TomTom GO 730 4.3-Inch Bluetooth Portable GPS Navigator Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)We purchased the Tomtom 730 unit about 1 week ago and really like it. We were Garmin fans but decided to give the Tomtom a try after my brother swore up and down about how well it worked. We have owned and used Magellan and Garmin GPS units.
Likes:
Voices are good
Routing is execellent
Ability to reroute around 1 road is awesome
Tomtom support is very helpful. They speak english and seem to be located within the US.
Much better software than other GPS providers.
Most accessories for the 720/920 work for the 730 including the Traffic antenna
Dislikes:
Screen washes out in sunlight - We will have to look for a sunshade
Mounting system - What were they thinking? It fell off the window twice and doesn't even clip into the mount. Had to purchase a 3rd party mounting system (Ram mounts work)
Should come with some type of case to protect the unit.
Really wish the speeding and red light cameras were supported in the US
POI doesn't seem to be as robust as a Garmin. Tomtoms have millions of POI but just not the stuff we normally look for such as grocery stores, etc.
We almost took the unit back because the screen washes out in sunlight without some type of sunshade. We took the 730 and compared it directly with the Garmin 770. The garmin seemed to find more points of interest around us and everything was much easier to see in direct sunlight. We finally decided to keep the Tomtom because it calculated the routes much faster and allowed us to reroute around a single road, the garmin doesn't give you any control and reroutes the whole route which was the deal breaker for us. My wife also noted that the Garmins felt very unrefined after she had experienced a Tomtom. The Tomtom 730 is a great device but plan on spending at least 50 dollars more to purchase better accessories such as mounts, sunshades and cases.
9/30/08 5 months later
I still have a few gripes regarding this unit. The battery life is awful. When turned off, the unit will keep a charge for 4 days before it needs to be recharged by the computer adapter. The car charger does not charge the unit but instead supplements battery power. In the case of low battery, the unit will run totally off the car adapter but will not charge. I have called Tomtom two times regarding this issue and was told this behavior was normal for these types of electronics. REALLY? A co-worker has a Garmin that can go a couple of weeks turned off before it complains about a low battery.
Another complaint I have is the screen, it just wasn't made for the Arizona sun. It washes out and becomes nigh impossible to read during the day. Sunshades help reduce the issue but it is still an issue.
I am tired of spending money on accessories just to bring the unit up to what it should have been. If I could redo this purchase, I would get a Garmin. I know they aren't perfect either, but the Tomtom just isn't pulling its weight for the price paid.

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TomTom GO 730's award-winning software means groundbreaking new technology for the ultimate driving experience. Switch on and it's ready right out of the box. Just enter the address on the touchscreen or use voice address entry and start driving anywhere in the U.S. and Canada. TomTom guides you door-to-door with turn-by-turn spoken instructions, including street names.


IQ Routes technology gives you the fastest route every time by using actual average speeds of travel to calculate your trip rather than posted speed limits. Advanced Lane Guidance uses photorealistic images to bring even more clarity to complex multi-lane exits so you can be more confident on the road.

TomTom has the most accurate maps, and with TomTom Map Share technology, you instantly can modify street names, street direction, points of interest, and more on your own device.

And with the "Help Me!" menu, added safety features enable you to easily access local emergency providers. The GO 730 makes driving even safer with Bluetooth hands-free calling.*

The TomTom GO 730 is the ultimate car navigator.

*Compatible mobile phone required

GO 730 Features
Maps of the U.S. and Canada with TomTom Map Share
Bluetooth hands-free calling
Spoken street names
IQ Routes technology
Advanced Lane Guidance
Voice address input
FM transmitter
iPod-ready

All TomToms Feature
Plug and Go--Works right out of the box.

Pre-loaded Points of Interest--Easily find millions of gas stations, restaurants, hotels, and more on your route.

30-Day Latest Map Guarantee--Up-to-date, off the shelf.

TomTom Map Share--Modify your own map and benefit from other users' verified changes with TomTom Map Share.

Help Me! Emergency Menu--Easily access local emergency providers such as police, fire stations, and hospitals.

TomTom HOME--Always-up-to date.

Traffic-Ready--Optional RDS-TMC traffic receiver accessory keeps you up-to-date on traffic events to minimize potential delays.

Fuel Price Service (optional)--Know more, pay less.

