Thinking about G0 730

[jhansman]

I'm considering returning my recent purchase of the XL 340S for the GO 730 (Best Buy Black Friday deal), but looking at the feature list for the 730 leaves me with a few questions:

1. Is the SD card slot useful only for pics and mp3s, or can it be used for maps as well?
2. Does the TMC connection take the USB port, or another?
3. Does voice input REALLY work?
4. The big one: would those of you who own this unit buy it again were it stolen or lost?

The price would be just about a wash for what I paid for the XL 340S, so I'm just trying to find out if the feature set is useful.TIA!!

-Jeff

 

[dhn]

1. Is the SD card slot useful only for pics and mp3s, or can it be used for maps as well?
2. Does the TMC connection take the USB port, or another?
3. Does voice input REALLY work?
4. The big one: would those of you who own this unit buy it again were it stolen or lost?

-Jeff

1. Gosh, NO! You can use up to a 32-gig sdhc card in the 730 and put maps on the card. In fact, you can run everything off the sdhc card and I know some users whose internal flash died on them who run everything that way. I run my NA_2GB map on a 4-gig sdhc card on a 720 and it leaves me with plenty of flexibility.

2. Newer versions use the usb port and supposedly are stronger than the old version which has the oval port.

3. Yeah, it works.........and you'll probably get bored with it like most everybody else ...

4. Can't answer as I still have my 720.

Also, know this........

The 340 will have many more pois on its USA_Canada_M map than will the 730 and the NA_2GB map (but there are ways to get around that....)

 

[jhansman]

Many thanks. Sounds like it's a better unit all way round, so it looks like I'll bet at BB at 5 a.m. on the 27th

 

[twangtown]

Do it!

I actually did the exact same thing just a couple of weeks ago...SO many more useful features and I actually wound up paying less for the 740 than the XL 340! My voice input works incredibly well and I love that feature, plus the storage on the SD is quite handy for many things.

 

[jhansman]

Well, the 340S has been returned and now I'm gearing (saving?) up for Black Friday. The prospect of spending several hours in the cold dark of a parking lot does not appeal to me, but a deal's a deal, right?

 

[mikealder]

You won't regret the 730 it's a great device, I still use my 720 quite often which is virtually the same unit and it's been a reliable performer over the years I have owned it. I do have an issue with battery life as it's got to the end of it's useful life but I know how to change it and a replacement battery won't cost a great deal.

Make sure when you register it you use a different e-mail address, don't use one you have used for a previous device, anything in the correct format can be used even "[email protected]" would be acceptable as the e-mail address used doesn't need to be active!

Finally make a full Windows Explorer backup BEFORE you do anything with the device, then update the application using TT Home to the latest version before using latest map guarantee to get the latest map for free, once complete make another full backup then enjoy using the device - Mike

 

[jhansman]

Mike-
Once I returned the 340S, I removed it from my list of devices in my TT account. This being so, will I still have to use a different email address once I have the 730? Right now my account only shows Navigator USA & 5 in My Devices. Thanks.

 

[mikealder]

I would still suggest you need to use a different e-mail address for the new toy as reusing anything that has been previously registered tends to cause nothing but problems such as constantly trying to download maps for your last device that don't work and simply consume your bandwidth and if you ever try using any of the plus services they will be problematic or "fun" depending on your view point - Mike

 

[jhansman]

OK, no problem, I have several real unused addresses available. While I have your expertise at hand, can you tell me the difference (if any) between the 720 and 730, feature-wise? Overstock has a pretty good deal on a 720 kit now that's not a refurb, so if it is essentially the same as the 730, I might opt for it. Many thanks.

-Jeff

 

[mikealder]

The only noticable difference is the menu colour scheme, the 720 uses grey/ blue while the 730 uses an orange/ brown.

The hardware is identical, and once the Navcore software and new maps are installed to the 720 it will be exactly the same as a 730 in terms of functionality and capability, only menu colour scheme is different - Mike

 

[jhansman]

Thanks, good to know. Think I'll call TT tomorrow and make sure that if I do go for the 720 I'll be eligible for the the the 30 day map upgrade guarantee. This model is no longer listed on their site, so I assume it is being phased out in favor of the 730. I'd hate to find I bought a model that is discontinued and non-upgradable.

 

[richard_rsp]

I just bought the Go 630 (which is basically a 730 w/out the FM transmitter - from what I understand) from OfficeDepot... Office Depot has a 14-Day price guarentee so I bought it for the normal $299 and will return on Friday to have them refund the difference for the price of the BlackFriday sale ($169). (Also picked up a 4gig Ultra II SD card for $34.99 that will be $12.99 on BF)

I had thought about the 730 at BestBuy, but I have NO desire to go near that place on BFriday and realized that I would never use the FM transmitter.

