What's the MSRP? What did you pay? Where did you buy it?

You need an Editor's Choice logo. I bet your Art Director could help out with that.

Excellent idea! I've added the Editor's Choice logo to both the review and the buyers guide.
MSRP is Manufacturers Suggested Retail Price

You need to add for bad:

No phone PDA support ever.

I bought a 910 and tried to connect my HP 6515 phone to it, and it saw the phone, but refused to use the wireless or make calls with handsfree. After talking to support, they said since they sell the Tomtom PDA software which works on the PDA phones, they never will have the 910 or the 510 or any of the handhelds supporting any PDA phones. Had I know this, I never would've bought it.

I found it at Best Buy before any other store in my city in the US. Come to find out (as the review states), there is a reason why it isn't widely available yet. I am already experiencing issues with the mount. Otherwise, it is so far a great product.

Just curious, WAAS doesn't seem to be integrated into the TomTom GO 910 also with SiRF Star 3, like the new Garmin units. Is this a problem? Would it make it better? Also, once TomTom OFFICIALY launches the TomTom GO 910 and more widespread availability, will it have better improvements than what it currently has, firmware, hardware, and map updates, among other things?

Last thing, I am looking at Garmin's StreetPilot c550, and that looks nice and all, even has ready to go traffic updates with 3 month free subscription. The nüvi 360 also looks great, but TomTom just looks so good. Garmin is more up to date it looks like in the mapping area than TomTom. I can't make my mind up, HELP?

You’re correct, WAAS is not integrated into the TomTom GO 910. WAAS supposedly increases accuracy in WAAS enabled areas, although in my testing WAAS didn’t really appreciably improve performance, and did nothing to improve reception (getting a GPS signal). The SiRF III chipset, on the other hand, is a MAJOR improvement over the previous 12-channel parallel receivers, and will get a strong signal even indoors.

As for TomTom smoothing out the issues before officially launching the 910, it’s anyone’s guess. I take it as a good omen that they have already released a firmware update. But that good feeling is offset somewhat by the fact that they released a product with known issues.

As for the Garmin StreetPilot c550, we’re keeping a close eye on this one too. The c550 looks very promising, and has the potential to upstage the 910 as the GPS Magazine Editor’s Choice GPS. Unfortunately, the product isn’t released yet, so we can’t test it just yet. I contacted Garmin and they said they don’t even have any units available for testing yet. So it looks like we’ll have to wait a bit longer before comparing the c550 to the 910.

One thing is certain – all this competition is great for consumers. GPS devices are improving and getting significantly less expensive.

You may also want to look at the Magellan Roadmate 3000 series. It has a great interface (very easy to use), uses the SiRF III chipset, and is around $200 less expensive than the TomTom GO 910. Although the Magellan 3000 does not include Bluetooth or traffic data. The 3050T, and Roadmate 6000T will be released this summer and will include those features.

If you don’t need to buy a GPS today, I’d wait and see how the Garmin c550 stacks up. Just my $.02.

Great, thank you! Yeah, the Garmin StreetPilot c550 is looking very nice. It is sold I believe for the same price as the TomTom GO 910 ($799.99 USD), and lacks some features the TomTom has but makes up in performance. Plus, I believe the Garmin StreetPilot c550 costs the same to the TomTom GO 910 because the next generation traffic receiver is included, whereas it is not in the other c500 units and is optional which makes the others cost around $600.

Every major retail place I have been to and asked if Garmin is better than TomTom has been an overwhelming response to "Yes!". Now, I may hint at some favoritism in those replies because Garmin has been around for a while and more people are used to the units, and I don't think the employees have completely in thier own personal experience tried the TomTom GO 910 through and through. But still, all of them still preferred Garmin. They did say one thing about TomTom GO 910, it is mostly for "fun" while not supporting some of it's very own features in the USA (at least not right now).

I've had the 910 for a few weeks and I love it! I tried a nuvi a while back and I think this is a much better product. I use the POI database quite a bit and have never had any issues with it being out of date. Perhaps it's just my area. Text to speech is super cool and works great. I've also not had any issues with the mount. If you ask me, you can't go wrong with the TomTom.

