Tom Tom 720- Bigger May Not Mean Better

Background: I originally bought a Tom-Tom One right before Christmas. It was a great unit. You can read that review here too if you like. I returned the unit after late October after learning we paid way more than we should have.

This unit showed up under the Christmas tree from Santa (a.k.a wife). It was a much larger screen than the One and it had bluetooth and other features. It also had a data card slot for memory, desktop cradle, and car charger.

The Review:

Once again, this unit confirmed my belief that Tom Tom has the most intuitive car GPS on the market right now. Like before, this unit fired up right out of the box. I also liked the window mount for this much better than the One.

Bluetooth set up was a snap. It synced with my TREO without any issues whatsoever. I was really excited about the bluetooth feature because of a new California law requiring "hands free" cell phone use. However, I was disappointed after about two weeks. My friends and family who called me while using it had issues hearing my voice; often complaining it sounded like I was talking in a bowling alley. The quick remedy is buying an external mic plugin (a $29 option at Fry's). This seems to have done the trick, but still is a bit of a hassle because I have to unplug the mic when removing the unit from my car.

This unit also comes with more gimmicky personal voices which are nifty. However, if you want it to say the street names you only can use one "Computer Voice" style, which was a slight disappointment. I guess technology is still catching up with that feature. You can also record your own voice to use, but it takes about 15 minutes of having to sit with the device to record all the required phrases.

You can also select your own directional pointer symbol; like a car, van, motorcycle. Again, it's kind of a gimmick, but it is there for you.

Also, there are several different day and night color schemes depending on your taste. I wish Tom Tom would make it easier to change from day to night schemes on the fly. You have to toggle to two other menu options on the screen. A minor, but noteworthy point.

The Tom Tom units all seem to have a myriad of options in regard to verbal driving safety warnings, but most, in my opinion, are not really needed.

The unit is well made and very sturdy. Enclosed around the screen is industrial grade rubber plastic should you accidentally drop it.

Larger Screen Vs. Smaller Screen:

In the end, I really don't care about having a larger screen. I'm not sure there is that much more of a tangible benefit to the larger screen then was on the One unit. One of the negatives is trying to store the smaller unit -or- hide it in your car (to prevent theft). In that regard, the smaller unit would be better.

Other Features: You can hook up your MP3 player to this unit. I found this feature to be a bit ridiculous because I can't see pumping my ipod to listen to music through the units tiny speaker. However, it is still a "feature".

You can also purchase MP3 books from a separate website. I'm not a "books on tape" sort of person, so I would not be inclined to do it.

I like the Tom Tom user website. So far I've easily updated my unit twice without any problems.

The only time I've ever had a problem with the maps is on large freeway interchanges ("Clover-leafs") where there are numerous on and off ramps. Even then, this has only happened at one of the most poorly engineered sections of freeways in my city. Other than that, it's worked like a charm. I actually use mine at work and have found it a timesaver between appointments.

Bottom Line: If want or need the other features, this is the unit for you.