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Knowledge Is Key
For Intelligent Decisions
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TomTom Go 720
The TomTom Go 720 definitely trumps the similar systems at this price range. The interface and things such as enterting address and locations is much more quick and intuitive, which is a big plus for people that are frequently stopping and choosing new destinations.
One of the first major upgrades that the Tomtom Go 720 introduced is the MapShare feature. It's a really great addition with tons of long and short term beneficial applications. Also worth of mentionng is the pre-installed latest firmware, and navCore7 software. The x10 range, and indeed the PDA/Smartphone software currently runs navCore6 – which lacks some of the newer features found here. Another improvement on navCore7, is an improved GUI. It’s really only a different skin but it is an improvement.
The box of the Go 720 is packed with pretty much all the main peripherals. A car charger and a natty desktop docking station found on the newer model. The spec sheet of the 720 is really impressive; a 4.3in widescreen TFT ‘matt finish’ screen using a 480x272 resolution, and backed up by a 400MHz CPU and 64meg of RAM. The TomTom 720 comes with 2gb of onboard memory, but the vast majority of this is taken up by the supplied maps and addons. Bluetooth, and, a first for TomTom, a built in FM transmitter. The battery life is stated as 5 hours, and it weights just 220g.
The FM Transmitter is great. It works well, it's easy to turn on and off and there is no sign of crackle or interference. Music is stopped during announcements, and resumes automatically when it’s finished telling you what to do!
The speech recognition works well. By selecting the navigate via speech option, you are told to say the city you need to get to (as per usual TomTom define any city, town or village as a city). A list of possible matches is displayed, to which you say the number.
Text-to-Speech feature - the TomTom 720 has also applied some massive improvements to the core of the satnav system Road name are now spoken by the new “computer voice”. This feature was also seen on the Go 910, but the 720 massively improves on even that. The majority of the time, its very clear, and does help out over the standard “Turn left” style commands.
The screen seems to be covered in some sort of matt finish cover. This might sound nasty but in practise it works well at keeping the screen visible in strong sunlight. Although its perhaps not as clear in normal lighting because of this, on the whole, the cover does improve things.
Undoubtedly, the Go 720 is a good satnav. The new features are well thought out and genuinely improve an already good range of products. TomTom appear to have listened to its clients. The system allows a much greater level of control over the look and feel of the built in OS. You can change the position icon to a logo or images of your choice, or one of the built in ready made pictures. Equally useful is the ability to move the status bar from the bottom of the screen to the right hand side.
There are many other minor improvements. You can turn on an audible alert when travelling x% over the speed limit. You can now turn off the speed limit monitoring completely. A built in light sensor allows you to choose to automatically dim the screen when it gets dark. All minor updates, but it shows an attention to detail that was perhaps lacking in the early TomTom releases.
The suction cup and mount is somewhat different to the old Go models. There is no built in charger, or any port replication. Many people believe this to be down to the problems TomTom faced with the old active mounts. The suction cup is very strong, and ‘parking’ the device takes a bit of getting used to, but very intuitive once the learning curve is complete.
The overall operation of the device is exactly like any other TomTom. There are minor improvements like for example the user-configurable quick launch menu, and depending on how old your device is, you’ll be surprised to find Postcode navigation now hidden in the ‘address’ area. Routes can, as ever, be calculated by the quickest route, shortest routes, various different methods for pedestrians and fixed speed vehicles. Routing seems good, if not perfect – and the mapshare technology will only improve this.
A minor gripe is the car mount. It’s a little too small, and too short. This means that the unit is held firm, and shake-free, but it a long way away from the driver – especially for control with driving. Overall stability is pretty good while routing, but it's prone to crashes, especially when modifying settings within the large menu system.
TomTom have really raised the bar with the release of the 720. 2gb onboard memory, and a wide variety of major and minor fixes and feature improvements. They should be praised on making the biggest improvements to the devices since the original TomTom Go. It's a great device for both new users, and old pros looking to improve what they already have. The FM transmitter is exceptional – and space saving since it’s all built into the small case. The text to speech, and speech to text systems are the best ever.
So if you are looking for a new satnav right now – this is the best on the market. It’s well supported both officially and unofficially, and the ‘fan’ sites have large communities of experts ready to help out with any problems. The pricing is highly competitive, even against its stablemate the Go 520.
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