Just a question since I personally don't own a TomTom GO 910, but have tried it indoors (miserable indoors!) at major retail stores. The TomTom GO 910 has a SiRF Star 3 GPS receiver, now, it also has a software program called "Quick GPS fix". Wouldn't "Quick GPS fix" actually be the WAAS the unit itself doesn't actually have that Garmin GPS units have? So basically, it does have WAAS, but is only by 24 hour temporary software enabling the unit to work better at satellite acqusation like a Garmin but only it isn't built in?

Yes and no – WAAS consists of around 25 ground stations across North America that monitor GPS satellite data. These stations broadcast a GPS correction signal, theoretically improving GPS accuracy. WAAS only functions (currently) in North America. For some users in the U.S., the position of the satellites over the equator makes it difficult to receive the signals when trees or mountains obstruct the view of the horizon. WAAS signal reception is ideal for open land and marine applications.

TomTom’s GPS QuickFix technology is something slightly different: If you’ve ever turned on your GPS after not using it for a few days, you’ll notice that it takes considerably longer to get a signal than if you had used it an hour prior. That’s because the GPS knows how long it’s been since it last had satellite signal, and if it’s been long enough that the satellite positions have moved, it needs to acquire a new signal for each of the satellites it tracks (up to 20, in the case of the TomTom GO 910). Turn on the GPS again an hour later, and it “remembers” where all the satellites were, and can assume they haven’t moved much – thus signal acquisition is much faster.

QuickFix allows you to cradle the TomTom in it’s dock, and using the internet download the current satellite positions. Then, when you take the unit out to the car, signal acquisition will be much faster.

Hope that helps.
--Fletch

Just to let readers know, I briefly tried out the Garmin StreetPilot c550 that finally became available at Circuit City - GET IT!!! Seriously, in all due respect, the TomTom was looking good but I am now swayed to Garmin (unless TomTom GO 910 is fixed in a BIG way, as well as their not so good customer service I tried myself). It doesn't have a remote or a cradle or a hard drive or a 4 inch screen, but that doesn't matter, functionally and destination matters. It still has many features the TomTom GO 910 has. It also worked indoors wheras the TomTom GO 910 did not.

Garmin hit it off with one awesome product. Plus, the Garmin StreetPilot c550 has a traffic receiver built into the cigarette lighter that is included and comes with a FREE 3 month traffic subscription. TomTom GO 910 doesn't even offer the function yet here in the states. Shame on TomTom. Garmin, once again, hits a homerun!

Can you enter street address destinations with Tomtom by STREET first, or must you enter CITY first? Most other GPS systems seem to let you enter it either way, but I cannot figure out if it can be done on a Tomtom.

To change this setting on the TomTom GO 910, first, make sure you have set the unit to “Show All Menu Options”. Then, tap on the screen to bring up the main menu -> Change preferences -> Name Preferences -> check the box next to “Show house number before street name”
--Fletch

After comparing the Tomtoms, Garmins and Magellans (as much as I can at store displays), all three have shortcomings, but the deal-breaker for me for the Tomtom is that you can't enter an address by giving the street name without first entering the city. Then if you pick the wrong city (address may be in an adjacent town), you have to go back and get the city right before it will accept your address. Correct me if I'm wrong. Otherwise I like the feature set, the graphics and the customizable features of the Tomtom.

Another real annoyance with the TomTom GO 910 is that by default there is no way to clear a route. You have to turn on all menu options first, but even then it's burried 2 screens deep. Very annoying...

You mention the Garmin StreetPilot 550c as being a better choice. What about the Garwin StreetPilot 2820 which I thought had more of the same features as the TomTom Go 910? What do you think, is my statement flawed?

Thanks

Ben - The big problem with the Garmin 2820 is that it doesn't use the next generation SiRF chipset. The 2820 still uses the old 12-channel GPS receiver. The newest SiRF chips have a 20-channel receiver, and are MUCH more sensitive. SiRF III based GPS devices work well in the city, and behind tall buildings. Really there is no reason to buy any GPS now that doesn't use SiRF Star III's chipset. I don't know why Garmin made the 2820, but the TomTom GO 910 or the Garmin StreetPilot c550 are better options. Hope that helps.
--Fletch

Thanks Fletch, that helps.

