After using a Garmin Nuvi 350 for a while, it finally was ready for retirement and I started looking for something new. The 720 seemed like a good way to go. Unfortunately for me, I have become fluent in Garminese so switching to Tomtom has been somewhat of a challenge.

The Garmin interface was simple and clean. This Tomtom does alot more so there are more menu choices and more clutter. For instance, if you want to cancel a route, Garmin had a STOP button on the screen. Tomtom requires you to go down 3 menu levels to cancel. Not that hard to do once you know where to go.

Garmin would tell me "In 500 feet, turn left on Main Street". Tomtom tells me the street I need to turn on sometime before but the actual command will be "After 200 yards, turn left". Different especially if you are used to something else. One good thing though is where Garmin said "turn left, then left" Tomtom says "turn left then make third left", better!

Routing seems better on the Tomtom so far. Garmin had a habit of routing me on small, winding, unlighted, hilly roads instead of main roads and highways. If you don't know better, you follow these backroads and it can be dangerous. So far, Tomtom has consistantly taken me to the highways which is one of the main reasons I left Garmin.

Now the bad. Favorites on Garmin are stored by name. When you select a favorite, you are shown the complete address as well. Tomtom by default stores a favorite by address. That doesn't help with a restaurant or store that you will never remembor or recognize the address. You can rename a favorite like "My Restaurant". Thats ok but then the actual address is hidden. There seems to be no way of displaying the real address of the favorite. As a work around I have just appended a name to the address so the name of a favorite will be something like "100 Main Street, Anytown, NY - My Restaurant". Its long,wordy, makes for an ugly favorites page but it works.

The Garmin graphics were generally higher resolution looking but that comes at a price. Garmin updates the screen approx once a second giving a jerky motion to the animation. Tomtom has more jagged graphics but it is smoother. Haven't decided which is better yet.

All in all I am pleased so far with the 720. Only time will tell but so far, it has done better with routing than the Garmin and thats what is most important in the end.

When I received the 720 from Amazon, I was impressed with the packaging. It was boxed and padded quite well and arrived in excellent condition. Before doing anything I decide to read the Quick Start Guide, a dark gray pamphlet included in the 720 box. It advised me to charge the unit at least 2 hours before proceeding. So without even turning the unit on I plugged the base unit into a USB port on my computer. This base unit is used, via the USB, to connect to the computer as well as recharging. My regret here was that I would not be able to recharge the unit in my house unless the computer is on.

While the unit was charging I went ahead and installed the software using the CD which was included in the package. The installation went smoothly on my computer which runs on Vista Home Premium. After the recommended charging interval of 2 hours I activated the 720 and it immediately connected to the software, Tomtom Home, which I had just installed. Almost instantly I was informed that there was a software update for Tomtom Home. I told it to continue and my computer downloaded an updated Tomtom Home version 2 point something and proceeded to uninstall the version I had just installed using the CD and to install the new version. I was mildly annoyed, but I was grateful that the update downloaded and installed without incident.

My 720 then asked permission to download some updates into itself, which I allowed it do. Everything went smoothly and I continued by setting some preferences in the 720 by using Tomtom Home. I then spent about an hour with the unit, unplugged from the computer, to get familiar with the menu structure. The last GPS that I had was a Garmin IQue 3600 and I found the 720 structured very differently. Nearly every choice in the menu structure of the 720 is graphically based using pages of icons with which to make your selections or set your preference. I found it very intuitive and comfortable.

Later, when I took the 720 on its "maiden voyage", I found that using the unit was very simple. Choosing a destination and creating a route was easy and the unit calculated the route very quickly. Generally the unit selects routes that are nearly identical to what I, as a local, would also pick. Only once has it routed in what I would consider a round-about sort of way but after I considered what it had done I realized that its chosen route would be nearly identical, in travel time, to what I would normally use, so I can't really criticize it.

Since then the 720 has performed consistently and dependably. The map data had some minor errors, most of which, incidentally, I have already corrected and shared with the Tomtom database using Map Share while connected to the internet. It even uses the 2 road name corrections I have made for a couple of local streets, using them in route calculations and even pronouncing them correctly when making navigation announcements. I have had no technical glitches at all.

I have interfaced the 720 with my cell phone using Bluetooth. Making and receiving phone calls using the 720 works flawlessly. It downloaded my entire list of telephone numbers from my Starcom and can easily recall them and place calls. The 720 internal speaker sound quality is good considering its size.

The 720 locates and locks on to the GPS satellites and provides a position with a speed I would have thought impossible a couple of years ago. It is exquisitely sensitive to the satellite signals and I am routinely able to lock on to 6 or 7 satellites sitting in front of my computer, near the center of my house. Amazing! In my vehicle I have installed an external antenna and the 720's performance using this is phenomenal.

I have recently downloaded several songs and pictures into the unit and it plays and displays these without any hitch. I use the FM transmitter, built into the unit, to play music over my vehicle's radio. I have discovered that I need to turn up the 720's volume slide to 100% in order not to turn up the radio's volume too much; this helps avoid an annoying hiss that you hear when an FM radio is turned up too loudly. Incidentally, the 720 politely mutes the music when a navigation announcement is made and then resumes. The quality of this sound is reasonable for casual listening in my pickup. The color of the screen when viewing pictures is good (not great) and the display resolution is acceptable for this purpose. Using the slideshow option to view the pictures gets rid of the aggravating gray bars which I otherwise have with pictures. I have added a 2 GB SD card to provide storage for these files. I am adamantly against using my internal storage for this. For me the 2 gigabytes are more than adequate. However, I can easily understand that 2 GB would seriously limit some people. The unit will interface with an Ipod although I have not done this since I don't own an Ipod.

My overall experience with the 720 has been great and I think the Tomtom 720 is surely one of the acme products in the GPS market. I congratulate Tomtom for coming up with a product like this and give the 720 an enthusiastic round of applause. Two thumbs up! Forgive my rather lengthy post.

I really love the 720. I have tried the Garmin Nuvi and just didn't like the software nearly as much as the TomTom. Entering addresses is really fast and you only see towns in the state you are looking in. This means no more having to scroll through 30 different Springfields to get to the one you are searching for. You can hide the keyboard to see a long list of close matches so instead of having to type out the full city or street name you can just hit the first few letters and then pick from a list.

Mapshare seems like it will be a huge advance in the world of automotive GPS devices. Is a street marked as open when it should be blocked? Just correct the error with a few quick taps on the screen and it's fixed. What's really the big advance though is the ability to share my corrections with all other TomTom owners. I connect the 720 to the TomTom HOME software and it downloads corrections that other users have submitted.

What you see on the screen can be fully customized so that if you want the status bar on the side then you can put it there or you can leave it on the bottom. You can also decide what information is shown in the status bar. You can show or hide the time of day, remaining time, remaining distance, current heading, and your current rate of speed. If you subtract items from the status bar the other items automatically get bigger to take up the remaining space. You can also select if you want to show the current street you are on and the name of the next street you will be turning on to.

Text to speech quality is very good and will say the directions so for example it might say "in 250 feet keep right, then take the exit right, 204B towards Westview." Or "in 200 meters, turn right South West Madison Avenue." You can choose from multiple voices although I think the Dave voice sounds the best of the bunch. If you don't want to hear the "keep to lane" instructions you can disable this feature although I personally like to have it on. You can also record your own spoken instructions so for example you could have your kid's voice tell you to turn left in 200 feet. I haven't tried this though.

The screen is very bright and easy to see even when I have my sunglasses on. The 720 can be set to automatically turn the brightness down as it gets dark thanks to a built in light sensor on the front of the unit.

The mount is pretty clever and super easy to use. Just push it up to the windshield and it sticks right on. The 720 then just slides right on and is held solidly in place. You can turn the 720 in any direction to get it exactly where it's easiest for you to see.

With all the great features of the 720, I think what will really set it apart even more from the other GPS units out there is the Mapshare feature. Being able to fix your own map and download updates automatically to keep the map up to date is one of those things that is so fantastically great that you wonder why on earth it took so long to make to a shipping product. Whether or not it can live up to the expectations remains to be seen. Even if you took Mapshare away it's still the best car GPS I've ever used. With it, there's just no contest.

My biggest complaint is that there's no case in the box. You need to buy one separately although I've been using the plastic holder it shipped in so far which is OK.

I spent a fair amount of time researching the seemingly hundereds of GPS units out there, and finally settled in on those in the $450 - $500 range. After comparing the Garmin nuvi 350, the Magellan 4040, and the new TomTom GO 720, I opted to purchase the latter. Although I've only owned it a short while, I am very impressed.

The best thing about Tom Tom -- and the GO 720 -- is the flexibility it offers. Chief among these, to me, is the MapShare technology, which allows you to correct maps, block streets, rename roads, add POIs, etc. -- and share them with other TomTom users. The software (TomTom HOME) you install on your home PC is easy to use, as is the unit itself. Don't like the text-to-speech voice? Change it with one you download -- or even record your own voice!!

The list of neat features is exhaustive -- so rather than blab about them here, I'll let you read the specs yourself.

The one feature I wish it did offer was a direct link to traffic -- yes, you can get traffic updates via TomTom traffic, but have to do so through a Bluetooth-enabled cell phone. Unless you have a Blackberry or a phone with a data service contract, that means you'll have to pay not only TomTom for the traffic subscription, but also your cell-phone company for the data usage. Plus, my phone's Bluetooth is reserved for my wireless headset, which I'm not willing to give up. It would be much nicer if the 720 received TomTom Traffic updates directly.

Of no real issue, though, as I was unwilling to spend the $60 or so per year for the service (similar prices for Garmin as well).

Beyond this, I haven't found a single thing I dislike about this unit -- and am finding it head and shoulders above the rest. If you're considering the TomTom GO 720, compare the Garmin nuvi350 to it -- the latter is a top-notch, high quality, and well-received unit. I think you'll find, as I did, that the GO 720 beats it.

I love the options and all that it comes with... Had a magellan and I am much happier with this unit. I like that if we are on the way somewhere it can tell me if if something is off the route we are taking or on the route. Like food!

I was torn between the One XL or Go 720. I chose this for the map share. WHICH, I called MULTIPLE times to find out if there is a cost and if it is free. WELL, I was told that it was free.... Until those of you who know after purchasing it there is a cost after a year. I do feel like I was mislead and not happy about that. However I like the unit to much to get rid of it! However they have no clue what the cost will be!!!! It being a new product it seems that the customer service team doesn't seem to have all the info... Or from what I was told knew it but it changed.

So, they give you a year to use the map share. I'm concerned about what the pricing will be... The maps to update is $130 or so... For Garmin or Magellan they are around $60-$70 for an updated map. So I hope worse case it is at least and not more then those map updates.

I own and actually have used (each, during thousands of miles of auto travel) a Lowrance iWay 350, Garmin 60Csx handheld, Garmin Nuvi 200, Magellan Maestro 4040, a 2007 Chrysler OEM in-dash navigation unit, and now a TomTom 720.

The TomTom 720 is one cool unit. I just finished a 4000 mile cross-country test trip. It has features that stand out: Blazing fast satellite acquisition, as instant as the superb Garmin Nuvi 200; a status bar that is complete (with variables such as ETA, Distance to Destination, Time to Destination, Time of Arrival, current time, and current speed) and is customizable as to map screen location and data inclusion/exclusion. I consider the status bar an important feature of any auto GPS and never have understood why the Magellan and Garmin units lack key trip data displays on their map screens. Perhaps it is a design consideration by these makers in weighing Highway use versus City Driving use. I suspect most GPS units are bought and used by local-area drivers with little need for these trip data.

The TomTom720 graphics are as colorful and bright as the Gamin Nuvi series' with one additional feature: superb highway interchange and exit graphics that actually depict bridges (driving under overpasses!) and all surrounding ramps. The TomTom features the best highway ramp information and guidance of any unit I have used (above). The excellent 3D graphics' flow is smooth, and doesn't digitally blotch up going around curves. The graphics are simply superior. By the way, voice guidance is detailed, suitably anticipatory, and redundant, again superior to any of the other brands I have used.

TomTom routing was generally excellent. Only one time did the unit get confused about the location of a segment of Highway 80 in Wyoming, which did appear to recently have been resurfaced and perhaps relocated. The Garmin Nuvi 200 ranks absolutely last (of all my units) on routing, constantly recalculating a route that should have been and is a straight interstate highway shot. This to me indicates out-of-date maps. In the Garmin Nuvi 200 there is no way to stop the constant rerouting in these instances.

Finally, the menus and POI's. The TomTom 720 suffers from too many layers of menus for routine items (brightness of screen, for example). The menu items are somewhat confusing as well. The POI's are adequate, their listings complete. Although the POI's on the Magellan unit, whose database is tied to AAA information, was far superior; and in fact the entire POI feature set of the 4040 is superior to that of any unit listed here. Unfortunately, my Magellan Maestro 4040 crapped out after 10 hours use.

The TomTom unit has one of the fastest and easiest to use address-find systems. And, its calculation and routing computational feature is very quick and robust. Certainly, it is as quick as the Garmin Nuvi unit which is also lightning fast.

I do not and did not use or test any of the Bluetooth and MP3 features. To me, their inclusion is feature bloat.

After I attached my unit to the internet and to TomTom Home, it automatically updated current software and MapShare information to my unit, although it is difficult to determine from the download what was actually corrected, if anything. MapShare is not a web site as you might think, but merely an upload process descriptor, and the user data are apparently treated and vetted by TomTom in some manner before actually being broadcast downloaded to all users who ask for the corrections (you can opt out or in a number of ways).

I found the speedometer readout on the map screen very useful, because on my return trip I had switched to snow tires that were 65R18 instead of the specified 60R18. This resulted in an erroneous odometer reading that was actually too high since the tire was rotating too many turns per mile for the car`s computer setting. As a result, I was driving too fast and not knowing it; I slowed down a couple of miles per hour from 75 to 73 (as indicated on my odometer) until the TomTom read 75. I would never have realized this problem without the speedometer readout on the TomTom. This feature probably saved me a speeding ticket or two.

Negatives: Compared to the Nuvi series, which I consider among the best of the units I own, diminished only by the constant and annoying rerouting during highway driving, the fonts on the map screen of the TomTom are small and wording can be somewhat hard to read, especially considering the short mount provided. (Buy an optional longer windshield mount to bring the unit closer.)

More troubling is the algorithm that computes Time to Arrival (therefore 4 stars). The TomTom 720 was consistently 15% higher on estimated Time to Arrival, compared to all of the units above, except the Magellan 4040, which was about 5% high. These numbers are based on a trip that is standard for me and whose distance and time I have verified many times with actual numbers. The TomTom's displayed Distance to Destination (miles) figure, however, was spot on with the actual distance traveled. It should be noted, that just like the Magellan 4040, the TomTom will shorten up its Time to Arrival as you approach your destination. So, at your destination both units will read accurately (that is, show no time remaining).

All in all, if you don't do a lot of long distance driving then the overstated times are of little concern. Then, the TomTom 720 should be among your top choices for a vehicle GPS unit. TomTom got it mostly right. Now if only it would automatically display the correct time for whatever time zone you are driving through. Still, the TomTom 720 is the very best of all of the GPS units I own or have used.


