After weeks of research, reading reviews, and comparison shopping between the Lowrane IWay 500c, the Garmin StreetPilot 2270, and the Tomtom go 700, I finally decided to plunk down $800 for the Tomtom Go 700. Following a week of use including a roundtrip from Sacramento to LA, here are some of my findings.


Pros:
Start-up time is quick. It typically only took 10-15 seconds to start up and an additional 10 seconds to accurately find my position. I imagine the 12 receivers help to find your position fairly accurately and quickly should a couple satellite signals be too weak or not within line of sight of the unit.

The user interface is fantastic. The layout of icons and and GUI is very intuitive. It's easy to save destinations, POIs, adjust your preferences etc.

The audio cues are great too. Audio output from the speaker is amazingly clear, and the language selections are extremely comprehensive.

The predictive text feature is also very accurate although sometimes you may get two results. For example, if you type in Walnut Street, you might get two options N. Walnut and S. Walnut, traditional maps or even addresses of businesses often times do not make this distinction (which isn't necessarily their fault) When I looked at the street signs at the intersection, the sign simply said "Walnut Street."

The 3D map is helpful for gauging future turns and provides a better perspective than your typical 2D or bird's eye view of the map.

If you are able to pair your cell phone using the integrated Bluetooth feature on the Tomtom go, you'll find that the hands free audio quality is impressive as well.

Another big benefit is that the Tomtom Go 700 is truly portable. Since there is a battery in the unit you can take it with you on walks while on vacation through San Francisco, NYC, etc. The Garmin StreetPilot 2270 or the Lowrance Iway 500c do not have this feature.


Cons:
I found the maps to be slightly outdated. It's my understanding that the maps used by Magellan and Garmin are more recent and tend to be more accurate.

The Tomtom 700 does not have WAAS (Wide Area Augmentation System), which provides a more accurate position within 3 meters. Sometimes after starting the Tomtom 700 on the freeway,it would tell me that I was on a suface street close-by and parallel to the freeway. The Garmin StreetPilot 2270 does have WAAS.

I live in California and most of our exits are labeled with street names, not exit numbers. Unfortunately this is one of the major flaws with the Tomtom systems as often times they only provide an exit number and not a street name. There were times where it did offer both, but having the street exit names in the map database would be helpful to me.

As with many other GPS navigation systems, the Tomtom's screen tends to get washed out in direct sunlight. It's not unreadable, but direct sun will definitely hinder your ability to quicly glance at the display and read any helpful information or prompts.

The POI database is fairly comprehensive but there were exits along my trip to LA that did not list gas stations close by where I could visibly see gas stations present. Also it's fairly difficult to search for a particular store or restaurant since when you select the POI database it lists POIs in increasing distance based on your present geographic location or city center. Not the easiest way of finding what you want when you know where you want to go.

The assisted satellite navigation (ASN) feature is pretty much useless as on the satellite signal, the GPS system display's you going in all sorts of directiosn until you're out of the tunnel.


Conclusion:
I found the Tomtom 700 to be a competent automobile GPS system, however if you're considering buying it, I'd select the Tomtom Go 300 instead as the only feature it's missing is the hard drive and ability to control via the wireless remote which is an option with the 700 model. With the 300 you still get the entire map database of the US compressed into a SD card, where as with the Tomtom 700 it takes a long time to back up the map database to your personal computer and it takes a vast amount of hard drive space (3.5GB). The 300 also has a slightly slower processor but I expect performance to be fairly comprable to the 700 model.

I for one will probably exchange my 700 for a 300 model or wait and hope that Garmin comes out with a battery powered model with an integrated speaker to suceed the Streetpilot 2270 in a few months.

Tom Tom is one of the newer GPS makers to do business in the US, and I was very pleased to get a chance to try out the GO 700.

First, a discussion of basic usability: it's very good! The box promises that you can just turn it on and go, and it's true. You don't need to hook it up to a computer first, and there is no aggravating "activation" step.

The user interface is very different than what I am used to from competing products, being as it is all touch-screen aside from the power button. The tasks and various preferences are also arranged differently than I am accustomed to. Not that it's bad . . . just different. It is at least the equal of its major competitors in ease of use, and probably better in customizability, such as map colors.

Speaking of the map, it has a pleasant smooth scroll as you drive, and an easy to read 3d perspective mode. All of the text is sharp and readable, though some fiddly bits like satellite status numbers are rather small.

The windshield sucker mount is great. It's the best I have seen on such a product and it may even be better than my trusty old RAM mount.

The built-in Bluetooth speakerphone should work with most Bluetooth mobile phones. It did not have a problem with my Sony Ericsson S710a, which is relatively new as of this writing. Sound quality for both parties is quite good, but there is no support for my phone's voice dialing and answering features-I suspect that all phones with voice dialing will suffer this way. But fortunately the GO 700 will grab your phone's address book and let you choose a number from it on the touch screen, which is an adequate compromise for the lack of voice dialing. Answering (or rejecting) a call is just a matter of pushing a big button that pops up when a call is coming in.

So that's all good, but there are two other very neat things about the GO 700. For one, the voices. They are very clear and high-quality, noticeably better than anything else I have heard in a car GPS. You can purchase additional fun voices from the TomTom web site, if you want. One of them is even John Cleese, though it will cost you about $10 to get him. The other voices are about $5.

The other simple yet very pleasant feature is the built-in rechargeable battery. When fully charged off the included auto adapter, the GO 700 will run for a few hours all by itself. That means you can take it for a walk in the city, or grab it for a trip in someone else's car without worrying about power.

Speaking of trips, I would put the quality of the routing and verbal directions on par with everything else I have tried. Honestly, all the major makers seem to do a good job with this. Of course for any GPS product there is local variation in the quality of the maps, but in my area (around Seattle and Los Angeles) the GO 700 is fine though I did not get a chance to test LA freeway exits much. Quality of the GPS receiver seems to be very good.

On the down side, we have the screen. I have read other reviews that state it is unusable in sunlight, but I find that to be an exaggeration. There is certainly a drop in contrast, moreso than I see in the big competitors, but I find the screen to remain usable in all lighting conditions, even direct sunlight. I would not rule the GO 700 out for this reason, but it is something to be aware of.

What about reliability? Well, no problems so far. The device uses a 2.5 GB hard drive, not flash memory. Hard drives can die, so caveat emptor.

Now, a big part of the Tom Tom offering is their "plus" service, which is premium downloads straight to your GPS over your mobile phone. That's points of interest, voices, extra maps, and real-time traffic information. Pretty cool, but this service is not for everyone. For one, you need a GSM mobile phone and an active data account... that's at least an extra $20 on your phone bill. For another, the services themselves are not cheap. A yearly subscription to UK traffic is over $60, and American traffic data is not even available yet. Same with POIs . . . UK safety cameras are over $70 for a yearly subscription. I didn't see any US POIs.

