XXL550 vs GO730

Joined
May 21, 2009
Messages
198
SInce my traffic and map subscription are both about to expire, I'm looking at upgrading to the XXL550 since I have a 30% off code from TomTom.

  • How different is the feature set? I'm assuming it runs the same software as the 730?
  • Is the traffic provider the same as the 730 or is it FM traffic? Do I gain anything by using the Data traffic on the 730 vs the FM traffic on the 550? I heard the FM doesn't have travel time/speed info.
  • How much internal RAM?

Any help is greatly appreciated!
 
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Don't have a 730, but have a new XXL 540TM and love the customization which has been tremendously reduced on the new models including the 550 you mentioned. Reading all the moderators reviews on the 550 model, I jumped at the 540TM while I could get it. TT may be moving toward the "Easy" menu (they don't like the words "dumbed down menu" here) like Garmin. Even with a 30% discount I would not have been happy with the 550 model. If TT only had the 550 available, I would be tempted to go with Garmin instead. The customization of the TT 540 makes it far ahead of everyone else (along with the IQ routing). When others reply about the 730/540 feature differences, you'll have a better idea what to do.
 
I'm not locked into the 550. The coupon I have is valid for ANY device off their website. I just don't like the idea of paying $50 for traffic now and $50 for updates in August. I can get a $200 device for $140, so I feel getting an improved unit is better. I could even make (on paper) some cash on the deal if I sold the 730.

thanks for the heads up on the 550. I'm definitely a power user and would not have been happy.
 
The feature set on a 730 is more expansive than a 540, which is again more expansive than a 550.

When moving from a 730 to a 540, some of the features you lose are:
- bluetooth handsfree
- non-traffic plus services like weather, buddies, and bluetoothQuickgpsfix
- auto-sensing adjustments for volume and light, the 540 doesn't have a mic nor light sensor so it uses speed and time-of-day for it's autovolume/brightness.
- the ability to disable autozoom
- fm transmitter/mp3 player
- SD expansion slot

There may be more that I can't remember off the top of my head.

The XXL540 does add some new features like saving favorites with a new map, dimming the menus in night mode, alphanumeric street numbers, and a more forgiving fuzzy street/city search. And it also has a bigger screen.

The most similar lifetime traffic/maps model to the 730 would be the 740TM. It has all the features of the 730 except for MP3/fm transmission. And it has all the features of a XXL540 except for the screen.

540TM/740TM traffic is similar to PLUS, but FM traffic is much slower to initially lock onto (15-90 seconds, vs 2-10 seconds for PLUS), and not as good outside of cities when radio stations get weak. If you still have the RDS-TMC antenna from the PLUS outage, the traffic/reception quality is the same as that antenna, it's just integrated into the power cord on a current lifetime traffic model.
 

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