Update: Yesterday, December 24, 2007, I completed a 600 mile roundtrip to the Monterey, CA area, typically a five to five and a half hour trip one way (elapsed time, no stops added in). The 720 indicated this would be a 7 hour trip, an estimate 30%-40% high. It turned out to be a 5 hour 45 minute trip with a gas stop. At the midway point (150 miles) it was estimating three and a half hours. However, as we got closer to home, the time of arrival approached the actual time.

Perhaps I am too obsessive about trip computer data, but the other GPS units cited above seem to get it right and, frankly, it frustrates me on long drives.

Also, the 720 designed a route that called for traveling through the East Bay to get to US 101, and I usually take Interstate 280 and the Golden Gate Bridge. Unfortunately the 720 would not let change routes on the fly, and even though it recalculate routes very quickly it called for me to get off at every exit on 280 and head east, losing hours in the process. The 720 finally stopped reroute directions and calculations after I passed over the Golden Gate and was back on US101.

After wishing I had gotten factory-installed GPS on my '08 Toyota Highlander, I started shopping around for a portable unit. I looked at the Garmin 660, but didn't want to spend that much(even the $550 you could find it for online). When I became aware of the 720, that seemed like a good prospect. Circuit City had for $450 last week and with a 10% coupon, I was able to get it for $430 out the door, so I was very pleased with the price.

Anyway, for my first GPS, I'm very happy with the 720. Here are the features I like best:

Accurate routes and very quick reroutes

Great graphics - nice-looking day/night colors - very current-looking icons.

If you have an auxilliary input in your car, you can choose to ouput instructions and/or music through your car stereo without having to use the fm transmitter. With the optional cable you can buy, I like being able to use the 720 as an interface for my ipod while I leave the ipod in my glovebox.

Very clear and pleasant audio - the computer voice for text-to-speech really doesn't sound that robotic and the internal speaker has pretty decent sound quality. As mentioned above, you can output the instructions through you aux input if you have one, which sounds great, but it can be a bit much if you have your stereo cranked.

Was able to get it connected to my AT&T Samsung Sync's bluetooth, even though this phone is not one listed on the TomTom website and am able to use it for traffic also. Even though the traffic is activated, I have yet to see how valuable this feature is.

TIP: If your vehicle has built-in bluetooth, and you want to be able to use it, as well as the bluetooth functionality of the 720, try this:
Turn on the GPS and let it connect to your phone before you turn on your car. Then, when your car links up with your phone, you'll be able to make and receive calls on your vehicle's system but also make calls to POI's on the GPS, if you have occasion to do so.

In conclusion, this is a really cutting-edge GPS with a lot of great features for the money, and I wouldn't hesitate recommending it.

I found this item very good with map directions. however, I was just as interested in using it as a handsfree reciever with my verizon phone. I have a samsung phone and tryied several times to connect it. my phone would reconize the tom tom 720, but not the reverse. I finally got a hold of tom tom tech. support and they told me that their service was not compatible with verizon cell service and the brand of phone didn,t matter. It is better to check with tom tom if you are using bluetooth service.

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.

Preface- I recently took a new job which required me to move from Colorado to California. I decided I wanted to get a GPS for the trip and for the time while I was in CA, since I didn't know anyone and have never been. I felt it might make my trip easier. Based on my research I decided to purchase the newly released GO 720 from TomTom.

How I came to decide on the TomTom Go720. Initially I was going to get a Nuvii 350 from Garmin. Here is what sold me on the TomTom:

* Text-to-Speech -- to me this should be standard on any GPS in any price range. For the first part of my trip I had actually set up the TomTom in an incorrect voice and I didn't get the text-to-speech. I will say that this is NOT perfect, as pronunciation of some words is hard to make out exactly what she is saying.
* Hands-Free / Bluetooth Enabled -- I liked this feature, I will admit that I did not set my phone to connect to the Go 720, but my phone is recognizable by the TomTom so I imagine it would work. Maybe I'll play with this later.
* Map-Share -- How great is this, to be able to share maps with other members. I personally have not shared any maps or explored shared maps, but I think it is a great idea, and was an idea that sold me.

---

Well over all, I'd call it a success.

When I set the GPS up for the first time, I didn't select a computer voice, which is the only voice that can do text-to-speech, so I was getting the `in 500 yards, turn left' type message instead of `in 1/2 mile turn right on Grant Ave' or whatever. Got that sorted out.

Love the searching for POI's..Made planning breaks for gas very easy. I had a disucssion with a co-worker today, who had actually started about 2 weeks before me and moved from Connecticut. He and and his wife purchased a GPS from Garmin (don't know model number). The two of us basically came to the conclusion that these GPSes were good for getting you in the general area, but with new construction and maps that aren't real-time it isn't 100% accurate.

Only thing I didn't like was I searched for a McDonald's and it actually turned me around and took me back about 5 miles via residential areas..could have done w/o the going backwards part, but we can blame that on my inexperience.

One other thing that I'm not particularly fond of is in a city, around interchanges and what not, it will tell you to keep left, or keep right, etc. What it doesn't say is, are you supposed to keep left to exit or just keep left to not exit? I'd like a clearer view of why I am keeping left, and how far left do I need to be? When there at 6+ lanes here in CA, how far left do I want to be? The work around for this would be the `Zoom-In' and `Zoom-Out' buttons in the upper corners. A + or - sign in the upper corners allows you to scale the map to see your destination in a different view depending on the view you selected.

The window suction cup thing won't hold...I have a sticky foam pad, but for some reason it won't stick to my dash (no real flat place I think). I may try and find a mount for something other than the glass. So I guess my biggest gripe is just the inability to mount this thing in a good location that is easily manageable.

The FM transmitter is nice, until I got to CA where all the frequencies have something broadcasted. Then I just had to turn it over to the internal speaker, which is loud enough for me. I didn't hook it it up to my phone yet to see if it would dial POI's or set it up to do any hands-free dialing and what not.

--Additional Thoughts--

Navigation of the menu system to me seems to be lacking...too many clicks necessary to get where you want, but again this could just be my lack of time spent with the device and over time I may find a quick means to find what I'm looking for. One feature I would like is maybe voice navigation.

So...if I had to do it all over again, I would buy this. In the past I would just Google-Map something and have a short stack of papers for Metro areas and what not to get me around. No more killing trees for me.

Here in my particular area, there is a lot of new construction. With construction, TomTom is not updated. POI's are no longer where TomTom says they are. This is of course new construction only. For most POI's this is not a problem.

TomTom sent me in the wrong direction on a couple of occasions. This is frustrating for me in the area that I'm in, and wish it were more accurate, but understand this is not real-time. Again these particular issues were related to (new) construction where traffic may be diverted.

So my TomTom has become more of a `get me in the general area' tool, more so then how do I get to the door step tool. When looking for a retail store, it'll give you the bulk of the trip, once you can see a sign and what not, I just take over and navigate myself. So initially I was a little more dependent upon the TomTom, now like I said, I'm just using it to get me close, and I take it the rest of the way in.

I still love it for finding me POI's and just general navigation as I get around town. Over time it may spend more time in my glove box than out telling me how to get somewhere.

Still a great tool, and still recommend for someone who travels to new places often. As I decide to travel more throughout Cali, I'm sure it'll come in handy.

So I've recently been in search of a replacement for my old Garmin c330 (which was a great entry level unit in itself), and I've finally landed on something I'm in love with - the TomTom 720. I originally bought the Navigon 7100, and all I can say about that thing is STAY AWAY!

PROS...

- The unit itself is compact and sleek, but has a massive widescreen. The mount is simple yet ingenious and the sturdiest I've seen.

- Sound is exceptionally loud and clear - and you are given several options for how to hear the unit (through the internal speaker, built in FM transmitter to your car stereo, or through the AUX output). The unit comes preloaded with several voices... sounds like just an added gimmick, but nobody likes a bitchy voice that many GPS units come with - now you can choose from several already in the unit, or download them from the internet pretty easily. Text to speech engine is pretty good on pronounciations from what I've heard so far.

- The menus are easy to navigate and pretty intuitive. The buttons are large and need only a gentle touch, the touchscreen is very responsive. The device is very highly customizable - down to being able to choose what elements are on the navigation screen or appear on the quick menus.

- MapShare is AWESOME... TomTom is really the only manufacturer that has stepped up to the plate and acknowledged the dynamic nature of the roads we all drive on. Two new rotaries have opened near my home in the past month, and I've been able to update my own maps in a matter of seconds to reflect the new traffic patterns, and broadcast the changes via MapShare. Very cool!

- When looking at a route, the refresh rate on the screen is WAY, WAY quicker than any other unit i've seen - meaning the map moves in a much more fluid manner than the garmin units i've seen, which more closely resemble a very quick slideshow. Purely aesthetic, no doubt, but it's worth nothing.

- Connecting the device to your computer is easy - the software interface is GREAT - very easy to use. (I run MacOS.)

CONS...

I have only a couple of grievances, and they are minor. One is that the unit is customizable to the point that you can easily hide main operating buttons, like the "cancel route" button, which is in kind of an akward place and is hidden by default. In addition to this quirk, I can't seem to find the full manual on the TomTom website.


All in all, a GREAT unit - i've seen many and this is the best. I LOVE IT!

Pros

* Handsome -- best looking GPS I've tested to date
* New windshield mount is an improvement over previous TomToms
* Hardware feels solid and well engineered
* Text-to-speech voices sound natural
* Tons of configurable options
* Fast power-on time (boots up quickly)
* Timesaving address entry features, such as displaying recently used city and street names
* Strong FM Transmitter works well. So strong it can even broadcast over another radio station without issue
* New (Tele Atlas) maps are excellent
* Ability to customize which POI categories are displayed on the map
* Supports multi-destination routing (although not route optimization)
* Broad language support
* Lots of routing options to choose from (fastest time, shortest distance, bicycle, pedestrian, etc.)
* Ability to download and install additional voices

Cons

* Poor documentation (important items are either briefly explained, or not covered at all. Manual is also UK-specific)
* Manual makes reference to features that the GO 720 doesn't actually have, such as voice recognition (European version has this feature, US version does not (but the manual doesn't explain that))
* Cluttered user interface
* Slow to accept missed turns: the GO 720 either insisted I make a u-turn, or went nuts and showed me driving off road
* Can't search across all States, only within a specified State
* Important functions are hidden by default, and must be manually enabled (for example, the ability to cancel a route)
* When entering an address into the GO 720, you must choose the State, even if you're using a zip code (sort of defeats the purpose of allowing the use of Zip codes here in the United States)
* Major GPS Drift when stationary (GPS position "drifts" around in circles)
* Poor GPS signal reception (as of this writing, using version 7.0.0) compared to other SiRF enabled GPS units
* "Night" mode only changes the color scheme on the map, not the other menu screens
* Multi-destination (itinerary) route planning is cumbersome
* TomTom PLUS services require the use of a compatible Bluetooth-enabled cell phone
* Short list of compatible cell phones (for Bluetooth enabled hands-free calling and TomTom's PLUS services) means most cell phone owners in the US will be unable to use TomTom's PLUS services
* Automatic screen dimming feature is too sensitive. When enabled, the GPS switches in and out of night mode constantly if you drive anything other than a convertible in the California sun
* Routing engine not as good as Garmin or Magellan
* MapShare doesn't let you see which specific roads were updated -- it just tells you that "updates were applied"
* Some menus return you to the previous page, others dump you back to the map view for no apparent reason
* Screen not as bright as other GPS units
* When announcing highway names, the GPS says "highway six-hundred-and-eighty-four" instead of "six-eighty-four"
* Fingerprint prone exterior case

Conclusion: 65/100

I really wanted to love the TomTom GO 720. With enough features to make a grown man drool, the exceedingly elegant GO 720 is one good looking piece of hardware that lets you customize just about every aspect of the interface. I was especially fond of the powerful built-in FM transmitter, the ability to broadcast music and spoken navigation instructions over different sources (i.e. music via the FM transmitter and instructions via the built-in speaker), and the ability to make map corrections on the fly. I also appreciated the ability to easily create custom POIs and POI categories, and TomTom's unique time-saving address entry features.

The GO 720 has excellent text-to-speech that sounds natural, and can announce actual street names instead of generic maneuvers (although for some odd reason this feature is disabled by default). I also loved the ability to enter a preferred arrival time, and have the GPS report exactly how early or late I would arrive at my destination.

The GO 720 ships with TomTom's software version 7.0 installed (also known as NavCore 7). A significant update to previous GO software, version 7 is literally busting at the seams with new features. Nearly every aspect of the GO 720 can be customized, from compass preferences to custom vehicle icons and voices, to TomTom's much-touted MapShare -- a unique set of features that allow the user to make map corrections and POI corrections/updates directly on the device.

Unfortunately, the TomTom GO 720 suffers from many of the same drawbacks that have plagued TomTom's products for years.

Despite being equipped with SiRF's high performance GPS receiver, the GO 720 had a hard time maintaining reception, and occasionally thought I was driving off the road altogether. The GO 720 also had a hard time dealing with missed turns, frequently asking me to make U-turns and double back instead of re-routing based on the new course. The GO 720 also exhibited some of the most severe GPS 'drift' I've ever seen (a condition that causes the GPS to think it's moving even though it's not).

Adding to the frustration, for some inexplicable reason TomTom hides many important features on the GO 720. For example, by default there is no way to cancel a route. In order to cancel a route, you'll first need to enable the hidden menu, and even then it will take 4 screen taps to cancel the route (very annoying when driving). The Bluetooth integration is a nice feature to have, but so few cell phones are supported that the functionality is seriously limited. Speaking of which, in order to make use of any TomTom PLUS features, such as real-time traffic data, you must have a Bluetooth compatible cell phone (and accompanying data plan) paired to the GO 720. By contrast, both Garmin and Magellan provide traffic services via an included antenna and don't require any additional hardware.

Like previous TomTom products, things feel rushed with the GO 720; the included documentation is for the UK and references features not available in the North American version. TomTom's support website doesn't even list the GO 720 as a valid model, and TomTom's PLUS site has been "down for maintenance" for over 48 hours as of this writing. Trying to download the product manual for the GO 720 from TomTom's website results in an error message stating that no such manual exists yet. The interface feels cluttered, as TomTom's software engineers have packed the GO 720 to the gills with features and options that haven't improved the most basic requirement of getting you from point A to B.

The GO 720 has a long list of great features that just might keep you distracted long enough not to notice that the core functionality of the GPS doesn't work that well. TomTom's routing engine remains poor compared to Garmin or Magellan, and the GO 720 consistently chose the worst route in my testing.

If TomTom spent as much time on software development as they clearly spent on hardware design, the GO 720 would be a fantastic GPS indeed. Unfortunately the GO 720 still needs work, and I can't quite recommend it just yet.

The TomTom GO 720 is a beautiful GPS that will impress at first, but disappoints soon after the honeymoon wears off.