Now for a constant business driver, that could be worth it... but if your main use for a GPS is to not get lost when driving to some new spot across town, these advanced data features are not worth their additional cost. And more to the point, they aren't even available in the US. (Tom Tom is a European company, but I had hoped they would have better data support for their US customers.)

Speaking of POIs, this is where I found my one and only "hate it!" issue. You can't look up POIs by name alone. You must specify a category first. So is that big museum downtown a, uh, Museum? Cultural Center? Exhibition Center? Or maybe a Tourist Attraction? You won't know until you search each of those categories.

Lastly, the included PC software will let you back up your settings to your PC. (The GO 700 shows up like a USB drive under Windows.) By the way, if the thought of downloading a high-quality voice over your mobile phone data connection freaks you out, you can do Tom Tom Plus data transfers through your PC instead.

Other than the disappointing Plus services, I was pretty impressed with the GO 700. The quality of the hardware and software is very good, and it works as advertised. The next time I have to recommend a car GPS to someone, the Tom Tom GO series will be a serious contender.

I bought a TomTom 700 from a local wholesale club and took it back after a week.
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br /There were a lot of things I liked about the unit. The 3D graphics were good, and its size was appealing. Its offline navigation software runs on PC or Mac, although product firmware updates were available only PC.
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br /The unit has a suction-cup mount that worked well and has a rechargeable battery so that it doesn't have to have to be plugged in all the time, especially for short trips.
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br /The major flaw in the device is locating destinations. In some cases the device could not locate the destination by address at all, and in other cases it would incorrectly misidentify the location as being several blocks away. The audible directions were also confusing, though the display always seemed to give pretty good guidance on turns, etc.
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br /The maps were missing some major roads in my area that have been around for at least 5 or more years. When I looked for updates on the website, I noticed, first of all, that prices were in Euros. That makes me wonder if this product is just emerging in the U.S. and whether or not TomTom is equipped to support U.S. customers.
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br /While perusing their site, I also noticed their website indicated map updates would be available in 2006. If the older map updates on their website are any indication, updating the North America maps will be pretty expensive.
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br /Another annoyance is that one has to set the clock manually on the device. GPS works by using propagation delays on atomic clocks, so it baffles me why the device needs me to program in the current time.
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br /I bought a Garmin StreetPilot 2720 (which can be found for about the same price, maybe a few dollars more) after taking this unit back, and I recommend Garmon to others considering this product. It offers the following advantages over TomTom:
br /* More accurate maps and navigation
br /* Clear voice instructions with better text-to-speech navigation ("Turn right on Elm Street")
br /* A great trip meter that gives miles traveled, current speed, and elevation
br /* A display more readable in bright light that automatically adjusts its settings at night
br /* Easier route planning
br /* Remote control included
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br /The Garmin has only a couple downsides compared to the TomTom
br /* No battery
br /* No built-in speaker. Its speaker is attached to the dc power adapter.
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br /The TomTom 700 has a lot of potential, and I believe it will be a serious contender in the U.S. market in a few years. For now, though, you'll want to look elsewhere.

Evaluation of the TomTom Go 700 GPS

I have owned a Lowrance I-Way 500C for about 11 months. I have been extremely happy with the I-Way until the unit recently developed a problem with the touch screen. I returned the unit for repairs and thought this would be an excellent opportunity to evaluate the TomTom, since it had been given some pretty nice reviews and we were leaving on a 10 day trip.

I have read that a lot of folks thought tech support was not responsive. I did not find that to be the case. Tech support responded to my question in a reasonable time, about 24 hours. I did not like their response, but they did respond. Here is the exchange.

To technical support:
I just purchased the 700. So far I like the unit but when traveling, I very frequently need to find a bank or ATM. I find no POI category for banks/atm's on the 700.
Is this an oversight or am I doing something wrong?
Surely this is not an intentional omission.
Thanks,

Dear Mr.
Thank you for contacting TomTom Customer Support. Due to the great demand for our products, we were not able to answer your mail sooner. Please accept our apologies for the delay. We do not provide ATM POIs yet. However, lots of websites on the net offer a wide variety of POIs online. We hope we have answered your question. If not, please contact us again.
With best regards,
The TomTom Customer Support Team

Below are my findings after using the unit for about a week.

The first hour that I used the unit I was quite pleased. The audio is great and the turn by turn instructions when accurate are better than most. The Bluetooth cell phone function turned out to be an unexpected positive.
However, once I started to navigate using the unit, glaring deficiencies became evident. Although the unit has a few nice features, bad design and major deficiencies far outweigh any positive features. Below are the problems I found using the unit.

1) Has no WAAS

2) Cannot receive (display) altitude data

3) Time does not set using satellite data, you have to set time manually - a pain when driving through different time zones

4) Other units I have used use the Naviteq databases which are definitely better, more detail and more accurate than the database used in the TomTom (TeleAtlas)

5) POI's must be accessed using categories. There is no ability to find a destination by name. This is a Major Deficiency

6) POI categories are sparse and not pertinent to US users. Example, when is the last time you needed to find an embassy? Embassy's are listed, however if you need a bank or ATM, you are out of luck (see letter to tech support). On our trip for example, we were in Ashville NC. We wanted to visit the Biltmore Estate. There was no way to put that destination into the GPS

7) Screen washes out in most daylight conditions - worse than most - screen not bright

8) Screen display much smaller than other 3 1/2" units. This because data is displayed at the bottom of the screen which takes up about 25% of the screen. This data cannot be made transparent or eliminated which reduces the usable map display considerably

9) Many roads are not in database including major interstates, I-185 out of Greenville SC for example.
More than once the unit "got lost", became confused and left the user clueless on how to navigate. A few times, the unit tried to have me turn on roads that did not exist. A few reviewers have said they expect some roads to be missing. Those reviewers are more forgiving than me. I don't expect a GPS to miss much and certainly don't expect to receive wrong directions or directions that are sometimes dangerous

10) Unlike other GPS units, the map display does not show much detail - i.e.; lakes, rivers, airports etc. Most other GPS units give a good overall view of the terrain. And this is in the non-3D mode on the TomTom. The 3D mode is even worse.

11) When trying to set the map display scale by using the (+ -) on the display, the screen automatically goes back to a factory preset scale in a few seconds, not allowing the user to keep the scale chosen

12) The remote control is not included and a $50.00 extra

13) The CD that comes with the unit will not install properly (Windows XP)

This is not meant to be offensive to any previous reviewer, but to give this unit a good review tells me that the reviewer is not familiar with other GPS units on the market.

Don't buy the TomTom. To say it is not ready for the US market or any market for that matter would be a gross understatement. It has so many deficiencies that I believe the company should do a complete revamp of the software and choice of mapping database.

