Accessories

The jury is still out
I received a refurb 720 for Christmas, exactly what I had asked for. I'm running software version 8.300.

I don't have a lot of experience with the unit, so feel it wouldn't be fair to write a complete review at this time. However, I felt it important to note that while the unit can play MP3s over the FM transmitter, the spoken directions do NOT get sent over the transmitter. This is in contrast to the documentation on the CD, but confirmed on TOMTOM.COM:

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"For TomTom GO x20/x30

* You can use the built-in FM Transmitter. This allows you to transmit music* from your TomTom GO to your car stereo. Your car stereo receives the sound as an FM radio signal, just like it does from a radio station. You cannot listen to another radio station at the same time.

* You can use the audio cable which is available as an accessory. Your car stereo needs to have a 3.5mm audio-in connector. Your GO can then play spoken instructions and music over the car radio. Phone calls are played using the speaker in your GO.

*Voice instructions cannot be transmitted via FM Transmitter"
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[UPDATE 12/30/2008] I spoke with TomTom tech. support when updating my maps this week. They indicated that the inability to transmit the instructions over the radio is a bug in version 8.300. It should be fixed in the next release.

TomTom 730
I bought a refurbished TomTom 730 . There is no any way to make difference
between new and refurbished one. It works fast and perfectly .
The only problem to me is the software . Not because the software is no good.
I drive commercial vehicle so I have to avoid Parkways and certain Avenues So far I did not find the way how to plan my rout to avoid those roads .
Other wise great product for half of the listed price .
E.G.

get there in style go720
referb tomtom 720 all is there and works like a champ.. very impressive for the referbished price like new..

could not get a free map update
I bought this gps based on a friends recommendation. However when I arrived at the new Indianapolis airport, the gps map did not includes the streets nearby. I tried getting a map update, but the tomtom website said that the time for me to get a map update expired. I had purchased this item just 2 weeks earlier, so this was not what I exppected. Also the bluetooth connection to my phone was not always working well. I sporadically would get a message that my phone is no longer connected while I was driving.

Great GPS - Poor Battery Life
The TomTom GO720 is all you could ever want in an upper end GPS. TFT Display with 4.3" Touch Screen, optional realtime Traffic & Weather, spoken directions with Real Street Names, both US & Canada Maps, 400MHz processor for faster satellite acquisition and location display, 2Gb Flash Memory for handling a virtual unlimited number of pre-canned and personal POI's. A really great unit. It should be... it cost a fortune.

But one of the reasons I bought this unit was because it had an internal battery that allowed the GO720 to be removed from the car and used to provide navigation while traveling around in major cities... by foot. The battery inside the unit when I first purchased it a year ago supplied multiple hours of external car use. It was great!

Now it's a little over a year later, it's Dec 2008. Even with a full charge (ie: more than 4 hours on either the USB cradle charger or the 12vdc car adaptor charger) the battery now lasts for LESS THAN 4 MINUTES outside the car before the unit `dies'.

Here's what TomTom doesn't tell you. I called TomTom Tech Support. I asked them about replacing the battery. I was told by Peter that the battery is NOT SERVICIBLE... it's soldered into the unit. It's not designed to be replaced.

Ok, how much to send it in to TomTom and get it replaced? His response... `if the unit is less than a year old, the unit will be serviced under the 1 Year Warranty. If the unit is over a year old, they won't service it... EVEN FOR A FEE!'. I asked him to repeat it since I didn't believe my ears. Same thing. So now I'm stuck with a GPS unit that won't work outside the car which is one of the reasons `why' I bought the TomTom GO720. I'll never buy another TomTom and I'm going to sell this one on eBay as defective. Before you consider the TomTom brand, please learn from my experience.