TomTom GO 700 In Car GPS Satellite Navigation With European Mapping & Bluetooth

It's surprised me with one or two routings especially ones in and out of Portsmouth, routes that i didn't even think about.

There are one or two mapping errors in and around Guildford & on the A3, but when you consider that this gadget has the whole of western europe in it, that can't be bad and they're constantly being updated so they should be sorted out relatively quickly.

Also i have noticed one or two POIs (Points Of Interest) a Petrol Station & Shop are curiously according to it are 1/ In the middle of a local duck pond & 2/ In the middle of a Cricket/Football pitch! Oh Well, I guess nothings 100% perfect!

You can change it from day to night colours, the vocal instructions are clear and precise, warnings sounds can also be made when approaching a POI such as speed camera or Petrol Stn.

You can choose from numerous display options 2D/3D/Text or Blank Screen voice only.

Also you have a postcode option for UK & NL.

Some important points!

If you know your car has heat reflective/athermic or "comfort glass" then you really do need to buy the external antenna that goes with these TomTom Go systems otherwise you'll find that it will more than likely NOT work as the glass's properties will block the GPS signal.

You can test this theory by turning it on outside the car, getting a GPS signal, then go inside the car, close all doors & windows and see what happens. No signal or very little signal? You need the antenna & £50 is the cheapest you'll find it!

Its powerfully magnetic so will stick to the roof of the car or do as i have done and that's attach it to the inside of rear windscreen with Outdoor Sticky Fixers, it stops it going missing and is less of a give away to thieves!

If you want the Speed Camera locations you don't need a subscription you can get it from http://www.pocketgps.co.uk/uksafetycameras.php which is currently free!

Don't use a pen to tap details in on the screen it leaves tiny dots or very fine scratches on the surface, use a PDA stylus if you can or the rubber end of a pencil.

Do take it with you and don't leave it in the car (including glove box) when you park up otherwise you'll soon find yourself buying new glass & another TomTom Go as they're a prime target for the thieves & vandals


CRACKING PIECE OF KIT   March 13, 2006
58 out of 59 found this review helpful

I bought this piece of Kit with anticipation as I had read AMAZON Reviews about the software freezing, the Hands Free feature being poor, etc. I HAVE TO DISAGREE. I live in Germany and this Gadget has proven to be invaluable, the German Maps are brilliant. I use the hands free all the time and the sound quality is cracking remembering that this is a third party hands free device. It has not got lost yet and I have owned it for around 14 weeks now. If I had a gripe and it is only a small one, it would be that it can take up to 3-4 minutes to lock onto the satelite signal sometimes, but apart from that, this is now my best mate in the car. I am looking forward to really testing it out when i GO TO Spain later this year.

BUY ONE YOU WONT REGRET IT


TomTom GO 700   July 10, 2005
53 out of 54 found this review helpful

It does what it says on the box. With minimal fuss it is up and working in minutes, a little bit longer to configure bluetooth (1 month free trial of certain TomTom Plus features) but you can get the weather at your destination, traffic updates, colour schemes and if you must John Cleese's voice. Maps not as clear as NavMan and not quite as street level as NavMan hence the 4 stars. You need to play with the preferences to get the Points of Interest to your liking, postcoding only for UK and Netherlands. Built in battery a big plus. Worth the wait


Great Navigator, but a lot of issues.   January 12, 2006
Mr. Thomas Davison (Bedford UK)
48 out of 49 found this review helpful

The Tom Tom Go functions very well, when it is working properly. Directions are clear, and routes are easy to follow.

BUT

Tom Tom say that the unit will act as a hands-free unit for your mobile phone. You can also download road traffic information using GPRS. Despite this statement, there are a huge number of phones that are incompatible, even if they appear on the Tom Tom list. My motorola V3 for example is shown as fully compatible, but can't accept voice calls once it has been linked to traffic info, unless you go through a manual reset process. I didn't realise this at first, and it was only at the end of a long journey, after I had switched the Tom Tom off, that my phone told me I had missed several calls. When you do get voice, the volume is extremely low, and I had to shout to make myself heard using the built in microphone. I ended up with a second phone so that one could be used for traffic data using a Pay as You Go service, and the second to give me hands free voice on my contract phone, using a different bluetooth device.

In addition, there are several issues with the units "freezing", and I had the unit switch off and reset itself 4 times yesterday during a 1 hour journey. Each time, it reset with daytime settings, and I had to switch it manually to the night displays.

Before you buy this, have a look at the user forum at http://www.expansys.com/forum.asp?code=TOMTOMGO&page=1 for information on literally hundreds of problems associated with this machine.

If you can live with the issues, and the IF unit performs to specification, the navigation side is probably the best on the market. However, I confess that if I had known about the problems I would face, I would either have waited to allow them to sort themselves out, or bought a different make, with a better reliability record.


TomTom Go 700   October 12, 2005
35 out of 35 found this review helpful

My Tom Tom Go 700 worked straight from the box and has successfully naviagetd me around most of the UK and even Northern Italy.

I have found my Parrot in car bluetooth telephone kit much better that the TomTom built in system but I have appreciated the full European mapping.

TomTom Go 700 is probably only worth the extra money over the 300/500 if you regularly go abroad. That said, the full postcode facility is excellent and I have found the remote very useful for changing preferences etc. when on the move.

You can buy TomTom dash mounts from Brodit that make for a very neat in car fit and eliminate any vibration through the unit which is a characteristic of the rather clumsy windscreen mount.

Unfortunately, after 3 months, my TomTom Go died on me and refused to reset. Reading the other reviews reliability does seem to be a problem which is not satisfactory for a piece of equipment costing 500.00. I will give TomTom another chance as it has been genuinely invaluable and I have accepted a replacement.

If it were not for the reliability issue I would have awarded TomTom Go 700 four or even five stars.