, which allows you to quickly select your current position (1 step return arrow) as a return POI. No need to program street, city etc.
We found this feature great when its dark, late and your tired and you wish to return to your motel etc. I'm sure others may have a similar feature.
Super impressed with tech service, made 5 phone calls, answered within 2 minutes, and someone I could understand, maybe I was lucky. I made an error when I attempted to update the map, it already came with the most current version.
The download took hours, which was the only hassle I had with the unit.
It comes with a selection of different voice, however to get the street name feature, your restricted to 1 or 2 voice signatures, a none issue with me.
I also highly recommend the larger screen (720 has), the smaller one will do just find if your able to locate/position close to your line of vision. I tend to refer to the information displayed while driving and prefer not to have the unit in my line of sight.
Interface, once downloaded has a very user friendly menu.
I have over 6 million POI, but during our travel, many well known attractions were missing. I plan to download from one of the sites which TT informed was safe and recommended.
For those that are concerned about adding changes to planned routes which Garmins tend to be limited to one re-route. I though this would be a necessary feature I would need/want, however during this trip, that feature was not as important as I innately assumed. You can just use points/towns/cities from paper maps and input as favories/POI and then bring them up as you progress on your route. If you prefer to plan your whole route in advance then this unit is more than capable.
On long trips, IMO you still need paper maps to outline your trip to retain interstate travel. The GPS will get you there, but it may be down secondary/state roads etc.
Customer Review: Undependable
Summary: 1 Stars
Tomtom must have a large team of viral marketers writing positive reviews here and on other websites. That's the only explanation for its positive average rating. My advice: BELIEVE the bad reviews. Those are the REAL ones. DO NOT BELIEVE the positive reviews. Those are the ones written by Tomtom employees.
Now on to the real issues with ALL Tomtom GPSs:
1. Paid updates
Forget about the "latest map update guarantee". It will not be up-to-date enough to include the latest routes/bridges/etc in your area which ARE ALREADY BUILT AND IN USE. By the time Tomtom includes those in their maps your "guarantee" will be expired and you'll have to PURCHASE the latest version of the map. Have you ever felt RIPPED OFF? Buy a Tomtom GPS and you certainly will.
2. Drifting
Drifting is positioning fluctuation when navigating with your GPS. Let's suppose you're stopped in a red light. Drifting is when your GPS screens starts shifting around like you're on a hot air balloon swinging heavily sideways and/or back and forth. Tomtom GPSs have unbearable drifting.
3. Satellite lock time
Tomtom will tell you its lock on to the satellites and therefore readiness for GPS navigation takes seconds. But wait, that's ONLY IF YOU REMEMBER TO CONNECT YOUR GPS TO THE INTERNET BEFORE USING IT. That's right, in order to get a fast satellite lock time, you have to download a certain "GPS QUICKFIX" file from Tomtom, otherwise it will take up to 15 minutes to lock and be ready to navigate. So much for saving precious time huh? And what about saving time in an emergency situation? If you forgot to connect your unit to the internet and update it, forget it.
4. Street name search
Stupidest algorithm I've ever seen. Just typing a part of the name (let's say the easiest part) won't do the trick, you have to enter the street name EXACTLY in the order it appears or you'll risk not finding it. Charming.
5. Outdated speedcam warnings
That speedcam which has been removed will still be there for a long time. The new speedcams will give you enough tickets to pay for a new GPS over and over.
6. Mounting cup will wear off in no time
The standard mounting kit which comes with the GPS will wear off in a very short time - I don't use mine all that much and yet it woudn't stick to the windshield after less than a year. Just unbelieveble. Of course a replacement, especially one that's a little more efficient than the original (which is disposable) isn't cheap AT ALL.
7. The GPS often wants me to go the wrong way on one way streets, and has absolutely no regard to dangerous areas which should be avoided.
Today I had an emergency that showed the Tomtom dependability (or lack thereof) in vivid colors. I don't ever want to go through the kind of aggravation I'm subject to when using this unit. Stay away from Tomtom, as far away as you can.
