----- Where in the world is TomTom Sandiego? -----
I hope I'm not the only one that remembers the incredibly catchy tune by Rockapella which played during each episode of
WITWI Carmen Sandiego. I know it's been about a decade (yeah, I feel old now) since it was popular, but I've never quite gotten that jingle out of my head. I know you're wondering how in the heck I'm going to connect this to a GPS system, so here it is.
First of all, there's the obvious connection of searching for a destination, but what I'm getting at is I've seen at least three different ads for the new TomTom GO 700 on network and cable tv. These ads are very catchy and caught my eye enough to make me go look at one more closely. I've traveled at least 3,500 road miles relying on my
Garmin Quest receiver and have become quite familiar with both its positive aspects and its downsides. As fate would have it I loaned out my Quest to my Aunt for a trip she was on and forgot about my upcoming trip to Fort Worth, TX.
This unlikely sequence of events was the catalyst for my purchase of a shiny new TomTom of my own. After arriving home I pulled out all the components and began to play (errr I mean
work) with my new toy. I know you don't want a huge list of every nut and bolt included, so I'll keep it short and simple. Inside the box you'll find a very efficient packing system that contains a surprisingly large quantity of parts.
First of all you get a
TomTom Receiver unit and
120V Wall Charger, also included are the very necessary
12V DC Auto Charger,
Receiver Base Assembly, and universal
Windshield/Glass Mount. I was pleasantly surprised by the inclusion of a very nice
Padded Storage Case with a wrist lanyard, TomTom
Screen Cleaning Wipes, and a very comprehensive
Startup Poster. Although it's not necessary, I charged my GO 700 overnight to give the battery full charge before I put the unit into operation.
----- Differences between Garmin and TomTom -----
As the former owner of a Streetpilot 2610 and current owner of a
Quest, I'm familiar with the standard Garmin menu system used on past models. The TomTom flat-out blows Garmin's menu system away in both user friendliness and functionality. While both Garmin models I've had intimate experience with are the older generation, I wasn't terribly impressed with the StreetPilot C330/C340 units. Screen size for the new C330 and GO 700 are the exact same at 3.5" diagonal and both TFT moniters are 320 x 240 pixels. On the GO 700 this produces a clear and easily readable screen in almost all lighting conditions except direct sunlight.
It's hard to explain the difference in operation between these two brands, the best example I can give is to view both TomTom and Garmin websites.
http://www.tomtom.com/products/category.php?ID=0&Language=4
http://www.garmin.com/mobile/products.html
The different approaches these companies take with their sites is mirrored in their products. TomTom is a picture and graphic oriented company, with bright images for its menu icons. They choose to use video and speech to communicate instead of text. Garmin's marine heritage is clear in the more written-word oriented approach to navigation and menu systems. The C330 is closer to the GO 700 in ease of use, but still a step behind in my opinion.
For mobile phone users with either Verizon, T Mobile, Cingular, or AT&T service the TomTom is the clear winner with its included Bluetooth mobile phone option. The included microphone lets you answer, communicate, and hang up from your TomTom. The on-screen Caller ID display makes screening incoming calls a breeze.
The overall look of a TomTom is very streamlined and sleek thanks to its silver/black exterior and minimalist one button operation. This button is used for power on (tap once) and power off (hold down), all normal options and selections are accessed via the touchscreen or the optional remote control (not included).
----- GO 700 Daily Operation -----
Since most owners will want to attach their TomTom to a window, I'm quite impressed with the adjustability of the included suction cup mount. Once the mount is attached to the GO 700 you can adjust both tilt, angle, and height by turning one knob. I tried it on the windshield and side window before finding the perfect spot up by the rearview mirror.
Once you're satisfied with its location, if you just power the unit up and let it run it will act as a passive 3D map and show you upcoming streets and intersections. Eventually you'll decide to navigate somewhere unknown and you'll need to delve into the menu system. Tapping the screen anywhere on the map opens the Main Menu for navigation and preferences. Other options include setting up and using your mobile phone, traffic and weather reports via mobile phone, and advanced route planning.
Basic Route Setup
First of all I have to say the touch-screen on my TomTom GO 700 is wonderful to use. It's very responsive to inputs and requires only a little tap to activate. The on-screen button response is instant, in most cases you can type as fast as your fingers can move. No more tap-wait tap-wait like my StreetPilot 2610.
To start a route plan tap the screen and select the
Navigate To... icon. Sub-menu choices include: Go Home, Favorites, Find Address, Point of Interest, Zipcode, City Center, and Recent Destinations.
Find Address: Personally, I mostly use search by address for my route searches. TomTom's software then asks for the city name of your destination. This is a nationwide search, so as you type in city names the results are filtered until only the exact names are left. Say I'm searching for
Grand Rapids, MI, typing in
Grand Ra shows results for Grand Rapids BC, Grand Rapids MB, Grand Rapids MI, Grand Rapids MN, and Grand Rapids OH. When you find your city tap the screen and move on to street entry. TomTom enters addresses in reverse if you're used to Garmin's software, so you'll type in the street name then the address. As with the city search, you'll see all results then watch as your letter inputs filter the streets until only a few are left. If you can't find the exact house number you can tell the system to direct you to a cross street intersection on the street you're searching. This will get you as close as possible to your intended destination.
