TomTom XL 330-S 4.3-Inch Portable GPS Navigator (Box Packaging)

I figure I'm a pretty good GPS test rider for a couple reasons.One because I use GPS at least 5 times a day, 5 days a week to find addresses in high traffic conditions.And two, because my sense of direction and memory is probably below average.Since my zumo stopped working I've borrowed a TomTom from my son and been using it all this week in the 'take no prisoners' traffic conditions of Orange County. The TT and Garmin program for putting in a destination are a bit different. And I've found the TT to be faster with less room for error. The TomTom's directions given while driving are way clearer and easier to understand while driving. The Garmin voice directions will give you street names which sounds like a good idea in theory, in practice it only complicates things. I shut the voice directions off on the Garmin for this reason. I also stopped using the map display on the Garmin and started using only text directions, because that was the only way I could stay far enough ahead of where my next turn on the freeway was going to be. That way I could read down the text, past all updates of what I was passing, and get to the next 'real' direction change I would need to make. I actually ordered a TT while in Palm Springs during my trip without 'text to speech' because my experience with Garmin's was so bad. Later after using the borrowed TT, I canceled that order. And reordered the TT with 'text to speech' because it worked so well on the borrowed unit.The TT gives more clear visual directions as well, and large enough count down to the next turn that I don't have to have my reading glasses hanging off my nose to read them.My perception buying a motorcycle specific GPS was that I was getting a much more robust unit. And it is, in that it's waterproof and has a much more durable case and mounting system. But other that, I don't think they're anymore reliable than an automotive unit (my Zumo's broken twice) that's 1/6th the price. Garmin has a $150 flat rate for repair, I order a new TT for $100. And they make a lot of aftermarket motorcycle mounts for it. This last time my Zumo broke a friend was nice enough to point me to a replacement touch screen and I've got one those ordered from china. Hopefully that will fix the Garmin and I'll probably put it up for sale. Maybe I'll include a couple of touch screen replacement pictures. So bottom-line, I'd say don't be like me and spend $700 on a motorcycle specific GPS. Get an automotive unit of your choice, (I recommend TomTom) buy yourself an aftermarket mount, and keep it out of the rain. When it breaks, $100 replace the unit.The ability to make routes on Garmin's Map source has been difficult enough for me that I haven't chosen to use it.I've followed some routes. Like the one Chuck made and emailed to me. It was a back roads trip to Alice's restaurant that was kind of fun to follow. As it worked out we got separated early on in the trip and each followed the same route and met at Alice's. I'm thinking the ability to load Google Map tracks might be a plus for me with the Tomtom. But I'll have to wait and see. Or it might make Garmin's Map source seem easy in comparison. But if it will load. There's some great routes on Google Maps that I'd be more than happy to use without changes. What I have done with the zumo is find roads on Google Maps, then browse them on my zumo, (not Map source), then 'touch screen' and point on the road and save it to favorites.Then when I get within strike range, I select favorites, and it lists them in order of closeness. Then I can decide from there which one to choose next. That way I'm letting the GPS do what it does best, straight to a destination, as opposed to certain route. I might change my mind and find a road on the way that looks better, and it will just recalculate till it uses the road I chose to get to the point I selected. Actually I've wanted to convert Google Map tracks to something I could use on the zumo ever since I've gotten the zumo.

This unit is a fantastic GPS. I've had it for few months now, and waas lucky enough to get it when it was on sale for ~$80 (new, not refurbished).+ Very simple to use. The Tomtom software is really, really, easy to use and incredibly intuitive. Some options are buried in some menus and not immediately available but nothing that requires you to read the manual.+ the GPS has an option to switch automatically from day to night display based on ambient brightness+ Text to speech is really neat (keep in mind that only computerized voices can be used). You can still download all the funny voices you like but they won't say street names+ Very light unit. My Tomtom one, 3rd generation, was smaller, and much heavier+ The fix time is really fast, especially if you turn the GPS on close to the location you turned it off. It takes a little more time if you are 1000s miles away from your previous location, and still, it's really fast. Make sure you update and download the GPS fixes as they come out+ The tomtom home software works for both Mac and PC and is really easy to use - it also allows you to download new POIs and maps, very easily.+ It comes with a "latest maps guarantee" which enables you to download newer maps, should you unit come with out of date data.- I'm not a big fan of the Easyport. First of all, it makes the unit much thicker when it's folded and it will NOT fit in most of the cases you can buy online. This would not be a problem if it were easy to take off - but it is not as easy to remove as the traditional suction cup, in which you slide in your GPS (see previous Tomtom models).- It does not feature advanced lane guidance (but for this price, it might be hard to find such an option - and I don't really miss it)- The GPS is somewhat subject to glare in direct sunlight- The internal memory is really small, which means that, in order to install the latest maps, you will need to make some room by deleting extra voices (languages you never use). This is poorly explained, but a well documented problem on internet boards.- no bluetooth support.Overall, a really good product, especially for a widescreen GPS, with a fantastic software. If you can deal with the Easyport frustration every once in a while, this is what you need.

We owned a TomTom a few years ago and loved it until it died in the middle of a trip. Ordered a Garmin based on reviews, and it was OK, but not our cup of tea. It was stolen recently, so we decided to go back to TomTom. BIG mistake with this model! We have three issues with it, any one of which is a deal-breaker:1) The screen is so dim, that it cannot be used in daylight, even on an overcast day. And, yes, we have the brightness turned all the way up!2) The device continually reverts to some sort of demo mode, even when in use. It is constantly touting its 4.5 inch screen, asking us if we are going somewhere (when the damn thing is in use!), and asking us if we are lost, when if it would just check itself, it would see we are not lost! This happens so often it is dangerous in city driving. When we need to glance at the screen in traffic, we see a damned commercial for the device we purchased and are currently using! GEEZ!3) The ETA algorithm is just plain BAD. On a recent trip it estimated it would take us 1.5 hours to drive 30 miles when we were traveling 70mph on a 4 lane highway with little to no traffic. Whaaaaa?The box the damn thing came in seemed to indicate that the device was refurbished, even though we paid for a new one. If it was "refurbished," then some lackey simply put a defective device in a box and shipped it off to us. Needless to say, we have returned the device to Amazon for a full refund. TomTom, if you read these reviews, you need to get your act together!