Physically, the GO 740 looks quite similar to previous TomTom GPS units - and that's a good thing. TomTom's hardware is consistently among the most elegant and refined looking GPS devices on the market, and the 740 is no exception. Standing in stark contrast to the large, bulky (and now discontinued) Dash Express Internet-connected GPS, the GO 740's internal GPRS cellular modem adds virtually no visible size or weight. Measuring just under an inch thick, the GO 740's 4.3-inch WQVGA color touchscreen display is framed by an attractive looking curved black frame that rests nicely in the palm of your hand.

The GO 740's new, active-powered windshield mount is one of the best I've ever tested. An innovative new design features a bezel ring at the base of the mount. Rotating the ring about a half a turn until it clicks into the locked position secures the mount to the windshield, providing a stable, vibration-free mount that's both easy to use and convenient. The 12v vehicle power adapter connects directly to the windshield mount rather than the GPS, which means you don't have to fumble with any cables when docking or undocking the GPS from the car. Just click the 740 into the mount and you're ready to navigate.

What really sets the GO 740 apart from other TomTom GPS is the addition of LIVE Services. A built-in GPRS receiver lets the GO 740 automatically download traffic data, fuel prices, weather, find nearby TomTom Buddies, and search for places using Google.

LIVE services generally worked well during testing, and I especially liked how quickly traffic data downloaded onto the GPS. Most traffic-enabled GPS devices can take up to 20 minutes to download traffic alerts. Thanks to the GO 740's internal wireless connectivity, traffic information is available within just a few seconds of powering on the device (provided you are in an area of cellular coverage).

When driving to a destination, if the GO 740 receives a traffic alert that will delay your planned route, the GPS can automatically calculate a new route and avoid the problem area.

Another handy LIVE Service is the ability to view local fuel pricing information, and find the least expensive gas in my area. Over the course of a year, this feature alone can add up to considerable savings.

Perhaps the most powerful LIVE feature is the "TomTom Local Search", powered by Google. Being able to perform Google look-ups directly from the GPS essentially provides access to a virtually unlimited POI database. You can search Google for businesses by name, or use more generic search terms like "supermarket", or "Chinese Food."

Integrating Google search with the GPS provides almost endless potential, yet the GO 740's feature set feels incomplete, and at times frustrating. Google searches were sometimes very slow to complete, or timed out altogether, even when driving in areas with strong cellular reception. Also, The GO 740's Google search feature lacks the extremely handy "Did you mean..." feature found on the web and smartphone versions of Google search.

If you misspell or mistype a restaurant name, for example, Google will often ask "Did you mean", and then suggest a close match. Not on the GO 740, however. And that means you need to know the exact name (and spell it correctly). While testing the 740 in New York City, for example, I tried to use TomTom's Google search to find a specific restaurant, but kept getting "no results". I quickly fired up the Google app on my Blackberry, which instantly figured out the correct spelling, and displayed the restaurant's address on the map.

How much value TomTom's LIVE services offer will vary from one driver to another, depending on your own driving habits and particular needs, but I found myself struggling to justify the $10 monthly subscription fee. Granted, having everything integrated nicely into the GPS and not needing any additional antennas or cell phones to download data is nice, but given that most GPS companies now offer GPS models that include free lifetime traffic, and that most drivers could probably perform Google lookups using the cell phone they already own, some drivers may question the value of paying the ongoing $10 monthly service charges required for LIVE Services.

If the GO 740's target customer is the frequent business traveler, then TomTom needs to add connected services that are more targeted at those users, such as flight alerts and notifications, mileage logging, flight schedules for major airlines, itinerary synchronization & sharing, city guides, news, online hotel reservations, etc. As intriguing as the 740's LIVE services are, it feels like TomTom has only scratched the surface of a connected GPS device's full potential. Why not also include a web browser? I also wondered why I had to install TomTom's HOME software, and connect the GPS to my computer in order to download map updates and firmware fixes. Why not deliver those updates wirelessly to the device?