Final conclusion - the TomTom Go 700 is a NO-GO

I am in Michigan and I used this instrument to guide to Rock Financial Center in Novi near Detroit. This is a very famous place in Detroit area. This instrument just guided me to get off the I-96 at exit 160 and "make a sharp right turn and another right turn". Actually there is no way to do this except to off road. The whole area was well established more than 20 years. I do not know what kind of map system TOMTOM uses. I have to call this instrument a lethal weapon because it has asked me to do off road for many time. Maybe it is designed specifically for SUV.
br /By the way, its customer services is unacceptably mean.

I have owned this product for about 4 months. It works reasonably well for the US business trips I take, but I would not purchase it again. I am travelling to Australia in July, and as far as I can tell, there is no map available for Australia for the Tom Tom Go 700. The map of Australia on their web site is priced at an astonishing Euros 199, but doesn't appear to work on the 700.
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br /My screen almost immediately developed what appears to be a stain under the touch screen. On-line support is not very comprehensive or helpful. I have not tried the customer support number for the USA, mainly because it is not available when I have free time, nights and weekends.
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br /My advice is try the Garmin, it has better customer support and map availiabity and updates.

I purchased this product on the recommendation of Amazon.com and have regretted it ever since. It's the worst consumer electronic item I have ever purchased. No wonder the price has dropped 50% since my purchase. They probably can't give them away. After about 90 days, the product goes completely dead. After contacting customer service, I was told to reset the product. Two weeks later it went dead again. The last time I went to the manufacturer's website, I couldn't even find any contact information for customer service. They must have so many complaints that they can't handle them. Not to mention product returns. Save yourself some money and a lot of grief. Buy a Garmin system. The graphics aren't as good. But at least it's reliable.

TomTom has made a great device and nice interface, but the maps used in this device are horrible. To save money, they went with the very sub-par maps from Tele Atlas, rather than the much better maps from Navteq.

Many of these Tele Atlas maps have parts that have not been updated in over 10 years.

I encourage you to save your money - paper maps are better than the ones with all TomTom devices. Look at the Garmin or Magellan devices for similar product that will get you to where you want to go.

I purchased a TomTom Go and have had problems with the touch screen ever since. It malfunctioned within 6 months of purchase and I had to send it in to be repaired, they said they were unable to repair it and sent me a brand new one. The new one began malfunctioning in exactly the same way within another 6 months. After the subsequent 6 months, I sent it back again for the same problem and they told me it was out of warranty and they no longer repair the TomTom Go but they would send me a newer model for an additional $300-400. Ridiculous, I have been trying to get some sort of satisfaction to no avail. I paid nearly $1000 for this unit when it came on the market and it never worked more than 6 months at a time. It would be best if this company went out of business in my opinion especially after reading the other reviews listed here. I am now having to "trash" my unit and buy a different, more reliable, brand.
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My husband bought me this for Christmas because we were moving to a new city. He picked it out because unlike Garmin and Magellen it was created from the ground up for use on the road. The features are easy to use, the directions are great and when you need a new route because of roadblock or traffic - it really comes up with a great plan. However - my first one lasted 3 months before it died, I then replaced it with another one and it died 3 months later as well. I was very reluctant to buy a different brand - but had to for dependability. I still don't like my Garmin as much - but at least it works. Come on Tomtom - get the electronics working as well as the maps and directions.

The unit itself is great, 3d mapping, spoken turns, easy operation. The problem is the routing engine!! On simple trips it makes them complicated sometimes adding upto 10 miles to a 7 mile trip. A trip to my work which is a straight shot with only 2 turns and 7.2 miles it planned a trip with over 15 turns and 11 miles out of the way. It also took me to the middle of nowhere on 2 different trips using their database of POIs. It had every store in the Oakbrook Mall as 5 miles south of their actual location. If I didn't know the area I'd of been in real trouble. Great looking, poor operation. I returned it, and got the Garmin Streetpilot 2730.

Opinions on GPS systems are obviously very subjective. For me, this was my first experience with GPS units. I drive about 2,000 miles a month in the midwest for work and getting rid of my atlas was a must. I found the maps on the Tom Tom to be quite outdated. New roads as well as reconstruction (interstate interchanges) that are 4-5 years old were not on the Go700. Along I-70 between Indianapolis and Dayton there are 3 rest areas in either direction.....none of them were on the Go700. There were just to many inaccuracies with maps, directions and points of interest on this unit for my liking. My final decision to return this unit was made after I sent an email to Tom Tom technical support regarding these issues and they never responded. The bottom line for me is that all GPS may have these issues to one degree or another, but personally I expect better (...).

My husband and I used it for 20 days in Europe, it came as an extra with our rental car.
br /We drove through Belgium, Germany, Netherlands.
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br /Off the bat, I want to say that it got the 3 stars from me only, because it had the European maps in it, not just American maps (although I am sure that was only compliments of the European Car Rental company, who must have installed those as add-ons), if it comes without them on the standard purchase, I'd give it a 2 star rating only, because it is quite expensive for its performance!!!
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br /The touch screen is easy to operate, (and the competition has them, too) although it takes a (too long for my taste) while before it finally comes online and is usable, ready for data input.
br /One unpleasant aspect in terms of destinatin entry is that you cannot enter "Brussel Airport", just in case you don't know if it has a name and what that is, or if you don't know in what suburb the airport is located (Zavantem in this example). For tourists, this should be a must for such important points as airports, train stations.
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br /You can find them under POI, however, but it is somewhat awkward to accomplish.
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br /Also, we had a hard time in Brussels, the capital of Belgium itself, to find our way out of the city center to the airport. It misguided us several times and demanded U-turns.
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br /I know Berlin quite well, and also a couple of other cities in Germany, and it guided us all over the place to any destination, very often not the most efficient route. In smaller cities, it even sent us off in the opposite direction, although it "knew" that village in its database. It lay 5 km next to where we stood, and it sent us off on a route where we would have driven about 30 km to get there!
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br /This was aggravated often also in Germany and Holland, when you could suddenly see the little blue arrow wander off aimlessly into noman's land, or also, when stopping at red lights, it suddenly rotated the map on the screen 3 or more times around and around like a dizzy thing... or quite a few times, the map also simply got stuck for a couple of miles and did not respond to our driving along. In such cases, it helped to simply stop by the roadside and allow the GPS to catch up with our location... not very convenient!
br /My guess is that the software is too slow and has trouble interpreting the data fast, as it could not be the fault of the GPS system, which is the same for everybody.
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br /Actually, coming home and reading up on the TomTom product description, one feels so enthused and wants to buy it right away, it sounds so perfect and great. However, after practicing it, I am quite disappointed.
br /What good is it to have a gazillion of voice choices available? One gets used to one and then never changes again! And how many times would one want to hear instructions in Italian, German, or French, or Suaheli? I mean, English is probably all any US citizen ever expects. OK, put in 3 male and 3 females voices to pick from, and voila! (Besides, its French and German performances left something to desire, it spoke often like a foreigner, ha ha ha! (I happen to have several European mother tongues, as I grew up there, so I am fluent!)
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br /I would prefer less voice and language choices, and see better and faster response times from the unit in terms of precise locating of my position at all times!
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br /Another annoying thing: It also tells you to "take the exit, then take the exit", even when you are not exiting but rather "entering" an interstate, with a double entrance of interstates, e.g. and without saying in which direction one should go (usually, one has 2 choices on each entrance: South/North or East/West) and it also tells you "exit ahead" or "right turn ahead" about 1 to 2 miles before it shows up, which can be confusing. You have to glance at the screen to see the arrow and read the distance to the next turn, otherwise, one might be tempted to take the very next upcoming exit. Once one is used to this not-so-smart habit, it is A-OK, but it is not what I prefer.
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br /So, I am going to probably buy a Garmin product.

