Am enjoying using this product and it continues to amaze me with what it can do

[Introduction] I bought this product after much frustration with Garmin Nuvi 370 and could not be happier. Of course 370 is about 100 dollars cheaper (street price wise, although the official price is a lot higher -- I wonder why) and people might say they should not be directly compared. However, functionwise the only difference between the two are (1) screen size and (2) voice input feature availability and since these two add at least 100 dollars value in today's navigation market and since the fundamentals are not affected, I think this head-to-head comparison is fair. As far as I know these two are the only models that come with European maps pre-installed. Below is the review that I put under Garmin Nuvi 370. I simply paste it here for the benefit of full, detailed comparison. If you don't need the review on 370 and simply want a review on 930, I suggest you skip the first half.

Garmin Nuvi 370

There are 3 fatal flows with this product: (1) announcing too late and (2) giving confusing directions at complicated lane guidence situation and (3) taking too long to find satellite initially. I have been testing this product for a month in San Francisco and the Bay area.

(1) announcing too late

When your car is about to pass the intersection at which it is supposed to make a turn, then and only then it announces you to prepare for a turn. I missed so many turns because of the late announcements. It is also incredbly dangerous as you are tempted to attempt last-moment lane changes in order to make the turn. Also the distance to the turn is not that accurate -- when you are almost already at the intersection it shows you are 200 meters away (I changed the measurement setup to meters). SUGGESTION: Certain navigations have a bar-graph showing countdowns to the intersection, and perhaps that's what this navigation must have as well. Also certain navigations ask you to prepare well ahead. Make a customizable setting how long before to make the pre-announcement.

(2) giving confusing directions at complicated lane guidence situation

Time and time again, I missed the right exit on the highway. The map is absolutely no help. The multiple lanes look all overlapped!!! Red lines are cofusing as hell. Annoucement is in this fashion: "Keep to right and then keep to left." What is that supposed to mean and which lane are you supposed to be in? In a fast highway situation, this is incredibly dangerous. I almost got into accidents at many interchanges as I was trying to look both the road signs and my navigation and could not make any sense. SUGGESTION: the map needs major improvement on interchanges -- show us the way!!! Also get rid of "keep to right and then keep to left" style BS for a clearer direction.

(3) taking too long to find satellite initially

If you park your car outside, that would be fine but if you park it in a garage, woe to you. It will take at least 20 blocks to find the satellite and you will be either parking your car on the roadside waiting for godot or meandering down the street without knowing where you are going for very very long time. This is not acceptable. I used other product (magellan) before, and it found the satellite so much quicker. SUGGESTION: technological improvement or better processor.

TomTom 930

[ADDED TO THIS AFTER I BOUGHT TOMTOM GO930 AND TESTING IT FOR A WEEK]

After my much frustration with Garmin NUVI 370, I purchased a Tomtom GO930 from local Best Buy. (The price of TomTom 930 at Best Buy was the same as the price at Amazon at USD 450, although I had to pay the tax.)

Wow, what a difference. That's all I can say. TomTom 930 is a bit more expensive than the street price of Garmin NUVI 370, but is so much better that the price difference is immaterial.

(1) prepare... prepare...

TomTom announces well before each turn and actually tells you on which side of the lane you should be in for the next turn. Incredibly friendly announcements. The arrow direction on the map display shows whether you should be making left or right turn as well. I never missed a single turn thanks to the ample announcements.

(2) guiding complicated lane situation with ease

the roads never appear overlapped like the NUVI 370. If there are five diverging roads, all are clearly shown, with the clear indication where you are and where you should go. Mind you, I haven't seen that many Advanced Lane Guidance screen yet as TomTom advertised (I hear that they don't have this on every intersection yet) but even without this, lane guidance is incredibly clear and easy (they show both on the map and on the status bar with muted arrows and one clear arrow). What a refreshing change from Garmin NUVI 370. The voice direction is a lot more clear and easier to understand as well -- it is as if somebody is actually speaking fine English to me. I never missed the right exit.

(3) lightening fast in finding satellites

It actually finds satellites when I am in my room with 4-5 bars. Need I say more?

(4) extras... extras...

TomTom has voice address input feature that is very useful. There are many situations that you hate to put in long characters (In California there are so many cities starting with San...). Simply pronounce it and the machine finds it for you, including the streets. I find this to be working well about 95% of the time. Also it gives you a few choices so that what you pronounced is almost always among the choices. SUGGESTION: This voice feature is not available for Place Name under Point of Interst (available only for the actual address).

Point of Interest feature in TomTom is incredibly extensive. I tested many restaurants listed in Zagat survey and found out that almost all (even obscure ones under "Best Value") restaurants have been registered in TomTom by names and phone numbers. I did not find that to be the case with Garmin NUVI 370 (I actually had to type in the exact address under my favorites). This makes inputing job so much easier. I typed in "Marshalls" under Point of Interest in Sunnyvale, and TomTom returned 7 results, some of them are as far away as San Jose, Mipitas, etc. Again, not so with Garmin.