The TomTom 720 is a great product. My wife and I find it very easy to use and have never had a problem getting to our destinations. It picks up the GPS signals fast and even in areas where there are large obstructions like in cities.
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br /Even though we think this is a top notch product, I want to give other TomTom 720 users a heads-up regarding TomTom's new fuel prices service that just became available for the TomTom 720 in the United States.
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br /I signed up for TomTom fuel prices at a cost of $14.95 per year. We downloaded the most up-to-date fuel prices from TomTom Home and went on a 45 min road trip to a local lake. We stopped at two gas stations that TomTom reported as the lowest price along the route. One was a Citgo station that TomTom reported was selling regular gasoline for $3.52 a gallon, which was incredible since our local Murphy gas station was going for $3.72. When we arrived at the Citgo, it was actually $3.79 - 27 cents more than TomTom stated! Also, it wasn't even the cheapest. We saw an Exxon priced at $3.71 as we were driving along the highway. We gave it another shot and we ended up at a RaceWay that TomTom stated was going to be $3.60. It was $3.74. Even when you download the latest fuel prices they appear to be days old. With a service like fuel prices, anything older than 6 hours should be considered stale data. The TomTom fuel prices service does not scan and report the gas station prices anywhere near fast enough to allow for proper functioning. Although this concept is a great idea, I would not recommend this service at this time.
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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

I was looking for a navigator that works flawlessly with a MACOSX operating system. I read a couple reviews and found that the TomTom Home software was updated to run and update the TomTom GO properly. The TomTom GO 720 works flawlessly with my MAC mini running Leopard. I installed the TomTom Home software and got the updated software in a couple of minutes which allowed the TomTom GO to connect to the Sats. easier. Setting up the preferences was very user friendly, a breeze. The menus takes a little time to get familiar but in time I was skipping through and personalizing it to fit my usage. The built in speakers are great. I like the FM transmitter mode, however the hissing on those blank FM stations are annoying so I use the built in which is clear and loud enough. I love the blue tooth mode for hands free phone conversation. You don't have to shout for this baby to hear you. This is one of my favorite features because I hate blue tooth headphones or holding a phone to my head while driving. The navigations works excellent. I would recommend this to anyone, young or old.

I love the Tele Atlas Maps that the 720 uses--The POI coverage is impressive, and i just read that they have over 24 million of them. I didn't even know there were 24 million points of interest, period. TT makes it really easy to entering addresses according to state,and the screen is large and able to be fully customized. I also love the fact that it provides the text-to-speech option.

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.

First of all, I have to say this is an excellent unit. Among the ones I tried, (Magellan 3225, nuvi 200, tomtom one, mio c230) this is the one I really hate to let go.
I'm returning it because of some reasons. I'm not going to go through what it has, you can read them on other reviews or on the tomtom website but I'm going to explain what you are not getting.
The first reason is the price. I started with paying $150 on a tomtom one then slowly increased the price and ended up with Go 720.
I bought this from Sams's club for $329.00 (now $349.00). For that much money I would expect to get a case and maybe an AC charger. You do get a cradle but that requires you to turn on your computer everytime you want to charge the unit at home. I wish they threw a little wall charger which has a usb outlet so I could hook up the cradle and wouldn't have to turn on my computer. You can buy generic one from Ebay for probably 10 bucks but why should I pay extra money for the case and the charger if I'm already paying so much money. It's not a big deal but it would be convenient.
It shows the POIs around you while you are driving, but they are not interactive icons (like Magellan has) so you can't see the info or just chose to go there by clicking on it. You should be able to click on them and have option to call or drive there, just like in Magellan units.
The POI category is way too much (broken into so many categories) but at the same time they are kind of useles, like there is no sub category for food. Say you want to find Chinese food around, you have to know the name or guess from the names you find.
The bluetooth is not working properly. It connected to my Blackberry 8100 with ease but couldn't get data connection. It worked when I called people, sound quality is superior, they did not even know I was talking to GO 720, but then I wasn't able to establish a connection when someone called, we just couldn't hear each other.
You have many options for the voice instructions, you can download so many voices, even funny ones like dart wader, homer simpson, etc.. but only few tomtom made "computer voices" can read the street names. If you want to use special voices or human voices, you have to sacrifice the text-to-speech function. I wish I had a choice to use human voice for normal instructions and second voice for reading street names aloud.
The good thing is with a little trick you can turn the unit to Go 920. which gives you an extra menu to use voice commands. So instead of entering the address, you say them. However, you have to go 3 menus (Navigate To>Address>Spoken Dialog) in order to give voice commands. So if I'm going to go thru all that, I might as well enter the address manually. Anyway, that's an additional trick for the unit so it's irrelevant to this review.
The windshield mount works perfect. Few drop of water and place it firm, then you will have hard time removing it. (I did). Unfortunately it doesn't charge the unit. So if you are connecting the unit to the cable of your car charger, you have to unplug the cable every time you take it with you (believe me you will if you don't want it get stolen). It's just inconvenient. Tottom could come up with a design, maybe an additional hook up charger that you clip on to the stem of windshield mount tightly and attached the cable on to it.
So the reasons I'm returning is because: lack of case, a wall charger, windshield mount, the need-work bluetooth, non-interactive POIs and the price, in my opinion it's really not worth to pay that much, I would, however, keep it for $250.00. Maybe they will add those features with firmware update, fix the bluetooth, and throw a case (that should be a must, I mean come on..) then it'll be a killer, and I would buy one.
For those who think Navteq is better than Tele Atlas; in my opinion that's not true. I found Tele Atlas better than Navteq but again, that's argumental.

I purchased a GO 720 on Feb 20th'08. The unit works brilliantly but I was irritated that the map version and TomTom Home software were both months out of date.

I used the TomTom 30 day free version guarantee to successfully download the latest versions. You will need to register a User Name and e-mail address with TomTom and a high speed internet connection to do this. The map download will take around 2-3 hours.

To check the versions, don't ask a salesman in a store, instead tap the arrow on the main menu twice and click SHOW VERSIONS. The latest versions as at Feb'08 are:

App 7.221
GPS v1.21
Map North America_2GB v 710.1584

The latest TomTom Home software for your PC is version 2.2. You should be prompted to download v2.2 when you connect the Go to your PC. Accept the update.

To download the latest map version, Start TomTom Home on your PC. Click Tools, select Use Latest Map Guarantee. Follow the instructions on the screen. Expect a 3 hour download. The new North America map will download to your PC and install on your Go (step 3 on screen).

Enter the TomTom Home main menu. Click Update my Go and you will receive about 13,000 approved map corrections from TomTom Map Share that will be applied to the latest map version.

You will need the full 2Gb space on internal memory for the new map version. So delete any MP3, photo or audiobook files first. You will need an SD card to use those.

Then enjoy your Go with the latest maps on a great GPS.

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!

At first, I loved the Tomtom 720. But, the problems began. First, there were times it would simply not turn on (I had power, the little green LED was lit, etc.) The only way I finally got it to power on was by resetting it, and then it had deleted the waypoints/favorites I had programmed for that particular trip (which was actually dangerous, since it was in the desert near Moab, Utah, and we then had to backtrack, rather than continue. Destroyed our plans =o( This problem with not being able to turn it on has happened several times since, as well.
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br /On subsequent trips, I have noticed that the Tomtom 720 is off by about 200 yards. For this price, I would expect a much more accurate GPS system. It has told me to turn on streets/exits/onramps I have already passed, or has told me that an exit/onramp in on one side, but when I arrive, it's on the other.
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br /These are just some of the problems I have had. A quick list of some of the others...
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br /bluetooth connection with telephone: I can hear the other person, but they cannot hear me, no matter how loud I have the volume set, or if I am 2 inches from the mic, etc. Junk.
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br /FM transmitter: fades in and out, and I have tried it on several cars.
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br /Favorites: Sometimes you set a favorite to your current location, but later, when you'd like to return, the 720 can't find a route. It has taken me to different locations using the same favorite/address, as well. Frustrating.
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br /Technical Support/Customer service: Good luck! Tomtom customer service simply ignores you, doesn't respond, etc. I guess they know their product has some serious issues, and have no idea how to fix them, and don't have the guts to communicate with anyone foolish enough to purchase their product.
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br /Voices: I bought a celebrity voice (Dennis Hopper) to guide me, but he seems to be stuck in a rut. In the beginning, there would be occasional funny comments. Now, whenever I make a left turn, he says he is losing it. Every damn left turn. Annoying.
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br /Settings: Sometimes, after the power problem I noted earlier, the settings are changed. Example: Text to speech of road names gets turned off, and I cannot turn it back on.
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br /Finding streets/addresses/POIs/cities: Sometimes it cannot find well known streets, addresses, POIs (even though the POI came directly from their site) and even cities. I have it not find Atlanta, GA and Dallas, TX at times...not exactly podunk towns.
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br /Overall, I am beyond frustrated with this product and Tomtom in general. Very disappointed that Tomtom couldn't care less about supporting this product, after spending $350. Let the buyer beware.

i recently bought a tomtom and overall it has been excellent. The features are very useful but it takes some time to navigate and become familiar with the menus because there are SO many options. If you want a navigation system that is totally custom and personalized, this is the one for you.

I thought about buying the optional ipod connection cable but it turns out that the internal memory (and MAYBE an additional memory card) could actually hold all of the music i would listen to. It places the music on the tomtom jukebox and divides it up into a playlist. This is way easier than trying to scroll through your ipod when your driving because it is on a much bigger screen. Additionaly, If you do choose to play your music tomtom stops it inorder to say its directions and resumes play right after... i wish it would just fade out but thats just me.

The 720 is great! The only negative review that I read was stating that it won't help you entering NYC. Well i know NYC like the back of my hand, So I bought it anyway! I enter NYC thru the Holland tunnel every day like the reviewer said and I am telling you IT DOES WORK PERFECTLY !!! I turn it on just to familiarize myself w/ the unit & its BETTER than I'd hoped... NO more asking stangers when outside of NYC ...Good luck! P.S. Check bluetooth compatabilities BEFORE buying...

I have read a number of reviews that pretty much tell you to steer clear of TomTom and go for a Garmin. These reviews claim that the TomTom is buggy, slow to find a GPS signal, and gives incorrect driving instructions.

I did not find this to be the case. This is my first GPS device, but I it seemed quick and the instructions it gave seemed reasonable. I Especially loved the simplicity of the interface and the clear indication of the current street name and next upcoming turn. The newer computer voices (you can choose from several) are actually remarkably lifelike, and I found that they correctly pronounced many of the tricky street names in my city. The device also has all kinds of customization options: screen color schemes, MP3 playback, custom graphics, additional voices, etc.

A free update from the TomTom website added a massive collection of restaurant and store locations, as well as gas stations. These can be searched through like a phonebook, and the TomTom even connected to my bluetooth Nokia phone so that I could call stores - hands free - from the car using their interface!

My only complaint is that the TomTom would not allow me to quickly transfer all of my GoogleMaps custom locations and routes. Most things have to be entered by hand. TomTom announced support for Google Maps, but the feature seems just plain broken. I can't get it to work.

ok, this is a great GPS. simple to use, easy interface, easy upgrades, etc. THE CRAP, however, is that this is touted as 'future proof' and just isn't, not for me anyway. You can't swing a dead cat without hitting a phone company shouting about smartphones, and yet this GPS doesn't support the TREO line of smartphones. WHat??? How can you NOT make this connection, I don't know. The call I made to customer support, they simply said that THEY did not support the TREO. Therefore, many of the cool 'features' on the phone, txt message support, data updates for POI's, etc., do not work with the TREO line.

Hi, I just got my TomTom 720 yesterday and was able to use it that night when driving to a location in the suburbs that had limited lighting. It helps when you are unfamiliar with the location and not sure where the next street to turn is. Prior to me getting the TomTom 720, I would pass the street I should be looking for and then have to turn back around. For this, it is great! I also like the bluetooth capability with my phone though I wish the speakers were in front of the unit and not the back. I haven't used the iPod function yet but I'm hoping the functionality is useful.

I did find the an issue when I tried downloading the extras or maps. The other issue I noticed is when you are recording your own voice in the unit for the directions, it doesn't allow enough time to record each phrase.

Overall, I'm pretty happy about the unit.

I've been using the GO 720 for a while now and think its great! There are so many features on this device which make it one of the best units I've ever used. One of my favorites is the built in FM transmitter which lets me listen to MP3s through my car speakers. I was surprised how well this worked. I also like how you can move the information bar from the bottom of the screen to the side. Call me picky, but I like how the map looks in this view. Inputing directions is very easy and the audio directions are very clear and easy to follow. The 720 comes with the latest maps and I've found them to be extremely accurate. It always gets me where I need to go. The Map Share and Help me features are also great features. I haven't had the chance to use the Bluetooth yet, but thats next on my list...

I'm no GPS expert, but I am an aerospace engineer and spent a lot of years in quality assurance, and I'd be proud to have this TomTom Go 720 as one of my products.

I looked for a long time for a unit with a certain feature-set including good sound quality, a good 3D display, fast position acquisition, multile waypoints, the ability to pre-plan a trip with an intinerary, and some extra features such as a variety of voices and icons to personalize it. And I defintely wanted something that looked as good in my Porsche 911 as in my Hummer. No toys! I wanted a primarily black body with a quality fit and finish, and I found all these in the TomTom Go 720.

Just a look at the packaging told me the unit would be nice. The quality of the box and packing was excellent, and I hadn't even gotten to the GPS yet.

Everything was in the box that I needed except for an iPod cable and a protective case which I bought separately from Amazon. The TomTom Home software was a little clunky, and took a long time to perform certain functions, but hey, it's not like I'm going to be using this every day, so I won't fault them for it. It works, and that's what counts.

Using it the first time was a little awkward, but that's mostly my fault because I never read directions. But I still had some concerns even after a bit of reading: Specifically, when I came to a stop at a light, the unit would "drift" well to the left of the roadway, although I wasn't moving. And while driving, it would sometimes display my car moving well off to the left of the road, as if in a field. Finally, I would sometimes notice that my route would move to a closely parallel road, such as a service road, and then the unit would tell me to turn to get back on the main road. Hey, I was already on that! All these seemed related, so I decided a telephone call was in order.

I also noted that after arriving at a destination, there seemed to be no way to cancel the route. The 720 always wanted me to go back to the original destination or start a new one. The only solution seemed to be turning it off.

I came home and called TomTom expecting a lengthy hold time, but got a great technician within minutes. After explaining the issues with drift, he diagnosed this as a software issue, helped me upload a newer version, and all trouble with stationary drift AND parallel routes went away.

He also told me to tap the screen until I saw a Clear Route icon which cancelled a trip and let the unit just idle along with me as I drove or until entering another destination. By "idle", I mean that it kept track of where I was at all times, but didn't give any directions.

I also chose a voice for my unit that was British, which I thought was a touch of class, but found that I needed a computer voice to announce roads by name, so I opted to go back to a US-accented computer voice. I really like the directions it gives which are timely, and with the road names, are so much more meaningful.

It's really a great unit, and I'm very happy with it. Wall Street Photo got it out to me right away, so hats off to them for a good price and quick response. I highly recommend this to anyone wanting a mid-high end GPS that looks and works great in that nice car.

KLR
Alexandria, Virginia

I love my Tomo Tom, and do not know how I have lived without it. It not only prevenets me from gettig lost when I am driving somewhere unfamiliar to me, but it gives me great options on how to get tow here I need to go, by avoinding traffic jams, construction on roads and even toll roads if I want to take the scenic route. I highly recommend one to anyone who does a lot of driving. You'll never be lost again, or better said, you be lost without one!

- Great buy!
- If you are looking for a great, functionally rich GPS system at an exciting price. TomTom 720 is the way to go. I bought it at $357. Comparable products from Garmin/Megallan costs around $500 as of this writing.