LIVE Services aside, TomTom's GO 740 shares the same basic navigation experience as other non-connected TomTom devices, and, among other features, includes IQ Routes, Voice Recognition, Map Share, Maps of the US & Canada, Advanced Lane Guidance, Bluetooth for hands-free calling, and text-to-speech.

One of the most significant enhancements TomTom has delivered over the past year is improved routing intelligence via IQ Routes. IQ Routes is a powerful feature that applies local human logic to find the best possible route to a destination. TomTom anonymously collects information from other TomTom GPS drivers, and combines that data with historical traffic pattern data to form a complex algorithm that helps the GO 740 make smarter decisions when figuring out the best way to get to a destination. IQ Routes lets the GO 740 make routing decisions based on the time of day, and day of the week. That means the GO 740 might choose one route on a weekend, and a different route during rush hour on a weekday. In my testing, IQ Routes significantly improved the routing decisions the GO 740 made. Compared to non IQ Routes-enabled TomTom devices, the GO 740 exhibited greater intelligence when calculating the route to a destination, and generally matched or exceeded the routing logic of similarly priced Magellan or Garmin GPS devices (though the Magellan offers more routing flexibility and customization options).

The GO 740 is Bluetooth enabled, and can be paired with a compatible Bluetooth equipped mobile phone for hands-free calling. Speakerphone quality was above average, and callers said voice quality was acceptable for a speakerphone (i.e. they could tell it was a speakerphone, but they could understand me). The built-in speaker was loud enough to hear callers, and provided crisp, clear sound. However, the GO 740 was unable to properly copy the phonebook from either a blackberry 8800 or 9000 Bold. In both cases, the GO 740 said it had successfully copied the mobile phone's address book, yet only the phone numbers had actually transferred. Browsing the phone book on the GO 740 just displayed a long list of phone numbers with no names attached. When placing or receiving a phone call, the GO 740 automatically suppresses the verbal driving instructions for the duration of the call, and instead sounds a short beep tone at each turn.

When approaching major highway exits, the GO 740 displays Advanced Lane Guidance -- a realistic 3D view of the intersection, and highlights the lane you should be driving in. After making the turn, the map screen automatically returns to the standard scrolling map view. Advanced Lane Guidance does indeed make it easier to navigate complex highway maneuvers. Though it's not yet available for all highway intersections, 3D Lane Guidance images appeared more frequently on the GO 740 than on the Magellan RoadMate 1470 or Garmin nuvi 765T, and coverage is improving with each new map update

Map layout and design is more a matter of personal preference than definitive "good" or "bad" judgments, though I found TomTom's map at times hard to read, and the text cluttered. Compared to the map layouts of Garmin, TomTom, or Navigon, TomTom's cartoonish map screen is need of a design update. I also wondered why the GPS never announced what side of the road my destination was on.

My confidence in the GO 740 was somewhat shaken when the GPS spontaneously re-booted itself while en route to a destination -- once during a crucial highway interchange. Disabling Bluetooth seemed to prevent the issue from recurring, but that's cold comfort.

Like other TomTom devices, the GO 740 allows you to customize nearly every aspect of the GPS. Of course, you can leave everything set to the default values and the 740 will function just fine. But if you're so inclined, virtually every setting can be adjusted to suit your own personal preferences.

Though the TomTom GO 740 provides more features and configurable options than most GPS units, it does so at the expense of simplicity and ease of use. Depending on your own technical comfort level, some users may find the GO 740's seemingly endless maze of menus and options overwhelming. If ease of use is your primary concern, or this is your first GPS, you may want to look elsewhere. If you love gadgets and don't mind reading the instructions, than you'll conquer all that the GO 740 has to offer in no time at all.

TomTom's GO 740 LIVE sells online for about $350, and includes 3 months of LIVE service for free, after which you'll have to pay $9.95 per month to continue using the LIVE services.