I had this unit for two months and ended up selling it on ebay. I tried it in three different states (MO, WI, TN) and it failed to get me to the correct address every time. Oh, it would get me in the general area OK, but the last turn or two were never right, usually sending me in the wrong direction and requiring me to get my bearings the old fashioned way (call, ask, or follow street numbers). I've been in cars with Garmin units that work flawlessly, but I thought I would try this brand based on a pretty neat design. I guess looks aren't everything.

Unquestionably one of the worst purchases I have ever made! I travel the country as a Sales Mgr. and have utilized mapquest as my guide. Recently purchased a Tom Tom 700 after all of the glowing reviews. On my most recent trip to Cleveland, Minneapolis and Chicago I found it to be the most inaccurate tool I have ever come across. It is missing addresses, it offers incorrect directions and it is not user friendly.
To be quite simple about it, don't buy one!

The product works better than the Magellan product I tried last summer. However, the mounting bracket broke and it has taken over two months to get a commitment for TomTom to replace it. Until recently they did not have a published US support phone number. Now they do (it is 866.486.6866).

It is very good in open areas, but in a city with many tall buildings (like New York), it (and every other GPS I have tried) gets very confused.

When restarted in a new location (i.e. when you take a plane trip and turn in back on in your rental car) it can take several minutes to figure out where it is.

All in all, it provides clear voice instructions and is great when you are someplace with a lot of freeways (like LA).

More frequent updates would be appreciated, as would Macintosh support.

The bluetooth stuff is not ready for prime time.

I have had a 700 TomTom for about five months. I actually won it from an electronics magazine I subscribe to...Anyway, I love it. I also have Magellan 760's on work vehicles, but much prefer the TomTom. Here's why;
br /TomTom has no buttons. All touch screen. Beautiful.
br /TomTom does NOT say "REROUTING" when you don't go the way it wants. It silently, obediently assumes you went another way (for your own good reason) and continues seamlessly giving you the route from that point on.
br /Magellan annoyingly repeats "REROUTING" when you really don't care. Just get me there, damn it.
br /TomTom has a far far superior view which looks so much like the view from the driver's seat it is uncanny. A pleasure to use.
br /My TomTom 700 does NOT,however, announce the name of the street you have to turn on. It also does not show the name of every street, for some odd reason. It also has made errors but these have to do with the database. Things like saying turn left when you can't...taking me off the freeway and then putting me right back on for some reason..only at one location on one freeway. Must be something to do with the total distance being slightly less that way...
br /Magellan has an auto nightcolor feature. TomTom runs on it's own battery.
br /TomTom comes with a case. Magellan has too many buttons on it.
br /I never use the bluetooth features. Don't care about them.
br /All in all, my TomTom gets me there, and I like it better. Also faster acquisition of satellites, I think.
br /One thing I wish TomTom did was eliminate the letters you don't need when spelling streets or cities, like Magellan. Sooo much easier with Magellan. Bottom line, you are better off with a GPS than not, do your homework, get one, and don't enter data while you are driving! Or not too much.
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I bought this one since it got a good review. For the first several months, it worked fine and I liked it. I took very good care of it and suddenly it stopped working. I was in serious trouble since it kept stopping working after I turned it on. Recently I upgraded the software hoping that it would solve a problem. No way. I could not use it at all during my trip from Denver to DC. I contacted the customer support and they want me to send it back for a repair. I just want to return it now! It was nightmare for me to travel with malfunctioning TomTom go 700!

I bought this unit for some trips from Ohio to the East Coast. The first issue I found was that it comes with out of date maps. This is not a problem unless you travel somewhere that has changed in the last five years. Secondly, it has some routing quirks. It will detour you off a major interstate and then back on in 10 or 15 miles. I though that it was a software issue. So I reported the map issues and downloaded the software update. This update, 5.42, has some spontaneous rebooting issues. So I emailed Customer Support and received a nice note that they were experiencing greater than normal wait times and that they would get to my issue shortly. Shortly is defined by them as three weeks! They told me to reset the machine and closed the ticket as "solved". Their suggestion did not solve the issue, so I reopened the ticket and they replied that the next version to the software should solve the issue, but while I wait the months for the update, I should load the old software. Unfortunately, they don't have a Mac version of the old loader, so I had to hunt down a windows machine. I did the update which deleted the maps and now the unit is in a continuous reboot mode and I am waiting for Customer Support. I am on my fifth week of this issue, so buyer beware. The American office is not prepared to support their product.

My wife and I were in the first week of what turned out to be an eight-month trip to Europe. We had gotten lost so many times already it was painful. Medieval European towns wouldn't know the meaning of "grid" if you hit them with it. They streets go every which way. In fact, in just trying to get from where we picked up our car to the freeway, we took a wrong turn and ended up 20 miles down the wrong highway. So, by the end of the week, I was online researching GPS systems.
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br /I've never regretted our purchase of the TomTom 700, at the time (August 2005) the top of the TomTom line. I guided us virtually flawlessly throughout the trip. On only two occasions did it give us bad directions, and then only because the map database was inaccurate. The maps are supplied by a third party and pretty much the same for all GPS systems. In other words, a Garmin would have done it too. Other than those two instances, it guided us flawlessly for close to 250 days.
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br /Since we've returned to North America, I've added all of Canada and all of the US west of the Mississippi to the hard drive and still have room left over.
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br /The unit cost me about $900. (Remember, it was new on the market and top of the line at the time.) Was it worth it? Absolutely. It works out to less than $4 a day to not have to hassle with maps, my wife's sorry sense of direction, inability to read maps and car sickness if she tries to do so in a moving car (sorry, honey). I could just concentrate on driving safely and enjoy the drive. The fact that we downloaded John Cleese's voice to give us directions and never got tired of his jokes was just a bonus.
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br /I love my Tom Tom. My friends who've bought one on our recommendation love theirs too.
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br /I can't comment on their service or support because in a year and a half, I haven't needed either! It just works every time I start up the car (or carry it in my pocket for walking instructions--or on the bike for bike routing). It just works.