- Basic GPS models are available starting $150 (TomTom One), so i was not very sure its worth to pay $200 more to get all these 'bells and whistles' comes with 720 (ie BlueTooth, MP3 player and FM transmitter, MapShare technology). When i ordered it, i was only 50% conviced all those options will be useful. BUT NOW that i used, i can vouch for 200% it was worth it. HERE is WHY, few examples of the functionality i successfully used

- I was looking for a store, so did a serach in the point of interst store showed up, with the details (including phone number). Wanted to find out the hours, just hot the call button, which dialed the store and spoek to the person and got the details (made possible through blue tooth technology)
- I like music, so in the last 4 week i have downloaded about 100 songs (mp3) from the web onto Tom Tom and it keep me entertained during my drives to work (i have a 30 minute commute). Made possible by MP3 player on 720
- The greatgest part of the MP3 player is i can hear the music through the car sterio system. Really beautifyl and the quality is really good. Made possible by the FM transmitter
- Real fun part is when you are following a route and mp3 player is on, your favourite songs will play between the instructions. Tom loweres the volume and read out the instructions and back to the songs again
- Also if you receive a phone call on your mobile, its tranferred to Tom Tom right away and you can pick up the call hands free. The mic is so sensitive, my 3.5 year old daughter sitting in the car seat can talk to mom through tom tom!!!!. Also call is noise free and very clear
- ANother fun part, you can download all your phone book to tom tom and to make a call just tap through the phone book entry. Cool stuff!!
- MapShare as of this writing this feature is only available in Tom Tom and this is great!. All other products will be coming with this feature near term. Idea is users worldwide contribute to improve the maps and POIs (remember wikipedia.. similar concept where users collectively bring about the best)
- It spells out the street names. This is good and really usefull. Beauty of this feature is you dont need to look at the screen and then the road to find the next street to turn.

Overall very very happy with Tom!

The bad:
br /
br /- The TomTom Go 720 will not recognize my bluetooth enabled Blackberry.
br /- When taking a detour for planned route, the GPS will automatically guide you back to the route you took a detour from.
br /- Battery life is about 1.5 hours when not in power saving mode.
br /- Points of Interested data base needs to be updated, not all POI's are listed, i.e. ATM's, Gas stations, restaurants.
br /- Complex navigation menu, takes too many steps to find what is important.
br /- Not as slim as you think, it will not fit in pockets without printing.
br /- Short, flimsy, suction cup mount makes it difficult for average hight users to touch the Tom Tom.
br /- Hiss when using the FM output.
br /- Slow response time when calling customer service.
br /- No case included. Even a cheap silicone cover would be nice.
br /- Voice guidance feature does not pronounce names correctly. I'm sure most systems currently perform this way.
br /
br /
br /The good:
br /- High quality construction. Heavy weight non-clip plastics and metal accents.
br /- Descent screen resolution
br /- Multi funtional: plays MP3, views pictures, video, and documents (I havn't tested this yet, but its nice to know it's there).
br /- Map share, allows user to download free map updates from the TomTom users community.
br /- Fast satillite aquisition, when in open area, even while moving.
br /- User customizable menu
br /- Big screen
br /- This has taken me where I want to go, in and out of unfamiliar territory, even making unplanned trips to the gas staion while I'm traveling.
br /- Map of North America (Canada, US, Mexico?), I know US and Canada is included for sure, and thats helpful to me since I drive to both places.
br /- SIRF III chipset, 400 mhz processor,2 gb of on board memory, 64 mb of RAM, and an open slot for a high capacity SD card is a powerfull combination.
br /
br /Notes:
br /
br /I was conscidering buying a Garmin Nuvi 255w. But since the technical specifications is less than the TomTom Go720, I decided to purchase this GPS unit. It is a better value for me, since I found a good deal on a recertified unit that is priced bellow the market value for a new Garmin Nuvi 255w. If size where a major issue, I would go for any Garmin Nuvi, since it's slimmer.
br /
br /I suggest finding an alternative mounting location, and avoiding mounting this unit on the windshield because it cuts your field of vision by at least 10%. I drive a compact sedan, and relative to the size of the unit, thats how I estimate that number.
br /
br /I need to contact tech support to resolve my bluetooth issue, I will post and update ASAP.
br /

PSA: If you think that paying $80 for maps every year is unfair, don't buy a GPS. No matter what GPS you buy, you have to buy maps every year for around the same price.
br /
br /
br /I throughly used about 7 other GPS devices before I decided on buying this. The GO 720 is
br /
br /very easy to use and will sometimes leave you deeply impressed by the smart features it has.
br /
br /It looks great with its sleek screen and the elegant form.
br /It shows you water bodies as indents on the sides, has a day and night mode for the maps.
br /
br /The lighting of the LCD changes with light exposure.
br /
br /Smarter features include
br /
br /-Bluetooth connectivity to your phone, so that you make calls through the GPS.
br /-When finding POI(Point of Interest), you can call the place directly with a touch of a
br /
br /button since the number shows up with a CALL button next to it
br /-You can record voices of yourself or a friend and have this voice be the navigation voice.
br /
br /(I had my friend record his commands in our local language)
br /-Pair to your FM radio so that you can hear the command on your car speakers
br /-MP3s can be played
br /-SD card slot
br /-BEST Feature : Text to Speech. Having the GPS read out the names of streets for you is the
br /
br /best thing ever. You dont have to look at the device..just focus on the road.
br /
br /
br /However, when I was in downtown one time...the device went nuts. It couldn't locate itself
br /
br /and the graphic just kept showing my car floating on the roads. I was getting voice commands
br /
br /during this but I didnt know if they were right because it had lost its signal. It may have
br /
br /been due to the tall buildings...but I wasn't happy when it happened.
br /
br /This has happened only ONCE.I use it everyday and it is everything I expected it to be. The
br /
br /main thing to look for in a GPS is its Navigation Ability and this Go720 is killer at it. It
br /
br /calculates in microseconds and takes you the right way to your destination. You can choose
br /
br /the way you want to go too (eg:choose to eliminate a freeway). It may miss some roadblocks.
br /
br /This can be annoying. But, you can just keep going..and it will reroute you. YOu can even
br /
br /record the roadblock easily with 2 clicks, so that it doesn't make the mistake again.
br /
br /The TOMTOM is superb compared to a Garmin because of its user friendly and less annoying
br /
br /nature. This Go 720 though has everything you need and more. You'll love it.

I love the TomTom GO 720. I just bought a second one from Amazon for a friend. I charged it all night and she took off on a trip with it. Although it was plugged in, it would not charge from the 12 volt car system and it ran out prior to arriving at her destination. It would charge from the USB but not from the car. She got on the phone direct with TomTom, they agreed that it was defective. She sent it in, and about a week later, a new one arrived that works fine. In spite of it all being a pain in the rear, and her not being able to use it on the trip, their customer service was very good. I wish it had a mute button for quick turn on/off of voice without going through the menu.TomTom GO 720 4.3-Inch Widescreen Bluetooth Portable GPS Navigator

I have been using my tomtom 720 for like 2 months by now. So here is what i think is good and bad.
br / - The map -I have the latest map version(7.15v) and i feel the 720 has a pretty detailed map (atleast in my area- Chicago). There are some recent developments which obviously has not been updated in their maps, but which i hope will be added as they roll out with new maps.
br /
br / - Routing - If you choose in the preferences to ask every time which type of route to plan, it will always ask about the options for routing like fastest, shortest, avoid highways, bicycle route, walking routes and limited speed. If you choose the fastest route, it will come with a route that it thinks is the fastest. Now here is the thing - sometimes, the fastest route might get you at a place 1 minute earlier than an alternate route which might cut short the distance by 5 miles. So you have to be careful here. Once you put in the fastest route, tap on the bottom right corner and go to find alternative - then choose fastest route again - now it will come with the route that is 1 min longer, but 5 miles shorter! And the good thing is, you can compare how much time you loose and how much distance you cut short in that screen itself - It will say the original route was this miles long and this minutes duration in that screen itself!!! So, before accusing the machine of bad routing , put a little thought into the widely customizable routing engine it has and use some of your brain!
br /Walking routes are handy as they also use oneways to reach you at a place through walking - cool! Also, you can customize your route by viewing the details of the route in text or block by block or whole map and then choose which road to avoid, which road to go through by just tapping on those roads!
br /All these that i have talked about also brings in light about one bad thing about tomtom - It is more user friendly for a little tech inclined person. For a grand pa or grandma, i think garmin would be best. But it is not to say that the basic routing techniques can be used by anyone not very tech inclined.
br /
br / - Poi database - lots and lots. Initially, I was not impressed by the number of poi in tomtom 720. But now I actually use the bigger tomtom poi database that does not come standard with 720;) If you do a little research in the net, you will get it;). I have never came across a shop or place that is not in the tomtom list so far. The smallest little shop that i thought might not be in tomtom came up in the poi database. that really surprised me. Well, anyway, you can download so many pois for free from so many places. But, i have not yet used any pois other than the tomtom official ones! But I should say that the ones that come standard with tomtom 720 is not much at all!
br /
br / - Blue tooth- very very handy. It downloads all your contacts from the phone! It shows all your contacts on the screen and you can call straight from the gps. The audio clarity - better than my blue tooth headphones!
br /
br / - FM transmitter - poor. The loudness has been recently increased after firmware update to 7.481. But the signal is weak. I think it has something to do with the power cable. When i move it around, it changes. If i disconnect the cable, you will still get it. But it is very unpredictable. In general, 90% of the time, i have had good signals. When I'm in downtown it goes down to 50%. The audio quality is horrible. When it is clear, it is clear; but I think the device mix down stereo tracks to mono and then transmits it as stereo. Hence the fm receiver will say that it is receiving stereo signal, but the actual output will be a dull mono which greatly degrades the audio quality of a song when you hear it through the fm transmitter. I would think, the audio quality should be much better with the cables connected to your car audio. But my car audio does not have a line in jack. You might think that a gps does not have to be a master of all trades, but hey, almost all the gps gives you these kind of features at this money. So why not get it all when you pay this much. It is so convenient to have all the songs in the gps itself rather can carry something else for that purpose (I use an 8 GB Sandisk Extreme 3 card in addition to the 2GB inbuilt memory)
br /
br / - 3rd party apps - lots and lots. That is one reason why i choose the tomtom. I already have a small calculator, a flashlight tool, a mileage calculator with detailed graphical views, an event logger(tracks your gps anywhere you go and keeps that info in the sd card), a video player - So many thanks to the developers. I dont think any other gps has this many 3rd party apps.
br /
br / - Mapshare technology- It is a very useful concept. You see a small error in the map - you mark that location for correction - once you get the time, correct the error - save it - share it with all the other tomtoms! At this point, I have 16,000 errors mapshare corrections! Whoa - so many errors on the map? They may not be huge errors, it might be something like a poi is 100m away from its actual location or something like a road has been blocked for traffic or something like that. But useful, anyway. No other gps has this . But Dash is coming out with some revolutionary ideas.
br /
br / - Traffic - Never used this feature( I dont have a data plan with my cell phone, nor do i have an rds-tmc receiver). I dont know how updated or how useful this feature is.
br /
br / - Value for money - I would say it is a good value."
br /

I bought this product since our PX had a roadshow sale w/ a $100 discount. Needless to say I bought the item, with a slight hesitation, since it was a good steal. I normally research a product and make comparisons before I purchase it.

I gave it a 3-star because when i took it our for a test run, after inputting my home address, it gave me the wrong location for my house. Granted it was only a block away from me. I went to work and other places I normally go to but when I ask for a direction, instead of taking the most direct route, it gave me a route that took me away from the interstate through city streets. I don't understand why it would do such thing even with the settings on "fastest route" enabled.

The battery life on this gadget doesn't last for 5 hours neither even with battery save on. Roughly 2-3 hours tops. The car charger is basically worthless since the unit doesn't use the external power and would continually run on internal battery. If you try to charge it with the unit off, it would take at least 8 hours for it to charge up in you car and that I quote from customer service. Needless to say, if you're going on a cross country trip, like I plan to do in the next few months, plan accordingly and choose what sites you want to visit. And, oh yeah, bring a Rand McNally map, too. It may come very handy.

Lately, I've had trouble with the software and I can't do any backups nor operate my device through my pc. What's up with that? It didn't even cycle through when I turned it on and it was stuck on the start up screen. It got pretty frustrating after resetting it for 5 times.

This may be a learning system since it's finally choosing the route I normally take going out the gate, otherwise, it'll take me on a right, left, right, left instead of taking the most direct and effecient route.

For Tomtom traffic, I don't understand why the subscription charge is in pounds or euro currency. It'll give your traffic updates for European countries but the Europe map is not even loaded into my system. No U.S. traffic subscription? I thought I bought a decent GPS model?

As far as operation and ease of use, I gave it a 5-star. Unfortunately, I don't have other systems so I can't make a very good comparison with a different product. In the meantime, it takes me I need to go with a few extra unnecessary turns.

If I you decide to purchase a GPS, ensure that you conduct a good research. It's an investment that you wouldn't want to regret.

D

I pulled my Tom Tom out of the box, charged it for the required 2 hours and then started playing with it around the house. It proved super easy to program and I liked that I could see the instructions to my destination in text as well as the normal map view. Then I used it to get to a destination 45 minutes away that I was pretty sure I knew how to get to, but just wanted to be sure and it worked beautifully.

Like any good GPS it re-mapped my route as I detoured to get gas, and the voice instructions were really excellent providing plenty of time to change lanes on the high way for upcoming exits. I liked the large screen display, which is easy to follow (although I generally ignored it as the voice instructions were so good). It asked for when I needed to get to my appointment and navigated me the most direct route (given current gas prices this is critical).

Why not 5 stars? I wish it had a plug in for when I'm home (comes with computer USB plug in and car charger), but I'm guessing I can buy one if I get really annoyed. Also, I wish the volume was louder, I had to keep the radio nearly off to hear the voice. I do recommend purchasing a separate mounting pad (like a non-skid bean bag) to ensure you don't have the tell-tale suction cup mark on your windshield, a sign to potential thieves to break into your car to look for your GPS unit.

I bought this model and must admit it has a lot of extras, but the bottom line is that the routes it chooses are terrible. I plotted several routes on it, MSN Maps, Google Maps, Mapquest and Mappoint. Every one was the same except the TomTom. Some where just bizarre. I returned it and bought a Garmin 750. It cost a bit more and lacked some of the features of the TomTom, but the routes where right on. The basic function of these particular devices is to get you where you want to go and even though they both get you there, the Garmin does it much more efficiently.

I've had the unit for about two months now and used it on two trips and around town some. It will get you there but not always the best way. The speakers have a lot to be desired. I would buy it again because it works good as a navigation aid. The other features are just so so.

Overall I am very happy with the Tom Tom 720 GPS.The learning curve wasn't bad at all. We just back from a 3,000 mile trip to NC, SC and FL and would have been hard pressed to find some of the destinations without the Tom Tom. My only complanit so far is the inablity to delete single items from the "recent destinations" folder. Its either all or none.

