First GPS Suggestion

[sid369]

I do have a Costco near me, and I have a membership with them, however on the TT720 is not available on Costco online. I am not sure if they have it in store. I will have to check.

 

[sid369]

is it easy to add more POI, if so from where and how. Is it easy to customize on the TT720, for example adding speed camera, trip planning, screen dump or whatever it is called, custom voices etc,if so how and where can I get the information.

Can anyone reply to this question

 

[dhn]

Can anyone reply to this question

Google is your friend. Just do a search for TomTom + whatever. Here's a start:

http://www.gps-data-team.com/poi/
http://www.gpspassion.com/forumsen/default.asp?CAT_ID=20
http://www.gps-data-team.com/pda-gps-navigation/forum/8.html
http://tomtom.gps-data-team.com/
http://www.gpsice.co.uk/mapcolors.html

 

[muskie]

Sid...I got my first land nav GPS 2 weeks ago (720) as a gift, so I am totally new to this type of device. In the first week I loaded 25 new POI categories from various websites incl speed cams/traps, created 3 custom menus using both manual and online tools, & added voice recognition (via info from this forum), plus a multitude of day/night schemes, music, goggle maps, sat pics, car icons, etc... via windows explorer. In other words, the device is easy to tune up....

From my experience: Having used marine and aero nav, I know that there is always a positioning delay, as well as a location error factor. Even aircraft nav can be a few feet off. As far as missing exits, I don't, because the 720 audio warns me in advance. If you depend upon reading the maps to find your cutoffs while driving, then we'll 'see you in the OR"!

Only major issues are (1) lack of complete POI files, but this is typical of the industry. Also, I generally can tell, by the name of the restaurant, what kind of food they serve. (2) TomTom Home software needs improving as well. (3) no go-back icon inthe menu and (4) I'm having trouble finding a good alternative mount, as I don't want it hanging from the windshield. I may end up with a beanbag or air vent nav mount.

I do expect TomTom to come out with a feature update for this machine that would include better searches, but again, experience tells me not to hold my breath with any of these companies...

and I'm still looking for the 'ultimate' high-detail scheme...maybe I'll just make my own.

good luck

 

[twdorris]

Justed ordered the NUVI 650, I should be able to provide feedback sometime after it arrives. My fingers are crossed.

I've used the Nuvi and the TomTom. For me, they were both great. I will say that the TeleAtlas maps (TomTom) of my particular remote road were not so cool. But other than that, after 3 weeks of usage I'm pleased with the 720. I've heard from several sources that both TeleAtlas and NavTeq maps can be off depending on the area, so I'll chalk it up to a bad match of my particular area.

I'm not so much concerned about the devices estimated times (the actual drive times matched pretty well)

That's interesting because the TomTom estimates in my case are always a little longer than the actual drive time. On a 2-hour drive, I can shave 15 minutes off the estimated arrival time pretty easily, just hanging with the regular flow of traffic.

[if I'm passing the desired exit when it first comes into view on the gps I can't work with that, there are quite a few places I go where highway exits are 3 abreast and only a few hundred feet apart, I can't react if I can't see it on the maps.]

Wow. That would definitely not be acceptable. In my case, the 720 is dead on right where I'm at. This weekend, for example, while driving around in NJ, I had a couple cases where there were multiple turn options right next to each other off the interstate. I just watched the 720's screen (which is mounted right above my steering wheel in direct view of the road) and literally drove by it in a couple cases. I'd look down at the 720, see the car icon, see the exit, look up and there it'd be right where TomTom showed it. As I'd start corner entry, the TomTom was right there. Strange that you would experience so much lag! I'd take it back too! But I'd probably grab another 720 in exchange based on the fact that so few other people seem to have this problem.

Thomas Dorris

 

[twdorris]

and I'm still looking for the 'ultimate' high-detail scheme...maybe I'll just make my own.

Let us know if you find and/or make it. I'm looking for the same type of thing (and considered just making my own as well). I've downloaded several other schemes, but none have the contrast I'm looking for. I want there to be NO question which color is my route and which colors are simply used for map details. Most schemes I've seen try to keep your route color the same as or close to the road outline color, which can be confusing in a highly congested area.

Thomas Dorris

 

[SShadow]

I think bwhite should remove the POIs being displayed. I suffered the lag as well, and after reading another post on this site, realized that it may be the POIs making the GPS lag. I cut the POIs down by at least half, and stopped displaying the 3rd party ones, and suddenly I am not experiencing the lag I once was.
Also, I find it shows your route better in 2d, vs 3d.

