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Great value -- some have low volume
I also have a 130 with marginal speaker volume. This is really odd, because the speaker is huge, and other independent reviews have commented on how loud the unit is (e.g., http://www.gpsreview.net/tomtom-130s/). I may decide to return it for a replacement, but even with this problem it's a great unit at a great price. The desktop software (TomTom HOME) worked well on both XP and OS X (though the OS X version can't simulate the TomTom unit in operation yet), kudos to TomTom for that! I was able to update the map to the latest USA/Canada maps without a problem (and I did a full back up first), though the transfer was a bit slow. User-generated POIs are a plus, as are the map correction features. I recently took a trip to the midwest, and coming into Chicago with this unit was a real life saver. We were also able to navigate through rural Wisconsin (looking for artisan cheese manufacturers), and the unit did pretty well there too, though sometimes the roads had minor inaccuracies and we couldn't locate one address on a rural route. Route planning features are pretty good, and the ability to plan via a place or POI is nice. (You can't do multiple waypoints like the higher end models, though.) Battery life seemed good, the unit was plenty bright, and the auto night-mode worked perfectly, switching just as the sun went down. For the price, I ding the 130 one star for botching the volume issue. Also, I'd skip the 130s. I saw no need for it to try and read the name of the street to you. The mount seemed to work quite well -- easy to mount, remove, and pop off the unit while leaving the mount on the window. It did fall off once or twice, but usually stayed put if you attached it firmly and then rotated the suction cup dial. The ring attachment to the GPS unit worked well. I was considering the Garmin Nuvi 205, but it wasn't shipping before my trip. (Looks like it's still not shipping as of today, June 26, 2008.) Overall, I'm happy with this unit, other than the low volume issue, which isn't really too bad as you can hear what it's saying, and the visual indications on the unit itself are really clear.Better than Garmin
I owned a Garmin GPS. Unfortunately, the maps became outdated and we got lost in Orlando because the roads had changed. I tried to update the maps and contacted Garmin by e-mail 3 times for assistance. They offered to sell me a $99 map upgrade. However, when I really researched it, the unit was obsolete and could not be updated. This was never addressed by Garmin. Since I wanted a unit that allowed frequent map updates, the Tom Tom seemed perfect and was priced right. I solved my problem and have been very happy with the Tom Tom.Speaker volume not an issue on all units, really nice compact GPS!
This is my first GPS unit, though I spent 12 hours in a car with someone else's Garmin Nuvi recently. I have tested the TomTom around town (small city, upstate New York) for several days, and accuracy is spot on; calculating directions for out-of-town trips I know well is also extremely accurate. The speaker volume issue certainly seems to have affected some part of the production run of this unit -- for others (as evidenced on other online review sites), the purposely large speaker on the back is more than loud enough and is actually too loud if cranked up too high. Mine seems fine, and that's at 75-80% volume, so I can even go louder if needed. If you have a unit with the low volume or garbled speaker, send it back and request another if possible. A note -- the "link volume to speed" function doesn't boost the volume higher at faster speeds; rather, it lowers the volume at lower speeds; at regular highway speeds, the volume will be unaffected by this setting. I don't mind the somewhat more pixelated maps on this unit as compared to the Garmin; in practice the map view moves smoothly. I do wonder if there is enough free memory in this unit to accommodate future map upgrades, as there's only 30 MB free now and that's with just one "computer" voice installed (the only one that can read the street names, as opposed to the generic "turn right" voices available). I like the compact, foldable mount, I like the screen and I like the ability to submit map corrections and to be able to benefit from the corrections of others; even though this unit doesn't support multidestination routing, It seems to have more choices than the lower-end Garmins to avoid particular routes, use particular routes, put in detours and add waypoints. The software is compatible with Mac, though the early version I was prompted to download had an immediate upgrade. Be careful disconnecting the TomTom from the computer -- make sure you have disconnected it through the TomTom Home menu, rather than just ejecting it off the desktop/Finder view, as I evidently corrupted something by not disconnecting properly. I was able to restore it, but this shouldn't have to be done -- back up your TomTom (option available through TomTom Home software) so that you can restore its contents if needed. I do wish the battery life was a bit better, though this is an improvement (by 50%!) over previous TomToms.arrived defective
My tomom arrived defective. I would only get an X when turned on. Virtually no written instructions came with unit. I spent 3 hours researching online to try and fix it. I sent it back. I will get a Garmin.Would have been a great product except....
The audio... wow, does it bite. I updated my device to the latest software, didn't help. It's not worth paying the extra 50 dollars for the text to speech if it doesn't work. The the only and biggest issue. I'm returning it.Keyword : tomtom
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