The TomTom GO 910 is a feature-rich GPS system that offers an industry first: preloaded maps for the United States, Canada and Europe. It also has a massive amount of internal memory for MP3 and other multimedia files, so you can bring the entertainment along on your trip through North America or the Old Continent.

The GO 910's generous 20GB hard drive includes the aforementioned maps, along with a huge point-of-interest (POI) database that includes gas stations, ATMs, parking lots and garages, restaurants and many other locations. There were several occurrences when the GO 910 indicated the presence of a restaurant we knew to be closed or no gas station where we knew one existed, so the POI list doesn't appear to be completely up to date. Still, the sheer size of the database makes it very handy.

The maps and POI database occupy approximately 8GB of the hard drive, so that leaves the other 12GB for your MP3 audio and JPEG picture files. The multimedia player is basic but functional, and the GO 910 is compatible with MP3 and Audible audio formats and JPEG and BMP picture files. It will work with your iPod as well. While the built-in speaker is fine for voice-guidance directions, it does a poor job with music, so we recommend headphones or using the included audio cable to directly connect the GO 910 to your car's sound system. An FM transmitter that let you listen via an unused FM channel would have been a nice touch, but this GPS unit does not include one.

The GO 910 has a relatively large 4-inch touchscreen with a resolution of 480X272, and it is capable of producing 64,000 colors. Maps can be displayed in 2-D or 3-D, and both maps and picture files look sharp and vivid in ideal viewing conditions. Unfortunately, like many other portable GPS systems we've tested, bright light (especially sunlight) tends to wash out the screen, and this can be an annoying problem during daytime drives.

The GO 910 is quick to calculate a route, and it features text-to-speech (TTS) voice guidance. This means that instead of generically indicating a turn ahead, the GO 910 tells you the name of the street onto which you need to turn. We must admit that it was quite entertaining to pick one of the 50 available voices in 36 languages. We preferred "Kate," the female voice option from Great Britain. This GPS system includes a Traffic Message Center (TMC) antenna that can alert you to and reroute you around traffic tie-ups on your plotted course (subscription required).

The GO 910 is compatible with Bluetooth cell phones, so you can use its touchscreen, speaker and built-in microphone to make nearly hands-free phone calls. The integrated battery provides four hours of wire-free operation, making the GO 910 as useful in the car as it is out.

Overall, the TomTom GO 910 is a powerful and feature-heavy GPS system that can do just about everything, in both the United States and Europe.


Pros: Huge hard drive preloaded with maps for North America and Europe, quick and accurate navigation, text-to-speech voice guidance, multimedia playback
Cons: Screen is hard to see in bright light, POI database not completely up to date, FM transmitter would have been a nice addition

Warranty
2 years