 

[twdorris]

realized that it may be the POIs making the GPS lag.

Ah. Good point. I can confirm that I only show a minimum of POIs as well. I find them distracting on the screen all the time. I search out a POI when I actually have an interest and then display it.

Thomas Dorris

 

[bwhite]

I stopped displaying all POIs early on but still the lag and still the wierd routing. Shame, I really wanted this thing to work out, I'm starting to think that it is a combination of certain factors that caused the issues. I figured having the latest and greatest maps and firmware would be a good thing but not necessarily so.

 

[sid369]

I have read a lot about buying a SD card for the TT. I would like to buy the 4gb card. My question is which brand card should I buy. Or it does not matter. just any sd card will do.

 

[canderson]

I'm not so much concerned about the devices estimated times (the actual drive times matched pretty well) as the wierd routing and delay in showing me the exits [if I'm passing the desired exit when it first comes into view on the gps I can't work with that, there are quite a few places I go where highway exits are 3 abreast and only a few hundred feet apart, I can't react if I can't see it on the maps.]
I'll let you know one way or another NJ.

I've been watching this commentary for a week or two now, and I'm curious about something...

Did you EVER fire up "Susan", who will speak in soothing tones to you regarding not only the exit name and number (I am forever amazed that someone has actually supplied the TT map sets with the specific road/town name content of the exit signs for such a massive number of exits!), but the precise distance to your exit? What on earth are you doing LOOKING at a GPS under the sort of driving conditions you are describing? If fast reaction times are warranted, you might as well be looking at a map folded across the steering wheel as trying to watch the GPS in real time. Neither are recommended practice. That's why there's a "quick glance" distance/direction marker in the lower left corner to go along with voice, if you don't trust the voice to keep you on track.

Sorry -- I just don't get it.

 

[twdorris]

What on earth are you doing LOOKING at a GPS under the sort of driving conditions you are describing?

Trying to identify the exit. I'm going to side with bwhite on this one. When I'm in an unfamiliar area, even with Susan seemingly calling out the exact exit sign contents (which is awesome, BTW), it's still confusing at times to know exactly which exits to take. This is mostly when there are several bunched together, though, or arranged in a manner I'm not familiar with.

However, I do have my GPS mounted right above my steering wheel in easy, clear view. It's even less eye movement (and zero head/neck movement) to glance down at that than it is to glance up and over at exit signs. Not that I'm ignoring the exits signs, but I'm also not cranking my head over to the passenger seat to read a laptop either. It's a simple glance down, confirm what everything else is telling me by looking at an image that closely matches what I see in front of me, and drive on.

In that usage scenario, it would be extremely disorienting if the GPS were lagging at all. And just based on the description bwhite gave of what and when, relative to reality, he sees things on the screen it would be very distracting for me too. Luckily, my TomTom doesn't behave as he described at all.

If fast reaction times are warranted, you might as well be looking at a map folded across the steering wheel as trying to watch the GPS in real time.

Ah, I think this may be the key difference in what's being described here vs. what you're envisioning the problem to be. It's not fast reaction times that are required. It's simply a consistency issue. What I see on the screen needs to at least somewhat match what's outside or else the 3D view has failed in what I assume was one of its original design goals.

I assume they wanted to present us with something that looked more familiar to us. If that view is lagging 5-seconds behind reality, it's not going to be familiar to us because it's not going to match reality. If voice communication were all we needed to navigate, why put a view of the map at all on the screen? The view is there to make us aware of what we're going to encounter that's NOT being voiced out in the directions. That way we know better what to expect and what we'll see as we're attempting to navigate the correct route.

That's why there's a "quick glance" distance/direction marker in the lower left corner to go along with voice, if you don't trust the voice to keep you on track.

Of course you realize that the distance/direction marker is driven by the same data and is updated at the same rate as the map view, right? So if the map view is delayed even 5 seconds at just 40 mph, everything is going to lag by 300ft! That's easily enough distance to miss your exit in some cases whether you're listening to voice instructions (which will be delayed as well), looking at the direction/distance marker or looking at the map itself.

That's my opinion anyway. How bwhite described his 720's behavior does not match my own, so I'm trying to imagine what it would be like if my 720 was just starting to show an exit on the screen in the distant horizon as I was actually driving past it. That would be unacceptable to me too.

Thomas Dorris

 

[bwhite]

Tom Dorris,
Thank you for your complete and level headed responses, you capture the problem precisely.
You cannot react to what you can't see and Susan hasn't told you about.
Yes, I used the computer voices.
The lag between reality and actuallity reminds me of one of those
drunk driving simulators.
Also, If per anderson I'm not supposed to be referencing it, then why would I be referencing it for the quick markers ? You're either looking or you're not. Yeah, you need to glance at it, that's the whole point of buying the thing for guidance.

