TomTom Go 720 - Thoroughly

What happened to the trips in the Seat 600 with the grandfather, the radio cassette, the float and the umbrella? Now, when we get into the car, we have to remember to bring the GPS navigator , the MP3 music to endure the hours of the trip, the hands-free mobile phone to avoid killing ourselves at the wheel and the radar detector to avoid the fine.

Fortunately, TomTom thought that it was time to put all these utensils into one. And no, we do not mean the float and the umbrella. The TomTom Go 720 navigation device is a true all-in-one . GPS navigator, MP3 music, radar warning, hands-free for the mobile. All this in a single device to wear attached to the front windshield.

So at tuexperto.com we have grabbed the wheel and headed north. Not without first placing a TomTom Go 720 on the dashboard to be able to tell you about our experience with this multipurpose navigator.

Previously, yes, the night before the trip we connected it to the computer with two objectives. First, to put a few songs in MP3 and thus liven up the hours behind the wheel. And also to test one of the TomTom news . That function to update road maps called Map Share . And this is the result that we tell you in parts ...

A full screen browser

The TomTom Go 720 is a device with a 4.3-inch widescreen . A good screen size for what is on the market today. Despite what was said, from tuexperto.com we clearly advocate improving the brightness and, above all, the sizes of the screens. The reason? that precisely this is one of the fundamental aspects in the use of any browser . The users look for screens sufficiently large to see maps and directions without straining your eyes (something that was already offered in pre-installed browsers and that we have lost with the arrival of laptops).

Continuing with the TomTom model , the equipment despite its screen size, is not too bulky ( 118 x 83 x 24 mm ) and perhaps somewhat heavier than other portable models ( 220 grams ). Curiously, although the bracket that holds it to the windshield does not seem too resistant, in the tests we have carried out it holds the type perfectly. It is an arm that is deceiving at first glance because it holds up better than other more voluminous arm models , but less resistant.

The navigation software makes the most - now yes - of the width of the screen . In those 4.3 inches there is room to see the street . And, incidentally, for some additional information, such as distance to travel, remaining time, current time and estimated time of arrival . Another novelty is the possibility of indicating the destination route with your voice . No need to type the name of the street or city, but rather speak it out loud.

As a curiosity, the model allows us to update the information on the maps. If we know of a new exit on a road or a U-turn on a street, we can manually enter these changes . And then share them with other users over the Internet. Without a doubt, an advance that can save you hassle and, above all, a lot of euros if you do not need to update the maps every year and go through the checkout.

A radio station with your MP3s

As we said at the beginning, this browser is a true all-in-one . And the proof is that it serves as an MP3 music player . You just have to put our songs in its internal flash memory of 2 GB capacity. A space that can even be expanded using an SD memory card , as it includes a slot for this type of card.

Once in the car, we can listen to the music directly from the browser . Although, of course, it offers limited sound quality . You just have to go into the options menu and tinker a bit to take full advantage of the possibilities it offers. And it is that it can be connected to the car radio to listen to our music as if it were just another radio station . The TomTom Go 720 has a built- in FM transmitter . Here we have to clarify that the quality on the road, far from the big cities, is very good. And that only in Madrid and near urban centers is where we have noticed the usual interferences that occur with this music broadcasting system.

Hands-free and radar warning

The functions of this device do not end here. If we have a mobile phone with Bluetooth , we can use it as a hands-free . The browser detects nearby mobiles and is capable of importing the contact list . In this case, the failures we detected in the tests were due more to the usual shortcomings of Bluetooth technology than to the browser itself.

And to top it off, this fellow traveler was enlivening the route with a series of sound warnings . Every now and then, a sound similar to the horn of a truck indicated that we were approaching a fixed speed radar . Without a doubt, a comfortable service that avoids unnecessary scares. It also warns every time the speed limit is exceeded . And while some may find it annoying, we believe it is a necessary function to avoid accidents.

Strengths

Without a doubt, that it is capable of offering so many things in a single device. Navigator, MP3 player for the car, hands-free, radar and speed warning . And also, with a screen very suitable for the browser function . Another thing that we liked the most is the possibility of updating the maps through the Internet and making our own modifications.

It can improve

Some of the services are so new that they still don't work perfectly . We are talking about the possibility of sharing maps or updating them , which does not yet have many updates. Or the subject of dictating the destination route with your voice. A system that works well for short named streets , but locks up more on long destinations .

We also think that the price is a bit off the average. It is true that it is a good invention, but a little more moderation would be appreciated. Above all, if we take into account that just the extra benefits can be improved.

Despite what has been said, we could conclude that it is a good portable navigator for those who value the good screen size, the quality of visual information that TomTom usually presents and certain added functions that this model offers. For this type of user, the 400 euros it costs will be justified.

Data sheet