TomTom Go 740 Live
2 Comments
Written by Kate on July 13, 2009 – 11:38 am
There are a lot of fun features on the TomTom Go 740 Live including POI search powered by Google, Live Traffic, Cheapest Local Gas Prices, and Bluetooth Connectivity.
TomTom Traffic is a fun feature for the TomTom Go 740 Live because it makes life easier for you to navigate the roads. When there is a traffic delay on your route, the TomTom Go 740 Live will alert you and recommend an alternative quicker route. It will then re-route you to your destination using the IQRoutes technology which is a lot easier than not knowing about the traffic, and getting stuck there.
One really great although simple feature of the TomTom Go 740 Live is the QuickGPSfix. I don’t know if you have ever had this problem, but in the past I have owned GPS models that are really slow to route me to my destination. I remember I was meeting a client at a destination around 30 minutes away and I was close to being late. So when I got in my car, I turned on my GPS right away and typed in the address. It found it in its database right away, but then it took 15 minutes to figure out the route. I was running late and so I started driving in the direction of my destination, because I knew well enough which roads to start on, but it took so long to route me, I got off track and had to back track to get on the right road to my destination. I ended up being 15 minutes late and had an unhappy client. Thinking about that still makes my stomach uneasy. This is NOT something you want to have happen to you! You want to be able to trust that your GPS will get you to your destination quickly and that is why the TomTom 740 Live feature, the QuickGPSfix, is so important.
If you want to know what restaurants, gas stations, and businesses are nearby, the local search of POIs is powered by Google for the TomTom Go 740 Live which means it is very accurate and easy to use! I love this feature because there have been a couple of times when I know the name of a business I am looking for but not the address, but the GPS does not have it listed as a POI. So frustrating. This is not a problem with the TomTom Go 740 Live because the Google database is hard to challenge.
Need gas? You can use the Google search to find a gas station and you can even find out how much the gas is that is nearby! The TomTom Go 740 Live will tell you the range in prices of the nearby gas stations. That way if you are looking for the cheapest option, you will always know where to go.
An important feature that keeps you safer on the road with the TomTom Go 740 Live is that it will verbally read the directions to your destination. That way you do not have to worry about looking over at the GPS screen to figure out which road is next and what is the next turn. If you are already driving when you decide to map your destination, you can use the Text-to-Speech function and basically you can say the address of where you want to go and the TomTom Go 740 Live will lead you to that destination. Cool, right?
One of my favorite features of the TomTom GPS is the TomTom Mapshare technology that allows you to instantly update your maps and share it with other TomTom users. Let’s say you are driving and a road is closed for construction. You can mark that road on your GPS, then when you get home, you upload the change on your computer and that way other TomTom users will see that the road is closed for construction making the maps more up-to-date with surrounding conditions!
The TomTom Go 740 Live is also Bluetooth enabled, this way if you have a Bluetooth enabled phone that meets the TomTom requirements, you can make and answer cell phone calls on your GPS! This is safer than just using your phone because it is less distracting than having to hold your phone to your ear. Plus, you can make calls to your GPS by saying who to call. If the GPS recognizes the name in your phone book, you never even have to dial the number!
Worried about the weather? Yep, you can find out about weather updates with your TomTom Go 740 Live! How convenient, especially when you are pondering a road trip to the beach or lake…
If you want some safety preferences, the TomTom Go 740 Live will warn you if you are driving by a school zone, over the speed limit, and it even suggests driving breaks!
Cons of the TomTom Go 740 Live
You have to pay for a lot of the “Live”. It is about $10 a month to get the traffic, weather, and other live updates. Boo. I do not like spending more for features and a lot of GPS models have this for free now. Also, the Live Traffic is not always updated quickly enough. If there is a sudden accident, you will probably not know about it in time, so you might still get stuck in traffic. Boo.
Pros of the TomTom Go 740 Live
It is inexpensive compared to other GPS models with Bluetooth connectivity and traffic alerts. The ability to know which gas stations nearby are cheapest nearby is also a huge plus. I also really like the Mapshare technology because I like having really up-to-date maps on my GPS.
Overall it is an inexpensive GPS with a lot of great features, but you have to pay around $120 a year to use some of the live features. What do you think? Leave a comment!
| TomTom Go 740 Live | |
| Physical & Performance | |
| Unit dimensions, WxHxD: | 5”x 3.4” x 0.9” |
| Display size: | 4.3″ |
| Display type: | WQVGA |
| Weight: | 7.9 oz |
| Battery: | lithium-polymer |
| Battery life: | up to 3 hours operation |
| Waterproof: | no |
| High-sensitivity receiver: | yes |
| Maps & Memory | |
| Basemap: | yes |
| Preloaded maps: | yes |
| Ability to add maps: | yes |
| Built-in memory: | 2GB internal flash memory |
| Accepts data cards: | microSD card slot;SD card not included |
| Features | |
| Voice prompts (e.g. “Turn right in 500 ft.”): | yes |
| Speaks street names (e.g. “Turn right on Rose Street in 500ft.”) : | yes |
| Speech recognition (navigate with voice commands): | yes |
| Lane assist (guides you to the proper lane for navigation): | yes |
| 3-D map view: | yes |
| 3-D building view (displays buildings in 3-D): | no |
| Auto sort multiple destinations (provides most direct route): | yes |
| Auto re-route (fast off-route and detour recalculation): | yes |
| Choice of route setup (faster time, shorter distance, off road): | yes |
| Route avoidance (avoid highways, tolls etc.): | yes |
| Custom POIs (ability to add additional points of interest): | yes |
| Hands-free calling with Bluetooth® wireless technology: | yes |
| Traffic compatible: | yes |
| TomTom Mapshare compatible: | yes |
| Help Me! (find closest hospitals, police & gas stations, nearest address & intersection) | no |
| Where Am I? (find closest hospitals, police & gas stations, nearest address & intersection): | no |
| Photo navigation (navigate to geotagged photos): | no |
| MP3 player: | no |
| Audio book player: | No |
| Document Viewer | no |
| Picture viewer: | yes |
| Touchscreen: | yes |
| Qwerty or ABC keyboard (choose keyboard layout): | yes |
| Remote control: | yes (optional) |
| Motorcycle-friendly: | No |
2 Trackback(s)