Discount: TomTom GO 910 Portable GPS Vehicle Navigator

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TomTom GO 910 Portable GPS Vehicle Navigator

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02nd of December 2008





TomTom GO 910 is a smart, easy to use, movable navigation solution. The crystal clear widescreen display, 3D graphics, and clear, correct turn by turn voice information assist you find your way to any address in the US, Canada, or Europe. The fitted Bluetooth connection and integrated microphone let you easily make or get calls hands free with most Bluetooth enabled cell phones. Control your iPod playlists directly from the touch screen. The home dock allows you to connect to your PC for itinerary planning and downloading extra maps, voices, and more. prepared for optional extra TomTom PLUS services real time info on traffic, weather, etc. Subscription required Screen 4.0 inch widescreen WQVA screen, 64k colors, 480 x 272 pixels / Battery Rechargeable interior Li Ion Battery lasts five hours per charge fitted MP3 player with 20GB hard drive Dimensions 4.2 x 3.1 x 2.5 inches Weight twelve ounces Manufacturer's restricted two year warranty

Review:
With an efficient in car navigation system at your side, you may be able to say goodbye to the good old days of pulling over and asking directions. But designing an efficient system, one that brings together the right mix of speed, accuracy, and simplicity was a long, hard road for many manufacturers leading many people to stick with the human touch of the gas station attendant. The new in car GPS units deserve a serious look, although, particularly by those who've sworn them off as too inaccurate, too complex, and too costly. The TomTom GO 910 embodies most of what is really great about the next generation of systems, and in many ways it is successful at making drivers feel as if there is a useful guide along for the ride.

The GO 910's suction cup mount attaches quickly and easily to the windshield. View bigger. You may also take the GO 910 product tour.

Detailed, pre installed maps of the whole of Europe, the USA, and Canada offer seamless door to door navigation across half the globe. View bigger.

The GO 910's intuitive interface and user friendly touch screen offer a great navigation experience. View bigger.

When used with a matched Bluetooth phone, the unit offers full hands free functionality. View bigger.

Optional TomTom Plus services offer safety camera warnings, real time traffic and road condition info, and weather reports, also as downloadable humorous and famous voices. View bigger.

Enjoy MP3s and Podcasts through the high quality speaker or via your car stereo. Load up image slideshows, too. View bigger.

Design
The heart of every GPS device is its receiver technology, and the TomTom GO 910 has the best in the business the greatly sensitive SiRF Star three GPS chipset, which boasts fast satellite acquisition times, and extreme accuracy, when you are driving through concentrated forests or tall buildings. Also under the hood is a 400 Mhz processor supported by 64 MB of RAM, which gives the GO 910's interface a zippy feel. An interior 20 GB hard disk is pre loaded with maps and points of interest POIs for the US including Guam and Puerto Rico, Canada, and Europe. Pre loaded maps and points of interest are a big plus, allowing you to get going right out of the box. there is no fussing with memory cards and map uploads from your computer.

Weighing in at twelve ounces and measuring 4.2 x 3.1 x 2.5 inches, the GO 910 is about the size of a softball. TomTom is recognized for keeping things simple, and that is the case here, there aren't buttons or another doodads on the front of the device just a big, bright widescreen 480 x 272 pixels display that is controlled by touch. there is also a microphone for hands free phone calls more on this later just above the display. A single button for power is placed on the top of the device, when a single speaker is placed on the bottom. there is a docking port here, too, which supplies power and data connectivity.

Installation
Installing the GO 910 could not be easier. A rotating suction cup mount attaches to the windshield and the GO 910 clips into it securely. Positioning the mount for easy looking at is a snap, and after some initial setup procedures you will be up and running.

The mount accommodates an array of connections, as well as power, an external GPS antenna, an optional RDS TMC traffic receiver for FM radio based traffic updates, audio out, and a microphone connector. also to a car power adapter, The GO 910 comes with an external microphone for Bluetooth hands free calls, also as a 3.5 mm audio cable for connecting the unit to your car stereo.

While the GO 910 does have an interior rechargeable battery, it should be treated as a backup usually. Battery life was comparatively short throughout testing about three hours. The device also comes with a home USB docking cradle, also as an AC wall charger. Using the included TomTom Home software on your PC, you may be able to upload songs and photos to the GO 910, manage POIs, plan routes, buy and manage extra TomTom services, and more.

Interface
The GO 910's easy to read display, logical menu and navigation functions, and excellent voice prompts bring the whole hardware and software package together nicely. you will feel like you are using a tool meant for the job, not a part of software cobbled together to run on generic hardware.

The anti glare widescreen display offers a clear 3D view of the road and maneuvers ahead. The screen uses a fitted sensor to change to changing light conditions.

