Review on 🗺️ TomTom GO 910: Discontinued Bluetooth Portable GPS Navigator with 4-Inch Display by Will Carey

For years I printed out maps from Google Local and Mapquest (as stacks of old printouts in my back seat prove) and thought that was enough until GPS devices became more intuitive and cheaper. It wasn't until my mother-in-law got the Nuvi 350 for Christmas that I decided to take the plunge. I first bought the Nuvi but after comparing them in store and seeing the 910 added Bluetooth and iPod capability. Control, I've been sold. Of course, the Nuvi 360 supports Bluetooth, but it doesn't communicate with my favorite iPod. I thought it would be nice to use it a few times a year when I'm out of town, but decided to check the overflow. I had to get used to it on the first day. Like others, I noticed that Tomtom was lying face down on the dashboard after about five miles. Obviously, unlike others, I read the manual and realized I didn't fully grasp his position. The problem is solved. I was happy that most of my routes were the same routes Tomtom had chosen. Other times I fought him because he seemed to throw me out of the way. I thought "what the heck" and gave it a try. I didn't save much time, but I have to admit that the routes he took were faster than what I was used to. That brings me to the maps. most of the time they are great. But from time to time he would tell me to turn left on a road where there is only one right turn, or he would show me I was driving in an open area, thinking the road was about 100 feet from that location ... where she really was. Best of all, he's never had a recalculation problem. I couldn't turn left, he re-routed in seconds when I turned right. And on the street that was off, it comes back onto the street as soon as I turn a corner. He still thinks my house is two doors down from where it really is, but I know where I live, so it doesn't matter. I started experimenting with POIs and was really impressed by their relevance. . He seemed familiar with most small businesses that opened less than a year ago and are pretty easy to use once you understand how the software expects you to use it. I've seen people create their own POIs online and have uploaded a few and they all work well. Haven't had time to make my own yet, but plan to do so in the near future. A final word on maps and POIs: Tomtom is now offering a free upgrade disc after paying $6 shipping. It hasn't arrived yet, but I expect it to fix minor issues I've had. The Bluetooth implementation is great, but making it work with your phone is risky. It didn't work at all with my blackjack and it seems to have something to do with Samsung's implementation. Their website says it won't work with the KRZR K1 but I found all the features work fine. If you have a data plan, Tomtom uses your phone to download weather, traffic, GPS updates, POIs and a few different colors for your maps. I've found that all of these seem to work, but the traffic doesn't seem to be helping me much. I don't know if it just wasn't updated, or if I just got lucky and uploaded the information on the days when traffic was good. Likewise, the built-in speakerphone worked well and the sound quality was surprisingly clear. I loaded some MP3s onto the built in drive and connected my iPod with the optional iPod cable. The internal speaker is good for speech but not great for music. If you want to use it as a music player, you'll need to find a way to connect it to your stereo. The iPod interface was decent, and the built-in MP3 player works similarly. Both pause the music when instructions are spoken or when you're on a phone call. And the last feature, when plugged into a socket in the car, it turns on when you start the car. That's cool. But when you turn off the car, it lights up. It's not great, although it does appear to remind you to undock your tomtom so it doesn't get stolen. I use it all the time. If you are looking for Nuvi then this is definitely worth considering. UPDATE 1/25: Well, two days after I posted the above, my device stopped switching between day and night, which was very annoying. I received a replacement unit today and it has dead pixels! I really like the performance of the GO 910 and can't bring myself to upgrade to a Garmin 550 so I'm giving it another try. I hope that there is a figurative charm for the third time. For those wondering, Revain was great at swapping out defective units.