Having used built-in GPS systems for several years, we were pleasantly surprised at the performance of this product. It has most of the features of the best systems and clearly stands ahead of some. Our latest built-in is in a BMW 5 series, and the TomTom beats it hands-down!

One of the biggest benefits is the ability to program it in your hand then snap it into place on it's holder. The screen is a bit small, so this enables the hard work to be done close at hand. But the screen is very bright with good detail, and the voice directions are excellent, so the small screen size is not a major drawback.

The Bluetooth connection to our Motorola 635 was simple, although the phone is not listed as one of those supported. The only glitch was in the downloading of the phone book - from all appearances it downloaded properly, but no entries were available in the GPS's address book. Still the hands-free operation is a real plus. The speaker is good, but it can become difficult to hear when traveling at high speeds or on rough roads.

We have not yet attempted to download or update maps, but the data base seems very complete. I have noted a few glitches at some intersections, but I understand the company's website asks for such comments, so it seems that updates will be made available regularly.

Overall it is a very useful product and worth the purchase price.

In short, this is what I think: The TomTom GO 700 is one of the best after market GPS devices because it provides great directions in multiple formats, is the easiest interface to use, speaks clear and appropriate voice commands, and in the end - gets you to where you need to go.

Longer story: Map quality is important but often misunderstood. Personally, I have used several GPS devices (mostly garmin, tomtom, and acura in-dash units) and all of them have map errors from time to time. Even so, the 700 I am using now is the best GPS unit I have had to date. The teleatlas maps in the 700 are very accurate (even mapquest has chosen TomTom and teleatlas maps to supply their new portable device, which was my old go-to for online directions).

Beyond these basic requirements for any GPS, the 700 also has a bunch of additional features that are not usually offered on most other GPSes (see below).

Routing Options - Fastest, Slowest, no highways, etc... Allows you to customize your route to get you there in the fashion you need to.

Itinerary Planning - Quickly add multiple destinations and it will route right from one to the next without having to continually change things when driving.

Voice selections - Heh, if you lucky you can find Darth Vader or some other crazy ones. But in the end, Jane is the best IMO.

Color Schemes - If you can't see the map very well you can change the map colors so that it fits you better.

Customizable - There are several online communities that have a ton of awesome applications that you can add to the 700 or you can download and add additional points of interest.

Bluetooth - Allows for accessory subscriptions to Real-time Traffic and Weather updates in real time (PLUS services), but most useful, Hands Free Calling. It is easy to setup for any of the compatible phones (make sure to check the website) allowing you to import your contacts and make/receive calls and text messages right through the unit.

In the end, I have been incredibly happy with the GO 700. Make sure to play for a bit before jumping to conclusions that you will find on any GPS unit. And believe me, the 700 is just as good as any other portable nav device, if not better with the added features. I would recommend it to anyone looking for a user-friendly nav unit.

I bought this unit because it had all the features that I was looking for. However...it took five to ten minutes to find the GPS signal to start working, it gave confusing directions on the highway when I came to divided highways. The last time I used it, I waited 30 minutes as I was driving to a destination to finally start working, and then it just stopped working completely on our way home. Fortunately, it all happened within the 30 days return period and I sent it back. What good are all the features when the unit doesn't even work??

Pros:
br /
br /+Pleasant interface. Very well polished product.
br /+Only touchscreen, no buttons (except power and eject)
br /+Catches satellites pretty quickly. It was catching satellites from within my bedroom which was particularly impressive
br /+You can set route a certain way: ie avoid toll charges, use highways, etc
br /
br /
br /Cons:
br /
br /-Unless you know where to go on the internet :) updating maps is quite expensive. Mine came with a 2 year old North American map and Tomtom still wanted more money just to update to the latest ones. Whats the point of buying a new product then? Some people here got stuck with European maps (plus were asked to fork more money for the North American ones). I completely understand their despair.
br /-Doesn't say street names, exit numbers, etc. "Turn left after 400 yards" is not as intuitive as "Turn left at Elm St". This is really a software issue not a hardware limitation, it can be fixed via a software update if they wanted to.
br /
br /I like the Tomtom product but not the people running the company. It is really sad to ship new devices with outdated maps, just so they could make money off you again. It's like getting cold food in a restaurant and the waiter charging you extra for heating it back up.

I am an expreienced user of GPS Navigation systems. This is my fourth unit. This product has a lot of nice features but many annoyances. If everything worked easily, I would give it a 5 star rating.
br /PROS:
br / Blue Tooth Handsfree
br / Traffic Updates via bluetooth ( via GPRS)
br / Various configurable options on routes - fast, toll roads, color of maps, voice selections, choice of languages, etc.
br /
br /CONS:
br / Hard to get BLUE TOOTH to work with my phone - TREO 650
br / Does not display name of current Road! Displays name of next road instead
br / No configuration of level of voice commands. No speaking street names.
br / Could not find a way to call Destination phone!
br / When searching for POIs, does not display the address of POI!
br / Cannot call a POI phone number!
br / Poor support and website( hard to navigate and find what you need)
br /
br /I would not have bought it if I knew it had above drawbacks despite being feature rich.

This product was purchase for a trip that we are making the last of August of 2006. But I have found that in setting the TomTom Go 700 up that it was every easy to get started. The first time that I used it was on just a short trip to a camera store that I had never been to and I felt that it did a very good job, had one area that the road made a turn that I did not notice and the TomTom picked it up right away so that I could correct my mistake and get back to the correct turn off in less than 500 ft., this saved me about a mile of driving time. I would recommend this to anyone.

This is really helpful if you are not familiar with the area you will be traveling through. You have to be careful with picking the fastest route feature because sometimes it will plan routes with really back roads rather than taking the expressways and sometimes this gets unnerving. Other than that I think this is a really good addition to my roadtrip gear!

This review is being written nearly two years after I purchased the TomTom 700. I drive an average of 25,000 miles a year. The map updates of North Amercia/US. released in Jan 2007 are great. THe POI's (points of interest) are improved and accurate. The unit will even point out every Dunkin Donuts in the US. My kinda device! I have not been lost in two years. With every changing roads and new developements constantly being built, you can expect some newer roads not appearing. However, 9 out of 10 trips are flawless.
br /
br /Reading the instructions before using the GPS is always very helpful.

I found, much to my disappointment, that this unit does not support all bluetooth systems. It is compatible with my phone but not my cell phone service provider. This info should be warned to the buyer before a purchase is made.