This works very well for almost all searches, although if a large construction project has been completed in the last 12 months or so it's a good bet the system won't know about it. Thankfully if there is road construction in your route the GO 700 is
very fast at recalculating your route and finding a way back to your path.
Zipcode Search: Much like a reverse phonebook search, the zipcode search allows you to find a location by entering the zipcode. Next you'll see cities assigned in that zipcode, pick one and move on to street entry and address entry.
Point on Map: Even more vague, searching with this tool lets you drag around the map until you find what you're looking for to start your navigation. This would only be used for general searches or national forest/campground type locations.
Finding a Point Of Interest (POI):
This is a relatively painless process that can become frustrating depending on how complex you make it. I'll come right out and say it to save you time, if you're looking for an exact restaurant or gas station you may become frustrated. Now I'll tell you why. TomTom GO's software doesn't currently have information on address or phone numbers for its POI database, Garmin's CitySelect software on the other hand does.
I'll run a quick example by you to better describe this issue. I'll pick Grand Rapids, MI since I'm quite familiar with the layout. TomTom lets you choose to search either by
"Point Of Interest" (Gas Station, Parking Structure, Restaurant, etc) or
"POI In City". This allows you to either search from where you're located or search from the city center. For this example I'll choose POI In City then select Restaurant. All the restaurants show up sorted in increasing distance from the city center. Touching the keyboard icon on the lower left of the screen allows me to sort and filter these results. For now I'll type in Johnny since I want to eat at
Johnny Carino's Country Italian Restaurant. Two different results show up at 4.7 and 30 miles away. That's all you see, to actually find out where the two locations are you have to tap them and wait for a route to develop. If you don't want that location you need to redo the search all over again.
This is a tame example, as in a bigger city you could have 10-25 identical matches for chain restaurants in your search area. Each time you want to check the location you'll have to search and manually filter again. A simple address under each match (like Garmin's software) would make things much easier. The same sequence applies for gas stations, hotels, and pretty much everything else you'll search for. Other than this issue the POI system works very well, routes are planned and implemented quickly and seamlessly.
Driving with the GO 700:
You can choose either the 3D Display option for a fly-by-air view of the surrounding area, or the 2D overhead paper-map type view of the older GPS systems. I personally love the 3D view as it gives you a better sense of spatial relationships between interstates, on/off ramps, and city streets. The motion and angle control of the 3D camera is very good in all conditions, always refreshing the view on corners and keeping the arrow in plain view. Small zoom buttons allow you to change the scale of what's displayed on screen at will. Also available are day/night colors for viewing in bright sun or in a dim car late in the evening.
The vocal commands are available in 20 fluent languages, with quite a few dialects available in each language. For example, I can choose from Female/Male UK English, Female/Mail US English, and Male Australian English (gotta love that down unda' accent). Spoken words are very clear and precise, no muddy or fuzzy sounding audio from this unit. Directions are given in decreasing distances starting 1 mile away from the upcoming turn or event. Sadly the unit can't say actual street names and exit numbers, so a quick look at the screen is usually required. In most interstate or highway travel the instructions are easy to understand and follow. Even a colossal screwup like missing a big interchange (yeah, I did it) isn't that bad, you'll just be re-routed off the road and back in the right direction again.
----- Bottom line, who to trust? -----
For most users the TomTom is the better unit in my opinion, it's easy to learn, simple to operate, and clear enough in its instructions to go across the US mapless and on your own. The only drawback I found annoying was the marginally frustrating Point Of Interest system, which isn't a big deal if you don't frequently look for random locations. I only (as in 85% of the time) use my GPS systems to find known addresses like business and homes, for this the TomTom is exceptional.
If I had to buy a GPS navigator for my wife to use or for my daughter going off to college, I'd buy a TomTom. It's not going to be hard to operate for one person, and the built in mobile phone service (where available) makes it a virtual media center for your car. It's easily removable for theft prevention and can be swapped between multiple cars.
I've had a good experience with my friend TomTom, aside from his rather interesting first name I think I'll keep around for awhile. I recommend you at least meet TomTom in person and who knows, you might make a friend for life.
TomTom GO 700 GPS Navigation System
* 400 Mhz ARM920T processor
* 64 MB RAM
* 2.5 GB hard disk storage
* 320 x 240 x 4096 color 3.5” TFT screen
* Internal Li-Ion battery
* 4.5" x 3.6" x 2.3", 11 ounces
* 12 channel ‘All-in-View’ integrated GPS receiver
* Internal antenna and support for (not in package) active external antenna
Related review: Garmin Quest GPS Navigation System
Thanks for reading and feel free to comment!
Openroad