Why TomTom? TomTom believes that personal navigation should be as easy and safe as possible. TomTom develops smart technology that gives you straightforward solutions and innovations to make life easy.
Easy to Use

Award-winning navigation software
Plug and go

Best Maps

30-Day Latest Map Guarantee
Modify your own map and benefit from other users' verified changes with TomTom Map Share

Best Routing

QuickGPSfix
Traffic-ready

Leader in Safety

Help Me! emergency resources menu
Safety preferences menu

What's in the Box GO 730 device, windshield mount, USB cable, adhesive disk, car charger, and user's guide.
About TomTom Founded in Amsterdam in 1991, TomTom has established itself as a global leader in navigation by being an innovative company with a strong brand, clear customer focus, and high-quality products and services.
TomTom is a leading navigation solutions provider, with navigation products sold in 30 countries and in over 20 languages. To further its commitment to car navigation, TomTom acquired Tele Atlas maps in 2008 so that the company can continually provide the most up-to-date maps and intelligent routing.

TomTom has its own mapping company!

Did you know that every year, roads change by up to 40% in high-growth areas? Tele Atlas manages this by using the world's most comprehensive systems to identify and incorporate these changes into our maps with unprecedented levels of speed and accuracy. All TomTom devices benefit from the Tele Atlas advantage--more coverage, more points of interest, and more freshness and accuracy.

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TomTom GO 730 4.3-Inch Bluetooth Portable GPS Navigator (Factory Refurbished) Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)There are alot of reviews out there for navigation units with comparisons between units made by different manufacturers, most stating that one is better than the other, which I found to be of no use since I almost never had the unit they were comparing to. So I have written this review as a review of the TomTom 730 rather than a comparison.
(please note this is the FACTORY REFURBISHED moel of the 730)
The 730 was well packed, and had a little bit of charge right out of the box. It includes all of the accessories and most of the literature that a new model does, including the windshield mount, dash disk, car charger, instruction manual and CD. There were no cosmetic blemishes on the unit I got. Refurbished units come with a shorter warranty, but the price difference more than makes up for lost warranty time.
The unit did arrive with an old map and firmware revision. After installing TomTom Home and creating a profile, the software asked me if I wanted to update the unit, and installed the most recent 'North American Maps' pack (includes USA and Canada) and 8.30 firmware. The download and installation process took a whopping 1.5 hours to download and install over a wireless broadband connection. Choosing to accept Mapshare, an additional 11386 corrections were added. I did not have to enter any update codes or call TomTom to get the latest map update. Other maps were listed as available at additional cost, but they were for other countries that I did not need.
After updating the unit, I took the 730 on a few trips to see how well it works. I travel roughly 1000 miles a week for business and pleasure, all over Maryland, DC and Northern Virginia. I have had several Nav units over the last two months trying to find the right one for me, and I am impressed with this unit. There are some problems with the unit, which are a result of the limitation of Nav units in general, rather than specific to the 730. An example: Whitehurst and Canal st in DC run literally on top of each other. Where they start you have a choice to go up or down, whereas the 730 tells you to go straight. Both choices are straight, and reagrdless of which you pick, the 730 continues to navigate as if you were heading down Whitehurst.
The 'IQ Routing' feature is absolutely the most useful feature of the unit. Anyone who lives in the DC metro area(or any other huge population dense area)knows that certain roads simply aren't passable during certain times of the day. I have used this feature extensively, and although there is room for improvement, it has found me several new, faster ways to get to common destinations. This nav unit is also the only one I have tested that correctly finds the fastest way to my home from the interstate.
Advanced Lane Guidance is a nice feature, during my travels I see it about twice a day. It works well, but the image for the I270/495 lanes divide on the inner loop shows the wrong number of lanes leading off to the spur. Other lane divides are accurate, why not this one?
The voice recognition navigation aspect works okay, it does a good job of recognizing what city and/or street that I said, but the whole system is a bit akward since it is a combination of screen presses and voice prompts. Still, it works well if you are patient with it and learn its qwerks.
The bluetooth function does not work with my phone (I have a really lousy phone)so I cannot comment on that, the FM transmitter works well if you can find a free frequency. Playing music from the TomTom was neat, and navigation prompts do come through the music when they occur.
TomTom Home and the community support it provides is awesome. Other than Mapshare (which is awesome in and of itself) there are differnt icons, voice prompts(which you can record yourself with the 730), display screen, map colors, and other customizable features that help you personalize and enhance the unit.
In summary, I believe I have found the right unit for me. The is the best navigation device I have used yet, and at the refurbished price it is well worth purchasing. I hope you found this review helpful.


Click Here to see more reviews about: TomTom GO 730 4.3-Inch Bluetooth Portable GPS Navigator (Factory Refurbished)

TomTom GO 730 REFURB Portable Navigator with Bluetooth. The TomTom GO 730 portable navigator offers you peace of mind when you're traveling with its powerful, yet easy-to-use features. You can use its 4.3" widescreen touch display to access detailed maps of the U.S. and Canada, and to explore over 5 million points of interest. The text-to-speech voice prompts announce actual road names at turns, giving you more helpful information when driving through unfamiliar areas. Refurbished.

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