I received this as a gift in January. It comes in handy because I get lost ALL the time. THe first one crashed and they sent me a new one. This one is now acting up. I'm not sure if this is the most reliable on the maket

Despite other reviews, this gps nav isn't that bad at all. The menu system isnt as intuitive as a garmin, but overall it's pretty comprehensive and easy to learn. So far I've used a toyota nav, a garmin 2720, and the tomtom go 700. The handsfree calling via bluetooth is a great feature and so far it's given me great directions without the run around that sometimes happens with the toyota or garmin nav. i actually really like the 3D view of the maps... its very clear and pretty straight forward. Of course this unit doesn't come close to the ease of use or features that the other two have, but for the price it's not a bad deal.
br /
br /overall, i don't mind this unit at all(esp since i got it as a gift), but if you're gonna buy a nav, get a garmin nuvi.

I have used the TomTom 700 on a bunch of occasions, and have always found it to be a great device. When I describe the product to friends of mine that aren't familiar, I usually tell them about the time when I used it to find a BB way outside of town in the boonies. I had forgotten a map, as I found out later, but the 700 helped us find our way it the middle of nowhere - which was really surprising and great. I don't know what we would have done if we didn't have it - I might have actually had to stop and ask for directions - but then again, who knows if that would have gotten us further lost. I won't go on long road trips without one. They are a lifesaver (especially when you need to re-route in a pinch), and are so easy to use.

I bought the 700 and installed it. When I plugged it in, the light on the plug-in device didn't come on. Tried it in my car and one other....I then started to drive out on the road during a sunny day and couldn't see the screen. I had to pull under an interstate highway overpass to read the screen in the shade. This may work well in clouds or the dark, but not well at all in the sun. Sent it back next day.

I've been using the Tom Tom 700 for 8 months now and have been very pleased with most of the functionality.

Pro's
1. Routing clear and generally accurate, both in Northern Virginia and recently on a business trip to St Louis
2. Instructions clear and screen well laid out
3. A lot of setup configurations possible to suit your needs
4. Excellent blue-tooth connectivity
5. Very accurate speed and positioning indicators
6. Comprehensive POI's for restaurants

Con's
1. Map is at least 2-3 years out of date. This is fine for 90% of driving, but doesn't have newer addresses in my area of N Virginia where there has been a lot of growth in recent years. The unit says I'm driving in fields a lot of the time! I understand a lot of nav systems have the same problem as they are all using the same base map prividers.
2. Website has not had a single downloadable update since launch in the US, although there have been system updates via remote satellite download.

**Update: The website has recently been improved and you can now buy maps for additional countries. On a trip to the UK last month, I was able to buy a map of the UK, install it with no problems and the Tom Tom worked flawlessly, helping me navigate both rural and city destinations accurately.

Overall I'm pleased with the Tom Tom. Sure, there are some annoyances, but any in car system has numerous drawbacks. The Tom Tom gets you where you need to get most of the time, and the interface is very useable.

This product is amazing! My Husband I have used it several times for local trips as well as for longer trips. We love the voice directions the Bluetooth is great. It is really nice to be able to talk on the phone drive without compromising safety. Great buy for the $$$$.

Same as D. Abrahams' review, no US maps only Europe and Canary Is. maps. Called tech support and they had to forward the call to "special support" which is secret code for "we will never call you back." "There is no way to download maps from the internet" But I could have purchased a 90 update dvd (available in 4 weeks). I Waited for 1 week and decided that TomTom will never receive another penny from me. Returned the device as it is junk. One star is definitely too much.

I have the TomTom Go 700 and I'm fed up with it. It has embarrassed me repeatedly and steered me wrong far too many times. From the time in Tennessee when my family followed me through a GRAVEYARD to get to a location that was easily accessible via main roads, to the recent time when I had a list of photography shops in Brevard County, Florida and went to type in one of the shops in Cocoa Beach and the TomTom Go 700 did not have Cocoa Beach in its database.
br /
br /Well, since I bought this a year ago, I have quite a bit more than the current $350 invested in this unit, so I decided that maybe I could improve things by downloading the new maps.
br /
br /Wow, what a mess. This took some time, cost me 80 EUROS (over $100 at current exchange rates) and left me with some confusion, as the maps are named differently now and it did not delete the old maps before installing the new ones. I did this manually and hope I did it correctly. Now considering that the TomTom Go 700 connects via USB to your computer and TomTom is accessing your GPS directly, it seems they could automate this better.
br /
br /Further, according to the only TomTom forum I could find, there is an update available for $49.50 US until March, yet I was charged the $100+ price.
br /
br /Meanwhile, my brother bought a Garmin Street Pilot for his girlfriend this Christmas and I played with it a fair bit. My next GPS will not be a TomTom.
br /
br /Finally, you should know that the TomTom is the best selling GPS system IN EUROPE. You can tell this the moment you begin to try to update, or get support on your TomTom GPS. Everything about it is European-centric. From pricing of products, to suggested maps when you log in to the TomTom Home update software (it suggested the Western Europe software as what I NEEDED for an update, in spite of the fact that I purchased the unit in the US, and had US maps installed.)
br /
br /I'm just not satisfied with this product. It has been useful from time to time, but I cannot trust it with a high enough degree of faith to recommend it to anyone else.

Well...this product looks great, but the love affair ended there. I was very shocked when I recently bought this unit and found out that the maps are very, very, VERY outdated. It seems as if they are from around 1990 as so many highway updates are not included. Subsequently, the device is more or less useless as every time it hits a new stretch of road or new on-ramp, it gets "lost" and stops giving directions.
br /
br /I contacted Tom Tom and even though they have newer maps and that they admitted that the maps in this piece of garbage are outdated--they had the audacity to tell me I had to purchase a new set of maps for $110.
br /
br /So, make sure you add $100 to trhe purchase price, because it will be completely useless out of the box!!
br /
br /I am a professional who drives daily over a 3 state region and will buy a Garmin and surely encourage you do the same!!!

I bought this product and surprised to find it's preloaded with a very old map. The tomtom website provide free update only for 910/510/One. I can not understand why this model is excluded from the free list. To buy a new map, you need to pay more than $100. It's terrible. It's wise to choose another product which provide free map update.

I've owned this little gadget for a little over 4 months now, and gotta say I'm pleased with my purchase. First off, as soon as I powered the unit on, it was ready to go. I was able to figure how to get from point A to point B in a matter of seconds, a feat that makes this gadget extremely user-friendly. Once I inputed an address, it directed me right to my destination's parking lot! It was so dead-on, I thought it was going to tell me the location of an empty parking slot. The hands-free capability on it is outstanding. People that I've talked to through the GPS, say that they can hear me as though I was talking on a regular handset. The speaker is loud enough to drown out ambient noise; wheter from outside traffic or from my radio. It's got tons of neat features too numerous to list here.
br /
br /Cons:
br /It seems that Tomtom needs to work on updating the N. American maps quicker or have an update option on its website. They cater mostly to the
br /European customer. They also need to have an update available for POIs, update the mobile phone brands as well as cell-phone carriers(Altell is not listed).
br /
br /All in all, this is a great product with great capabilities, that will save you from getting lost.