The navigation screen is made up of three quadrants: The major map display, which shows a three dimensional view of the road and maneuvers ahead, a distance and turn display part, which allows you to know how far you must go till your next turn, and a trip computer with odometer, time, and GPS signal info. The bottom of the display also allows you to know the name of the street you are on.

Pressing on a quadrant brings up one of three extra interfaces. The most important is the major menu, activated by pressing the map quadrant. This brings up a group of big, friendly icons that allow you to enter a new destination, find alternative routes, plan routes, enter the image gallery and music player, activate mobile phone functions, and check traffic conditions, among other features. Pressing the trip computer quadrant allows you to delve deeper into your current path, allowing you to view a simulation of the complete path, text based directions, and in depth map views of the roads ahead. Lastly, pressing the turn display brings up a volume control for voice prompts.

Small plus and minus symbols in the upper corners of the screen let you to zoom in or out of the 3D map view. While the symbols may be a bit bigger and more clear, the design is a tradeoff, as their size means they do not get in the way of map info. If you have traffic info engaged, if via wireless data connectivity, or via an RDS TMC traffic receiver, a small traffic icon seems on the right side of the screen, alerting you of traffic tie ups ahead. A fast press of the traffic information button in the major menu lets you to find routes with fewer snags.

Voice prompting is clear, concise, and correct, generally delivering directions for the next maneuver at the right time. This is a testament to the accuracy of the GPS hardware, the device knows exactly where you're, giving it the uncanny capability to tell you what you have to know when you have to know it. you may be able to decide a voice that suits you best, male or female, with UK, US, or Australian accents. it is a nice touch.

On the Road
Once your home address is entered into the unit and the GPS receiver locks onto some satellites, you are prepared to roll. Initial satellite acquisition was fast and painless, taking no more than a minute. Entering a destination is pretty straightforward. you may be able to enter an address using an on screen text entry technique, decide a stored or recent destination, pick a point on a map, enter latitude and longitude, or decide a POI that is stored in memory.

The 1st trip with the device included a visit to a friend's house, then a trip to the post office. I entered the friend's address and off I went. Following the voice prompts yielded an economical route the path I could decide on my own and it incorporated some number of lesser known streets and shortcuts. All in all, a great 1st run. The trip to the post office was less remarkable. I searched for the nearest post office using the GO 910's useful POI search tool and was confident all was well till the device asked me to take a turn I knew was wrong. sooner or later, the device delivered me to an abandoned warehouse that, while in the same neighborhood as the post office, was obviously not the right destination. The probably because is that the GO 910's POI database has some outdated or inaccurate info. I did test some other POIs and they were correct, but.

The only other gripe I had about the device was that there's no clear way to end a navigation session. If the unit is still on and you leave a destination, it'll continuously attempt to direct you back to the place, as you get more and more away from it! The solution to this is to enter a new destination every time you leave an old one, but that is not how people operate all the time. Of course, you may also simply turn the unit off. But it'll go right back to guiding you to your old destination once you fire it up again.

Extras
The GO 910 is intended to tightly integrate with many mobile phones that support the Bluetooth wireless communication standard. Once paired with your phone, you may be able to use the GO 910 as a hands free unit, with full dialing, speakerphone, and contacts management functionality. When paired with a Nokia E61, the GO 910 was able to completely control all call functions. Because of an incompatibility with the E61, although, it was unable to import the phone's contact list, making it needed to set up an independent contacts list on the GO 910.

If you have wireless data service through your cellular carrier, the GO 910 takes full benefit of it with TomTom Plus services. These services, free till the end of 2006, add real time traffic, weather, and safety camera info. You may also download extra POIs, maps, and voices via the service. Another feature, TomTom Buddies, lets you to see and communicate with your connected friends as they travel. The GO 910 configured a data connection with the E61 effortlessly, and the device reported traffic info and weather in seconds. If you have wireless data service and a Bluetooth capable phone, TomTom Plus is worth a look, when it becomes subscription based in 2007.

The GO 910 includes an iPod control interface, which lets you to connect your iPod or iPod Nano third generation or higher via an optional cable and control it via the TomTom, while routing audio into your car stereo. As mentioned, there is also a dedicated MP3 player and image gallery application, features that are just icing on the cake for a device that manages to make GPS navigation available, easy, and fun.

Pros

• Tight integration of hardware and software
• Easy to use interface with clear, correct voice prompts
• Excellent Bluetooth support for wireless data and hands free calling functions

Cons

• Possible inaccuracies in POI database

What's in the Box
TomTom GO 910 GPS navigator, remote control, carrying case, home dock, car charger, windshield dock, external microphone, audio cable, product code card, documentation pack with quick start guide, accessory leaflet, and CD, user's manual.

Joshua Gunn




TomTom GO 910