Downloading updates and changes through computer seems painless and efficient as well. Works perfectly and took about 3 minutes to get the latest updates. Again, Garmin NUVI 370 does not have this feature. I don't know how actually useful the updates would be, but it is assuring that I am using the latest whatever.

Time estimation in TomTom is so much more accurate than Garmin. I found Garmin to be always a bit on the optimistic side (ie I never actually arrived as Garmin estimated especially in a city traffic). I don't know if it is because of the IQ Routes feature of TomTom but the timing estimate seems to be right on and there is little need for any traffic subscription service.

CONCLUSION: I will be updating this review to find any shortcoming of TomTom 930 (and I am sure there will be many) but so far it seems that TomTom is a very clear winner and fully justifies the extra USD 100. If you are looking for a navigation that includes both American and European maps, I guess your choices will be cleary limited: you would have to go for either the Garmin NUVI 370 or the TomTom GO 930, and my recommendation would be the latter -- not for the extra features but mainly for the basic abilities that I listed earlier in this review.

ADDED Later: I have been using TomTom for some time now, and again the fundamental qualities are excellent. In addition to reliable guidance, I find the voice address input feature truly useful and accurate. I use it all the time.

Another incredibly useful feature is the initial preview of the whole route (Garmin Nuvi 370 does not do this). When I used Garmin 370, I did not even know highway 280 existed since it almost always guided me through 101! However, with TomTom 930, at the outset I have the chance to view the entire route, pick and choose any alternative routes from it. This is just so convenient. 280 may be a tad bit longer route, but it has much less traffic than 101, with much better road conditions and scenic views, and just whole a lot better than 101 -- I can't believe Garmin simply never showed it to me!

However, here are a few suggestions to make TomTom better: (1) "Clear Address" is not immediate. If you want to clear the previous address input, you have to touch the screen a few times. This is not convenient. There must be an instant way to clear address. (2) Occasionally (bur very rarely) it misses U-turns. (3) When you turn off the ignition, it does not automatically turn off (unlike Garmin). You must push the button on top. This is not very convenient.

I have had the pleasure of using the 930 in Europe and in various major cities in the U.S. and I have never been disappointed. I have found myself in obscure areas of Italy, Spain and France not adequately reflected on paper maps and the 930 was successful in guiding the way every time. It has proven to be an indispensable navigational tool. All other GPS devices referenced in other reviews here simply pale in comparison. Is the device entirely fool proof, no, and neither are those devices from Tomtom wannbes such as Garmin and Magellan, but it is the best available product on the market in this price range. I have owned many Tomtom devices over the years including various PDA versions of the software and each has provided years of reliable service. Further,I have had the occasion to contact Tomtom customer service/technical support from time to time and in each instance the support proved both prompt and curteous. That being said, I am not suggesting that there is no room for improvement. However, I am confident that it will be Tomtom that will lead the way in improving the navigational device experience in the future. By the way, the lane guidance feature of the 930, when available, is phenomenal.

The product had so many features that attracted me to it. It really is a step ahead of other products out there. The problem is that, even though my BlackBerry 8100 is supported by TomTom for this product, the TomTom services are unavailable.

80 to 85% of the features work for me, but none of the TomTom services work--even though the wide varity of available services and protocols which TomTom should support, they said the US protocol did not meet their specifcations. I am very disappointed.

Hello.

I buy TT930 on Amazon.com (order number: 002-8419487-6748215)

Product Description:

"Due to Amazon's high volume of sales and frequency of inventory turnover, just about every portable GPS navigator sold by Amazon.com will come with the most recent map version.

TomTom however, goes one better. Because TomTom regularly releases new maps, there's always a small chance that a newer map has been released since the production of your TomTom. With TomTom's latest map guarantee, if the map preloaded on your device is not the latest version, you can download it FREE at TomTom HOME. This no longer requires the map check code.

Checking in TomTom HOME is easy:

Make sure you have the latest version of TomTom HOME installed on your computer

Connect your device to your computer

In the 'File' menu click 'Use Latest Map Guarantee'. NOTE: if this option is not shown your device has the latest map.

You can check as many times as you like within 30 days from the date you first use your TomTom device."

On my device preinstalled map 800.1765 "Western and �entral Europe"

On TomTom HOME i see new version this map - " 805.1801", but TomTom Home write - "This item cannot be download".

I write 15 days complaints in support TomTom(Question Reference No080724-006459, ), but to me do not give a new map and cannot tell terms when will give!

To me suggest it to buy!!!!!! "If you would like this map, you would be require to purchase it."

What lies!!!

I own the 910 and am looking to replace that piece of crap. Some of the features in the 930 is very enticing such as the IQroute and advanced lane guidance but in looking at the screenshot, much of the GUI has remained the same from the 910. One of my biggest complaint is reading the direction when driving. I have no idea what the next exit is on the highways as the text and highway number are just way too small. It makes me feel like some sort of senior citizen, because I definately have a hard time reading it. I've missed countless exits because of this.

