GPS units are becoming very popular with drivers who commute on a daily basis. We’ve been testing the TomTom GO 720 unit over the past month and it’s an excellent choice. Here’s what we had to say.

The TomTom GO 720 has a large 4.3″ touchscreen, and offers a ton of features previously only available on more expensive GPS units. The GO 720 is preloaded with maps of the US and Canada on internal memory, which means no need to switch memory cards when you’re traveling. It also has a built-in Bluetooth antenna for connecting to your cell phone for hands-free calling, and optional real-time traffic and weather. Inside is a 5 hour lithium-polymer battery and a 400MHz processor as well as 2GB of internal memory.

The GO 720 weighs just 7.8 ounces and is less than an inch thick. It has some very innovative features including TomTom Map Share, which adds the ability to share map improvements (like modified street names and direction) with other TomTom users using the TomTom HOME software on your PC. Another nice feature is the built-in FM transmitter, which automatically feeds your car stereo the GPS audio if you need to hear it a little louder.

We tested the TomTom GO 720 in the Northern California area, starting in Sacramento towards San Francisco and the GO 720 worked wonders. One of the few caveats we had was that we were already making turns when the unit was just instructing us to do so. Another was that there is no external volume control, you have to adjust it using the touch screen - which can be frustrating at times. If we missed a turn, the GO 720 recalculated the route quickly and was ready for the next instruction.

Using the built-in 500MB of storage left, the GO 720 also has the ability to view and playback photos and music (sadly, no video). Sound from the built-in speaker when playing music was superb, but as expected, there was limited bass emitting from the speaker. In the Bluetooth connectivity area of testing, the GO 720’s traffic services aren’t compatible with all Bluetooth-capable phones, but a list of phones are on the TomTom website. TomTom does offer a RDS-TMC Traffic Receiver however, for a costly price of $129.95 plus an additional subscription fee.

Overall, the TomTom GO 720 is a great alternative to the Magellan Maestro 4040 we reviewed in July of 2007. It is $50 cheaper at $449.95 and has better battery life but it has the media playback capabilites that the Magellan doesn’t have. The Magellan also has a slight advantage with the addition of AAA travel information. Each unit has it’s slight advantages so if you need one over the other, pick accordingly. If you go the TomTom route, it’s available from Amazon for around $380.

Pros

• Large 4.3″ touchscreen.
• Bluetooth connectivity.
• Multimedia playback functionality.
• Built-in FM transmitter.
• TomTom Map Share technology allows users to update maps.

Cons

• No external volume control.
• Some services cost extra.
• All services don’t work with all mobile phones.

Final Verdict
4.5 out of 5 stars.

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