Great unit. I tried several from Garmin and TomTom as well as several of the lesser known brands.I settled on the 720 and this one was my 2nd purchase--for a gift. TomTom is a little weak on the customer service but that's ok since one would not expect to need them anyway. Operationally and functionally, the 720 seems to be as capable as the Tomtom 920 and more so than the Garmin 770.

The tomtom 720 is quite easy to use. Each programmed trip offers several options, in addition to Quickest or nearest. Many,if not all, of the other brands require a setting selection and then applies it to all trips. TomTom is more user friendly and has a superior Text to Speech capability. The TomTom maps are a little more up to date than most, although they may often use the same mapping company.

TomTom 720 has an easier and least costly traffic and weather program for those with the data capable blue tooth phone. It also constantly displays your current street and the name of the next turn in addition to the other displayed items.

Great unit! It's difficult to find fault when comparing it to the other brands and models.

I purchased a Tom Tom 720. On Christas Day, their web site was unavailable. The following two days my wife and I called, only to be put on endless hold. When we finally did get through the web site said the machine works with a Mac, but we couldn't make it work. We returned it for a Garmin, which works fine.

The TomTom GO 720 has a good set of features at a good price, but in Hawaii at least the points of interest is out dated and needs revision. For Example there are restaraunts and stores listed that have not been in those locations for a couple of years.

there is one HUGE problem.... When putting in the navigation info, you had best know the city... I often know a street address in the suburb of a major city but not the town name.. gee whiz, the people that live in those suburbs themselves don't know the obscure town name.... but the 720 won't let you get past the city query to put in the street address until you say what the city it... well... I know it is baltimore...but who knows if it is owings mills, glyndon, lutherville or cockysville.
br /
br /this is a HORRIBLE design problem.. I will have to send my unit back. too bad..I like everything else about it.....

This unit had massive problems with connecting to my Blackberry Curve through Bluetooth. It simply wouldn't do it regardless of whether attempted through the GPS unit or the Blackberry. The point of having this syncing is to allow additional features that might make the TomTom fun to use and versatile. I returned it for a Garmin instead.

Pros:
br /- love the Bluetooth phone integration. Makes commuting back and forth a lot safer.
br /- Price was great. I got it on sale for about $300 - great price for the features
br /- Voice commands is a nice to have. Voice recognition capabilities have worked quite well so far.
br /- You can customize the start and shut down screen, and there's a sleuth of cool options on Home.
br /- Maps of Europe. Haven't tried it yet - but I'm planning an European trip this fall - it's good to know it's there.
br /
br /Cons:
br /- Additional data features (chiefly traffic updates) are not supported for my phone (Samsung Blackjack)
br /- I'm assuming this is a software glitch - but my Tomtom turns itself off when it's on the cradle but NOT when I forget it in the car.
br /- Another software glitch - the unit is supposed to warn me when I forget it in a car or when I go over the speed limit - hasn't done it once so far.
br /- Routing on surface roads is terrible. I haven't compared this to other portable units, but Google Maps kicks the socks out of this when it comes to finding the most efficient route.
br /- User interface is terrible - 4 clicks to cancel route???
br /- I live in VA, drive to work in MD thru DC. That's three states (err, two and a half). Finding addresses by state first is very frustrating.
br /- Yet another software glitch - every time I override the unit's predefined route, it 'loses' the start address - it shows the diverging point as the 'start'.
br /- Form factor - this unit is a lot thicker in the back than it appears.
br /
br /In conclusion, I'm on the fence here. I heard good things about similar Garmin units - in terms of routing AI. However, I'm holding off on trading this one in because of the features / price.
br /

I am on my second TomTom product and have been moderately satisfied with the products. I have always had trouble acquiring a signal and it often takes two to three minutes to acquire a signal. That alone makes it impossible to navigate out of an unfamiliar airport. But once the unit catches on it works fairly well.
br /
br /I am most recently disappointed with TomTom support. I purchased an updated North America map and have had great difficulty downloading it. Also, I purchased the map at full price and it was discounted within a week. Because TomTom considers a download attempt, "breaking the seal", they will not honor the discounted price.
br /
br /I will not purchase another TomTom nor will I recommend TomTom to anyone I know who is in the market for a GPS machine.
br /
br /If you do purchase a TomTom, ALWAYS read the agreements, word-for-word and do not pay full price for anything.

The Tom Tom 720 device is everything I expected but the Home software is full of problems. The software does not match the device menus. Therefore the iternary planning feature on the device can not be utilized via the software. After the last update of the Home software, I can not update the device via the Home software. I have contacted Tom Tom support and they admit that there are problems that will be fixed in the future, but I have not seen evidence of this. I have a lap top running xp pro.

I'd like to start off by saying that I've had a fair share of GPS devices in the last few years. I've had 2 Garmins, a Magellan, and now this TomTom. I can honestly say without a doubt that the TomTom is my favorite.
br /
br /Out of the box, it took a while to lock onto the satellite but the download patch from TomTom Home took care of that. Now it usually locks onto the satellite within 5-10 seconds. While driving, route recalculations usually only take a few seconds. The directions give plenty of warning for upcoming turns and will even tell you which side of the interstate to stay on. If you're going through a traffic circle, it makes sure to say "Take the 2nd exit", or "Take the 4th exit". None of my other units would do that. They all just say "Turn right ahead" and I'd have to look at the actual screen to see which one.
br /
br /The display is another reason I love this TomTom so much. Navigation is super-fast between menus and everything is easy to access, even while driving. The volume control is just 1 click away on the screen, and the mute button is just 2 clicks away.
br /
br /The only thing that drives me a little nuts sometimes is the Points of Interest feature. 95% of the time, it's dead-on. That other 5% though, it's not even close. The stuff is either not where the TomTom said, or it's not listed in the TomTom. This is a really trivial thing since the only time you really need is this spur of the moment restaurant trips and such. It has all the big name restaurants and a lot of hotels, malls, and even regular strip mall shopping centers.
br /
br /Overall, this is the best GPS unit I've ever owned. I almost wish I'd bought the 920 just so it would say the street names, but the 720 still displays the next street in big letters near the bottom so that's really just me being overly critical. The 720 is a great GPS and I doubt you can beat it for the price.

I was surprised the 720 picked up satellites even when I was inside the house 10-15 feet from a window. My old Magillan did not do this.

Once the 720 had located satellites the first time any subsequent use resulted in a very fast lock on to the satellites. Usually 30 seconds to a minute.

I was also surprised to see some dirt farm roads show up on the screen even though they don't have a name and I was unaware they existed until I saw them on the screen.

It was also interesting that when I programmed in a destination and then took a side trip of several miles the 720 automatically adjusted and re-figured the route from the new location without any action on my part.

My blue tooth LG phone (From Verizon) will connect with the 720 and I can make and receive phone calls but the LG 8300 cell phone will not transfer its phone book to the 720 and it looks like few if any LG phones will transfer their phone book to the TT 720. Best check compatibility before you buy if this is important to you.

I wish the 720 were compatible with LG and the battery life were longer on the TT 720.

GRC

This thing works great, and is easy to use. Detail is excellent. Don't know how I've lived without one.

I have had Garmin, Magellan, and other TomTom's and the 720 is by far my favorite model. Others seemed to lag behind, while the TomTom is the most accurate. It has more features than I'll ever use, but they are still nice to have. The only thing I feel it is missing is the ability to use the FM transmitter to play the music stored on the GPS. Music can only be played over the internal speaker.

I have had my TomTom Go for about a month, but I haven't really used it all that much yet. I chose this one because of the great reviews that I ready, but also because it's supposed to be able to take your target destinations and map the best route. I'm a real estate agent, and I think this might be extremely helpful... especially when I venture out away from my normal territory. I've not put this function through it's paces yet.
The maps are NOT up-to-date. Some roads that should definitely be on there are not, and none of the newer roads (1 year or so old) are on the maps. Also, the "time to destination" calculation is way off. For example, I traveled to one destination and it said that the time was 24 minutes and on the return trip it estimated the time at 45 minutes... same roads... same speed.
The screen is great, the size is excellent... I'm hopeful that the company will improve the maps, and then I would give this gadget a 5!

I bought the TomTom GO 720 because my job has changed and I now have to travel to places that are unfamiliar. I can honestly say that my GO 720 has saved me hours of frustration. I can now go confidentely anywhere my job requires and I don't worry about getting lost. My GO 720 is worth every penny and I don't regret buying it for one second. The automatic updates are great.

The Tom Tom is an excellent item. I won't travel without it. Easy to use right out of the box. Very easy to see screen and hear directions.

So far, I like it a lot. It has performed very well and there are some active forums that offer a lot of help. Of course, there is always room for improvement, such as I wish the SD expanded memory could use the internal memory at the same time, and I wish the points of interest (POIs) were easier to see and access in the drive view. I think it is fairly easy to customize to how I want to use it and even its fundamental files are accessible.

A GPS user for over ten years on the ocean and finally have a compact, user friendly, computer linked GPS for my car. Always on, use it every where I go. The new map issue I read about is fixed so buy now and enjoy.

The blue tooth user inter-face for the phone (Motorola L2) is perfect. No more ear bud for me, the quality is clear and easy to use while driving.

Caution, be sure you practice with the GPS, phone and controls before trying to drive with these types of systems. You could easily become distracted. It is as bad a "texting" while driving. I know that is obvious but the screen is so clear and absorbing with options you might just forget where you are.

I have owned the TomTom GO 720 for a couple of months and I have zero complaints. This is my first automotive GPS and I do not have experience with any other brands (other than testing them at the store). The 720 bluetooth feature works with my Samsung A720 cell phone even though the website said that it was not compatible. The directions are accurate. The speaker is loud. The menus are feature rich and intuitive. The recalculating time for off route directions is 5-30 seconds. This is a very good deal and I think that you'd be hard pressed to justify spending the extra money for the Garmin equivalent. No GPS is perfect and I'm sure that some of the faults that folks have with this unit may be legitimate, but I have yet to encounter any of my own and am completely satisfied with my purchase (I paid $499 for this 2 months ago). I have yet to take advantage of the Map Share program, perhaps because I have not encountered any deficiencies in directions. I do sync it up with TomTom Home software and keep it updated. You can choose the trust level of your map updates through the software. This is something other reviewers have failed to clarify. If you do not want to download map corrections from just anybody then you do not have to. You can choose to to only download TomTom verified corrections. Bottom Line: This is a quality product that offers all of the features of its competitors at a more affordable price.

That's when the maps on my Go 720 (copyrighted in 2007) were last up-to-date: in 2000.

I bought this unit partly because it was supposed to be easy to update. That was, of course, before I discovered that it is impossible to update. The updated maps (2007) take up more memory than the unit has. They also don't fit on a 2 GB SD card (which as far as I can tell is the biggest card the device will support). It probably wouldn't be so big, but you have to download the whole of North America, to include Canada and Mexico.

So, for five-hundred dollars, I got seven-year-old maps that I can't upgrade. I probably could have bought a seven-year-old atlas for fiftey cents. I will be running back to Garmin now.

After much research I settled on the 720. The Garmin 660 looked good but not good enough. The 720 is an excellent PND. The screen is very crisp and bright. Easy to see in the day and the visibility is not affected with polarized sunglasses. Some opine that it's not as bright as others. They where probably unaware that it not only switches to night colors at dark but can also dim the day colors when not in direct sunlight. Very customizable. Voices, colors, menus, just about everything can be set just so. Fast fix. Never has lost it's position. Very happy with it.

Delivery wasn't early but was on time, packaged well and received in good condition. The TomTom is great. I love the 720. It is easy to read, bright enough, flexible and easy to program. To manage glare or reflections I use the padded dash mount that also makes the entire unit transportable to other vehicles. The arrival estimates are very good. They are accurate enough for planning for sure even though I leave a few minutes to spare for traffic, speed, etc.. Two software recommendations; The unit should hold the final trip info on the screen after you reach the destination, and the capability to selectively delete previous destinations rather than just the complete list. More important, I corrupted my database and had to restore maps to the corrupted environment. The TomTom Customer Service technical assistance was nothing short of fantastic. The technicians were available without long waits, they were patient, and their system of reference numbers made it easy to get back to the problem when you dropped contact to do something lengthy like a load, etc.. I must have engaged 3 or 4 different technicians and they didn't miss a beat when I was ready for more assistance. I highly recommend the TomTom 720 and the
Tom Tom Customer Support

The product, although good, does not recalculate the route as it should and as the Magellan GPS does, that is about $100.00 less.

I have had my TomTom 720 since October 2007. While I really like the device the support is just about the worst I have experienced. I've been in technology for more than 25 years. The device has "quirks" that can be really annoying. It "forgets" preferences every time you connect it to a PC. It "thinks" it's connecting to a PC when you connect the car charger then it keeps turning itself off while you are driving! Support claimed it was the device and replaced it even though I told them it was unnecessary. The replacement does the exact same things. Evidently, there is no escalation path at TomTom either. I guess the support guy runs the company. I can't seem to get anyone to admit there are problems with the 720. Forget the FM transmitter. It's horrible too! They claimed they knew it was a software issue and would fix it "soon." That was last year. Now, no mention of a fix at all. Think twice before buying any TomTom product. This is my second, I also have the 300. Some of the problems that exist with the 720 were even in the 300!

I have been using the TomTom GO 720 for about 3 weeks now, and it is sooooo cool I am hooked now! Seriously, I know how to read maps and have a damn good sense of orientation, but the truth is that it is just so simple that I want to keep using the TomTom every single time.
Now the issue is that I bought a 2006 Mercedes last week, and the built-in navigation system is just not nearly as good as the TomTom... So I end up sticking the TomTom on the screen of the Mercedes Command sysytem :-/

Perfect size and quality - used overseas and with the relevant map works great. Bluetooth feature is surprising good quality when making handsfree phonecalls. Pretty accurate in showing where you are and final destination.

Just what I wanted and needed. Viewable even in the bright sunlight here in Florida.

My business puts me in rental cars all over the country. My new Tom Tom replaces an earlier model that was much bulkier. I like the larger screen and street name directions which make it much easier to navigate in unfamiliar locations. The unit has tons of features I haven't used yet but one I'm looking forward to is the downloaded talking books. Directions and education all in one package. Who what have thought business trip could be so much fun.

The Go 720 was very easy to setup and start using right out of the box. Easy to bluetooth sync with my Motorola Razr V3 and the handsfree speaker sound and microphone works very well. Would not sync with my wife's Treo 650, but the 650 doesn't work very well with anything bluetooth. Very pleased with this unit, my first GPS purchase. I use it in real estate all the time.

[[ASIN:B000SATCUQ TomTom GO 720 4.3-Inch Widescreen Bluetooth Portable G
GPS Navigator]]
I had shopped Best Buy, Circuit City and others, and saved about $70 by buying from Amazon. The product came in good shape, safely packed, arrived when I was told it would, and it worked perfectly. This was my first experience with a GPS unit, and I'm glad I picked one of the best! I'm very happy with my purchase, and needless to say, I would recommed the unit AND Amazon!

The TomTom 720 is loaded with available features. The unit is not very intuitive and requires one spend a lot of time going over and using it's features in order to get the maximum use from the unit.

This $350 unit is comperable to the $600 Garmin 660.

The unit is a product of Holand and as such, sometimes it does not pronounce street names correctly, especially spanish names of streets such as we have here in Albuquerue, NM

If one does not need, or will not use, all of the features in this unit and just wants a good GPS for directions, I would suggest buying the $400 Garmin 350.

