Qualms with 720

[bluedemon02]

I picked up a GO 720 about a week ago and have the updated software and maps. I haven't had too much trouble with stuttering or other mentioned bugs with the latest firmware, which is good from what I read. I guess I had a few expectations and wanted to see how everyone else views these or if there are work arounds.

1> 720 does not announce that it is recalculating route.
2> Does not chime when instruction is to be executed (getting used to this, but other devices seem to give the extra enforcement)
3> Inability to create an Itinerary on the fly - would like to add a stop at a gas station along the route without replacing the destination for example.
4> Inability to drag map around to see whats ahead or nearby.
5> Does not announce which side the destination is on.
6> Cannot search points of interest in general, just want to find "Chili's" for example, not in City center, not nearby, just find it!
7> Couldn't find Petsmart or PetCo in POI database when DVD based GPS found several.
8> Battery life seems poor. I used my device for about 2 hours then didn't touch it for 2 days, upon power up it was dying.

I think I have covered everything, aside from issues with TOMTOM Home which support acknowledged were just flaws in the software that should be ignored. Any advice or comments on my expectations would be appreciated.

 

[dhn]

1. TomTom's don't announce the recalculation, just show it on screen.
2. No, they don't.
3. Once the route is planned, choose Select Alternate--Travel By-->POI and choose the poi.
4. View Route (page 3 of main menu)-->Browse Map of Route. The next screen just drag with your finger.
5. No, it doesn't. But it does show a turn arrow as an indicator.
6. Not clear what you want. Is there a value to find a 'Chili's' anywhere in North America?? Seems to make sense to narrow the search down using the choices provided.
7. Did you try just typing part of the word you are searching for. Example, type 'pet' in the Find option for Shop category and anything with 'pet', including Petsmart will show up. Also, there are sites on the web when custom poi's can be downloaded. Here is just one link: http://www.gps-data-team.com/poi/
8. TomTom's are meant to be used while connected to the car charger. Also, when not in use, did you have it connected to the dock attached to the computer? It gets power that way, too.

 

[bluedemon02]

1. Is there no value in announcing it to most? I would think for safety purposes it would let you know you missed a turn and you will now be getting a new route without looking at the device.

3. Thank you, I figured there had to be some method but couldn't figure it out.
4. Thank you again, exactly what i was looking for.
5.Do you think they will ever include this feature since the device knows where the destination is? I find it useful if traveling to a new destination.
6. I guess I would like to search the entire database and let it sort results by distance, as searching POI near me only provides limited results.
7. Yes I did try typing just Pet, within this forum i found the larger database of POIs and now that I have loaded those "Pets mart" is found.
8. I guess i thought it might be similar to a cell phone and have an operation time of 5 hours and a standby far greater than that.

Thank you for all the info. I did a lot of reading before purchasing, guess I might want too much from the device.

 

[frankxs]

I would think for safety purposes it would let you know you missed a turn

Yeah. I 've often thought something like "What are you doing, you moron... turn around! I told you the first time!" Hehe...

-Frank

 

[Mathew J]

can anyone point me to where this new POI database is? I have a 720 with 8.3 and 8.15 and have just been getting POIs from Home on a one off basis (Brand logo POIs that is) thanks

 

[canderson]

1. Is there no value in announcing it to most? I would think for safety purposes it would let you know you missed a turn and you will now be getting a new route without looking at the device.

I got used to the recalc warnings on another device, too, but have learned to been happy to live without them. This is especially true when my local knowledge of an area causes me to take a rather different route than my TomTom advises. A constant barrage of "recalculating" at every intersection leading to a parallel street can get old after a while. So sometimes it's just better not to know!

Depending upon how badly your miss screws things up, you'll either get a) new routing instructions that will get you there in spite of yourself, or b) the dreaded "Turn around when possible" to get you back to your missed turn. Either way, the results are going to be the same -- the best possible routing to get you to your destination given your current circumstances. Fortunately, the TT doesn't waste much time doing the recalc, so you'll likely be back on track at the next opportunity.

Like the prior poster, I might find amusement value in the "Yo, fool, you just missed your turn. I tol' you to turn. You didn't turn. Now you gonna pay. See that bus? Turn left in front of it..."

 

[Pedro2NR]

6. select, POI near you and manually type in the name of business instead of picking the category.
7. I found it by selecting the POI near you option and then the 'shop' category. I press 'Find' and its under 'Pets mart'. there is a space between 'pets' and 'mart'