 

[canderson]

Tom Dorris,
Thank you for your complete and level headed responses, you capture the problem precisely.
You cannot react to what you can't see and Susan hasn't told you about.
Yes, I used the computer voices.
The lag between reality and actuallity reminds me of one of those
drunk driving simulators.
Also, If per anderson I'm not supposed to be referencing it, then why would I be referencing it for the quick markers ? You're either looking or you're not. Yeah, you need to glance at it, that's the whole point of buying the thing for guidance.

In the latter case, it's a matter of a very quick glance. It takes a good bit more attention to figure out which of three exits is being referenced on a map that's moving.

While Susan will occasionally butcher a street or town name a bit, her pronunciation of numbers, expecially exit sign numbers, is quite good, and she's always been very careful to include any requisite "A", or "B" suffix so that I don't mess up. Rather than trying to watch a moving map while trying to find an exit in busy traffic (sorry, still cannot recommend this) I've been able to make good use of her "verbal" descriptions. Since I am well prepared by Susan with an exit number along with much of the rest of the sign contents well in advance, the signs and the road are where my eyes are, and I'll tell you why...

The TT really does have a peculiar deficiency in one of its algorithms, and even with 100% perfect representation of true position in time, it's still a problem -- and it's why I look UP to see what the signs Susan has described are telling me:

The TT (at least in its current version) has a penchant for making sure you avoid accidently being shuttled off into a "exit-only" lane when it's not your time to exit. I've noted that in passing ANY highway intersection that includes a exit-only lane (either left or right side, but we'll assume right for clarity hereafter), Susan insists on telling me to "Keep left" and "Stay in the left lane". Now I'm not sure what the Italians at Loquendo think they're doing here, but it appears they're just paranoid about someone sliding over into the right lane and being shuttled off into the weeds somewhere. The problem is, there ARE left exits as well, and as you approach a possible right exit-only, Susan will advise the extreme left, putting you right in the path of yet another accidental exit possibility.

While I drive this road daily, and would never make the mistake that Susan could cause, picture moving down a 5 lane road configured as follows:

• First encounter will be a standard single lane exit-only to the right.
• Within about 100 yards, there is a double lane exit-only to the LEFT.

If one were unfamiliar with the roads, one might be inclined to take Susan's advice and keep far left in response to her warnings about the first possible turn (to the right), making it darned hard to move back across the lanes to avoid the second (to the left).

In short, I find that in traffic especially, it's usually best to use a TT as a verbal navigator, and not try to sort it out from the map view. At most, a quick touch of that distance/turn direction indicator in the lower left will give me a future shot at, or a repeat of, the next direction in case I'm not clear about it -- via AUDIO.

I haven't had the lag problems reported (yet), but I don't run with the POIs on -- just a bit too much screen clutter, especially in highly populated areas where all of this becomes more of an issue anyway. Can't say if that makes some contribution to my improved accuracy of position vs. map or not, but haven't experienced the lag.

 

[bwhite]

Susan can't tell you about what she's not aware of and noone is watching a map--it's a glance, thanx for your driving instructions. All things I would have never known otherwise. As I said, my unit may have been screwed up.
You have no clue at my background regarding driving or related abilities Lecture over.
Thanx again TWDORIS.

 

[canderson]

Susan can't tell you about what she's not aware of and noone is watching a map--it's a glance, thanx for your driving instructions. All things I would have never known otherwise. As I said, my unit may have been screwed up.
You have no clue at my background regarding driving or related abilities Lecture over.
Thanx again TWDORIS.

Best of luck with whatever unit you do finally buy. As an accessory, I can recommend GEICO.

I've been puzzling over why your unit seems to have had such slow update response, even though you'd done all of the things that everyone had recommended (e.g., turning off the POI - something I always do just to reduce the clutter, although it doesn't seem to impact update speed). I'm wondering if your 720 wasn't always 100% certain of your actual position, and was always lagging in the actual position update information. Did you ever happen to touch the lower right corner to see how many satellites you were typically seeing, and what kind of signal strength (on average) each provided? I'm wondering if your unit was really up to snuff in that regard. The processor is certainly powerful enough to handle it, or we'd all be seeing the same thing.

 

[bwhite]

puzzled me to, had all the bars nearly all the time.
I figured calibration, but, when it knew where I was at slow speeds (showed me exactly at in intersection or landmark) that kinda ruled calibration out.