This unit works wonderfully! It is loaded with useful features and is easy to learn to use. I am glad that I bought it. However the ad from which I purchased it failed to mention that the map data base was out dated and that I would need a new one for $55. I don't mind since the sale price was $200 less than normal, but I would have rather known that up front and been given the opportunity to order it at the same time.

I am about to embark on my second struggle with TomTom customer support because my second unit just failed. Getting the first one replaced was a nightmare. It's difficult to communicate with support, they respond slowly and their products are unreliable.

This was my first GPS and was not good experience.
br /Like this guy tell exit number on highway, etc
br /Maybe good for some states, but not for somebody living in California.

I've had the GO700 for about 2 years. I feel it compares favorably with Garmin Units and is better than most factory installed units I've used. Since the maps were updated last year exit names as well as numbers are displayed and maps are more comprehensive (less missing roads near new developments). The 3D display view is easy to follow and it is intuitive to use. The negatives are bright sun causes a lot of glare on the screen; hands free calls are hard for the other end to hear. (Wife's new Lexus has the same problem). It is also difficult or impossible to establish bluetooth connection with Treo's.

Purchase and delivery was excellent. Technical service was just as great. When I first got the unit and needed help setting things up on the computer they were extremely helpful. My tech even arranged for me to get the most up to date map software free of charge. I was totally happy with my experience. They wanted to make sure I was completely satisfied before hanging up with me.
br /As with any GPS software, there will always be room for improvement, but so far I'm very happy. Very easy to use.

Tom Tom is fantastic!! I'll never get lost again. The directions are easy to follow and the graphics are super. Great Buy!!

We've used our GO 700, Gabby, extensively for about 12 months traveling throughout the upper midwest not only for finding backroad routes but motels and restaurants as well. We even hauled her to Washington, DC to help us navigate the labyrinth of roads to find the stuff we wanted to see. It's exceedingly easy to use and the features on their PC software, TomTom Home, make it a simple task to maintain currency of software, maps, POIs, etc. It even includes a feature to backup and restore your GO! And operate your GO from your PC!
br /
br /Our GO 700 broke today and I called TomTom Customer Service. I has already done the diagnostics prescribed on their website and getting an RMA number and instructions to facilitate an exchange took less than 30 minutes and both calls were people answered by the third ring. Based on other comments here, I think TomTom has dramatically improved their customer support.
br /
br /The BlueTooth technology is way cool! Say Gabby finds a motel we want to stay at for the night. She displays the address and phone number and will even place the call from our cell phone if we want her to!
br /
br /Even with maintaining software currency, Gabby has her quirks. For instance, you pull into a town and are jonesin' for Subway. Unless its nearby, Gabby won't find it. There's no facility I've found for keying in a particular restaurant. We were entitled to one map update after buying Gabby and it'd be nice if they included a one year map subscription update given how quickly things change and the lead time that must be required to get it on the Gabby map.

This is junk. The unit is pretty neat, very sturdy and the interface is user friendly. But the software is lousy. It just cant figure out the jughandles in NJ (which my new Garmin does). I get totally lost with this all the time.

What a waste of time and money!! The TomTom customer support is horrible. They loaded European and Canary Islands maps on a GPS unit that was supposed to have maps of the US and Canada. Then, TomTom support said I would have to purchase the maps for an additional $90!
br /
br /Not worth it!! Look at the Garmin Nuvi instead.

First - the accuracy - within a few blocks (especially on POI's);
br /Second - my particular unit randomly and frequently rebooted (while driving) - not a very safe thing, let alone useless;
br /Third - bluetooth headset feature is practically useless because nobody can hear you (quality of the built-in microphone...);
br /The traffic reports were nice, though...
br /Needless to say, because of "second" had to return (which would be a no big deal - just a bad unit - things happen, can be replaced and you go - if not for "first" and "third" - can't fix those - so I am returning it for a refund).
br /We have a Garmin unit and needed one more for another car - and wanted to try TomTom, especially for its Bluetooth speakerphone - but now will have to get another Garmin instead - so far (1.5 years) we've been happy with it.

Pros: Set up was great/easy. Multiple voices are great. bluetooth is awesome for those that don't have it in car or don't use ear pieces. Feels substantial/built well and the accessories are very well built as well. Volume is perfectly loud for convertible use, and acquisition is quick. Signal strength meter is great to have also when you're around tall buildings (downtown). I've never lost signal yet downtown (but we don't really have a lot of dense/tall buildings in Austin, TX).
br /
br /CONS: Customer service-I can't get anyone at tom tom at all. I've called as much as i can without losing my mind. I have a mio for $200 that is just as good (it just doesn't have the bluetooth or as many features, but it gets the job done). I'm sure the Mio won't get much customer support either, BUT it's half the price and i can buy two for the same amount. Even the mio has restaurants and points of interest as well. The tomtom does show a more comprehensive list, but I can't overlook this huge customer service problem.
br /
br /I've had a garmin, (in car/dash/oem unit), mio, lowrance, and this tomtom unit so far.

I received a refund after ordering/receiving/returning two TomTom GO 700 as neither was the latest version. It would have cost me additional money to download updates on my new purchase.
br /The company demonstrated prompt, efficient and courteous customer service.

Very easy to use. Menus are very user-friendly. Works very well - I've used for about a month and it has not led me astray. Occasionally, it will give you a less efficient route (based on test runs to known destinations), but it gets you to your destination. It does also occasionally take a seemingly long time to acquire satellite signals.
br /
br /The built-in hard drive is a great feature - stores maps and your favorite locations without the hassle of using memory cards.
br /
br /Display quality is very good. The 3D display is a great feature and you can select 2D if you prefer.
br /
br /I haven't set up the bluetooth feature yet, but that was a major factor in my decision to go with this unit.
br /
br /I give it high marks overall.

This product has proven to be just what the advertisment say it is. I have used it so far to travel from Maine to Boston, Maine to Atlanta, GA, Maine to Maxwell AFB, AL and all over Maine. I have been very impressed at how easy it is to set up and use. Everything you said would, came with the unit.
br /
br /I will be buying another one in the near future as my wife needs it to keep from getting lost on long trips. Thank you.

