Tom tom start. It truly is excellent when you will need it. This is the next tom tom i have owned and i definitely like the product or service, substantially slimmer than the tom tom i had (go three hundred) it's so substantially simpler clearer screen looking through, it truly is a delight to use.
Superb stanav, dismal world wide web internet site. I bought mine in the united states whilst on holiday break. I activated it about there and it worked a desire. The difficulties commenced when i obtained again home. First: the box came with a promotion code for life span maps update.
To enter this code i had to down load mytomtom, install it on my computer system, start it up, logon to my account, click on on the 'promotion code' and. Acquired taken to a world wide web page which insisted i down load mytomtom all over again. What type of rubbish net site is this?. I searched google and uncovered loads of grievances from individuals who couldn't energetic their codes. Next: i want to get maps of western europe.
Pros
- Yeah, like it a lot
- Upgrade from Start
- TOM TOM Start 20 (Europe):- Brilliant
- New to GPS but thought it might be easier than this!
- Beware poor battery life.
- Glad I bought this
Cons
- Problems Start When You Try To Update
- Don't try to download maps from TomTom home page
- Pity new map update doesn't work
- Get a different model
- Waiting (forever) For a Valid GPS Signal.
- Avoid Tom Tom products - defective batteries cost £75 to fix
Negative Review of TomTom Start 20 Europe Satellite Navigation System
Tomtom start20. Tomtom start 20 uk-ireland satellite navigation systemi bought this item as my old sat nav was a navman s50 3d. My old unit's battery wouldn't hold a charge, and i managed to break the plug - and the map was definitely getting old. Looking through various write ups i decided on a tomtom and from the reviews decided on this start20. I really wish i hadn't bothered.
I should have just updated my maps and bought a new cable for the navman. Straight out of the box is the first problem. The instructions are rubbish. All this money and all i get is a pamphlet with a few pictures on it. So - put it in the car and switch on.
Features of TomTom Start 20 Europe Satellite Navigation System
- Richer maps - You get richer, more detailed maps
- Integrated mounting with flip screen - A convenient foldaway mount that's integrated with your device
- Advanced lane guidance - Helping to navigate complex junction views - providing peace of mind
- Pre-installed Speed Cameras
- Latest map guarantee
Improve From Start. I bought this (the british isles model) 2 months ago as an enhance from the start tomtom sat nav and i have been extensively pleased with it. The display is even bigger (4. 3') and, as a consequence, the touchpad is greater and as an alternative of unintentionally tapping the incorrect letters/ digits in, as i routinely did with the start, i now get my vacation spot postcode correct each individual time i system a new journey. I like the truth that the street names can be spoken aloud and that i can now have my sat nav connected to my dashboard and swivelled upside down, thanks to the flip display, fairly than sticking it to my windscreen, which is rather a extend forward from the driver's seat in my vehicle. In addition, the routes are, as the final reviewer mentioned, outstanding while my start took me on some somewhat odd routes (inspite of owning the most up-to-date maps), the start 20 would seem to be taking me on easier/ speedier routes up and down the motorway. Superior lane advice is also a pleasant contact for the motorways (while i would not have minded just marginally extra advance notice on which lane to be in). My only gripe is that the 'richer maps' usually are not that rich. I sometimes get a couple blobs of inexperienced (depicting fields, no question) subsequent to key roads/ motorways on my journeys, which usually are not as 'rich' (examine really!) as i would hoped. A slight niggle, while, and not a single deserving of the start 20 getting rid of a star in excess of. Overall, a terrific entry degree sat nav and i'm delighted with my order. .
Tom Tom Start 20 (europe):- Amazing. I bought one particular of these and it was faulty. Or at the very least, soon after likely on boards for several hours i could not get it to work. I returned it the identical working day to amazon and purchased a replacement. As common amazon have been excellent and my substitute was with me subsequent working day (purchased express shipping). This a single loaded up and worked immediately. I tried it out domestically for a day prior to heading off to italy two days later where by i employed a auto at milan airport. The tom tom was exceptional, finding me out of the airport and on the road to my location, lake maggiore without the need of difficulty. About 50 percent-way, the clutch began to melt away out on my hire vehicle so we entered the closest use enterprise location and tom tom took me by means of the back streets of varese to the seek the services of place and the automobile was replaced. For the future two weeks we drove all all around lombardia and up into switzerland and the tom tom was totally fantastic. Cannot praise it adequate. Simple to use, simple to realize the really english pronunciations of italian roadways and cities. And it saved me a hell of a good deal of trouble changing the vehicle. If you are thinking of getting a person. . Do it. .