Bought the 910 but will not take it out of the box after reading the reviews detailing problems with the mount, etc. Plan on returning it to Radio Shack for a refund. How abaout the 300 or 350 models? Or maybe wait until TomTom fixes the problems with the 910 and purchase then. How long will it take? What do you think?
Thanks.

Calvin - Well, the TomTom GO 910 is a great GPS, but given the mounting hardware issues and poor support, I feel more comfortable recommending the Garmin StreetPilot c550 instead. Could be a while before all the kinks are worked out of the TomTom 910...
--Fletch

I am a realtor and trying to decide between the TomTom 910 and the Garmin c550. Can either of these map multiple destination consecutively? So I can go from location to the next without entering each new locaiton?

Hello Steve,
The Garmin c550 allows you to enter 2 addresses, but not more. The TomTom 910 allows you to enter multi-destination routing, as does the Magellan RoadMate 3000T. You could just save multiple addresses, but I assume you want the unit to calculate the most efficient order of houses to visit, not just have the convenience of not entering the address each time - yes? You might also look at Microsoft's MapPoint software. It does an excellent job of creating a multi-destination trip, calculating which places to see in which order so you aren't driving in circles all day.
--Fletch

If, while sipping on your favorite refreshment, you glance thru the "installation poster" and the "quick start guide" then you find yourself unable to operate the tomtom 910 or worst yet you get lost using the tomtom 910...then your picture should be on a bottle of peroxide !! This thing is almost idoit proof!!

Well, I'm sure TomTom appreciates your comments, but I would argue some aspects of the TomTom GO 910 are not so intuitive. For example, without enabling "show all options", there's no way to cancel a route.
--Fletch

Fletch-
I had a TT 700 programmed in German that took 3 days fr TT Support to get back tome w. instructions. Many issues--oftn taking me a longer way on local routes; freezing up; refusing to recalculate when I resisted routing; almost no Bluetooth compatibiity w. Verizon phones, and no traffic rpt access w/o BT access. Ws thinkng the TT 910 solved all or most of htese problems, but yr notes make me hesitant.

I like the larger screen on the Cobra, but havn't heard anything about its ease of use, accuracy or features. Evry1 loves Garmin, but that cld be familiarity. Ws thinking about Nuvi, but it sounds like c550 might be btr. Do u reccommend any other Garmin or Magellan models? Are

TomTom’s support is infamously horrendous. That craptastic support and the poor mounting hardware are enough to give a reasonable person pause when buying a TomTom. If I were you, I’d take a look at the Garmin c550 – everything just works better than the TT.

BTW – what’s up with the excessive appreviations?

Hi -- I'm and American living in EU. Should I assume the tomtom 910 is the best game in town if you want built in US and Europe? Regards -- Chris

Chris -
Yes, for your situation I would suggest the TomTom GO 910. TeleAtlas maps are good for Europe, and acceptable for the U.S. and the 910 is a very good nav unit (suction mount issues notwithstanding).
--Fletch

I completely agree. I just purchased this unit, and the mount completely sucks. Mine broke within the first week, and customer no-support said they would call me back when a replacement was available. I told them to send me a RMA and I'll send it back, never mind the mount. They said they couldn't do that, but I could send it back in and the mount could be...get this... repaired!! LOL oh brother.

Thanks Fletch for the info. I ended up getting a new unit without box from someone a seller on Ebay for $600. The unit works well and apeears to have the newer mount. I will be using it for a trip across Europe with my parents and being able to download iteneraries into the unit is a great feature.

Forgot to ask. Does anyone know when the TMC receiver will be available?

Any latest word on whether TomTom has worked the kinks out of the 910 yet (mounting system, system failures, etc..)? I wanted to get the 910 b/c of the bonus of having installed European maps for traveling, iPod connectivity and the wide-screen format. But I've read so much on the Net about its flaws and the support problems that I am resigned to go Garmin by Christmas unless I hear better things.

On Garmin- what do people recommend between the 550c vs. the Nuvi 360?

Thanks all.