I have found the GO 720 to perform well, easy to program and all we had hoped for on vacation. I am pleased we choose the bluetooth feature, makes finding motels & resturants a breeze.

Jim Q.

...bought this for my wife for Christmas; excellent product! Both of us are techno-challenged but that's not a problem with the TomTom. On line updates are easy. basic functions and directions are clear, and it has Bluetooth capability! For those who don't want to wear an earpiece, this is the hands free way to go.

Pros: Works well, all the maps are WELL up to date (including newly built streets here in my area) easy to navigate with, works with memory cards from our phones and shows pics and plays music on them. Connects easily to our devices via bluetooth and able to make and recive calls with better clarity than using the phone's built in microphone and speaker.

Cons: Doesn't work WITH our phone (i.e. unable to take the contacts list from a fairly well sold US phone on a major carrier). Unable to enter contacts any other way (that we can find so far). Included dash mount only works on a flat, smooth dashboard, as opposed to the window mount that works flawlesly, but doesn't allow comfortable placement in OUR car, though yours may vary.

Conclusion: A great purchase for anyone interested in a mid-to-top of the line GPS. Unless you need FULL integration with all your devices (which is possible, just limited AT THE TIME BEING) this is an excellent device that will make you a fan of using an in-car GPS system.

The Tom Tom 720 works great for us, Bought the unit for my non tech spouse, With the help where am I feature, the ability to tell the auto club or other help exactly where you are is a real plus. The unit is easy to see but still unobtrusive. Works well and meets our expectaions. I like that.

The whole family enjoys using this gps. It has alot of good features, it's easy to work with,and the size is perfect for us. No complaints,yet!
My kid mastered it's use already, but then again thats todays generation. We recommend it whole heartedly.

I am still getting use to the GPS. I can't seem to find walmarts in the POI's or the Home Depots. It may be me and not the gps. I like the touch screen features! The Bluetooth feature is great!!!! I would purchase it again!

TOM TOM GO 720 was exactly what we expected, we love the big widescreen, and are very satisfied with the product. The bluetooth is very clear and we love the advanced combined navigational instructions. Ex. Make right and then quick left.

It's easy to set up, gives many options, although you need to connect to a computer to charge at home and not an electric outlet. It charges from the lighter or power plug in your car. Overall, a great product.

This is the best GPS I have used to date. Very user friendly, very versatile.

TOM-TOM 720 is not as good as the 920. But for the price one can't go wrong. Really great if you travel a lot and want up to date directions.

Tom tom is the one to get.

I cannot say enough good things about this device and how it enhanced our New Zealand trip. First of all, before buying, I researched all of the top models. With the Garmin unit, you have to buy a chip for New Zealand, which costs $300!! That costs as much as the unit itself!! The Magellan units did not even have a NZ map, either with a chip or a download. With Tom Tom, you can go to their site and buy a download for a little over $100. The only issue was that the U.S. site was not selling the New Zealand map, so I had to go to the AUS/NZ Tom Tom site and register as a New Zealander, and then it let me purchase the map. But once I downloaded it, the software worked great, and loaded it onto the unit.

I also love the way you can record your own voice (or other voices) for the commands. Very advanced.

When we got to New Zealand, the unit worked perfectly, and knew every road, street, hotel, and landmark in the country. We drove all the way from Queenstown to Auckland (and many places in betwee), and it really helped. I look forward to other road trips with Tom Tom.

Got this as a gift for my girlfriend. She loves it. She doesn't get lost anymore and she uses the bluetooth function.

I purchased this for my wife (not very good with electronics). She finds it very easy to navigate. I like the short-cut feature that puts up to six short-cuts at the touch of one icon, which is great because some features take time to get to. My wife especially likes the handsfree calling feature as well as the FM radio transmitter that can stream music, directions, and phone calls through the car's stereo. The handsfree feature is so clear that I couldn't tell that my wife was using it. I also like the expandable memory card slot, map correction, and an output jack for the AUX on my stereo (being able to hard-wire the TomTom to my stereo when there is too much FM interference). Personally, I think that Megellan has better map/POI software but I went with TomTom because of the Buddy feature. Since I own a TomTom Rider and go on frequent rides that take me to unpopulated areas, my wife can now send messages and see my location using her TomTom... helps lessen the 'worry' factor of me riding a motorcycle.

Just received this unit today as a gift. Since I know where i'm going most of the time, I was really looking forward to traffic avoidance. I have a bluetooth phone, and willing to take on the service charge for the service. But came to find out that this device does not support the Blackberry 8320 Curve, or any Blackberry 8xxx for more than hands free dialing. Additionally, the ability to load the address book is flawed, as it does not bring over names.
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br /So, I really wanted others to know about this. It's a great unit, but research its compatibility with your phone if you want to do something more than find your way.

I chose this unit for the higher feature content as compared to a more basic unit from either Garmin of TomTom, and regret the decision.
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br /As a basic GPS unit, the 720 functions fine- it gets me from place to place reliably, and usually chooses about the best route (all GPS units choose strange routing sometimes). There is a major drawback to the basic function, however- battery life. With Bluetooth on, the unit lasts about 20 minutes when unplugged, rendering it essentially useless if you don't plan to dedicate an outlet to it's power cord. It's been that way since about week 6 after purchase (now 6 months old). I broke the battery in according to manufacturer's instructions (fully charge, fully discharge, etc etc) for fear I might end up with short battery life but it didn't seem to matter. I accepted my fate and bought an outlet splitter from the auto store so I can charge my phone when needed. But for someone who needs battery functionality, I would consider this a non-starter.
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br /The major disappointment for me was the feature content- as I said I chose this unit for the extras- bluetooth for hands-free calling, text to speech directions, and POI database.
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br /Although bluetooth works fine, the speaker is weak and has poor sound quality- exasperated when you attempt to turn up the volume. I don't feel my Outback has high interior noise levels, yet phone calls are almost impossible and directions are difficult to hear. Friends report they hear me fine, so I guess the microphone is good- but the speaker should be bigger and better for this application.
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br /Text-to-speech function is another disappointment which compounds the shortcomings of the speaker. First, the manufacturer must not have recorded very many basic words in their database because the female voice messes up a lot of things she shouldn't- for instance, she can't say 'tunnel' (her Dutch heitage comes out- she pronounces it TO-ooonl) which now makes me mute her when I drive through some parts of town so I don't cringe. Also, the only thing she uses text-to-speech for is highway exits. On secondary roads and in developments, where the function would be most useful, its 'turn right' or 'turn left.' Even on the highways, if there is a number associated with the road that makes the exit, that's what you get- even when there is a more commonly referred to name for the same road. This leads to further confusion.
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br /The other big sore spot for me is the size of the POI database. The database may be much larger compared to previous ones, but I still find that roughly 60% of the entries I request come back as 'No POI found!' I end up using Google Maps on my phone, finding the address (Google always seems to know the address!), then thumping the address into TomTom to get directions on a screen that won't kill me while driving. To add insult to injury, the method to find a POI isn't very elegant, requiring several spurious button pushes that only frustrate me more. Keep working on that database, TomTom, or split it into maneageable reigons like other GPS units do. America is bigger than the Netherlands.
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br /There are other little niggles I have with the unit, but no other show stoppers. I appreciate the customizing and wealth of settings and options TomTom allows as compared to other units as well as the software, and I really hope they push their European traffic system here to the states. However, in this case I would have traded the software for hardware (a better battery and speaker) and a larger database.
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br /Bottom line- if you are looking for a basic GPS, don't buy this one because you can get a basic TomTom for cheaper. If you are looking for a nicely optioned unit that could replace an in-dash unit, look elsewhere.

Mine had a few flaws to begin with. I had trouble charging it. I've worked the kinks out of it by troubleshooting. Right now I'm liking most of its features. It does send me on some strange routes at times.

Managing an office staff with a fleet vehicles, everyone in my group has a GPS. We originally purchased the Garmin IQue 3600, buat it was time for an upgrade. We purchased a Garmin Nuvi and a Tom Tom Go 720 for comparison purposes since they were both the same price. The Tom Tom Go 720 was our favorite for many reasons. First, the Tom Tom is more of a traveller's unit. The features fit what we needed to do the most. Second, the Tom Tom has an online update feature. The Tom Tom can remember personal changes to the map and even update itself when connected to the internet. Finally, the Tom Tom computer software and interface is a dream and virtually non-existant on the Garmin. Overall, we purchased 10 Tom Tom Go 720 Units and everyone is very happy. I still have one person who is sticking with the Garmin Nuvi.

When I updated my TomTom, it also had a new feature that does away with speeding tickets! How you ask? Well, those three dings just happens to warn you that you are exceeding the posted speed limit! Sometimes my high heels turn into leaded feet so this enhancement has saved me enough money to keep me in Manolo Blatnik's...

The TomTom 720 a beautiful machine with a lot of cool features. But the routing is dreadful so often that we have to bring maps along -- which kind of defeats the purpose of a GPS.
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br /Our older, cheaper, slower, not-very-beautiful Garmin is MUCH more reliable.
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br /We live in Eastern Pa. and do most of our driving here. The road network is very old and established so it is not a matter of out of date maps. It's just the TomTom's routing algorithm. If we're not paying attention, the TomTom will take us 20 miles out of our way -- and these are repeat incidents so I know it's machine error, not user error. Even in our neighborhood, sometimes it inexplicably has us go in completely the wrong direction and takes wildly circuitous routes.
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br /If you know where you're going, and you're just using the TomTom for the last 1/4 mile, the neighborhood streets, this machine can't do you much harm. But for longer trips I just can't trust it. Extremely disappointing for a $300 machine -- and the more we use it the more we dislike it.
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br /I think our $300 TomTom is going to get replaced by a $100 MIO pretty soon.
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I have had MANY problems, first with the 520GO, which I had to send back, then they sent me another new 520, which I ALSO had to send back and now they gave me a 720 and it is sitting here, and it does not work. I have spent many many hours with their tech support online and by phone- they are totally incompetent. I have no idea how they stay in business. I have asked for a refund and they just say "We do not give refunds". DO NOT BUY A TOMTOM!!!

I hinted around last xmass that I wanted oa TomTom after reading a consuner report on portable GPS systems. I was hopping to receive a TomTom One because of the review. My wife looked a little closer at purchasing it for me and after her research purchased toe GO 720. I was suprised and very happy. To make a long story short I took it it on a pleasure trip to California that same week, I found it extremealy easy to use and never missed a turn on my vacation. I have used it frequently even around where I live, I do not have to ask for directions to get to a new place I have never been. When I up grade to a newer modle in the future it will be a TomTom. It's great for audio books also, very useful on long or short trips.

I have owned a GPS from Magellan and Garmin. My TomTom is the tops. I have had all to often a person tell me that they are not on GPS'r or MapQwest only to enter the address into TomTom and viola, there they are and here i come. People are always impressed and want to know what GPS i own, so they can buy one.

What a blessing as a means of finding my way around my local area, my state, and this entire 48 lower states plus Alaska. Going through Alaska way a breeze using my awesome TomTom. Everyone MUST try a TomTom. You will be hooked. I go to the speciality section to locate banks, restaurants, parks. etc. Thank you TomTom.

Tried the Garmin 680 first and liked some things about it, but it had 2 big negatives vs. Go 720...
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br /The 680 has a better suction cup mount...that clamp is nice and secure. Tom Tom is less secure and they should adopt a clamp mount.
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br /680 has somewhat better sensitivity and gets satellite lock faster. TomTom will often not lock indoors while garmin usually will.
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br /Go 720 lacks an AC adapter (cheap!) 680 has one.
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br /Go 720 lacks a carry case (cheap!) 680 has one.
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br /680 manual is awful. Does not even tell you you will be single state limited if you enable WAAS. TomTom is better.
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br /Navigating ability is comparable. Neither is perfect.
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br /Go 720 is more of a quality piece. 680 is just a bit cheap-feeling. The ball mount on the 680 is Micky Mouse.
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br /The FM broacast capability on the 680 is simply inadequate. The Go 720 is MUCH better. Garmin should not even claim this as a feature.
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br /The 680 navigation screen is pretty, but information poor. The Go 720 is very information rich in comparison, but some will claim that this makes it look confusing. They are wrong.
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br /The user-updatable maps of the Go 720 are a big plus.
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br /Garmin map updates are considerable cheaper.
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br /The Garmin battery lasts a bit longer than the Tom Tom battery. Neither is long-lived.
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br /The Garmin internal speaker is worse.
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br /I wanted to like the Garmin 680 more, but the sparse screen info and pathetic FM capability were a deal killer. The Go 720 is the way to go.
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br /I am also going to try to enable voice input as it seems that this can be done with at least some U.S. units.
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We already own a Go 720 and we liked it so well that we bought another one for our son for Christmas. It's very easy to operate and I especially like that it gives you street names. Very good for someone like me that is lost all of the time. It's the best purchase that we've made in a long time. I would recommend it to anyone.

I like this unit a lot, but have a few complaints. Cell phone functionality not compatible with all bluetooth phones. Microphone for hands-free calling not very effective in an SUV. Directions are only about 90% accurate. When putting in destinations for locations I already knew, this unit sometimes took me the long way instead of the shortest route. It's also not very effective on military installations. I haven't tried the traffic antenna because I haven't heard good things about it. Both the accessory and the service subscription are expensive. The GPS unit does an excellent job of getting you from point to point in most other situations though, especially when you don't know where you're going or get turned around easily. I've made successful trips out of the state with little or no research using this GPS unit. FM broadcasting feature is awesome too! Two suggestios I would make to the manufacturer: 1. Sexier female voices, and 2. Free map updates for duration of ownership.

TomTom GO 720 4.3-Inch Widescreen Bluetooth Portable GPS Navigator
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br /The main reason for me in buying the TomTom over other units was that it had Thai language available.
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br /My wife has recently immigrated to the US from Thailand. So I thought a GPS would be a good thing to help her find her way around when I was not with her. But I also realized that trying to drive on what to her is the wrong side of the road, remember new laws, find her way around a major US city while trying to translate computer spoken English into Thai may be over whelming for her. To make her a little safer on the road I started searching for a GPS with Thai.
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br /TomToms and a single Garmin unit (the Nuvi 350 Asian) seemed to be my only choices. As the Garmin retails at $520 and seemed impossible to locate I went with the TomTom, and I am glad I did.
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br /It is remarkably easy to set up and operate. My wife could figure out most of the functions with only a slight glance at the manual. Which can be downloaded in 22 different languages here:
br /http://www.tomtom.com/lib/doc/device/manual.htm
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br /We have only had it a short time but have found the 720 to work much better than we expected. It locks on quick, the voice is very understandable and even better when sent through the cars FM radio system.
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br /So if you or a love one is not native English speaker and your mother tongue is not one of the other 2 or 3 languages you generally find in on electronic devices (I.E. Spanish, French, or Japanese.) then this is an answer to your prayers.

