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What are they thinking
I purchased this product for the following reasons. Both North American and European maps included for a reasonable price. The ability to route by shortest distance, lease use and most use of freeways, pedestrian routes and the sleek design. I unpacked the unit and was happy with the overall interface of the unit and the ability to customize the details that would display on the screen. After that is when it all fell apart. Within a few days I logged on to the Tom-tom web site and began to down load the updates, they included a system update, North American and European map updates. What I quickly discovered was there was not enough room to install the base maps that came with the system on the unit. I called tech support they told me I must be mistaken and the unit must be defective, I should return it for repair. Instead I returned it to Amazon and purchased a replacement. The new unit had the same exact problem, I pushed tech support for a better answer and after a few days I finally got the answer that the updated maps would not fit on the unit as designed. In fact I was told they installed an older version on the units on purpose because they required more than the 4GB worth of memory on the unit. Now even if the last statement is not accurate the fact is, the current maps which were available shortly after release of the unit will not fit. You have to purchase a minimum of a 4 GB SD memory card to install them. Now this in itself is not so awful, even if it is misleading when you purchase the unit. A 4 GB memory card is less than $50.00 but the problem is when you log on to the system you are forced to decide where in memory you want to install map updates or software updates. This is a selection you must make when you first connect to the unit. If you have multiple updates you need to continue to disconnect and reconnect. Then you have to know where you need to apply the changes you want to make. What made this even worse, I removed the 4GB memory card after I applied the European maps and when I reinstalled the card the 930 could not find the maps anymore. By this time I had spent so many hours with tech support getting inconsistent answers I just gave up. Now I think Tom-Tom could easily fix this problem by allowing me to install just the European maps I wanted. They can be purchased as regions if you did not get them with the unit, this would have been an acceptable option since I was not planning on going to Russia or several other countries that were on the base map. I have other suggestions but that would make this review really drag on. There were a few other problems and limitations that disappointed me as well. I personally think one of the greatest enhancements to come to GPS in the last few years is not the ability to look at your pictures, or play MP3 files. But the ability to have text to speech read you the road and or street names while you are driving. This allows you to keep your eyes on the road and be told the name of the street you need to turn on. The novelty voices do not have text to speech and when you purchase them and load them there is no warning that you will not have this features. In fact at the directions of tech support to increase available memory I mistakenly removed the text to speech voice and could never return it to the unit. After being frustrated with the unit I went out and purchased a Garmin 880 unit and actually drove with a Garmin 880, Tom-tom 930 and a Magellan 4250 in my windshield. The Magellan does not have European maps available ( or at least that I could find). My findings with this were interesting, I learned something that makes the Garmin the best choice of all the GPS units, but what I also discovered is the Tom-Tom had the worst display and the worst information for letting you know the next turn that you had to make in advance. The Magellan was probably the best with advance notice but the Garmin had the best display and road details. The one killer feature that the Garmin has that none of the others on this list have is real time updates of points of interest. What I mean by this is , let's say you are driving down route 95 and you know you will be traveling on this road for the next several miles. You are looking for a restaurant or a hotel. You can choose your options from points of interest and the Garmin will continue to update showing you the direction and distance of all the valid choices. The restaurant or hotel names and distances will continue to change as you drive. Both the Tom-Tom and the Magellan will only show you the current results and you need to start the search over again if you want updated information. This feature alone makes the Garmin the top choice in any GPS unit, imagine you are driving down the road and need the nearest gas station, you search on the Tom-Tom and all the nearest stations are the wrong direction. If you want to keep checking you need to begin the search again. If you have a Garmin you put your search in and as you drive your choices will update. In the end I retuned the Tom-Tom and kept the Garmin 880 which I think was too expensive but I like it and you can get other Garmin models with similar features for much less. Now all we need is for Garmin to add the two way feature that Dash has to their unit for the perfect GPS.Latest Map Guarantee - The bald lie!!!
Hello. I buy TT930 on Amazon.com (order number: 002-8419487-6748215) Product Description: "Due to Amazon's high volume of sales and frequency of inventory turnover, just about every portable GPS navigator sold by Amazon.com will come with the most recent map version. TomTom however, goes one better. Because TomTom regularly releases new maps, there's always a small chance that a newer map has been released since the production of your TomTom. With TomTom's latest map guarantee, if the map preloaded on your device is not the latest version, you can download it FREE at TomTom HOME. This no longer requires the map check code. Checking in TomTom HOME is easy: Make sure you have the latest version of TomTom HOME installed on your computer Connect your device to your computer In the 'File' menu click 'Use Latest Map Guarantee'. NOTE: if this option is not shown your device has the latest map. You can check as many times as you like within 30 days from the date you first use your TomTom device." On my device preinstalled map 800.1765 "Western and Ã'entral Europe" On TomTom HOME i see new version this map - " 805.1801", but TomTom Home write - "This item cannot be download". I write 15 days complaints in support TomTom(Question Reference No080724-006459, ), but to me do not give a new map and cannot tell terms when will give! To me suggest it to buy!!!!!! "If you would like this map, you would be require to purchase it." What lies!!!Simple and easy to use
This is a great product it works as advertised and it works reliably. Pros: Large easy to read screen Easy to keep up to date. User friendly interface. Cons: Battery life is not long enough for trips over 3 hrs. Traffic info required an accessory and a subscription Most premium features require a mobile phone that is able to provide data connectivity Suction cup mount stem is very short and it is just adequate for windshield mount only. Weather and Gas Prices require a subscriptionPass on this one
I own the 910 and am looking to replace that piece of crap. Some of the features in the 930 is very enticing such as the IQroute and advanced lane guidance but in looking at the screenshot, much of the GUI has remained the same from the 910. One of my biggest complaint is reading the direction when driving. I have no idea what the next exit is on the highways as the text and highway number are just way too small. It makes me feel like some sort of senior citizen, because I definately have a hard time reading it. I've missed countless exits because of this.Nice GPS with few glitches
I have had Tom tom 700 which still works fine( $725) and i was looking to add another GPS to use with my second car.The new unit is pretty impressive at 4.3'flat screen and nice black design.It really looks very pretty so i have invested another $20 to buy a case which does not come with the device.The main reason to invest in the series is Pre installed Europe maps so i can rent a car at the airport and travel without any hassle. The functionality is really nice and very customisable which can be annoying at times,but it gets better once you are familiar with the interface.I have used the Map share function which is very user friendly and a helpful feature.Ironically my home road is shown incorrectly which was perfectly good on the old GPS ,just to be aware of the limitations of any GPS unit. The latest Map guarantee is a nice feature which brought another limitation of the hard disk space.I am able download the new US maps onto hard drive but the new Europe maps needed a new SDHC card with 4GB capacity.The tomtom's customer service team were accessible helpful contary to what i read before. The new IQ routes timings are great as most of the time i reached the destination within 2-3 minutes of the device time.The advanced lane guidance is probably the Best feature of the lot but at this its limited to few routes.Another limitation was limited compatibility with Bluetooth phones like Blackberry curve. Overall its a pretty useful device with loads of new features but needs some fine tuning and Tomtom needs to get more receptive and user friendly by providing a case with the device.Keyword : tomtom
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