TomTom Go 720 vs Garmin 250w?

[Pookgai]

Has anybody here extensive experience with these two products?

I narrowed my GPS selection to these two units and I'm have a hard time picking one.

I like the TomTom because of its many extra features such as Bluetooth, MapShare, and a FM transmitter. And I really like its interface, its much more user friendly then the Garmin model I tried out in the store.

BUT, after reading www.gpsmagazine.com's TomTom vs Garmin comparo, garmin always had much better route calculations than the TomTom.

This is a big issue for me since this is the main function of a GPS. But I heard that the TomTom 720 recently updated its mapping.

The BestBuy near my house still didnt have a display up so I couldnt test it out, but does anyone have any expirence with it?

I also read online that many users have been experiencing problems with its FM transmitter. Hows the sound quality?



EDIT:: I'm going college visiting in upstate NY so after visiting some colleges I need the GPS unit to locate some sight seeing POIs in the area. How easily can I find POIs and how extensive is the TomTom 's POIs?

 

[Dylan]

I had the regular 250 for a month or so until I returned it this weekend. See my post https://www.tomtomforums.com/showpost.php?p=22827&postcount=28 for a general comparison of TomTom vs. Garmin.

I've played with the 250W in the store and I now own (and am keeping) the TT 720. Some comments:

• The 250W is overpriced right now. It's about $150 more than the 250 when $100 is a more typical premium for a widescreen device. The 250W just came out. It's price has already dropped and I would expect it to drop closer to $400 in the near future.
• Even if the difference were only $100 I wouldn't get a Garmin widescreen. Garmin doens't make effective use of the wider screen. I don't find it very useful to get more information on the sides. What I want to see is more area in front of me. If you like Garmin, I'd save the money and get a 3.5" unit.
• The new software in the TomTom 720 does make better use of the widescreen because you can move the status bar to the right side of the screen.
• The routing in the TomTom is no better than past units. Perhaps the maps are more up to date but the flaw is in TomTom's routing algorithms.
• The Bluetooth phone integration in the 720 works really well. I've bought and returned the nuvi 660 and TT 710 because the mic and/or speaker weren't good enough. Either I couldn't understand the other person or they couldn't understand me. This feature is a big deal for me and is the primary reason I'm keeping the 720.

 

[Buddharay]

Pookgai, I only have experience with TomTom as I've been using the ONE XL for some time now, but as far as POIs go, I'm sure you'd be happy with the 720. Like the XL, they have millions of listings and I've found the POI feature to be very easy to use.

 

[Pookgai]

Thanks for the comments guys.

The TomTom seems like a clear choice in terms of design and features but that routing software is a little discomforting.

 

[s2ksimon]

all I will say, is do your research and use these helpful forums to aid in your knowledge. After years of being a garmin nut, I truly believe TomTom are the better alternative for me in this day and age.

 

[lec510]

I don't know why you guys said Garmin's routing is superior.
It's about the same as TomTom. As for re-routing, TomTom is far superior.
I intentionally miss turns on roads around home, each and everytime TomTom gave me more logical routes, and faster too.
I made that conclusion after intensive testing of a TomTom Go510, Garmin C320, Garmin 60CSx.

 

[Dylan]

If you're in the U.S. then you seem to be in the minority in preferring TomTom routing over Garmin. My experience concurs with this writeup:

http://www.gpsmagazine.com/2007/06/garmin_vs_magellan_vs_tomtom_which_gps_picks_the_best_routes.php

 

[lec510]

No I live in Canada.
I had to downgrade the map to the older version though. The new one they gave out for free during Xmas time is weird.
I think people use Garmin first tend to stick with Garmin. The same for TomTom.
Even if if TomTom's routing is inferior, I still stick with TomTom for 2 reasons:
1- I can plan and save not one but several Itinaries for future use in the comfort of my home (I hate operate any devices while driving). Itinaries will eliminate all the weird routing of the device.

2- I can jump off the road anytime (due to traffic jam for example) and TomTom will recalculate it fast. Garmin tends to route you back to the point you just left. Certainly Traffic Avoiding feature is nice, but that's payable and not universally available. Garmin's re-routing is also slower, which results in some weird driving too.