Alot of in-depth review but some reviewers missed alot of key things. The Tom Tom 720 is a much better device than you would think.
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br /Things I want to add.
br / 1. The menu layout is completely user changeable so you don't have a cluttering of numbers and information on the bar. The reviewer doesn't mention that although he criticizes the 720 for having a cluttered info bar. That is simply a factory default setting that anyone can change.
br / 2. The map layout, colors and ease-of-use is much much much better than both Garmin's and Magellan. The company I work for allows us to have private car service home when working late and I've seen and studied just about every brand of GPS in the various Town cars during my 1 hours commute home from NYC to Westchester. So I've gotten a sense of how cities and suburbs/rural areas are displayed on all these GPS units and the Tom Tom brand has the best, cleanest graphics. The reviewer fails to mention that when said and done, quickly understanding the screen graphics during a quick look up from the road during your journey is just as important as anything else.
br / 3. The 720 also allows you to pick alternate routes based on how and when you want to get to your destination. The factory default settings on the 720 will obviously be way off and will have you driving around alot more than you would want to. Which is why I suspect the reviewer detracted from the 720 mapping intelligence when paired alongside the Garmin's Nuvi and Magellan's GPS units. I'm 100% sure he was routing under the factory settings so the 720 gave him longer and incorrect routes. Simple adjustments to your 720 factory settings will allow the unit to pick the best routes based on where you live and drive(whether in a city, near highways, or rural areas)
br / 4. Outside of GPS function the 720 has a myriad of feautures that are on par if not better that Garmin's pricier Nuvi 700 line. In his Nuvi review he praises the Nuvi for having the "Where Am I" feature as if it is a rare and super cool thing. Whiles the 720 has the same features and he fails to praise the 720 for the same proficiencies.
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br /5. The 720 does fail big time in the Battery Life department. I previously owned a Tom Tom 300 and once did a round trip from NY to DC (6-8 hrs of driving) on one charge before the unit's battery died. So I expected similar results from the 720 even though the Tom Tom 720's box advertises 4-5 hours.
br /needless to say, after a full over night charge I only got about 1 hour use before the battery died my first time out with it. After lowering the brightness to 50% I got about 2 hrs max.
br /I don't like wires across my dash so this was important to me; having the unit work only off its battery for the duration of my round trip commute of 3 to 4 hours max. I soon found out at a few GPS forums that to get about 4 hrs from the 720 you need to lower the brightness to 0% (and even at 0 it is still pretty bright), completely turn off the FM and BlueTooth features, take out any SD Card and turn down the volume and refrain from playing MP3s. Which worked to get me 3 to 4 hrs of battery life but totally elimated all the cool features that made me want to get the 720. At any rate, I went to a local car stereo shop and got a power lead installed behind my dash that goes up thru the windshield area and plugs into the 720 whiles it is mounted on the windshield. This is the best deal since the wire is pretty much hidden and not in front of my dash. I now not only get unlimited battery life whiles driving, but I can have the screen at 100% brightness, Bluetooth, FM and everything else that made me buy the 720 on and working whiles I'm on the road.
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br /When said and done, the Tom Tom 720 is a stellar device!
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br /OCTOBER UPDATE:
br /Last month I was in a car accident (a drunk driver plowed right into me) and my Tom Tom Go which was mounted on the windshield got destroyed (luckily I'm okay). I've since replaced the car and my Tom Tom 720 with another 720. I realize the battery life is much better on the newer 720 which leads me to believe I most likely had a faulty unit before. With all functions running I get about 1 hour more than I would have on my previous device (so 3 hrs instead of 2).
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br /Also the software seems updated and the newer 720 performs routing and corrections much quicker.
br /I've also been using the MapShare and TomTom Home recently and find these features to be very useful and cool. It's like bringing you car inside and being able to plan your next road trip mile by mile on your computer (even download and install voices for your navigation to suit where you travel-i.e You can get a Southern accent for those driving thru the Dixie states or a Boston accent for those going up that way).
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br /Overall, I'm even more impressed with my Tom Tom Go 720 now after a month of usage, than when I was under "wow-factor influence" as I unboxed it.

TomTom melted in car after 11 months of use. Went on TomTom website and read the following under care of TomTom: Do not expose your TomTom to high or low temperatures, which can cause permanent damage. For example, don't leave it in the car on hot summer days or during cold winter nights.
br /What do they expect me to do? Remove the TomTom from the car everytime I stop at a store, etc? Should have a warning: Do not use in Hawaii or summer and winter in other states!
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I have owned this GPS for 6 months and although I like the interface, it is useless if you want to take your family on a trip using the POIs. They are consistently wrong. When you do a search for a Mcdonald's for example, it lists it with the correct address but doesn't get within a mile of the correct location. I took my family to New Hampshire to Santa's Village and although the address was correct in the GPS, it took me in the opposite direction as I got close. It also took me up a gravel road in the mountains that was 7 miles long and only for campers. I've updated the software and received the most recent map, but this thing is horrible. Definitely not worth the $500 I paid for it when it came out.

I have now bought 2 TomTom GO 720's one for myself and one for a present. I did alot of research and for the money you can't beat them. I dont know how i ever traveled without it. I take it with me everywhere.

I read all the reviews about the TomTom 720 and decided to get it despite some of the negative reviews. I have had it for about three weeks and love it. It gets me everywhere I need to go. I am a little stubborn so sometimes when it told me to turn I "accidently" forgot to turn but it has always quickly redirected me and got me back on track. I have never missed a destination because of it. I like the fact that when I am on the highway, it tells me when I am approaching an exit and tells me if I should take it ("approaching exit . . . stay to your left" or something to that extent). I have not had any problems with not being able to see when there is a lot of sunlight, the screen has automatically readjusted. The bluetooth is a great feature. I am able to hear people clearly and I have not had anyone say that they couldn't hear me (knock on wood). I am also able to tell the TomTom where "traffic cams" are located and it stores the location. Another great feature is that it speaks the street names now I know this does not sound like an important feature but I have to tell you when you have your eye on the road it is a comfort to actually know what street you are looking for instead of hearing turn left in 400ft and not knowing if you are turning onto the right street unless you look down on the screen. The only problem that I have had is that it likes for me to get on and off the expressway near my house at an exit that is a half mile from my house instead of the exit that is quarter mile from my house (not a big issue).

I tried out the Garmin nuvi 760 since I read that it's maps were better but have since sent it back. It did not have as many customization options (no John Cleese voice). And it's display does not show the small roads that you are passing as well as the TomTom 920. Of course I have previous experience with the TomTom software interface since I have used it with my Treo PDA for years. I was surprised that the TomTom was getting satellites indoors! The form factor is better with the TomTom as well. The rounded back fits nicely in your hand, while the nuvi is a rectangular block. The nuvi suction cup with locking lever for the windshield mount does seem more robust but the TomTom suction cup looks like it will do the job and I found an add on vent mount option for the TomTom which I like for business trips. I would have gotten the 720 but wanted the EU maps for future trips so I got the 920.

Took this Tom-Tom on a trip out of state to an unfamiliar area. It was a real lifesaver. Can't say that I was real fond of some of the areas it sent us through at night but I guess it doesn't know about those things. Well worth the money spent on it. Now, if my husband can just figure out how to use the blue tooth function making his phone hands free as required by our state July 1 - the reason I bought it for him in the first place - we will really be in business!

I purchased this GPS system after talking to my son who owns the same GPS. He did alot of research before purchasing this particular brand model. It is all he said it was. We used it on vacation a couple of weeks ago, and it was fantastic!! I never knew traveling could be so easy. I highly recommend this GPS to others. It has alot of wonderful features, very accurate directions, very easy to understand, and very easy to use. It was also a very pleasant buying experience.....reasonable price quick shipping. Will definitely buy from again. Thanks!

Good choice for the price if you want a GPS with capability to do more things than just get you to your destination. If you have blue-tooth phone, it works well as a speaker phone. Just have to keep the power cord plugged in because the built in battery dosent produce enough juice to drive the speaker at high volume without distorting.
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br /If you want to subscribe to the "traffic" option, you need to have your full data services hooked up with your cellular carrier. Little complicated if you have VerizonWireless, but I figured it out after doing some searching through the web support pages.
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br /It crashed my BlackBerry 8830 a couple of times. But resetting gets everything back reletively easily. TomTom support is easy to work with when the need arises.
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Great product with a lot of accessories that make it yours. We loaded the voice of John Cleese to be our navigation command and he has a lot of jokes prepared to make a drive fun. Only negative is the battery life that could be better. 2 Hours is a less than expected. Positive boots fast and finds satellite really fast to be ready to navigate. I would purchase it again or suggest it to friends.

I read all of the reviews here and compared this to other TomTom products as well as the Garmin Nuvi products. This one had everything I wanted, without adding too much more.
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br /I took it on a trip that I knew well, just to test it out. On the trip to the desination, it worked well. Even when I made alternate detours to what the GPS recommended, it reworked the route quickly.
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br /However, when I took the return trip, it took over 100 miles before it re-routed and quit telling me to make a u-turn to get back on track. That has only happened once, but it got to the point that I had to turn it off because it irritated me.
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br /The only other problem I've had is that the suction cup doesn't stick to the windshield when the road gets too bumpy (which, during the winter, is something that is quite common in this area). It fell off quite a few times on that trip.
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br /The screen is great. It's easy to set up (even on a Mac), and is very user-friendly.

Purchased the TomTom Go 720 because I was taking a trip to Florida. It was a great way to travel and while visiting many places in the south, we never got lost. I would highly recommend this unit for anyone considering a portable GPS navigator, especially if you have a MAC computer.

The Tom Tom 720 was new and first rate, easy to use,very accurate,and clear voice both computer and human recorded. The only negative I've had was once I did not complete my trip to its destination headed back with it wanting me to turn around to complete the trip until I shut it off, it never did readjust to the return trip but I had not programed a round trip into the unit.
br /I think that the 720 is the best for the money and highly recommend it or the 920 that has a few more doodads of course cost more.
br / Tom Bastien

I had problems with the 720 right out of the box. The included cd Home software needed to be upgraded and the download cut off the bottom half of the screen so you can't read the choices. Then the computer wouldn't recognize the 720 when plugged into the docking station. This took 4 hours of deleting software, redownloading updates etc. just to get the computer to recognize the 720. You have to go through this because you have to download software and map updates to get the 720 up and running. Now comes the real problem-the unit is inaccurate!!! The GPS is about 200-300 feet off!! It locates me in the middle of my neighbors driveway, and my home location is in the middle of woods on the west side of the neighbor, when I am actually on the east side. There was no way to get that corrected even with help of a very good tech support guy. Also when you go by an intersection the unit still shows you approaching it, again I would guess a lag of 200-300 feet in real time. We had a Garmin b-4 and it located you exactly, and was 50% more user friendly than the TomTom. The bottom line-buy the Garmin 360 and save yourself a lot of headache. That`s what I did today, the TomTom was returned!!! Tech support was very good but could not resolve issues.

We have used this for several weeks now around the Houston area and are pleased with the unit.
There are a few quirks when trying to navigate the maze of freeway interchanges around here. Sometimes is says "exit left" and then in the next step "exit right" when trying to decide which side of the freeway we should be on. I think it may be tied to the constantly changing maps but we have downloaded the latest and still find some problems.
Overall it works very well and gets a gps lock in a few seconds that is accurate to about 20 feet. When I turn in the driveway it calls the turn exactly.
I would buy this unit again without question.

I got this GPS to take on a trip to Puerto Rico, & to my sorrow, TomTom has poorly equipped this thing for a trip to Puerto Rico! Its VERY poor at accepting the odd addressing used in Puerto Rico. Making Searching for things a major pain even when you have the address! Another problem is that there are no points of interest for Puerto Rico in this thing at all! not a single airport, gas station, restaurant, McDonalds, is listed in this unit!! nothing! Zero!! So if your going to buy this for a Puerto Rico trip, then its best to look elsewhere, because with this GPS, you are going to have to make your own Landmarks for things as you go along. Hopefully enough people will email tomtom & complain about this so they do something about it. Heres to hope!

It does the job, but.

Pros
- Plays MP3s.
- The FM transmitter integrates with the MP3 player and audio directions very well.
- Has SD memory slot for MP3 and photos. I have not used it.
- Upgradable maps, for a price. I have not yet tried this feature.
- It has live traffic updates, for a price.
- Integrates with a bluetooth phone. I don't have one so I don't know if it works.
- Additional 'features' are available via their TomTom Home software, for a price.
- Their TomTom Home software is Mac OS X compatible.
- The Mapshare seems like a good addition. (Users upload errors and corrections.)
- Does it's job of real-time navigation. It's hard to get lost using this device. It's accuracy seems to be fairly good, within 50-100 feet. Which is all commercial GPS is really good for without using differential GPS or some other such third party system.
- It's real time route re-calculation seems to work fairly well.
- It's POI listing is a bit dated but useful as is.

Cons
- User interface is no better and no worse then any of the others. They all seem to be designed by the same company.
- Only plays MP3s, no AAC or Ogg Vis (or even WMA). The TT Home software for transferring MP3s is not intuitive or easy. I tried transferring MP3s by hand but for some reason that does not work. The resultant files are unplayable.
- The cross country route planner consistently makes BAD highway choices. Sometimes VERY BAD choices. Google Maps is actually better, MUCH BETTER. (I have not compared it to the other device.)
- It's estimates for cross country time of arrival are consistently long by a good 10-30%.
- Within 30 minutes of first using the TomTom Home software I toasted the device. Three hours later I some how restored it's functionality. It's been five weeks and TomTom has yet to respond to my request for help. Their web site support is one of the worst in the industry. (They did mark my request as solved without contacting me.)
- The TomTom Home doesn't come with a manual and I had to learn via trial and error. Unfortunately more error then I would have liked.
- The TomTom Home software is "suppose" to integrate with Google Maps. It doesn't. That would be a GREAT FEATURE and one reason why I purchased it.
- The online purchases are in Euro. Apparently TomTom is a european company.

We bought this navigator after using one a relative owned and was happy with. The instruction manual is minimal and you have to play with the device to learn all it can do and how to do it. It has erred on several locations like libraries and post offices, but gets you close. It has an internal battery of only about 2 hours which is fine for playing with it, but you better be ready to plug it in on any longer trip or you will be on your own. It has many neat features and assorted "guide" voices and even lets you record your own voice. Map updates are free from your computer for a time after purchase. We have nothing to compare it to but are happy with the price we found and the performance of the unit after several months of use. On a scale of 1 to 10 I rate it a solid 8.

Extremely Well Pleased!!!!!

Easy to use. Easy to understand.
Highly Recommend!!!!

The Tomtom 720 is positively the best GPS Automotive Unit on the market today. The Tomtom has all of the features of the other units and then some, but most importantly, it is user updatable. The user forums available for the Tomtom are outstanding and have enabled me to upgrade my Tomtom 720 to include features only available on the highest end Tomtom model at a huge cost savings. One can create their own Points of Interest files, merge those files with factory installed files and hence, update factory installed POIs. One can create and instal warnings such as "Safety Camerea ahead", download free map updates, get map updates from other Tomtom users and much, much more. It is an amazing unit.

EXTREMELY POOR SERVICE - My TomTom 720 worked great....for awhile. Then, right after my warranty expired, it stopped. This is what industry calls "Planned Obsolesence". Turns out I need a new motherboard for an additional $175. I missed my warranty deadline by a few days. Ok, so these things happen, right? I even went so far as to try to purchase another TomTom. This time, since I am moving to another country, I called TomTom and asked if I could purchase it with a map other than the U.S. map as the default map on the device. A very unapologetic, could-not-care-less customer service rep gave me a flat no on that one. Then she stated the obvious by suggesting I buy a new unit (hundreds of $)and then purchase the map I want as an add on....for yet another $149.99! What a shame. I was willing to come back even after my first unit died prematurely and they could not even meet me half way with a discounted second map if I bought a new unit after my original Tom Tom 720 died prematurely. Miserable service = miserable company = a customer gone for good!