Jeff - Some of the issues on the TT 910 have been worked out through firmware updates, and the mount has been slightly improved. If you're going to use the unit heavily in Europe, than I suppose the 910 is worth it. If you're mostly using it in North America, I'd go with the Garmin c550.

Hope that helps,
--Fletch

Everybody is talking about the bad, and then later, improved suction mount for the TT910. I don't own a TT910 yet but wonder if it's not possible to mount it in any other ways not using the suction mount? I don't like the idea of mounting the navigator in my windscreen.

BTW has anybody tested the contact list function with a phone using Windows Mobile 5? I own a Qtek S200 and I know that there is problems with other handsfrees (SonyEricsson HCB700).

BR Larre

Does anyone have recommendations / comments about the Garmin nuvi 660 vs the Streetpilot c550?

The Nuvi 660 is around $250 more than the c550, but adds an FM transmitter, travel guides, wide-screen, and nicer/smaller design. I'm hoping to do a review of the Nuvi 660 sometime soon...
--Fletch

Ho can I "turn off the scrolling map view and instead have the 910 only display the next turn"? It says in the review you can do it, but how?
Cheers, Lukasz

Can You tell me which is the better choice GPS to buy Nuvi 660 or TT910. Have they improved the windshield mount? let me know thanks.

Whats a better choice TT910 orNuvi660

Lukasz, Ealan -
No contest: the Garmin nuvi 660 is a much better unit.

--Fletch

I am looking to buy a GPS for my motorhome and also to use in my car. Actually received a Magellan Roadmate 6000T as present but can return it if I want to for another. I noticed in your review the nuvi660 had route choices for cars, busses, (motorhomes) and trucks which would be good to use in our motorhome . Does other brands and models have this feature? Didn't see any others with this feature in your reviews. Also my thinking is having a GPS mounted on the motorhome windshield would put it farther away from driver and passenger and impossible to reach without moving from your seat. So do you think a remote control such as on the TT GO 910 would be capable enough for any operational changes needed while driving such as route changes, etc? You didn't mention this in your review of the 910. Also if remote control is useful do any other makes or models have this feature?

Are there units other than the TT910 that come preloaded with both North America AND Europe maps?

Is the TT910 mount still a problem?

I would like to purchase a tt 910 but have my doubts using their updated maps- which so i read are in some cases very unaccurate to required distances and some addresses are missing ompletely. what would be your advice?
ewald

ewald - I'd recommend the Garmin nuvi or the Magellan RoadMate over the TomTom, mostly just because Garmin and Magellan use NAVTEQ maps, which are much more accurate than Tele Atlas (which TomTom uses). If you need European maps, I'd get the Garmin nuvi 670. Hope that helps.
--Fletch

ewald - I'd recommend the Garmin nuvi or the Magellan RoadMate over the TomTom, mostly just because Garmin and Magellan use NAVTEQ maps, which are much more accurate than Tele Atlas (which TomTom uses). If you need European maps, I'd get the Garmin nuvi 670. Hope that helps.
--Fletch

Can you get the 910 with a decent mount yet?

My friend just bought a tomtom 910 for 200.

I've wanted a solid GPS for years now... I always thought the Blue tooth no screen GPS would be great for me since I always have had PDA phones. I tested many... then I tested Garmin, Magellen, and yes the TT first the 510 then the 910. I have found the perfect unit in the TT go910 it works great! For the few advanced features it lacks folks like myself have come up with addons... I think it is stable, fast, and user friendly. As far as the mount scare goes there is a fix for that as well. I can't begin to believe buyers would shy away from this unit for a little mount problem. It is not that bad. For the RVer go get one man it works great in mine. I have also had to call tech support when I first got it... the tech support lady turned my anger around. She was able to help me with everything I threw at her. She even went so far as to helping me get the upgraded maps and order the new mount. So far the only complaint I have is that there are not any hacks for the thing. I like the linux platform due to the fact it is opensource.

For what it is worth, I have been using a 910 in Europe (Denmark) for months now and have had very few complaints.

Maps seem accurate - with clear, easy instructions. I have had no problems with the mount - attaches easily and stays in place. Menu system is easy enough. Given the price difference between this unit and the Nuvi, I think it is easily recommended.

