Right then, it is finally the weekend. Sorry for slight lack of feedback. 13 hour shifts plus commute.
What was your initial impression of the TomTom GO 500?
It have never had another satnav to compare it to. Design seems fine, bit big if you are not supposed to be keeping it in the car and need to slip it into your bag but not huge. Screen is really clear, graphics are good. I need to sdjust the automatic switching from night to day colours though as I almost had a heart attack when it suddenly flared up into daytime brightness while I was driving!
Like others I was disappointed that there was no case or at least a soft pouch to put it in. The lack of plug for charging is a bit daft too really given that when battery is dead it takes so long to charge. Mine is currently in my glove box completely depleted as I don't like having it plugged in while I'm driving because where my socket is it means I snag the wire when changing gear. So how am I supposed to charge it?
- How easy did you find it to set up your TomTom?
To just get driving it is fairly easy. A bit more in the way of instruction would be great though. There was a link on the original thread at some point to the instruction book in PDF so I've saved that. Where else is the link to that though? I don't have time to be searching around the TomTom website to find out how to use it, I was device and instruction booklet that I can keep in the glove box for if I need it.
Getting it linked to the computer was more problematic as mine did not install properly first time so even though I correctly downloaded the mydrive thingy it didn't link up. The FAQs on the subject didn't seem to cover the problem that I could find so I had to contact customer services who to be fair sent a comprehensive reply and instructions on uninstalling and reinstalling the drivers which worked but of course I had to wait a couple of days for the response. My parents have a satnav and even with the instructions I was given I doubt they would have been able to manage it. I don't think they would have been able to manage it even with a fully functioning installation system and my mother is in the 50-60 bracket and uses computers/internet fairly well.
I can't get the voice recognition to work. If I select it from the menu then it works in that I can tell it to display places and select one or I can say "drive home" but once it is driving somewhere then it stops listening to me again so I can't do anything else. I can't just hop in the car and use "Hello TomTom" and tell it where to go. Doesn't work. If anyone can help me out with that then that would be great. I don't turn it off, just sleep mode and all that gubbins.
I think the menu set up is a bit poor, surely "my places" should be among the buttons on the first screen? It seems a fairly labourious process to choose your destination be it by searching or selecting off a list of saved places or routes.
- What journeys have you made so far with your TomTom?
I have been on a trip to a study day in an unknown location. TomTom was a lifesaver as I got there to discover I had been given the wrong location and I would never have got from unknown location 1 to unknown location 2 by myself. As it was I got there easily and I wasn't even late!
I've been on my usual commute to placement too though if I'm honest I didn't bother with TomTom yesterday. I was not driving at peak times and it just got annoying someone telling me which way to go on a route I drive all the time and know well. I will however use it for the same commute next week when I have a couple of days doing short shifts and travelling at rush hour to see what the traffic function makes of it.
I am at times dubious about alternative routes. I have been taken on very, very minor roads. it there a way of comparing routes or seeing what other routes are available and choosing one to use? Given that the arrival time is constantly updated it is difficult to tell if I would have got somewhere faster by using more main roads than the little roads. Coming home the other day from usual commute I was told to go on a loop round the back of town. That is a good route in teh day with heavy traffic through town and was the route of choice when there were night time road closures a couple of weeks ago but at 9pm mid week is categorically not the fastest way. It is longer, it has more traffic lights, it has various zebra crossings at which you have to stop to let hoards of students cross the road and I know for fact it is slower 99% of the time. Dh and I have often left the same location to drive home in different cars and taken different routes. I always go the main route and I always win.
I am growing used to serena and her annoying way of saying road numbers. I tried other voices out but they don't use the road names/numbers so are more difficult to follow.
At the moment I'm not convinced as an every day gadget but am very pleased with it for going to unknown places. Time will tell once I've tried it out at peak times.