720 Hands free squealing noise 720 Rant #1

[bilybob]

If you made a backup, you can roll it back. On the squeeling noise, I tested my unit with Motorola V3c (CDMA) which used to work with 510 and it squeels like a piggy but the same unit is crystal clear with nokia 6085 (GSM).

So I tend to agree with legaleye3000 that it is a poor implementation of blue tooth driver. More than likely, the linux kernel they are using is gutted to the max so the broad support is lacking for different devices which is stupid. But then they are cutting down on poi database compared to 910 etc also to make room for you to load mp3 and photos etc on the 2gb internal memory so anything is possible.

 

[a4000]

If you made a backup, you can roll it back. On the squeeling noise, I tested my unit with Motorola V3c (CDMA) which used to work with 510 and it squeels like a piggy but the same unit is crystal clear with nokia 6085 (GSM).

So I tend to agree with legaleye3000 that it is a poor implementation of blue tooth driver. More than likely, the linux kernel they are using is gutted to the max so the broad support is lacking for different devices which is stupid. But then they are cutting down on poi database compared to 910 etc also to make room for you to load mp3 and photos etc on the 2gb internal memory so anything is possible.

If so, how do you explain the same phone buzzing on one unit and not the other???

 

[ptco911]

I have a V3c and from the post regarding this phone and sqealing on hands free do we know the phone models that are having problems. I was excited about purchasing this unit and thought I had done enough research, but I have serious doubts now and am still considering returning the unit. I haven't opened it yet and will do some more research before making a decision. I don't want to have to pay a 15% restocking fee if I decide to return it.

Could we try to identify the types of phones and service (GSM or CDMA) that are having issues?

 

[a4000]

I have a V3c and from the post regarding this phone and sqealing on hands free do we know the phone models that are having problems. I was excited about purchasing this unit and thought I had done enough research, but I have serious doubts now and am still considering returning the unit. I haven't opened it yet and will do some more research before making a decision. I don't want to have to pay a 15% restocking fee if I decide to return it.

Could we try to identify the types of phones and service (GSM or CDMA) that are having issues?

Just to recap. From my experience it is not the phone that is the problem. My brother tried his phone with 3 units, all of them made the buzzing. The traded it in for his 4th and it is fine. No buzzing.

Most people have returned several times until they got one that worked. They did not change their phone.

You most likely will have a good argument against the 15% restocking fee if the unit is faulty. Read the fine print...

 

[mwjoerin]

I purchased a TomTom 720 at Best Buy (through the internet, customer pick up) last week. I got one of the last they had in stock. Got it home, backed up, updated the firmware to 7.10(?) from 7.0. It paired quickly to my Motorola V3c (Verizon), and was able to download all my phone numbers. This unit had the "buzz" when making a bluetooth call.

I was able to exchange it at a different Best Buy that had just received a new shipment (it took them to a while to find the box of 12 on the loading dock). The new unit came with firmware 7.10 and is working flawlessly no more "buzz". From reading this forum I believe that some of the very first units had a microphone problem.

I will be taking it on the road with me on Tuesday for what is essentially a 3 week road trip. I will try and post my take on the unit once I get a few hundred more miles on it.

-MJ

 

[ptco911]

Thanks for the update of the hands free problem.

 

[legaleye3000]

What a pain in the ass to keep going back and forth to Best Buy hoping you get a good unit... I hope they release an update soon that fixes it.. If not, I guess I'm going back to Best Buy, again...

 

[ptco911]

The hands free problem reared its head when I finally go the nerve up to open the unit and set it up. It has the following firmware. Where can I get newer firmware or do I need to exchange the unit? The person on the receiving end gets nothing but a loud squeal.

The phone paired up with no problem and phone booked transferred. I could hear the person on the other end with no problem.

 

[bilybob]

If so, how do you explain the same phone buzzing on one unit and not the other???

Between you and your brother, you have gone through about half the stock at bestbuy . The unit that is working is more likely to be a fluke than all the ones that have been returned. It would be interesting to see what phones they support when they roll v7 for all the other devices.


ptco911 you are running v7.0 (app version).

 

[ptco911]

Now I am at the point that I don't know whether to exchange it or return it. Our department has 18 GO 510s with very few problems. I guess Tom Tom rushed this unit out on to the market too quickly.

 

[ptco911]

I am going to try to exchange one time. If the problem exists I will return the unit. I'll post my findings.

 

[Weg63]

This is my third unit from Bestbuy. Same problem exist..I am really sorry I got this product. Very disappointing from Tomtom.

 

[ptco911]

Second time a charm. Got the second unit today from Best Buy. It works fine with no squeal. I haven't tried it with the unit tied into the FM in my car.

