TomTom Go 710 Europe GPS Navigation Unit

The problem with the device switching itself off when going over bumps etc can be solved simply by downloading an update (which is straight forward to do once connected to tomtom home). I have yet to experience any problems with this.

The device itself is great, and will truly impress you with its capabilities.

For any driver who travels a lot to new places or for the less confident driver in getting around, this truly is a great investment as getting lost with this device is impossible.

I did a lot of online research before buying this product and despite reading plenty of negative comments and reports of issues I am happy with the Tomtom GO 710. Here are the headlines :

Mounting bracket - this is rock solid and hasn't shown any of the symptoms of drooping that I have read about. Maybe I have a more recent unit with a tighter bracket, or maybe there are a lot of buyers out there that haven't fully locked the suction mounting. So far I can't fault it.

Screen - very clear, I have seen plenty of satnav GUIs and still rate Tomtom as the best. All screens struggle with direct bright sunlight and reflections, and this one is no exception. In normal use it is fine though. Automatic screen change to night colours when it is dark (at night, through tunnels, etc) is a really useful feature. The keypad can be a little small for use on the move, but again this is a limitation of all portable satnav units.

iPod control - excellent integration, quick navigation without taking your eyes completely off the road ahead. The audio doesn't seem to pass through the unit totally unaffected (some of the richness can be lost) but you have to listen pretty hard to hear it - using the audio-out cable to your car stereo is a must and slight adjustment to your bass and treble controls on the car stereo is an easy fix. Slight 'popping' on certain tracks isn't an issue in the real world, and really is very low level / infrequent. Overall this is a great feature.

TMC aerial - avoid at all (over-priced) costs. I have used this for a week during my commute and it hasn't picked up a single piece of traffic information. A total waste of money. Hopefully Amazon will provide a refund (not fit for purpose).

Navigation software - quick (quicker with the latest update 6.5.2 - automatic satellite location download = first fix within 30 seconds of power-up), and I haven't discovered any major issues with the map accuracy. Maps will never be 100% accurate, and if you need to know whether the road ahead is a one-way street use your eyes...

Hands-free bluetooth phone integration - extremely easy pairing with the handset (Sony Ericsson T630), faultless phone book download, external microphone isn't the best quality and does effect the sound quality to the other party (tinny), but inbound call quality is fine. Certainly far cheaper than ordering bluetooth phone integration on your next company car.

Sound output - the internal speaker is only up to the job of spoken instructions for the satnav (but what do you expect - it's only an inch in diameter so you are hardly ging to recreate Glastonbury). Using the audio cable to play through your car stereo is the way to go. Having the Ipod pause automatically for spoken instructions works well.

Overall a great product - TMC performance is a big let-down, but there is far more to the GO than that single piece of functionality.

Yes it does get stuff wrong from time to time, and yes sometimes it takes ages to get a connection, my advice would be turn it off take out and put back the memory and switch it on again. Charge it while your driving and you don't have to worry about charging at home (which seems a bit daft anyway since you only really use it in the car). All in all i would say it is a top product , i have done 3000 miles up and down the country going to out of the way places recently and it's been 95% useful, which i think is pretty cool.

if you drive to lots of places you've never been before its a must :)