TomTom GO 920 Portable GPS Vehicle Navigator Review
September 26th, 2009
TomTom GO 920 Portable GPS Vehicle Navigator Review from Cleo. Still needs work…, Just got this. I was debating between this and the Garmin nuvi 660. A friend has the 660 so I figured I try the TomTom. In terms of navigation accuracy, it’s pretty good. Locked in on a gps signal in seconds after turning it on for the first time; I was still in a covered parking structure. Location accuracy is good as well but it always depends on your location and environment (eg, tall buildings). The 920 always reminds you of what turns to make. Usually I’m reminded about two or three times. Depending on how fast you’re moving on a city street, the 920 will give a final reminder approximately 2-3 seconds before the next turn. My favorite perks of the 920 is the remote control and the custom POIs you can create.
Let’s first start with the Pros:
1. Desktop cradle included to link to your computer
2. Slim but not as slim as the nuvi 660 since the TomTom has a curved back.
3. No antenna to flip up like with the 660
4. Multipoint destination planning (660 has no such thing; it’s included on the nuvi 760 but that costs way more and would be an unfair comparison).
5. Voice activation (doesn’t work too well but at least it’s included)
6. Bluetooth remote control included but TomTom could’ve created one that attaches to the steering wheel. Aftermarket car stereos have this very useful feature. (Fixed this problem with some velcro on the steering wheel. Yet, this remote is very handy and an undervalued accessory; no more reaching for the windshield to get to the gps unit. It also has excellent tactical feel. The buttons are laid out perfectly and have little nubs to distinguish them. I can skip forward/back/pause my music, increase/decrease the volume, repeat voice commands, and bring up traveling info directly via the remote.) You do have to re-sync the remote everytime the 920 is shut on/off. That takes about 7 seconds and it’s pretty annoying.
7. Search addresses with zipcode. Strangely, the 660 won’t allow searches by zip.
8. FM Transmitter is nice but only is good as the available frequencies. You can have the 920 play music and directions through your car’s speakers. But, when you answer a cell phone call via Bluetooth, the 920 won’t send the call through the car’s speakers. It shuts off the FM transmitter and the 920′s speaker engages. Very strange.
9. Far more options for taking detours and recalculating routes than the 660. Unlike the nuvi 660, you can block a road or a section of the directions and the 920 will recalculate an alternative, or just let the 920 automatically recalculate dozens of alternatives unlike the 660 where it recalculates only a few redundant detours.
10. Map Share via the included TomTom Home software allows registered users to share new POIs and map corrections. Garmin has no such thing.
11. You can edit and add POIs. I have many major retail POIs installed such as Best Buy, Walmart, Costco, Starbucks, etc. I even have a listing for redlight cameras and speed traps. You can purchase these lists from vendors on the internet or visit forums operated by TomTom enthusiasts that will provide POI lists for free. They’ll even have custom icons for those POIs that show up on your gps. Or you can make it yourself. It’s very easy. Officially, the icons can’t be greater than 22×22 pixels (I’ve created ones that were 24×24 and they work). Also, the 920 allows you to create an audio warning/reminder anytime one of these POIs are near you. It’ll read the exact title of the POI or you can record your own voice warning. You can also adjust how close you have to be for the 920 to give you that audible warning. I’m certain you can customize POIs on the 660 but I’m not sure if the 660 will read the POI to you.
Cons:
1. Windshield mount does not include port replicators (eg, car charging port). This means that you have to plug the car charger (mini-USB) directly to the unit. On the 660, it plugs into the mount so you don’t have to mess with the wires when mounting/dismounting the unit. In addition, the mount only has one ball joint, near the attaching braket. The 660′s mount has a ball joint near the attaching bracket and a hinge near the suction cup. With the hinge, you can move your unit up and down and eliminates having to remove the suction cup on the windshield to move it around.
2. Because of Con #1, the unit does not power on automatically when the unit is mounted and the car is started. 660 has this excellent feature.
