XLS vs 330 XLS vs GO 720??

[maxwax99]

I've spent the last week meticulously researching GPS systems and have decided to choose TomTom over Garmin and Magellan.

I had chosen the 330 XLS as a mid-range option that would provide me with current maps, text-to-speech and a wide screen. I don't have a Bluetooth phone and am not interested in traffic (yet, this will be my first GPS). Questions:

1) Is the lack of an SD card on the 330 series a problem?
...I don't want additional maps, but I do want to be able to do upgrades easily and install downloaded POI files available on the internet from other users.
...I have an SDcard based mp3 player on my phone and a 160G Archos PMP so I don't need my GPS unit to do the same, thanks

2) The icon-based POIs showing things like a TARGET logo seem very attractive. Glance at the map and see this is near without having to do any work. Is this a really nice feature or just a luxury?

3) The main differences between the XL S and 330 XLS seem to be the mount, no SD, no audio out. What about processor speed, features, etc?

I have a big 30+ day cross country trip coming up so the GPS is going to be used both for 'get me from here to there' as well as 'explore the area'. A wide display so I can browse the map and zoom in and out seems good for planning/exploring. Text-to-speech seems good since I want my eyes focused on new road, new places (no accidents!) I'd planned to spend $150 on a basic GPS, but after doing all this work to learn about the features, I seem to be slowly pulling myself into the $200-$350 range.

Any comments would be appreciated greatly.

 

[joerizkallah]

for cross country trips nothing beats old school Maps!!! at least for me

 

[Buddharay]

I've spent the last week meticulously researching GPS systems and have decided to choose TomTom over Garmin and Magellan.

I had chosen the 330 XLS as a mid-range option that would provide me with current maps, text-to-speech and a wide screen. I don't have a Bluetooth phone and am not interested in traffic (yet, this will be my first GPS). Questions:

1) Is the lack of an SD card on the 330 series a problem?
...I don't want additional maps, but I do want to be able to do upgrades easily and install downloaded POI files available on the internet from other users.
...I have an SDcard based mp3 player on my phone and a 160G Archos PMP so I don't need my GPS unit to do the same, thanks

2) The icon-based POIs showing things like a TARGET logo seem very attractive. Glance at the map and see this is near without having to do any work. Is this a really nice feature or just a luxury?

3) The main differences between the XL S and 330 XLS seem to be the mount, no SD, no audio out. What about processor speed, features, etc?

I have a big 30+ day cross country trip coming up so the GPS is going to be used both for 'get me from here to there' as well as 'explore the area'. A wide display so I can browse the map and zoom in and out seems good for planning/exploring. Text-to-speech seems good since I want my eyes focused on new road, new places (no accidents!) I'd planned to spend $150 on a basic GPS, but after doing all this work to learn about the features, I seem to be slowly pulling myself into the $200-$350 range.

Any comments would be appreciated greatly.

it doesn't sound like you are in particular need of an SD card, so the XL 330S is a good choice. the 330S design and mount are an upgrade... i'm not sure the processor speed is any different. i believe the 330S has a speedometer that blinks if you're going 5 over the speed limit, but i can't remember if the XLS has that or not.

 

[Gilbert]

i believe the 330S has a speedometer that blinks if you're going 5 over the speed limit, but i can't remember if the XLS has that or not.

That is a map + NavCore feature that the XL-S also has.

As for paper maps, they are good to plan a trip but once on the road and driving is next to useless when alone or with people not handy with maps.

I find my gps handy at night on some streets trying to find an address. Who has not been in the situation of driving and trying to read some house/building numbers? When in a heavy snow storm or fog and wondering where your exit is? The gps always knows exactly where you are and where your next turn is as well as how long before the turn is expected. Even with the map folded on your steering wheel, you need some time to identify where you are and identifying where your next turn is which means a lot of time with your eyes off the road and the possibility of an accident.

When on a highway, there are not always rest areas where you can stop to look at your paper map. Taking any exit to look at your map does not mean there is going to be an access ramp immediately beside it to get back on the highway. In such case, how do you get back on it and how much time lost?

On my last trip to FL, I needed to detour thru Niagara Falls for warranty repair work on my car. I had used MS streets & Trips to plan my route from there to Lake Park, FL. It was unknown territory for me and wife. It went beside Philadelphia but the wiofe made a mistake and ended up in the city. Our NA Atlas was useless for Philadelphia street details. I used my common sense and got back on a course to get back to the wanted highway but got stuck in heavy traffic. I estimate we lost a couple of hours. Six hours later, she made another mistake and decided we would get straight East to I95 SB just South of Washington (Richmond) and simplify directions instead of joining I95 in Georgia on the original more complex S&T route.

 

[maxwax99]

I ended up getting a 330 XL S at Best Buy.. It's on sale at Circuit City this week (of 9/15/2008) for $249.

I'm very happy with it so far, but my quick thirty second review is this:

1) The text to speech is so informative you can concentrate on the road and ignore the little GPS display. It's like having someone sitting next to you and worth the extra $50 for a unit with text to speech.

2) The screen is a little dim in bright sunlight so I'd simply move to shade and it's fine. It's very bright at night.

3) It's very loud, especially when it notices you're going fast and automatically bumps up the sound to overcome road/engine noise.

4) It's missing many useful points of interest (POIs) so my job tonight is to load my own. Had to use google to find an REI camping location, then the tomtom brought me there easily.

5) I haven't figured how to master the supposedly easy mount and my first scratch on the LCD screen came from my fingernail putting too much pressure on it while trying to get it to snap in.

6) Routing has not been a problem; reviews on gpsmagazine.net make it seem like it is a bad router compared to garmins/magellans, but using it in the dc metro area for the last two days its been a champ.

7) Blue night color scheme looks really good in my Blue Honda Fit with blue themed honda displays.

Overall, a very happy purchase but I can definitely see replacing this in 2-3 years when internet aware GPS units that talk to each other about traffic conditions start appearing.

 

[adidas1124]

Overall, a very happy purchase but I can definitely see replacing this in 2-3 years when internet aware GPS units that talk to each other about traffic conditions start appearing.

It's already out... it's called the Dash...

The Go 730 and 930 have IQ routes which uses historical data from TomTom's through TomTom Home to determine best routes for what time of day you are traveling.

 

[maxwax99]

Imagine this: five people traveling down a highway using their GPS.

The GPS knows that the road has a speed limit of 65 MPH and at this time of day people do anywhere from 55 to 85 (so its not rush hour.)

The five people are equally spaced apart and the one in front starts slowing down.

I want my tomtom to ask 'what's wrong?' and give me a quick choice: nothing, car accident, police work, construction, etc.

I want that information send immediately to the internet where a tomtom server will send it via broadcast to anyone in the area. The 2nd or 3rd person might get stuck, but the fourth and fifth people will get a message in time saying 'accident ahead. Would you like a detour?'

It would also be able to pinpoint where the accident happened and how long it lasts: maybe you slow for 2 miles and then full speed. That'd let tomtom say 'accident ahead, 10 minute delay but nothing major.'

These current GPS units are a nice taste of the future, but they feel like just the start...

 

[pianoCM]

It sounds like you will absolutely love Tomtom HD Traffic.