The voice input seems to work fine (except for having to say "East" or "West" before the street name. I wish it would recognize "Main Street" and then give you the option to choose east or west.

Would I buy again? At the $169 price, yes. There are some quirks (like not being able to change the status bar color) that are irritating, and the mispronounced street names are pretty bad, but overall it works good, finds signal easily and is loud enough to be heard at highway speeds in an econo-car... fits my needs!

 

[jhansman]

Thanks for the info on the 630. Didn't think about the price guarantee idea, but that may save some waiting and discomfort. I wonder if BB has such a policy. Anyhoo, just talked to a support agent at TT and she said the only difference between the 720 and 730 is that voice input is available on the 730 but not on the 720. This is counter to what I've read elsewhere (including here, ala Mike), where I've read that the 720 ships with an older navcore and maps, both of which (again, according to the nice lady at TT) are freely upgradable. Mike, if you are still monitoring this thread, does that sound right to you?

 

[dervari]

Were you able to get them to price match on BF? I know there are some stores that will not price match on that day for exactly the reason you describe. They don't want people purchasing early and then clogging up Cust Svc lines for price matches.

 

[jhansman]

I ended up ordering the 730 from BB online. Same price, free shipping. I also went to Target and got in line for the 5 a.m. opening and managed to pick up two XL 340s for friends and family, so all in all it wasn't a bad day. None of the stores I called (Staples, BB, Target) would let you purchase early and then return on Friday for a price guarantee, so I figured I'd just tough it out on Friday morning. Pretty nutty, flat screen TVs everywhere!

 

[richard_rsp]

Were you able to get them to price match on BF? I know there are some stores that will not price match on that day for exactly the reason you describe. They don't want people purchasing early and then clogging up Cust Svc lines for price matches.

Well I went to an Office Depot in Kennesaw GA first. Even though there were only 4 (FOUR) cars in the parking lot, they refused to do any price matches. Said what you said above. So I ended up going back to my local OD and had them do it Saturday. No problems.

Policy:
"How does Office Depot? Price Match Guarantee Work for Store purchases?
Nobody beats our prices ... Guaranteed!

Should you find a lower price at any other store, we will match it on the spot - guaranteed!

(Must be an identical, in-stock item. Excludes free product offers, special orders, services, Internet purchases, liquidation, ad errors, clearance, refurbished and close out items.)

If you show us a lower price from another store on a brand new identical item at the time of purchase, we will match it. If you show us a lower price from another store on a brand new identical item within 14 days of your purchase, we will give you the difference. Our price is the final price you pay after any discounts, coupons, instant savings, and mail in savings."

SoTo my understanding; if it is a regular item (non-specific black Friday Item), then they have to go with their 14 day price match policy which is posted on both the website and at their counters. Says nothing about Black Friday.

 

[YouthInAsia]

Thanks for the info on the 630. Didn't think about the price guarantee idea, but that may save some waiting and discomfort. I wonder if BB has such a policy. Anyhoo, just talked to a support agent at TT and she said the only difference between the 720 and 730 is that voice input is available on the 730 but not on the 720. This is counter to what I've read elsewhere (including here, ala Mike), where I've read that the 720 ships with an older navcore and maps, both of which (again, according to the nice lady at TT) are freely upgradable. Mike, if you are still monitoring this thread, does that sound right to you?

That sounds correct; I just looked at the TT website.

FWIW, you can purchase a 720 and "turn it into" a 730 just by updating the NavCore and Map; that's what I did. All you'll be missing is the voice input, and the color schemes are slightly different - both on the screen, and the bezel on the unit itself. The operation, routing, IQ Routes, etc will be identical.

 

[cacherjoe]

1. Gosh, NO! You can use up to a 32-gig sdhc card in the 730 and put maps on the card. In fact, you can run everything off the sdhc card and I know some users whose internal flash died on them who run everything that way. I run my NA_2GB map on a 4-gig sdhc card on a 720 and it leaves me with plenty of flexibility.

2. Newer versions use the usb port and supposedly are stronger than the old version which has the oval port.

3. Yeah, it works.........and you'll probably get bored with it like most everybody else ...

4. Can't answer as I still have my 720.

Also, know this........

The 340 will have many more pois on its USA_Canada_M map than will the 730 and the NA_2GB map (but there are ways to get around that....)

Ditto on dhn's post. I use to run my mp3's off it. I now run them off my blackberry, just find it easier with the hands free I have. If my 730 was stolen, after tracking down the guy that did it and making him re-think his direction in life, I would certainly buy a new one. Until this unit I was a garmin man. I still have a Garmin for hiking and caching, but for driving nothing beats at TomTom.

J