New to Gps But Believed It May well Be Much easier Than This!. I have had my start 20 europe for two-and-a-fifty percent days and have spend most of that time possibly on the phone to tomtom or downloading info. In a nutshell, if you want it for a getaway or essential journey, purchase properly in progress, or update map afterwards!only study on if you want to listen to my whinging. The saga commenced right after i took my to start with (somewhat bizarre) trip - it was a great job i knew exactly where i was heading!- and i plugged the matter into the mytomtom programme, which i downloaded at the device's ask for, to get my free map up grade. It then informed me i had the most up-to-date map, when the tomtom web page explained a newer a single was offered. So i rang customer services, and was only on maintain for 10 minutes (!). The agent ultimately instructed me that there was a glitch and he manually additional the new map to my account. Three hours downloading later on, the personal computer said no, and the product said no. I tried once more three hrs later on, the very same thing, so i went to bed. Currently, i was instructed something about the device attempted to increase the map, somewhat than update. Could not truly realize what the male said but he certain me this wouldn't occur in the course of foreseeable future map upadates. But then the tomtom deleted it's map! gah!a few several hours later on, the third download was entire, then a different hour for it to reinstall into the equipment. All superior, besides now it would not see the satellites. Customer companies operates me as a result of a method, which left it with a black monitor for about an hour. A fourth contact to customer providers, finally helps make the thing operate once more. I have almost nothing to examine this way too, as it is my initial satnav, and i am hoping i will improve to enjoy it, but so far, i think, 'could do better'. The consumer products and services guys are really pleasant nevertheless, and really beneficial, and they obtained it likely. Right after all, they are not the ones who make the tomtom.
Product Info
- Product Dimensions: 2.5 x 11.9 x 8 cm ; 181 g
- Boxed-product Weight: 322 g
- Item model number: 20 - Europe
- ASIN: B004W1GQ92
Conclusion of TomTom Start 20 Europe Satellite Navigation System
a usb cable [which joins the unit itself to the charger]a paper quick start guidethis sat nav can sit on a dashboard beanbag [purchased separately] if you decide to go for this. Out of the box and into the car then, the sat nav found my home position quickly after powering it up. I bought the start 25 eu as a replacement for a 3 year old garmin 255w, which died on me soon after a map update. Was initially tempted by the xxl as the price of those have come down now tomtom has updated their range. However the xxl has only 2gb worth of memory and therefore any updates to the european maps will not fit (so one has to choose what part of europe one wants to install- not great if you want to go to italy e.
How the map looks, how many instructions you want to hear, even down to what sound, if any, for various types of speed camera's(garmin sound was either on or off)- an other little trick: when you go somewhere you can choose to be directed to a parking area near by. - plenty of 'points of interest' installed- perfect timing for turnings, not too early, not too late (my old garmin often just spoke a little too early - many times i choose the wrong turn when 2 were close by). - despite what you find on tomtom's website, this one needs the mytomtom software (not tomtom home) installed on your pc (follow instructions in the box). The reason is: the new generation of tomtoms are using the linux based file system instead of fat/fat32 as before. However, the latest according to tomtom's website is 8.
In other words: 'latest map guarantee' does not work. Also 'map share' funtion does not work and there is no facility to back up the device. - customer services has now passed me to a technical engineer, as they don't know why i cannot update the map. (maybe i do need that card??)- customer services don't seem to know the difference in software as i was advised by the first person to use 'tomtom home'. Com/getstarted website does not mention the start 20/25 as sat navs requiring this software.
One would expect different from tomtom, being the apple in sat nav land. However: overal i think it is a great sat nav, let down by the update software of mytomtom. However still no resolve re the map update. I have tried suggestions from tomtom forums like using a different pc with 32bit (instead of 64bit) of the windows os and different browsers, tried all the suggestions from the tomtom team, incl. Turning off the norton internet security suite temporarily whilst updating device, being 'hardwired' to internet and using the pc's rear usb connection.
