TomTom Go 700 Portable GPS Reviews

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The TomTom Go 700 Portable GPS Navigation System besides being kind of fun to say – is really a good product and is up to par too many of Garmin’s best GPS systems.

The TomTom Go 700 stresses three things — usability, portability, and artificial intelligence.

It mostly comes through on all three. As promised, it’s extremely easy to use. It speaks over 30 languages in over 50 voices — it’s almost like having 50 friends from 30 different countries in your car, giving you directions. Besides the touch screen, the Go 700 also works with an optional remote control that works on radio frequencies (meaning, no pointing at the GPS system required.) The remote control further simplifies the device, and let’s you do what you need to do as quickly as you need to do it.

Another neat feature is the volume — which is linked to your car speed and increases or decreases depending on how fast you’re going. The screen is also anti-glare, and works fairly well. Finally, the system comes with all the newest TeleAtlas maps on its 2.5 GB hard drive, and covers the entire United States as well as Canada. You can even update the maps through the USB 2.0 port and download real-time TomTom Plus services through the Bluetooth receiver included in the system. Some of the services include detailed city maps, additional voices (you can even buy John Cleese for $10!), points of interest, weather conditions, and traffic congestion. You can also use the Bluetooth to receive cellphone calls through the GPS system itself — it’s a great feature, and speaker quality is surprisingly good.

So, it gets an A in usability. What about portability? The Go 700 is extremely portable. You can easily move it from car to car, plug it in, and go. It’s light, it’s small, and it easily attaches to any windshield with its suction cup.

So, portability too, gets an A. How about the AI itself? Maybe a C+. Users have complained that the Go 700 has taken them down roads that don’t exist to addresses that are no longer there. Another problem is the fact that it names freeway exit numbers, instead of freeway exit street names — this is especially a problem in such places as California, where freeway’s mostly go by their name. While these things can get annoying, they’re nothing too bad, and the good definitely outweighs the bad.

In the end, the TomTom Go 700 gets an A-. It’s a great product with a large variety of options and it’s also fairly cheap. If you’re shopping for a GPS system, the Go 700 should definitely be a top contender.

Things That Make It Special:

* Speaks 32 languages.
* Uses 3D graphics on the 3.5-inch anti-glare screen.
* Can choose quickest, shorter or toll-free routes.
* Extremely portable.
* Uses rechargeable lithium-ion battery which lasts for up to 5 hours.
* Bluetooth-enabled.
* Built-in 2.5 GB hard drive.
* Can route cellphone calls through built-in speakers and microphone.
* Multitude of voices and languages allows users to never go friend-less again.