Customer Review: The Only Review You'll Need for the 720
Summary: 4 Stars
I want to make this short and sweet. Let's start with some pros:
PROS: Straight out of the box, you can start using the 720. A quick 2 minute set-up and you're ready to go. I bought my 720 on November 25, 2007 and the maps are very accurate and up-to-date. The 720 comes with one free map update that you can use within a month of purchase to get the latest map additions. MapShare is a great feature and allows you to share map corrections with others people in your area. The menus and interface are excellent (better than Garmin in my opinion) and the speaker is great. The auto re-route feature is excellent as well(in case you miss a turn, run into traffic, or purposely go a different route). I personally love being able to add POI (Point of Interest) and the computer will say them. I added a couple of "speed limit change" reminders as a POI and the 720 will tell me when I am approaching the location. It is also very easy to find a gas station, movie theater, ect.. while driving (please be careful while doing it). The hands-free calling works with any bluetooth enabled phone and makes talking while driving MUCH safer and easier. The ability to hook-up the iPod is also a great feature that you can utilize (with the proper hook-ups). Now for the Cons....
CONS: Let's start with the Bluetooth/hands free calling. While it's true you can perform handsfree calling, not all phones allow you to connect and use certain features, such as uploading your phonebook, getting traffic and weather updates, having the computer read your text messages, email, ect,.. In fact, only 3 Sprint phones are compatible with the 720 for these features. I'm not sure which phones are, but I believe the TomTom website lists the compatible phones. Your best bet is to go to your local GPS retailer and play with the demo to see if it's compatible (just go through the set-up steps and see if your phone works, only takes a minute). Next, the 720 did give me a wrong turn in one instance that actually would have cost me almost 10 minutes in extra driving, luckily I didn't listen to it. I hear all GPS units make a few errors with directions, so what can you do. Third, to use the iPod you need to buy an extra cable (you can get this off of ebay for about $20) and the quality is not the greatest if you plan on having the volume up loud. Also, the interface between the 720 and your iPod are not all there. As far as the maps and POIs, there are no Quiktrips listed which I find odd since it's a very large gas station chain so it makes me wonder what other POIs are missing from the GPS, but that's where MapShare comes in handy.
If you can get past the screwy iPod connectivity and the phone conectivity, you have a really good GPS unit on your hands and probably the best in it's class for what it offers. If you have any specific questions I would be glad to help, just email me at ceosblake@yahoo.com
Customer Review: Death of the unit after warranty expired
Summary: 2 Stars
At the time of purchase I wanted a "top of the line" unit. In fact I just needed 4.3" screen and text to speech and paid top bucks for features that are now standard. I paid $500 in September 2007. I expected many years of service in return for the hefty price tag. At least there was a solid 2 years warranty on the unit as the store told me. WRONG. When I needed the warranty I went on the web and found out that Tom Tom America was just in between switching their warranty policies to make them more local. Go 710 (or a unit bough before certain date early in 2007) still carries 2 years warranty. Starting with Go 720 you are cut short. The store, of course, was not updated on this issue and I was mistakingly let to believe the warranty was solid. Boy, I needed the warranty. Now I am stuck with a dead body after less then two years of service (the date of review is 8 months later).
At first, shortly before the first year was over the unit started turning blank while in usage. It was still giving directions but the screen went blank. You tapped the screen and the picture vent on. Then after some 15 seconds it started dying again. You tapped it. Again. Again. It was an intermittent issue. Some days it still worked fine and then it turned bad again. I missed my chance to have it serviced back then as I was relying on the ...bullet proof 2 years warranty. It was VERY annoying but still drivable. Thus I failed to have it serviced. Now it is gone.
Come on TomTom!!! $500 for less than two years of UNRELIABLE service?!
As other users complain, the battery started dying soon in the life of the unit. You HAD TO plug it in. (There was no way to use it as a standalone unit like you wanted WALK with it downtown.)
Of course it did not hold on the windshield. Right in the middle of a dangerous turn it could fall on you. And into dangerous turns it drove you. In downtown Boston it sent me round the circle (as I refused to turn into one way in the wrong direction the device wanted to drive me). It indicated turns LATE and then you could have LONG detours to make up for.
I am giving it two stars for the following saving graces:
Fast on the fly recalculations and re-routing.
The screen was bright visible in all conditions (when it worked).
Regarding the battery somewhere I saw a d-i-y instructable for replacing the battery. I think it was for older Go units but this useless unit can now be ripped with no loss anyway. There is a regular li-on battery that is pretty much standard for any electronics of this type.
TomTom is grasping with this "calculated obsolescence". Taking lead from Apple, Amazon Kindle II and similar. BAD.