From their end they got my map download to work, however it appears i was assigned the wrong map (error as it was done manually) and hence i was unable to install it. My tomtom account was then rebuild by them. And now i am back to square one, as mytomtom states once more there is no map update. However: tomtom finally admitted that unit might be faulty and i was able to get device replaced. Halfords will only do this once tomtom gives them an authorisation code, without it one cannot change the device nor get a refund.
The new start 25 has exactly the same problems: i can update the navigator software, but not the maps. Five weeks in and now on my third device (silly maybe, but i really like this sat nav - so have been persistent). This time mytomtom offered the map, downloaded fine, but again installation failed. Apparently appears that the device thinks it is out of memory (which it is not), so no space for the new map. Finally someone at tomtom took 'drastic' action and with a small download wiped the old map of the sat nav.
New map downloaded in around 25 min (20mb cable connection) and installed on the device in around 30 minutes. Update 4 (final): have now also been able to download the august 2011 map update(version 8. Looks like tomtom finally got this sorted (and that is the same thought of people placing messages on the tomtom forums). I bought this (the uk version) 2 weeks ago as an upgrade from the start tomtom sat nav and i've been thoroughly pleased with it. In addition, the routes are, as the last reviewer stated, excellent; whereas my start took me on some slightly odd routes (despite having the most up-to-date maps), the start 20 seems to be taking me on easier/ faster routes up and down the motorway.
Or at least, after going on forums for hours i couldn't get it to work. The tom tom was superb, getting me out of the airport and on the road to my destination, lake maggiore without problem. About half-way, the clutch started to burn out on my hire car so we entered the nearest hire company destination and tom tom took me through the back streets of varese to the hire place and the car was replaced. I have had my start 20 europe for two-and-a-half days and have spend most of that time either on the phone to tomtom or downloading data. In a nutshell, if you want it for a holiday or important trip, buy well in advance, or update map afterwardsonly read on if you want to hear my whinging.
The saga began after i took my first (slightly weird) trip - it was a good job i knew where i was going- and i plugged the thing into the mytomtom programme, which i downloaded at the device's request, to get my free map upgrade. It then informed me i had the latest map, while the tomtom website said a newer one was available. The agent eventually told me that there was a glitch and he manually added the new map to my account. Three hours downloading later, the computer said no, and the device said no. Today, i was told something about the device tried to add the map, rather than update.
But then the tomtom deleted it's map. After all, they are not the ones who make the tomtom. Great product, i killed it after connecting to pc, contacted amazon instant dispatch of replacerment item. Buy with confidence that you will be looked after buy amazon and tom tom if there is any problem. The tom tom start 20 is very good and works well, neat and compact easey to carry or hid. Tomtom start 20 europethe good:- thin and light- clear instructions, really helpful spoken street names and motorway exit junctions- picked satellite signal quick enough, sometimes it picks it up even from my room when is connected to the computer- it has the ability to take memory cards (haven't tested it yet) - but for those who can't find it - it's a micro sd card that you will need and the hole is near the serial number where you connect the power cable- the time adjusts automatically but expect a restart after that (not good if you are in traffic in an complex roundabout or junction)- for those who are complaining about the safety camera warning being too late - you can adjust that (in seconds) - how many seconds before the camera you want to be warned- auto rotation - just like a smart phone the whole screen can automatically rotate accordingly.