This is my second TomTom--also have the GO510. Very much like my 930T--the traffice feature here in DC is very useful. There is also a shortcut feature on the menu that brings up the functions you use most often on a single screen. However, there is still no "DONE" soft key on every screen so at time if you want to go back to navigating you may have to push the "BACK" softkey numerous times. Hugely annoying flaw that takes multiple unnecessary key strokes. The other incredibly annoying feature is that you can no longer navigate directly to a Zip Code, you must first enter the state where the Zip code is then enter the Zip code you want to navigate to. Not sure how they screwed that function up, but on my 510 you punch in the zip code without having to have the state in first. Finally, when it asks you for a zip code, it makes the numbers very small and difficult to touch but when you are inputting a house number, the number screen converts to large text numbers and entering each number is easy. Seems our Brit friends at TomTom could figure out every Zip Code in the US is numbers only and every one of them is unique to the Nation, not to a state. I'd likely buy this model again but not without doing more looking around to see if some other model didn't have a better, US-centric, interface.

I bought this about a month ago as my first ever GPS. The mounting and operation are easy, the image crisp, and the voice-overs prompt.

Some things, however, have bugged me:

1) A recently opened section of I-40 in Greensboro, NC, simply does not exist on the latest map I downloaded. I can (somewhat) overlook small road omissions, but a transcontinental interstate?

2) When starting in my garage (where the unit obviously cannot get a satellite signal) it often takes several minutes of driving around to finally pick up a signal, then occasionally loses the newly found signal for some time. This doesn't happen all of the time, and never lasts, but still frustrating.

3) Battery life is very short. Basically, keep it plugged in whenever you're driving around.

4) More of a personal gripe: Your speed is highlighted in red when you're speeding for a little while, even if only by 3 mph. I'm always speeding somewhat, yet always matching the device's estimated arrival; it shouldn't condone my speeding with it's arrival times while condemning it with it's Scarlet MPH.

All in all, however, my first month has been quite a pleasure. The points of interest are great, and I actually find the voice recognition to be moderately accurate.

As far as seeing the screen in daylight, I've not had the same problems as other reviewers. It could be the mounting location--mine is fairly high on the windshield to keep it closer to me; I think that I'm inadvertently allowing less sunlight to hit it as a result. Fortunately, the mount is simply a suction cup that can be remounted again and again.

By far the most impressive feature is the calculation of travel times. I often finish 1-3 hour drives within 2 minutes of the device's estimated arrival.

I've owned Garmin's for more than 5 years and I currently own a NUVI 760. I've heard the great news about the TOMTOM 930 with IQROUTES, lane guidance, and the HOME feature so I decided to buy the 930 so I can give it a spin and compare it to the NUVI 760 with MSN DIRECT.

TOMTOM Pluses:

Arrival time -

The arrival time with IQROUTES are MORE accurate than Garmin's. The NUVI keeps updating the arrival time during the trip. I compared the arrival time from the start and the TOMTOM was more accurate. TOMTOM is constantly collecting the travel times and updating their database. When you sign in to the HOME program the IQroutes from your trips are uploaded to the TOMTOM server.

Routes:

If anyone writes a review about a GPS and states that routes are 100% accurate then they are lieing, I have not found the perfect GPS with perfect routes.

The routes on both the 930 and the NUVI 760 have been identical. With the 930 I see minutes left on the trip, time left, and arrival time. I can even tell the 930 what time I would like to arrive at my destination.I can AVOID any of the roads on my trip. You CANNOT avoid roads on the NUVI 760.

TRAFFIC:

I'm using traffic on the 930 through my ATT Tilt phone and it seems to work and it is accurate. It uses my Tilt to access the traffic on the TOMTOM server through the Internet. If you have cell coverage you should have traffic data.

MSN Traffic on the 760 is not accurate and the avoidance feature does not work that well. The bad thing about the MSN Direct feature is that it does not have good range. I live in Chicago and the service does not work in many of the outlying suburbs.

PLUSES:

Iqroutes are more accurate than the NUVI.

Lane guidance works in my area.

Avoiding roads on your trip.

Being able to correct street names, closed streets, one ways, and many other errors is a big plus.

Traffic works well.

The GPS chip has not lost reception. I've lost the signal numerous times on the NUVI.

More information on the 930 screen than on the 760.

TOMTOM minuses:

The screen is hard to see in sunlight.

The maps are not bad since I loaded the Garmin map look on the 930. I even have the magenta route line on my 930.

The battery does not last more than 1 hour.

The Text to speech does not work all the time. The street names are not pronounced as good as the NUVI.

You don't get the constant reminders that the NUVI 760 provides. Sometimes I don't think that I drive the 930 with my eyes close. With the 760 you can close your eyes and not miss a turn.

I cannot locate an address by ANY city like the NUVI. Sometimes the 930 cannot locate an address if it thinks it's in a different city. You have to input the surrounding city names to get the correct address and route.

I purchased the Tomtom 930 unit about 2 weeks ago and really like it. I have owned and used a Magellan 6000 GPS unit but decided to give the Tomtom a try after my friends told me how well it worked for them.

Likes:

Voices are good

Routing is execellent, much better then my magellan unit

Ability to reroute around 1 road is awesome

Reroute is fast

Much better software than other GPS providers.

Dislikes:

Screen washes out in sunlight