Here is a little warning. Bought a 910 March 8th 2007, and today
April 19th 2007 the plastic connector to the base snapped off
sending the 910 tumbling.

I called TomTom for help and warranty replacement...... forget
it! I was told the base is warranted for only 3 weeks! I would
have to purchase a new one.

Not even an offer at wholesale price, refurbished price (It's
only the cup's link to the base that snapped - replacing the
flexible p/n >TPU+PC customer goodwill replacement.

Moral of the story.... BUYER BEWARE! It's becoming apparent that
the 910/510 series mount is TERRIBLE! And the warrantee useless.

I was wondering witch GPS unit would work best for my wife. She does not leave town with out me and she will be traveling to Kansas City, KS. A couple times with out me this summer and is afraid she will get lost. I was looking at the TT 910 but have read some bad things about it if you could help me out with this. It would be great Thanks Tim Watts

Hi Tim - For a good first GPS for your wife, I highly recommend the Garmin StreetPilot c550. If you don't care about text-to-speech, Bluetooth, or Traffic, then the Garmin nuvi 250 is also an excellent, very easy to use GPS.

Anyone tried the 910 with the updated 12/06 maps? Any better?

Some are saying the Maps in the Garmin are better than Tom Tom.

Regardless of the type of Maps used by TT 910 and Nuvi 660, which one is functionally better?

Fletch, you commented in your review:

"For example, selecting US English as the language should automatically also select Miles."

Unless one lives in Canada. They use the metric system there, you know.

GOT TOM TOM 910 OUT OF BOX AND BACKED UP SOFTWARE AS ADVICED AND TOM TOM DOES NOT WORK ANYMORE.IT WANT SWITHOFF UNTIL YOU PRESS REBOOT AND EVENTHEN IT WANT GO BEYOND SHOWING THE PICTURE OF TOMTOM

Sounds like you might have moved, rather than copied, the files off the TomTom. Can you copy the backup files you made back onto it and press the reset pin on the TomTom? Should work.

Since I bought TT 910 last year I noticed the following issue: say you are at an off-road location, like in a big (American) parking lot serving a newly discovered attraction; while able to add it to your list of favorites (via GPS positioning), it is impossible to navigate subsequently to your favorite - all you get is a "no route" error message...
Although starting navigation from an off-road location is possible (you get the dotted line on screen to guide you to the nearest on-road point), the opposite (getting to a -slightly- off-road location) is not. It is obvious that the same algorithm determining the next on-road point should be used in both situations.
Unfortunately, it is not and I am still waiting for TT developers to fix this bug in a future firmware upgrade...

To memani: it has happened to me too when I firstly tried to upgrade, probably because the new version file did not download correctly and because the TT Home application does not have the good sense to at least checksum the firmware before installing it.

I have overcome the problem by installing an older version of TT 910 firmware, namely the one found here:

http://www.tomtom.com/support/solution.php?GID=1&PID=232&SID=0&CID=215&Language=4&FID=4987

After that, you can upgrade again via "Home" to the latest TT 910 firmware available.

I am looking at the (soon to be released) Garmin Nuvi 760 vs. the TT Go 910. Mount issues, maps not as accurate as NavTeq, etc.

Anybody used the Garmin Nuvi 600 series (assume the 700 series will be equal or better) as well as the TT GO 910 for a good comparison?

I am in Australia and bought the Version 7 updated map from the Tom Tom website. When I tried to install it, it came up with the error "This file does not exist E:\Australia\Australia.mid" and would not load onto my 910. Is there a quick fix for this as I am now $149.95AU out of pocket for a map I cannot use AND I didnt do a backup of my old map, so I lost everything and have a TomTom I cannot use AT ALL! I posted the problem to them and received an email from them (automated I guess) saying that they would contact me in 48 hours...that was a month ago. HELP....

Had same problem. Searched for the Australia.mid file on the computer and then copied and pasted it to the device (E:/Australia/Australia.mid) and then when I tried to upload it again, it worked!

I am on my second TomTom & think it's great. The remote is TREMENDOUS!! I drive a Tundra and find the deep windshield makes it hard to manipulate the GPS. The remote is one of the best features & works with utilizing my cell, too.