Gets you where you want to "GO"

I admit it - I am directionally challenged. It's not my fault...I am great at following directions. It's just that I always seem to be going someplace where the cities either haven't put up street signs (what's that about?) or freeway exits are not clearly identified. My blood pressure shoots off the charts when I'm driving around in unfamiliar territory.

About five years ago I rented a Hertz with "Neverlost" GPS, and my life was forever changed. GPS is like having a local in the passenger seat talking you through how to get from point A to B, turn by turn. I swore someday I'd get one for my own car, if only the price would come down to earth.

At the time, built-in GPS systems were going for around $2,500. Portables can now be had for around $1,000. The TomTom Go, however, can be yours for as little as $500 (after rebate, excluding tax and shipping), if you shop wisely and quickly.

I purchased the Go after reading the GPS comparison on CNet's website. CNet gave the Go an 8.6 out of 10, equal to the top-scoring Magellan RoadMate 700 and Garmin StreetPilot 2620.

The "out of box experience" was very good. TomTom includes a quick start guide outlining initial product setup. Go came preloaded with the major roadways of the U.S., but includes detailed maps of all areas of the U.S. and Canada on 6 CDs. (Maps of Europe are also available at extra charge.) TomTom also sells the "Go Plus" which comes with detailed maps of the U.S. preloaded on a larger Secure Digital memory card, but in my mind it's not worth the extra money. With the price of SD cards coming down while capacity goes up, you will soon be able to buy gigabytes of storage for what we used to pay for a box of 5.25" floppies, so you can always upgrade later and load all the maps from the CD on your new SD card.

Go comes with a suction cup mounting device, and an adhesive disc. I use the suction cup, since I was warned by others - including CNet's review - that the adhesive was permanent and could not be removed without damaging the car's dash. The suction mount seems pretty sturdy, so no loss there. TomTom also sells other mounting kits through their website.

Once the Go is mounted to your dash, hold down the power button for two seconds to boot up and you're ready to roll. Entering a destination is easy, and similar to the Magellan interface. I got a strong satellite lock within ten seconds or so and had my destination programmed within a minute.

The turn-by-turn directions are very good, and the display is clear and easy to follow. Others have praised the large speaker, but it could have been a little louder for my taste. Then again, I'm slowly going deaf from all my years playing drums, so your mileage may vary.

[UPDATE: Yes, there's a volume control. My wife found it while playing around with the interactive menus. So score another for the Go. Volume is not a problem, even with my radio pumping out the tunes at ear-splitting levels.]

Go also comes with a handy zip-up pouch for protection while it is not in use.

This is a killer toy, on par with the Hertz/Magellan system I first encountered years ago. Along with my TiVo, one of the two best tech purchases I have ever made.

UPDATE: After using this gadget for several months, a few blooms are off the rose, but overall still extremely satisfied.

We have been led on wild goose chases and down dead ends more than once, and occasionally the unit calculates directions that take you WAY out of the way to get to your destination. Sure, you'll get there eventually, but if you want to make sure you take the fastest or most direct route, you're still best off consulting a map.

A bit disappointing that the POI database does not contain banks or ATMs. Found this out the hard way in Monterey last weekend when we were out of cash in an unfamiliar area. On a positive note, once we got the address for a local branch from the White Pages of the phone book, TomTom got us there straight off with no problems.

I'm still happy with the buy, but would like to try out the newer Magellan systems and see how they compare.