TomTom 7 vs Garmin XT....which is better and why???

[bjtech]

Originally Posted by ou2mame

i like the function of garmin, but tomtom seems more accurate, and the routes are cleaner. there's less left right left right's with tomtom.

I agree with this 100%. For some reason I never seemed to get confused w/ TomTom but with Garmin you really have to pay attention to the screen or you will end up on the wrong exit. On the other hand, Garmin POIs are far superior to TomTom and with the newest software release, they have a Google feature built-in that will also locate points of interest. I have used this feature many times. This feature alone make Garmin the best IMHO.

Originally Posted by lexluthor

I do wish there was a way to put time left to destination on the driving screen instead of just arrival time, but that's minor complaint.

I would love to have this change or a "distance remaining" indication.

Originally Posted by SporkLover

If you want to swap to horizontal mode just hold the talk button for 5 seconds, it should be set to that by default. If not you can set it within the Buttons section of Start > Settings.

AEButton can be used to set any button that you want to rotate the screen. I have set the long press on Vol down to rotate the screen. I have also had to set Vol down-3 press to disable the screen from turning off. Has anyone else the backlight timeout on them?

[SporkLover]

Originally Posted by bjtech

AEButton can be used to set any button that you want to rotate the screen. I have set the long press on Vol down to rotate the screen. I have also had to set Vol down-3 press to disable the screen from turning off. Has anyone else the backlight timeout on them?

No. I usually have mine plugged in. Within Garmin you can set the software so the backlight never turns off, whether you are on a charger or not.

[roteplex]

Well, I only have Garmin XT Mobile on my Touch Diamond because... (I dont quite understand who would buy both, Its an extra $150 for TomTom) anyways I find Garmin very fast, efficient and clean. In NYC it locks on to about 11-12 sats in a few seconds, routes take a bit longer tho but are still pretty fast. POIs are nicely done aswell. I also love the fact that i can put only the maps I need on my phone. But I also have a question, is Garmin better for the money as it costs $50 less than TomTom. Also I find the lack of tts on Garmin fairly annoying, does it really help with compatibility to remove this??

Also iGo 8 only has support for European maps right? so it wouldnt be too useful for US buyers.

(a little side note, I am getting 1.2 Mbps on my Sprint EV-DO rev. A data plan, where ever I go. Considering EVDO rev. A should be faster, is this a cap employed by sprint cause I have never gotten speeds like 2-3 Mbps on my phone.)

[a_c_s]

iGo 8 definitely has US maps...I have and use it...it's a pretty nice interface...for some reason I can't figure out how to keep the screen from turning off though...I've tried various settings and still no luck...could anyone with iGo 8 offer me a tip on this? Thx

[newslang]

For a_c_S; I have igo 8 and don't have a problem with the backlight turning off. try this: settings -> device then click on the "power managment" button until it states "Backlight Always On" --- that should do it.

Now back to the thread;
I've used garmin and Igo 8. Garmin has the edge up with POI, traffic, and google search (e.g. checks if your flight is on time). Igo 8 has a nice interface with customized skin (shows street numbers/side of street as you near your destination, shows highway lane information/signs), but the key to Igo 8 is its text to speech (TTS).

Overall I use Igo 8 if driving in a new city where TTS is very helpful, but if i'm in a city I know a bit about i will often use garmin. If i had to choose one I would probably stick with Igo 8 and its TTS- great maps as well

[orlandojumpoff]

It sounds like most of you use garmin. I just wanted to add another vote for Garmin, everyone else already explained the perks. I've owned tomtom and garmin standalone gps systems for a while, switched solely to garmin in the last 2 years. Garminxt works pretty much the same, so i love it.

[dead.bolt]

i have both on my phone, i do use tomtom more and prefer the stripped down simple feel of it but it's def personal preference. they're both quite capable GPS apps. One thing about tomtom though for whatever reason, it will NOT run in flight mode/if your radio is off. oh and google maps 'sat view' is a neat supplemental feat to "see" where u are but i could never use it as my standalone gps.