Tom Tom 720 is great and the price was much better than the stores - about $100 less

Kept the inlaws together with the TOM TOM. Not being lost on a long trip kept things on an even keel. Smiles all around when they returned.
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br /THANKS TOM TOM
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br /SKEETER

br /One of the reasons I purchased this GPS was because of the handsfree on mobile ability.
br /But I cannot sync my blackberry 8300
br /Anybody else have this issue

There is now a 130, 730 and 930.
br /Do. you research before you buy.
br /This unit was about $60 dollars cheaper here a few weeks ago. Is Tom Tom even making them anymore?
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The Map Share feature is revolutionary and will be huge in the future, but what I really like about the 720 is its "Help Me" feature. I'm surprised other GPS devices didn't have this earlier. It allows users to quickly and easily access different types of information should an emergency arise. The FM transmitter also makes playing music through your TomTom a breeze. I also like that you can move the information bar to the side of the screen instead of keeping it on the bottom. Good work TomTom with the new 720!

It has a lot of bells and whistles on it. I bought this for my husband and he tried downloading the new maps on it 4 times (N.America/Guam). He followed download instructions. The only map that downloaded was Guam and that is the only map the GPS sees,... all the N.American maps were deleted with the download of the N.American/Guam new download. So, now he has a GPS TOMTOM 720 that is only good if you are in Guam! Tech support is only Mon-Sat during business hours. I wrote an email but I'm sure I won't hear anything until it is Mon-Sat 9-5.

This Tom Tom model does just what it promises, gives clear directions to destinations. The size is good and I like to attach it to my windshield for convenience. I would recommend it!

I bought and used a Garmin unit for several trips and was disappointed, so after more research, I tried the TomTom GO720. Although the unit worked well and I liked the interface, the address database was horrendous. I tried going to the Hertz car rental in Kennedy airport (arguably two very renowned identities) and was routed to a Hertz facility 8 miles away. Tried using the points of interest to find a restaurant (Chinese) and ended up in a real dump. Very limited. Changed to a Magellan and love it.

I owned the Tom Tom One and liked the ease of use but wanted the street name call out feature. The Tom Tom Go is everything it is advertised to be. Large base of POI'S is very helpful. I have the Garmin e-trex for hand held but opted fpr the Tom Tom for auto use.

before i purchased my TomTom go 720. I didn't know anything about This product, my mistake, if i know this product was that good.I should go for the tomtom 920. this product is excellent.

I purchased the TomTom 720 at the last minute and paid for expedited shipping. The respose from Amazon was the it would arrive in 3 to 5 working days after the purchase. The 3 day time was OK, but the 5 was too late for a trip I was taking. I called the company phone number, and they indicated it had been shipped. They e-mailed the UPS tracking number (through Amazon) to me. I was able to determine that it would arrive in time for my trip. It actually arrived in 2 working days after the purchase. I am very happy with the GPS as well as the company that handled the purchase.TomTom GO 720 4.3-Inch Widescreen Bluetooth Portable GPS Navigator

purchased tomtom720 and and a garmin nuvi350 for my wife this past xmas the 720 features are much to be desired if i don't take the route it wants me to keep making u-turns where the nuvi tells you its recalculating and finds the next available route automatically and the poi's don't even exist ask for a dunkin donuts shop tells me 20 miles away where as the nuvi has them all in my town and even all the local resturants to where the 720 doesn't the nuvi came with a case where as the tomtom i had to buy one nuvi tells you you in advance turns coming up the tomtom tells you at the last minute totally disappointed with the tomtom and i did try to upgrade the poi's were the same ones

I like it. it's a great quality product, very accurate... but the Bluetooth connection is very poor, nobody can here me. The over FM radio transmitter is really useless, the sound qualiy is just poor.

Great GPS. Functions well as a GPS but would not sinc with my Treo 700wx address book and would not establish a wireless connection for internet. Bluetooth and MP3 works well and connecting to FM radio makes the voice instructions and music sound muh better. Overall a nice unit but TomTom should be more specific about what phones are compatabile with the unit.

A great product. Would recommend to anyone! (We invite you to take a brief survey right now. It will only take a minute and you could win a free GO 930, a $499 value. There's nothing to buy and everyone who completes the survey is eligible. ) - A Tom Tom Customer

We returned this product after two days because it did not announce streets by name. It will simply say something like "turn right" in so many feet but it does not audibly announce or confirm the name of the street. Our original GPS system was a Garmin which does do this so we were surprised to find that this particular Tom Tom model did not. We ended up buying another Garmin because we found the interface easier to use and it does announce the streets by name. This is a very useful feature and when shopping for a GPS it is probably the most important question to ask.

Okay, you must be thinking... Wow, a one-star review for this new TomTom GO 720... why is that? Let me summarize first, then I will explain in more depth later.

Currently, you cannot install ANY additional maps (other than the factory-installed ones) onto a TomTom GO 720 device.

So, if you wanted to download some European maps from TomTom, copy them to your SD card and bring your new baby to Europe - that's not going to happen.

This is a major oversight by TomTom for two reasons; 1. Many people buy new portable GPS's only because they are planning a trip to an unknown country and 2. the European maps are already available for the TomTom GO 720 - they come preinstalled on the GO 720's sold in Europe (I've used them).

I purchased my GO 720 in Wash. DC before a recent move to Italy. My sales 'professional' at circuit city said that I could download all the European maps I needed from TomTom's website. Once I arrived in Italy and got high-speed internet, I tried buying additional maps from TomTom. Well, TomTom's US website does not sell downloadable maps (at this time) - I switched to the UK website, which had all the maps available. I purchased the maps from the UK site, downloaded them and tried to install them to my GO 720. The new TomTom Home software (v2) would allow me to purchase the maps, download them and transfer them to the device - but the final step, the activation of the maps, it would crash and give an application error. I know my way around computers, but this was a major issue. I phoned US customer service - they said that they would write a ticket for the event but offered no solutions. I then phoned UK customer service and after 20 minutes of juggling reps - I finally got the news bomb....

TomTom has not yet released downloadable maps for the GO 720 or 920. That's right, they released hardware (for 3 months now) but did not 'update their website' to allow purchases of additional maps. Even though these 'updated' maps come pre-installed on the GO 720's sold outside of North America... hmmm?

Be aware that none of this important information is available on TomTom's website - even a Google search turns up nothing. This is critical information to those who travel to Europe or any other part of the world.

Others have reported on this piece of hardware (with rave reviews), which I mostly agree with. However, the map software is currently another issue altogether.

UPDATE NOVEMBER 15, 2007:

TomTom has updated all of their websites except the US version to include the 720 compatible maps (v7.10 for Western Europe). I again, spent several hours attempting to install new maps, still to be met with consistent software restrictions and confusion. TomTom customer service, while polite, were completely incapable of providing any answers. I am a tech-literate consumer and I am not easily dissuaded, but I have reached my limit with this product and TomTom.

Please be aware that I am far from the only person to have experienced these types of issues with TomTom. Look elsewhere for your GPS Navi needs.

NEW UPDATE DECEMBER 6, 2007:

Alright. Finally after all these months, TomTom has released v10 of their Maps for download. And after several attempts at downloading and installing, I can now say that my GO 720 is no longer just another expensive toy collecting dust in my electronics cabinet.

So, the title of my review is no longer accurate - you CAN now install additional maps to this device - please be advised however, that you may only do this using TomTom's Home software and it must be updated to the latest version and because it's a 1.7 G download, you need a long time to complete the process.

I suggest you bring your patience and be thankful that you didn't suffer as I have.

Otherwise, all of the positive reviews about the hardware, mapping and routing are accurate. This is still a quality product and without the Map issue, I would have been a happy camper from the beginning.

I was pretty happy when i first made the purchase, reading prior reviews with the features the 720 had. After receiving the item, i immediatley powered it to my cell phone. I wanted to use the plus services for traffic,i work evenings and encounter alot of roadwork which local news radio stations fail to give.i noticed the bluetooth feature captured my 720 for handsfree,but the other features failed. the tomtom website clearly states the razr v3 is compatible,it definitly isnt, as mine reached 65% and gave me an error message,download failed.i called tomtom and was immediately given the run around,transfered to the technical dept,who then in turn transfered me to their mobile unit who never came on the phone.i emailed them directly, and received a reply that razr phones ARENT COMPATIBLE FOR PLUS SERVICES.i felt totally mislead, BEWARE IF YOU PLAN ON USING THE PLUS SERVICES WITH YOUR CELL..granted there is an optional fm/traffic antenna which will run u back $129 or more,depending when you read this.

This product was a big disappointment. The previous reviews showed a mixed history in install problems. I tried it anyway because I had seen it operate in a friend's vehicle - and it operated great.

I charged the system, as required, for two hours. My install failed - after the software recommended an update from the latest version available via the web to replace the default install from the CD. All attempts to recover or re-install from here on failed. Whenever the Tom-Tom was turned on and connected to my computer it locked up the system. When I turn Tom-Tom off, everything was fine. The manual reset had not change in this behavior. Attempts to re-install the software had no effect this.

The web-page I was directed to by the install disk apologized that the manual was not currently available. The 1-800 phone number did not get through.

At that point I lost confidence in this company and returned the product to Amazon.

The Good:
Performs well, good features, accurate Time of ARRIVAl, Bluetooth pairs well with phones
The Bad:
No external Volume control, Max Volume not good enough when placed on the bashboard. No FM transmission
The Ugly
Suction cup SUCKS
Input not QWERTY takes longer to type.
Pay extra for MAPSHARE and everything else ( this is ludacris, when your name is MAPSHARE. GIVE ME A BREAK!)
Suggestions
Option to connect sound to Car Radio.
Why is the input not QWERTY??

BEFORE PURCHASING THIS TOM TOM, I HAD A VERY OLD GARMIN (THAT I NOW WISH I HAD KEPT)I HAVE MADE AN EXTENSIVE RESEARCH FOR MY NEXT GPS. I WAS IMPRESSED BY THE MULTIPLE OPTIONS THAT THIS TOM TOM HAS, AMONG THE BEST WERE THE LIVE TRAFFIC, ADDRESS BOOK FROM YOUR CELL, INTEGRATED BLUETOOTH, AND MANY MORE AS YOU ALL KNOW.OK NOTHING LIKE THAT;
1)LIVE TRAFFIC IS NOT WORKING AT TALL IN MOST PHONES
2)SAME THING TO IMPORT YOUR ADDRESS BOOK, NOT HAPPENING. YOU CANT EVEN MANUALLY CREATE AN ADDRESS BOOK.
3)NOW THE BIG ISSUE!! THE AUDIO OF THE BLUETOOTH IS TERRBIBLE. I HAVE CALLED AND COMPLAINED ABOUT THIS ISSUE, BECAUSE THE AUDIO OF THE DIRECTIONS IS PEREFCTLY LOUD AND CLEAR, SO IT IS NOT A SPEAKER PROBLEM. THEY HAVE SAID THAT THEY ARE AWARE OF THIS ISSUE ON SOME NUMBER OF 720, BUT BECAUSE THE ITEM IS AFTER 30DAYS (ACTUALLY 45) THEY WILL REPLACE MINE WITH A REFURBISHED ONE!!!!!!!
IN OTHER WORDS, TOM TOM DOESNT STAY BEHIND THEIR DEFECTIVE PRODUCT. TERRBILE CUSTOMER SERVICE, AND TERRIBLE PRODUCT. IF YOU DIDNT BUY IT YET DONT!!!! GO WITH GARMIN. THE BEST

There is no manual that comes with the unit. If you try to use the manual that is supposedly on the cd, it gives you a message saying there is no manual at this time. Transferring music files to use the built in MP3 player is a problem. Only about 1/2 of the music you download to the TomTom is actually downloaded. Poor customer support; I made 3 phone calls to customer service and each one told me to do something different and that the previous instructions given to me by the other technical support operators was incorrect. I even had one of the techs tell me he didn't know how to do some of the operations. The unit itself cannot even find my correct home address even tho you can find it on map quest. We've entered a couple of other addresses for the TomTom to test the accuracy of the navigation. It's a good thing we knew where the places actually were because the TomTom didn't. The screen washes out pretty badly and is hard to see in sunlight. This unit is loaded with many features, too bad it doesn't work very well. It's going back to the store. I'll give Garmin a chance.

I bought this unit and had trouble with the docking station right away, but was able to connect it to the computer with another USB cable. Used it on a trip to Maine over the weekend and loved it, had no trouble with it. Went to use it yesterday and couldn't get it to turn on, called customer support and they talked me through trying to get it working, but no luck. So I returned it, rather exchanged it, but haven't used it yet.
I exchanged it because I liked everything it has to offer, and wouldn't give up on it yet.
I haven't rated it yet, because I have hardly used it, still exploring what it can do. But if I have to give it something now, I'll give it a ****
I do like the option of an assortment of voices, some come with the unit and others can be downloaded at a small cost.
You can get traffic in time updates as well as weather but requires a bluetooth connection. These features I feel, if I knew more about how they are obtained, could be better served using the FM radio transmitter feature that could be relayed through the car's radio... if that's possible?
I want to add this... I just returned from a Florida trip. The route it gave me through Washington DC was not a good one, especially for an Oct. Fri nite. Perhaps if I had A Blue Tooth, where it could update it on the road, but the trip took me an extra 2 1/2 hours. I updated it when i got home and it took over an hour, and it quit with some sort of download problem. But it still beats buying and fumbling with all those paper maps.

First off, the style of this navigator is much better than all other alternatives. I'm really impressed with the new features like map sharing and bluetooth audio out option. I shipped it to Boxinus website because I was about to leave for a business trip in Canada and I was so happy when they shipped it to me the same day as I was going to the same bar every night not knowing where else i could go. It works perfect and I'm glad I've got it.

TomTom has definitely increased the functionality in the new GO 720 series (with speech recognition, built-in FM tuner, map/direction usability enhancements, Bluetooth audio out, and ability to record your own voice). TomTom has taken a couple of steps back, notably the reduction in storage (the GO 910 has a 20GB HDD with USA, Canada, Europe and Guam maps) and the "passive" mount with no audio or power connections. While the storage issue can be partially solved using SD cards (does the GO 720 support SDHC?), the passive mount is most likely in response to the mount issues that plagued the GO x10 series. This new design means that those who keep a mount permanently in their car will have to reconnect all cables each time they want to use the device.

Finally, based on my experience with the previous GO 910 (which I own), it will be at least 4-5 months before the new "NavCore 7" software is stable.

If you want a good product stay away from Tom Tom products. I have used 3 different products from tom tom and maybe I'm a slow learner or tom tom has bad products, just stay away from tom tom so many better gps units to buy that are better. I decided to return the tom tom products and buy a Navstar and soooo much better and graphics so much better. Stay away from tom tom and buy a navstar or just look past a tom tom.

Get a grip, idiot developers. Do you always know exactly the address you'r going to?