XL 340TM LIVE vs Go 740TM

[techguy378]

Does the GO 740TM LIVE unit have the same rebooting problem as the XL 340TM LIVE when switching from FM traffic to LIVE traffic? I thought I had fixed this on my XL 340TM LIVE by formatting the unit and using HOME to reinstall everything, but the reboot problem came back with a vengeance. Now after my XL 340 reboots it says "Poor GPS Reception" and ends up in an endless reboot cycle until I do a soft reset.

Also, aside from bluetooth and voice commands, what is the difference between the XL 340TM LIVE and the GO 740TM LIVE? I'm currently trying to decide if I should get the GO 740TM LIVE or wait for the Garmin Nuvi 1695 to be released in November since Garmin has had a much higher reliability rating among consumers than any other GPS manufacturer.

 

[mvl]

The 740 reboots a lot, but I've been able to eliminate 99% of them by doing a clear route each time before I turn it off. Now, I'd say it reboots maybe once a month.

In addition to the features you mentioned, the 740 has a 50% faster CPU, voice commands, sensor-based auto-adjusting volume and brightness, additional zoom preferences, photo viewer, SD expansion slot, pushbutton detachable dock, and maybe a few other things I can't think of.

However, it loses the high-end onboard POI file of the 340. (but Google POI makes up for it)

Lots of little things that typify the difference between a high-end GO and mid-range XL.

 

[techguy378]

What a shame. TomTom certainly does seem to have better overall routing than Garmin, but Garmin has a more accurate POI database. I live in Portland, Oregon in the USA and there's one place in particular where TomTom has a Chevron gas station right where a Starbucks is located. I've yet to come across such a glaring error on Garmin's maps. It's not very easy to make map corrections on such a small resistive screen. Also, I've noticed that virtually every Garmin has a simple traffic algorithm that says "if traffic delay is greater than 60 min then find alternate route". TomTom on the other hand starts looking for an alternate route for even the smallest traffic jam.

Unfortunately, all of TomTom's achievements are totally useless if their software constantly crashes. As if that weren't bad enough, TomTom's staff seems to be totally CLUELESS as to why their software is so buggy! Can someone please tell me again why TomTom is so popular when compared to other manufacturers? In the case of Europe, is it because there's nothing better there?

 

[mvl]

Can someone please tell me again why TomTom is so popular when compared to other manufacturers? In the case of Europe, is it because there's nothing better there?

I use Tomtom's because the routing was better hands down. Tomtom's save me 20-60 minutes every single day by always intelligently avoiding traffic in my congested home town (Boston).

Garmin's routing got worse and worse, evidenced by all the routing errors in the latest Nuvis/latest maps. They are in the process of improving things substantially with their new TrafficTrends models, but I haven't heard any glowing comparisions/reviews of the routing capabilities of those models yet, it's too new for me to trust them yet.