3. Windshield mount fell off in the first five minutes. My 920 fell and I thought I broke it. I had it mounted near my rearview mirror. I know that the nuvi 350 I had before never fell off but that weighed much less than the 660 or the 920. I didn’t use the included windshield mount but if I change my mind on the placement, I’m screwed. My friend doesn’t use it on his 660 and never had a problem. I used some water (more like saliva) on the suction cup. I think that’ll work.
4. No carrying case included. 660 has an included carrying case.
5. Voice recognition is very poor (that’s for entering addresses verbally) and it’s fairly limited. And voice activation is only for entering addresses within the same state last entered. You still have to press a button to begin voice activation or to change the destination’s state. That defeats the whole purpose of voice activation, although TomTom’s literature specifies it’s only for address entering. Unsuspecting consumers, like myself and others, would think that voice activation would be a little more robust and logical.
6. Auto Dimming feature is way too sensitive. During a partly cloudy/sunny day, the 920 thinks it’s night so it’s in night mode. If I want to change it to Day mode, it asks me if I want to disable the auto dim mode. If I enter “No,” it won’t let me get to the Day mode. Hence, I have to enter “Yes” but then it won’t automatically go dim when it’s night time. The nuvi never had an issue on cloudy days.
7. FM transmitter is weak and volume is very low. Volume for the FM transmitter do not have separate settings for the MP3 player and navigation voice. Also, volume for the FM transmitter and the voice via the unit’s speakers cannot be adjusted independently.
8. Quick access to the TomTom Jukebox (mp3 player) via the Music Button on the driving map has a caveat: If other menu options are selected for the “Quick menu preferences,” the Music Button becomes the “Quick Menu Button.” That means that if you select the FM transmitter or 2D display functions for the “Quick Menu,” the Music Button becomes the “Quick menu preferences” button and the TomTom Jukebox button is grouped with the FM transmitter and 2D display buttons on the next screen. 920′s manual does not mention this and makes it appear that the music button is always available in the driving map if you select the option.
9. Names of bridges are sometimes announced as “Branch” (Br). That’s because when you allow the 920 to read road signs (another plus), the signs abbreviate bridges as ‘Br’ as opposed to ‘Brg’ which is written in the 920′s maps. The 920 doesn’t realize it’s a bridge and that it’s not a suffix to a street name (eg, “George Washington Br” (road sign) as opposed to “George Washingston Brg” (map)).
10. In Manhattan, New York City, some of the streets are incorrectly labeled such as Sixth (6th) Ave. You won’t be able to find 6th or Sixth Ave because it’s labeled as Avenue of the Americas. Officially, Avenue of the Americas is an alternate name but no one really uses it and most people in NYC wouldn’t know which avenue it’s referring to even though they’ve heard of it. It took me about ten minutes to figure out that Avenue of the Americas was the “preferred” listing. This is quite strange considering Seventh (7th) Avenue is listed as well as its alternate name – Fashion Ave.
11. Bluetooth remote has to be reconnected everytime the TT is turned off. This is annoying.
12. Bluetooth calls are routed to the TT’s speaker instead of the FM transmitter when taking calls, even when the FM transmitter is activated.
13. The software is a bit buggy. Since Jan ’08, I’ve had to reset the device at least 6 times because the mp3 player and voice recognition stopped working and POIs disappeared.
I’ve only had this for a day, so I’ll edit this review if there’s anything else to report. I’m only giving it three stars b/c I feel like it’s missing simple features like a port replicator for the windshield mount and very poor voice recognition/execution. I purchased this from a warehouse club and not on amazon.
UPDATE
Nov 30 ’07: edited the FM transmitter function, volume control, missing auto on feature, hinge on mount, poor auto dim feature, and misleading music button feature.
Dec 10 ’07: Bluetooth remote functions and improved navigation via detour/alternate route functions.
Dec 12 ’07: Custom POIs.
March 25 ’08: Bluetooth shortcomings, mislabeled streets, and buggy software.
To check price or purchase TomTom GO 920 Portable GPS Vehicle Navigator.
Related posts with TomTom GO 920 Portable GPS Vehicle Navigator Review
Posted in Leave a Reply