I couldn't be happier. But what has made me delighted with the experience was customer support. I live in DC where it is illegal to use a cellphone without a hands-free device. When I first got the unit I had problems linking it to my bluetooth enabled blackberry, so I called technical support. Believe it or not, a TomTom engineer called me back and said he was working on an update. Three days later, he sent me an email with an update. Worked great.
br /
br /As far as the GPS system, I have found no problems. A couple of times maneuvering to a new subdivision that wasn't in the database, all I had to do was steer to a house number that was a couple of blocks away - Any dolt using common sense can figure that out. What do others expect? A monthly national database update?
br /
br /Build quality and design are excellent. Looks sharp, and easy to travel with. Finds satelites upon start up before I can leave a parking lot, even in a new city after flying. Battery life is excellent.
br /
br /User interface is childsplay - My Dad, 79 years old, got one, and is using his routinely. Touchscreen is responsive.
br /
br /Next generation suggestion - glare free screen, and ability to use without navigating anywhere - (just running map, and spekerphone)
br /
br /

I would literally be lost with out this. It is sooo easy, I never lose a signal with this model. And I literally use it every day. there are different voices to choose from, or you can just turn the sound off. It is petite in size and convenient for stowing under the seat when parked (less like to be stolen I'm paranoid)

My husband loves his Tom Tom. We got fast shipping. It arrived the day of our anniverary and he loves it. Thank god I could find another one. Our first one was stolen. It works great and we have no problems with it. Gotta love the blue tooth capabilities!

I've had my TomTom Go 700 for about 15 months. The first couple of months I was their biggest fan.
br /
br /I was excited about the 'support' for bluetooth connections to the Internet to get information like traffic, weather and sw updates. After several failed attempts to get the TTG 700 and my bluetooth phone to actually work I 'went into' the system and editted the linux dial up scripts myself and had everything working. This was after several emails/web form requests to the company about how they got bluetooth pairing to work on my phone. (It was listed on the supported phone list) which basically said "follow the instructions in the manul" which of course didn't work.
br /
br /So then the latest release of SW comes out. I upgrade. Things work great. I find out there are new maps too. So I pay for the North American set of maps. (Not cheap!) Turns out even though you buy it as one item it gets installed as 5 or 6 different maps files. So searching for a place in Texas when I'm in Minnesota doesn't come up with any hits. Another round of emails and web form requests and 9 weeks of waiting and I still don't have an answer on how to fix this.
br /
br /TomTom has lost a big supporter with the abysmal customer service and follow through. They don't deserve your money! Buy something else like a Garmin Nuvi!

My Tom Tom broke after putting the wrong power source into the unit. Tom Tom corporate wants $399 to fix the unit. They are crazy.

It is cheaper to purchase a new one.

I have a TOM TOM GO 300 Wanted another tried the GO 700 wrong thang to do did not work out of the box. Would not keep even the home adress. Also take me to the mid WEST different time zone. Carry me 2 to 5 streets over from where I was suppose to have been.

This is a nice portable GPS device, but there are flaws. Understanding its limitations can make expectations tolerable.
br /
br /Pros: Customizable voices(everyone loves this), bluetooth capability to receive and make phone calls, nice color display, adequate voice prompts, points of interest in system surprisingly helpful.
br /
br /Cons: No option to limit route to paved roads only(ask Kim family how important this one is, as the same thing almost happened to me and my family), No ability to save current location as favorite(unless address is recognized), bluetooth compatibility is very limited, some bugs in system cause crashes if address is to rte road, no ability to plan route on desktop then transfer to portable, no ability to manipulate or customize favorites on desktop and transfer to portable.
br /
br /Newer systems may merit your attention if these flaws are addressed, but this is not a bad device at a good price.

I received my TT700 as a birthday/christmas present 12/05. I am driving to several different addresses each day for work and I love it! I can't believe how much time it has saved in finding my way around, and I thought I knew the streets in my city really well. I continue to be surprised with the new routes I learn when using it, and am getting around much more efficiently. It has been 1000 times better than mapquest for getting around, and when going from one unfamiliar destination to the next, it saves figuring out the route. I also like the POI feature--I always know where the nearest Starbucks is! :)

The unit is everything it promises to be. It has a clear display that can be altered to fit your specific needs or wants. It has sufficient capacity ti hold all the maps you need and it re-routes easily. Most importantly, the attachment to the vehicle was a major concern and this one is more than adequate. A great product with the right peripherals.

Contrary to the other people the product works extremely well in the New England Region.
1. Easy to use.
2. Easy navigation features and excellent voice features.
3. Calculates new routes if one makes mistakes easily.
4. No need to update, upgrade, etc.

I'm a pilot with 20+ years of flying behind me. The product is well worth the cost, which is about 20 percent of that you'd pay to have it installed in your vehicle. Pros: very simple to use touch screen and very good directions. Easy to modify routes and feedback features. Cons: The maps are only as good as the data provided, so if you are in a recent development there may be fields represented where there are now streets. Comments: TomTom provides an online input form for you to add your streets to the databank. My favorite feature is that it's good both here in the US and in Europe, two places in which I split my time. The screen is 320 x 240, so if you have a PDA that supports bluetooth and the receiver, you should look at the Navigator, because it's about half the cost. Your challenge there will be that the data has to be read from an SD card, whereas the GO features an integrated 2.5gb hard drive. Nice overall toy that gets you where you need to go with little effort.

Pro: The touch screen operation is extremely intuitive.

Con: If you drive cars with thick windshield, i.e. Mercedes, BMW,... etc. Your GPS signal reception will be affected. Also, system reboots consistently when I drive across certain location on the highway. I am still trying to figure out what's causing the reboot.

Even with a few complains, I still give this unit 5-stars. Its ease of operation out weights a few hick-ups!

tom tom go 700 is really helpful to me and its easy to use , bluetooth really working nice.

I have found that using my TomTom that it can never find where we are! It always says that it can't find where we are and the screen goes gray. I am very frustrated with this product and do not reccomend it to anyone.
br /
br /I have found that the GPS systems built into cars work 10x better than my TomTom.
br /
br /SUGGESTION: When you buy your next car get it with navagation and in the meen time try a Garmin product instead. I've heard those work lots better.

We really like it. It is a very helpful instrument. Enjoy using it as we get lost alot.

This product is very accurate, it is my closest friend, my guide, I love it, and will never get lost again.
br /
br /I am in the service business so my TomTom is true companion for finding my way arround the state.
br /
br /
br / Thank you
br /
br /Francis Edwards

Tried the other two major brands, they are good but this had the best combination of data and interface. The Tom Tom 700 is the most user friendly and is both PC and Mac compatible. AND - it has a built in battery so you can take it out of the car, change the route preferences to "walking" ( this way it ingnores one way streets) and navigate on foot to that resturant you have heard about but could not find while fighting traffic. It allows you to create custom points of interest categories and add sites to these categories with your own names. You can modify the startup screen to show a favorite photo instead of the normal logo. My wife has ordered the John Cleese voice, although the unit comes with oodles of built in voices with different accents and in different languages.
The Tom Tom company donated 300 of the 700 Models for use in recovery after Katrina. They were mounted in Blackhawk helicopters and used on rescue boats.
A very good product.