 

[Weg63]

I called tomtom who said that phone's system provider in canada are not compatible with the 720 !!!!!! and asked me to return the unit to them for replacement when the problem of the hand free is resolved !!! i asked when this will take place, they said nobody knows....Could anybody beleive this ???

 

[ptco911]

I don't think Tom Tom really knows what the problem is at this point. I honestly think they rushed this product to the market too quickly and will have a large number of refurbished units available pretty quickly. I guess I got lucky and only had to return the unit one time.

Overall the concept of this product is great, but the initial relase batch isn't.

 

[MiniforEB]

Serial Numbers?

Newbie here, but like everyone else, I have a GO 720 with the bad microphone problem. I am wondering under what circumstances that the microphone fails/works, because I have had intermittent performance.

In my testing, I have paired my unit with an unsupported Blackberry 8703g on Verizon, and a supported 8100/Pearl on T-Mobile. During those tests, I have had only one successful voice call (using the unsupported BB 8703g) which was made from my "quiet" (read: No noisy electronics, etc.) office, upon which I was able to leave myself a voicemail, and hear all of it. The remainder of my tests using various distances from the phone (other room, etc) and various distances from my TomTom, all of which resulted in bad sound quality/squealing.

Since the performance has been intermittent (albeit in only one case did it work), I am wondering if it is truly a hardware issue that I should exchange the unit for. And if I do exchange it, I don't want to go back to the store 5 or 6 times if it truly is not a hardware issue, but rather a software one.

Since the outside of the box really doesn't seem to conotate which version of the firmware or manufacture date, I don't know what we could do to prevent ourselves from getting a "bad" unit.

So for those of you who have units, either working or not, could you possibly post the first 7 digits of the serial number so we can see if we can figure out the date or lot of manufacture. If we find that the first seven are all the same, then we can compare the last seven, but I suspect those are where the unique digits are.

I will start with mine: M65297B (Of course, not working.)

 

[tundra914]

I called tomtom who said that phone's system provider in canada are not compatible with the 720 !!!!!! and asked me to return the unit to them for replacement when the problem of the hand free is resolved !!! i asked when this will take place, they said nobody knows....Could anybody beleive this ???

Sounds like the customer service at tomtom fed you BS so you would stop calling. I had issues with mine also, I called customer service and they had me hold the reset button for 5 seconds, then I repaired the phone and 720 and it started working again. The other end still hears a buzz sound, but it still works. Just does not work as well as my garmin 360.

 

[MiniforEB]

Sounds like the customer service at tomtom fed you BS so you would stop calling. I had issues with mine also, I called customer service and they had me hold the reset button for 5 seconds, then I repaired the phone and 720 and it started working again. The other end still hears a buzz sound, but it still works. Just does not work as well as my garmin 360.

This was the same thing that the Tech Support told me to do when I called, and frankly my unit still does not work.

Please see my previous post, so hopefully we can start to gather what version of the units that people have...

 

[MiniforEB]

This was the same thing that the Tech Support told me to do when I called, and frankly my unit still does not work.

Please see my previous post, so hopefully we can start to gather what version of the units that people have...

Ok, here is my update. I returned my unit to Best Buy today, and made two calls with my new unit and both calls seemed to go well.

The information from the bottom of the box is as follows:

SN: M64337Bxxxxxx(x is additional irrelevant numbers I believe)
8M00.780.7.01 (My other box did not have the .7.01 on it.)

The interesting aside is that the 7.01 appears to be unique and a later version of the 720, which may likely be the success factor in why it works now.

The version of the software is the 7.010 version that a few people have mentioned. In addition, mine was shipped with a "Guam" map, which was different from the version I got before.

My conclusion is as follows:

If you can, try and get a unit that has the 7.01 as part of the number below the serial number given my success with the unit. Meanwhile, anyone who has a non-functioning or a functioning one, please report the information I have, so we can see if there is a correlation to my experience.

 

[ptco911]

Ok, here is my update. I returned my unit to Best Buy today, and made two calls with my new unit and both calls seemed to go well.

The information from the bottom of the box is as follows:

SN: M64337Bxxxxxx(x is additional irrelevant numbers I believe)
8M00.780.7.01 (My other box did not have the .7.01 on it.)

The interesting aside is that the 7.01 appears to be unique and a later version of the 720, which may likely be the success factor in why it works now.

The version of the software is the 7.010 version that a few people have mentioned. In addition, mine was shipped with a "Guam" map, which was different from the version I got before.



My conclusion is as follows:

If you can, try and get a unit that has the 7.01 as part of the number below the serial number given my success with the unit. Meanwhile, anyone who has a non-functioning or a functioning one, please report the information I have, so we can see if there is a correlation to my experience.

I believe you are correct. The second unit has the same software code and did in fact include a map of Guam where the first did not. I am still having no problem with the hands free.