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: Poor navigation in a nice package
Summary: 2 Stars
Loved the features but returned it after one day.
I bought a Tomtom 720 last week and traded it in for a Garmin Nuvi 750 the next day because of the poor routing performance. The features were great--easy to enter destination, display screen thoughtfully designed, good satellite locking.
However:
1. The routing was poor.
Freeway choices were good (but there are not a lot of choices along my routes), but on surface streets, the device suggested strange paths.
2. Estimation of distance to destinations or turns was very poor. The 720 would tell me to turn in 100 yards when in fact the true distance was 6 yards (a problem at 6 way intersections and roundabouts), and strangely would continue telling me to continue driving straight for another 100 yards even when I had arrived at the proper turn.
Similarly, it would tell me to keep driving for another 100 yards or so once I had arrived at a destination.
Even worse, it would give me very bad instructions at destinations; at a confusing intersection near near the Portland airport, it had me turn the wrong way, onto a one way street that forced me back onto a highway. Very bad!
3. Route recalculation was horrible
When I overrode the 720's more bizarre instructions, it would ask me to do a U-turn and continue along the previously suggested, incorrect route, rather than recalculating based on my new position.
The Nuvi 750 has the basic features you'd expect from a higher-end GPS. It also offers 6 million POIs, speaks street names and has a (poor) FM transmitter. But the Tomtom outshines it in the features department: it has bluetooth and can download map and POI information from other Tomtom users. It also costs less than the Garmins--the comparably equipped Nuvi 760 costs around $ 250 more than a Tomtom 720.
However, the Nuvi is much more accurate and has a very bright screen. It recalculates routes faster, and chooses the new routes well. I tested the Nuvi on all of the routes that the Tomtom couldn't handle, and it performed flawlessly.
So the Tomtom was cheaper and more fun, but it didn't cover the basics: telling you how to go, with accurate and easy-to-read instructions. Without that, a GPS isn't really very helpful, regardless of its extra features.
Customer Review: Argh! out of the box
Summary: 3 Stars
This seemed to work when I first got it, then I did the updates and then it didn't work any more. I kept getting a blinking red X and the unit was unusable. It was evening, so calling support was out. I found a tip on the internet about forcing the unit to reinstall:
1. Save everything (just in case). My TomTom backup wasn't working at the time, so I just looked at the drive via my computer (like any external drive), and copied the entire contents into a new folder.
2. Delete all the top-level files (don't delete any folders). You don't have to delete, the .bmp files, which are just images (and I didn't get them all back).
3. Disconnect your device via TomTom HOME or by putting it away.
4. Restart it and reconnect it.
5. TomTom home will tell you you need updates; do them; restart as it tells you to.
6. This put me in Guam, where I was stuck. Then you go into the preferences and change maps back to North America.
Sorting through all that took many hours of my time, so I hope it helps you!
That was a major major frustration... my other frustration so far is that I was going to Montreal and the address had been given to me in English, "University Street". TomTom does not know that name... it knows only "Rue University". Maybe this is to be expected? I find it annoying.
I'll report back after I've actually used this for a trip.
After first trip report: Very happy with the unit. I should probably mention that I'm a first-time GPS user... I was very happy to have this to help me navigate to an unfamiliar city.
The things I don't like are accessory related. I'm glad that I got the TomTom case to safely store this when I remove it from the car. The mounting and the USB port could both be improved. I chose a dashboard mount so that the unit is closer to me, but alas, this does not work well with the USB port... the USB jack sticks out too much from the bottom of the unit. I can't fully adjust the angle, and am forced to leave it slightly upward facing, which means that on a sunny day, it's all glare. In addition to redesigning the USB port to work better in the car (it's designed with the dock primarily in mind, I think), it would be nice if the mount had a longer neck.
Customer Review: I really tried to like the TomTom 720 - but does not hold a candle to the Garmin 660
Summary: 2 Stars
After reading reviews on both the Garmin 660 and TomTom 720, I decided to try both. Today took them on a trip of about 200 miles round trip mounted side by side. There has been a ton of information written about both units, so I won't go into a lot of details.
Bottom line, the TomTom doesn't even come close to the Garmin in usability. Here is a list of a few of the issues I had with the TomTom.
1- Mount is cheap and flimsy.
2- Unit difficult to slip into mount - can't see mounting guide on back of unit to slip the unit on easily.
3- Power plugs into unit, not mount - a pain
4- Tried to route me on a street that didn't exist.
5- Routed me on a street that dead ended, which would not allow me to get to destination.
6- Does not have my local airport listed (Stuart, Florida).
7- Screen washed out in the sunlight - Garmin considerably brighter and sharper.
