REVIEW COMMENTS: TomTom GO

sifi · Posted: Sun Jul 11, 2004 4:32 pm Post subject:

Thanks I understand now.
My Carin nav I have in a car already is the same regarding memory i.e. an adderss is stored but the ideal route isn't.

Lampman · Posted: Sun Jul 11, 2004 4:52 pm Post subject: Velcro Mounting

Liked the alternative mounting idea Wads mentioned.Is it stable enough to resist the shaking it would get on our Lancashire roads?
I must admit I was a bit concerned on leaving the mount in position and I find it a bit difficult to remove easily(feels like the windscreen might come out first)
I wonder if anyone else has come up with an improved way of mounting the TT Go?
I have every confidence.

SilverButtons · Occasional Visitor Joined: Jul 11, 2004 Posts: 8

I posted this on a new topic, but with hindsight I will probably get a better response here.

Can anyone answer this question?

If I buy a Tom Tom Go, can I get the full mapping for Europe? Specifically France.

Some of the websites offering them for sale say that European mapping is not yet available, and that the mapping that is available for other Tom Tom models is not compatible with the 'Go'.

The Tom Tom main website shows European mapping as available for the 'Go' eg France is on a 256mb SD card.

None of the websites that are offering the 'Go' for sale has any mapping on offer under options or accessories.

It's Sunday so I cant ring these folks to ask, they are closed.

Some of the posts here express dissapointment that mapping IS NOT available, with no definative response to say YES or NO.

So what is the situation? Thanks.

I have ordered a Navman 630, its not arrived yet, would rather switch to the 'Go' if it does Europe properly.

jassy · Posted: Sun Jul 11, 2004 10:12 pm Post subject: My TT Go is a little slow?

Well I've had my Go unit for a week or so now.

Great device, I'm new to the GPS world and I don't know how I lived without something like this (- even my wife likes it and can use it!). :D

Two concerns, hopefully someone will enlighten me:

1. As I approach junctions (be they local roads or motorways) the GO's display often seems to be about 10-20 yards behind where I physically am - this has meant that I've occassionally missed a turning. Is this a GPS problem or a GO problem do you think? Question

2. The speed the GO displays for me is a little slow, around 90% of actual (so if I were driving at 70mph, the GO shows about 65mph). Again is this common GPS issue? Question

Cheers,
Jassy

jassy · Posted: Sun Jul 11, 2004 10:14 pm Post subject:

MikeB · Posted: Sun Jul 11, 2004 10:49 pm Post subject: Re: My TT Go is a little slow?

Ferr · Occasional Visitor Joined: Jul 12, 2004 Posts: 6

You get major roads of Europe in the box on a CD, more detailed maps of continental Europe are slated for August release.
J[/quote]

I have read on TomTom site that the detailed maps of Europe are for mid-July release...hope that since summer holydays are close!
Regards
Ferr

sifi · Posted: Mon Jul 12, 2004 8:46 am Post subject:

Wads · Posted: Mon Jul 12, 2004 12:50 pm Post subject: Re: Velcro Mounting

ahmurray · Occasional Visitor Joined: Jan 12, 2004 Posts: 15

Hi people, I am also one of the happy band of new GO owners, no problems to report at all, much simpler and better than my old pda based tomtom setup.

I'm also not keen on the windscreen mount as it tends to vibrate as well which is not ideal.

Does anyone know if the professional mounting kit mentioned in the accessories info is available yet?

I used to have a vent mount for my 2210 and that worked really well in my 1998 5 series - strange that tomtom don't supply a vent mount for the GO kit as it places it at the right height and I am sure would still get a good satellite lock in this position.

Let me know if you know where I could get one!

AJB · Occasional Visitor Joined: Jul 12, 2004 Posts: 3

I am new to GPS systems and, other than a brief try of Hertz "Never Lost" on holiday, I have never used a sat-nav system.

I received my TT Go last week and it seems to work quite well except for what seems to me to be very poor screen visibility. To me, the screen simply does not seem bright enough to be seen clearly in any conditions brighter than semi-darkness.

Everything seems fine when trying the unit out indoors. However, out in the car in ordinary daylight, I am finding that it is visible, but very, very dim (the screen colours become very washed-out). I was really surpised at the extent of this problem - last weekend it rained almost constantly (with, consequently, quite dark skies most of the time) and even then the screen was nowhere near as bright as I would have imagined. When it's really bright sunlight, the screen is virtually impossible to read.

I have used the preferences option to turn the screen brightness up to 100%. I have tried changing the colour schemes on the maps (I have generally been using "Britannica"). I have re-positioned the unit lower down on the dash of my car to protect it from direct glare (but not too far down, otherwise it will lose the GPS signal), all to no avail. I have tried angling the unit into various different positions to avoid reflections, but this isn't really the problem - the issue is with intrinsic brightness (or lack of it), rather than reflections. Nor is this a fingerprint issue (as others have observed, this can be easlity illiminated by using the back of a fingernail).

The unit is just about usable, but I have to say that the lack of clear visibility of the colours is very disappointing. Is this normal and/or is there anything that can be done about it?

Wads · Posted: Mon Jul 12, 2004 6:39 pm Post subject:

I've posted two pictures of my GO Velcro "mounting" over at:

http://www.imagestation.com/album/index.html?id=4286253057

If the link doesn't work go to www.imagestation.com and search for an Album called "Gadgets" by me (wadswoaj username on Imagestation)

Thumbs Up

Wads · Posted: Mon Jul 12, 2004 7:01 pm Post subject:

AJB.....

How does your GO screen image compare to mine:

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid128/pa12005734cfc35cadc315de6b9730075/f7e0ec3a.jpg.orig.jpg

My GO is set to around 80% brightness and is generally very easy to see with the roof up (the car is convertible) and OK with the roof down...... with the roof down I do sometimes get strong reflections on the screen but generally just for a few seconds and the whole time the voice instructions are clear and easy to follow.

AJB · Occasional Visitor Joined: Jul 12, 2004 Posts: 3

sorry - don't seem to be able to access your picture.

I agree, the voice directions are very clear and, because the chosen road is shown on the 3D map view in dark red, it does stand out better than the rest of the screen, making the unit usable. It's just that I kind of expected clear colour images - like are shown on the screenshots from the various websites selling the units - rather than really quite washed out colours with a slightly less washed out red line for the route.

I am trying not to be overly critical here - I have been very much looking forward to getting the unit and, other than the brightness issue, I like it a lot - it's very neat and the routing software seems to work very well. I have never used a PDA in-car, so I'm not sure what level of brightness would be considered "normal" - maybe I am just expecting too much?

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