After three weeks of owning my new GPS system (TomTom XL 330) I can for the most part say that I like it. Even though I did have a little bit of difficulty in learning the proper order to key in addresses when I first bought it, for the most part it is extremely intuitive, and therefore easy to use. It has all of the features I was looking for. I’ve heard some say that it isn’t loud enough to be comfortably audible, but, even though I’m sometimes a little hard of hearing, it is quite audible and clear at 75%. Occasionally the system doesn’t recognize some streets and calls them out by highway numbers, like highway 47 North, instead of Riverside Drive. That really is not a problem, and indeed it is to be expected because the highways run through many towns and change names many times. United States highway numbers are generally marked clearly. Perhaps this could be a problem in larger cities when state highways tend to wind and weave causing the driver to easily get lost when the street names seem to change so rapidly. I’ve heard some users say that the device doesn’t select the easiest clearest route, but if I already knew the route, I wouldn’t have spent my hard-earned money on a device just to play games with. For the price of the product and the basic, but easy to understand and use features that it includes, I find the TomTom XL 330 a good buy, and I would recommend it.

The TomTom XL 330 and XL 330S both have easy to view 4.3 inch wide screens. Like other TomTom models, they have a plug and play feature for ease of use and ultra-reliable navigation. You can count on a TomTom. The case is black with an elegant design. Both the XL 330 and the XL 330S are completely loaded with maps when you buy them and these maps are very accurate for not only the United States but also for Canada. A unique feature with TomTom maps comes with their “Share” technology. “Share” allows you to rename streets, directions, and points of interest on your own device. The major difference between the TomTom XL 330 and the TomTom 330S is that the ‘S” model has the very desirable feature of text-to-speech. That essentially means that when you are being given a verbal direction, the device also gives the street name, as in “In 100 feet at the T junction, turn right onto Mulberry Street.” Hearing the proper street name assures the driver that the turn is being made correctly.

When you get a TomTom GPS unit it will work immediately. Because of this plug and play feature, when you touch the screen you can get started by keying in your street address. You will immediately hear the clear turn-by-turn directions that give specific distances and turns. TomTom’s GPS devices take the anxiety out of travel to both nearby home destinations or on interstate trips. You can rely on TomTom’s devices’ quality because they have been tested and checked using superior quality control in their very own labs.