8- Map details lacking. Had a lot of POI's, but of little use as could not use the icons to navigate to them.
9- TomTom shows turn arrow and highway number, but not name of highway you are going to turn on. Garmin does.
10- Blackberry 8800 would not connect using Bluetooth.
11- Home Connect software installed ok, but TomTom would not connect using the Home Connect software.
12- Has fairly short battery life compared to Garmin.
13- Traffic not included and traffic option requires separate cable that plugs into bottom of unit - a pain.
14- Need a hospital in a hurry? You are out of luck because under "hospitals", the TomTom lists every clinic known to man. It does not identify true hospitals, a major issue in an emergency. The Garmin only lists hospitals.
15- TTS very poor compared to Garmin.
What did I like about the TomTom?
- It has a QWERTY keyboard - the Garmin does not.
- It allows you to display a lot of data on the screen.
Why should you steer clear of the TomTom?
- Very poor screen in sunlight - almost could not read.
- Routing could be a big issue.
- Hospital issue - a major issue to most of us.
Before you buy, try them both side by side in your car. You will be amazed at the difference in the displays.
Customer Review: TomTom is the best car navigation system
Summary: 5 Stars
I received a Tomtom go 720 for Christmas and I have been very impressed. We were vacationing in Ruidoso New Mexico and I was surprised to find that even the un-named dirt roads in that area were on the built-in maps. These were "open" roads through public lands. No one can live out there, yet still the TomTom identified each intersection and told me which way to turn. Amazing...
I have used several GPS systems, both car and handheld types and the Tomtom is the drop dead easiest to use of any I have tried. Even though its simple to use, most things can be modified in the preferences. Want to use a "qwerty" keyboard instead of the default alphabetical one, no problem. Change the symbol of your car, sure. Color schemes, voices, left hand or right handed operation, start up screen, you name it, I think it can be changed. Even though its easy to make these changes, no changes are needed to use the unit.
The routing I have found to be superior to other GPS systems - this is especially true of the built-in units the high end cars sell for $2,000 or more (I have experience with the BMW, Lexus, and Caddy Navigation systems). Sometimes these units come up with some truly weird ways of getting somewhere. IMHO most navigation systems need some help with the routing, but the TomTom needed the least amount of help. Also with the Tomtom it is very easy to modify the route the system comes up with by specifying you want to travel "via" and type the city. TomTom also does require you to specify the exact address you're traveling to, you can easily pick the city center. This is something that the other systems need badly as they make entering the information so difficult in the first place that you only want to enter the bare minimum of information. The other units frequently force you to use the entire address, and then make it difficult to fix a mistake without starting over.
I have yet to use the iPod features of the TomTom, but If those work well, that's just free bonus feature.
The upshot here is that all GPS receivers are going to be similar in accuracy so it's just ease of use and completeness of the maps that make the difference. On both of these marks, the go 720 is way beyond the competition.
Customer Review: The Mercedes of GPS Receivers
Summary: 5 Stars
This GPS really looks cool. With its' thin, sleek, black finish with silver trim. Nice !
The 400 MHz processor is very fast at route calculation. The unit is VERY easy to use and you have all the features you want and need readily at hand.
They gave me the latest map version for free. I just downloaded it using the nice TomTom Home Software and now I am at 710. It is a large download at 1.7GB, but adds quite a bit of detail to your maps. The 710 version maps even include building footprints and excellent park and water detail. They have greatly more detail than the map found on the less expensive TomTom units. Another reason why the TomTom 720 is well worth the extra money.
The SD card slot is extremely handy and you can add any SD card. I put in an 8GB high speed SDHC card it works great giving me tons of room for music ( 100's ) and photos ( 100's ) and extra maps. So, with the 2GB of internal memory and my 8GB card I have 10GB of storage on my TomTom. The TomTom 720 lets you access both the internal memory and the SD card at once and takes the new high capacity cards. The less expensive TomTom units cannot do this, they do not accept high capacity cards, and only allow internal or SD card access, not both. Once gain, another reason why the TomTom 720 is worth a few extra dollars.
The MapShare feature of the TomTom units is a really nice feature that competitors don't have and it a really cool community that let's you receive and send map updates from your unit through the TomTom Home Software. Very nice feature.
The bluetooth feature works very well with my Apple iPhone wireless phone. Making the initial connection was very easy and snag free and the connect automatically whenever they are in range of each other. The audio on the TomTom 720 while on a call is excellent, much louder and clearer than my iPhone speakerphone. Calls can hear me easily and my hands are free and eyes on the road. Very Nice feature. You can call POI phone numbers also with ease.
If you want to own a really nice GPS with excellent looks, good maps, rich feature set, and great PC software to keep your unit up to date, then this is the one. I highly recommend it.