]
Somewhere In the Middle. Tomtom start 20 europethe good:- thin and light- clear instructions, really helpful spoken street names and motorway exit junctions- picked satellite signal quick enough, sometimes it picks it up even from my room when is connected to the computer- it has the ability to take memory cards (haven't tested it yet) - but for those who can't find it - it's a micro sd card that you will need and the hole is near the serial number where you connect the power cable- the time adjusts automatically but expect a restart after that (not good if you are in traffic in an complex roundabout or junction)- for those who are complaining about the safety camera warning being too late - you can adjust that (in seconds) - how many seconds before the camera you want to be warned- auto rotation - just like a smart phone the whole screen can automatically rotate accordingly. The not so good:- the mount attached to the device is not such a good idea as sometimes is quite fiddly to put on the windscreen without touching the glass and leave marks that are difficult to clean after- the instructions: really small written instructions, would definitely need a computer as the first thing they advise you to do is go on their website for more instructions and manual- downloaded the manual but couldn't find any information on how to find out whether the battery is fully charged. (the battery does charge when connected to the computer)- no technical information at all (cpu, ram, memory, battery. . ) i can confirm that the start 20 eu has 4 gb internal memory and after update approximately 0. 26 gb will be free updating. It seems that other users had problems updating the device with the latest maps and firmware. Tomtom seems to have solved this problem. - you need to download mytomtom (free from the website) which is extremely limited compared to the previous software. I also have to mention that i had bought the start20 on 20th september 2011. -after i logged on (i had an account already) the device was quickly recognized by the computer and updates available came on the computer's screen. -the download of the whole map can take quite long because it has more than 3 gigabytes (for those with slow broadband - be patient). - there was no option to backup the data in case of download problems, power cuts or a update fail. - after the download completed it took about two hours for the new data to be installed - before that (the update) i took a picture (with my phone) of the screen where it shows the firmware version and the map version to compare it with the one after the update. - i can confirm that the update went like a charm with no problem from the first time. I did looked at the firmware version and the map version and indeed they were up to date (and different from the previous). The worst- i had other satnav devices in the past 4 years and among those another tomtom and i thought it would be appropriate to take it for a test in some areas that i know very well. The maps where the same as in my old start xl (4 years old) in some areas so i don't know what updates had been made since then. - i set it to take me to the hillingdon hospital in uxbridge (knowing that the old tomtom map had a fault in a specific place where it told me to turn left and keep left and then as soon as i was on the left lane it would tell me to turn right - which is impossible on that specific area because you are on the wrong lane and are forced to go straight) and guess what. The same problem with the new one- poi s. I set it up to take me the nearest tesco express and i chose the one in slough; everything was fine until i got near the supermarket when it told me to make a u turn in a place where turning is forbidden and it took me back, somewhere behind the supermarket on a cul-de-sac street with no way to get access to the store (not even on foot unless i could jump over a brick wall). I thought to give it another try so i choose asda superstore in slough and guess what. . The same thing, just before the supermarket, it told me to go right and i ended up again somewhere on a blocked road not far from the supermarketi think it took me to the post code in both situations. - i have also tested it on the motorway from london to luton ant back. I almost changed my mind (about how good tomtom is) when suddenly the arrow (car) on the screen started shifting and jumping from one street to another near the motorway - giving me wrong instructions to make u turns in order to get back on the motorway. The old device never did so. - delay. Sometimes there is a delay on the screen - for example: i am on a bridge, but only after i cross the bridge the device will actually show that i am on it. Only after i make the turn the device will show it and so on. This can sometimes lead to wrong (too late) instructions- not customizable at all, despite the fact that they say you can add pictures, voices and other stuff (as with the previous software - tomtom home), my tomtom doesn't support that or at least not yet, hopefully they will fix it in the near future. The manage content option doesn't give you any option at all (at the moment). Conclusioni have bought this as a backup in case my phone's satnav stops working. I thought about taking it back for a refund but after a day of research i realized that all the devices (not only tomtom) are having pros and cons and i have decided to keep this one despite the drawbacks. I think that the integration of satnav in to smartphones is going to take over and the map updates are free (some of them are really up to date and very accurate). On the other side i kind of understand the strategy of the quarterly updates - get more money on a constant basis. There is no genuine interest to have one real update once a year, (the streets don't really change that often apart for when new streets are added on the map) and there is no rush at all to have a perfect map. Guess why. Will answer questions and update review (if needed).
Glad I Bought This. I was worried before i bought this sat nav firstly because i thought it might be hard to figure out exactly how to operate it ( new models of things are often better than older versions but are often over-complicated & hard to use )& secondly that it wouldn't be as detailed & helpful as they said it would be. It is pretty easy to operate & the detail is really good. I'm glad i bought this. .
No comments:
Post a Comment