The sheer volume of GPS devices on the market now is incredible, but the differences between them are relatively minor. Feature additions to the new models in the last few years have been mostly media related - MP3 players, Ipod compatibility etc. but it has been a long time since the technology really moved forwards. In step TomTom who, despite manufacturing the most successful GPS devices in Europe, aren’t resting on their laurels - they’ve crammed a boatload of innovative features into their new line of devices. This week I’ve been playing with the mid-range TomTom 720, which really is a welcome addition to the world of satnav.
Probably the most important point to me is that all the new features packed into the TomTom 720 are genuinely useful to the end user. No silly gimmicks - just end feature requests being added to improve the product. Hopefully these innovations will become standard in the future, because they really do make things easier.
In the box
The TomTom GO 720 comes with a vehicle mount (to fit either your windscreen or your dashboard), a car charger, a desktop cradle, a CD-ROM with TomTom Home software, and reference material. The mount is simple, in one moulded piece, and holds the 720 securely in place. Nothing fancy or exciting here, but if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.
The look…
No surprises here either, the 720 has the trademark spartan design of a TomTom. The 4.3 inch screen dominates the device, and there isn’t much else on the casing, just the microphone, a single button (power), the speaker, and connector for the mount.
Years of experience come to the fore as TomTom puts all the jacks/slots along the bottom, so it’s easy to attach everything when the device is in the mount - there’s the 3.5mm headphone jack, a TomTom connector port, a reset hole, a mini USB/power connector, and a SD/MMC expansion slot. There’s also a point to connect an external antenna, but unless your car has super-duper dense windscreens, I don’t see you needing this - the on-board SiRFStar III chip gives you plenty of signal strength.
The one thing missing from the neat little form is the external volume control. You need to go some depth into the menu system to put the volume up or down, which doesn’t make it safe to do while moving.
Usability…
The TomTom GUI has long been prized as the easiest to use in Satnav. It’s a really intuitive interface, and even a newbie will find their way around it in minutes. The menu layout has changed slightly with the latest navCore 7 software, but it’s just as easy to use. With the large screen, the icons are big enough to select even with the chubbiest of fingers and the touchscreen is accurate and responsive.
Features…
The TomTom GO 720, and sister products 520, and 920 are being used as the launch pad for TomTom Mapshare. Following in the footsteps of other social networks, Mapshare allows users to share permanent and temporary changes to maps. Users can make changes on their device and upload them next time they connect to their PC for other users to benefit from. You can add your own ‘missing’ points of interest, block or unblock streets, reverse traffic direction or even edit street and place names, and add missing streets.
It’s just as easy to download changes other people have made - when you plug your GO 720 into the USB charger it will do it all automatically. You can specify which downloads you’ll accept - all corrections, the most popular, or just those checked and ratified by TomTom.
The only worry I have about the system is that people won’t use it. To add a correction you need to pull over and enter the information right away, or wait until you get to your destination…and let’s face it, how many of you will get home from work and update your maps before Hollyoaks comes on? I thought so. We can only hope that some nice people will really take to this network, and do the hard work for all of us lazy folk.
Other onboard features include the ability to use the GO 720 as a Bluetooth hands-free kit for your mobile phone. This handy little feature also reads text messages aloud using the (impressively accurate) text-to-speech engine. You can also type text messages on the Go 720 screen, call contacts from your phone book or even call ahead to a restaurant or hotel if a number is listed on its POI details.
The Bluetooth feature also allows you to connect to TomTom’s Plus services, for real-time traffic information, weather reports, and the location of speed cameras. You can receive similar up-to-date information with the optional TomTom traffic kit. The RDS-TMC Traffic Receiver receives ‘TMC’ (Traffic Message Channel) updates which are broadcast at regular intervals 24 hours a day. The GO device will take the information that relates to your journey into account and suggest alternative routes if necessary, which comes in so handy if you’re a city-slicker like me.
The GO 720 still has the bells and whistles multimedia package, including an audio player, picture viewer, document viewer and iPod connectivity. New to the package is the FM transmitter…nothing incredibly innovative here, but a welcome addition.
As I’ve already mentioned, the GO 720 has some pretty advanced text-to-speech and speech recognition features. Road names are read out, which makes the ‘turn left, turn right’ type instructions much easier to follow. This was first seen on the TomTom GO 910, but the 720’s system has been greatly improved. You can still choose the voice of the TomTom as well, either from the standard set, or online from celebrity voices, or even record your own voice, so you can tell yourself where to go…
The speech recognition feature allows you to operate your TomTom handsfree. To plan your navigation, you just need to say the city you want to go to, and a list of possible matches is displayed. You just say the number of the correct one and off you go.
One other great new feature is the ‘Help me’ button. It will not only tell you where the nearest police station, hospital, or mechanics is, but let you phone them directly through your GO 720 (if you connect your phone of course). There are also onboard first aid guides from the Red Cross, and repair and maintenance guides from the AA for lesser emergencies like a flat tyre. The ‘Where am I?” option is simple but oh so clever. It simply tells you the name of the street you are on, and the nearest cross roads so you can tell the tow-truck where to find you. Genius!
Other features include; audible alerts to warn you when you travel over the speed limit, memory expansion through the SD card slot, multiple route planning options, light sensor for auto brightness control, and the USB dock allowing you to connect to TomTom for the latest updates.
In Conclusion
The bad…
Well there aren’t any glowing failures to mention here so I’m allowed to be picky…Please TomTom, give us the option to turn the onscreen keyboard from the alphabetical to QWERTY display. It takes me ages to find letters that way!
And a volume control on the outside would be nice, or at least the volume and brightness settings on the first level of the menu system. OK, I’m clutching at straws now. It’s a great wee system, I can’t complain
The good…
See above. Whether you want it for light use or you are on the road everyday, you won’t find a GPS system with more features at this price, or at least, with more features you’ll actually use!
