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I am disappointed that this device does not adequately charge from the included adapter. After drives of 2 hours or more, you need to bring the device inside to charge via USB or the wall (according to their customer service).

It is possible that turning down the screen brightness would save battery power, but the 550T (and presumably the 550TM and 550M) use a crippled version of the operating system that prevents users from making this change. While the screen is already difficult to read now, I would choose this option over being 4 hours from home without guidance support.

In recent weeks, the GPS accuracy has been poor, putting me on side roads of the highway I was on. Customer service walked me through a reload of the software, I will have to see if that fixes the issue.

In full disclosure, I like TomToms, having owned a number of them as well as Garmins. I prefer the TomTom user interface and wanted the traffic info, which you had to pay for previously. I also think that, in my experience, the TomTom models I have owned have chosen more intelligent routes.

It is this specific model that I think you should avoid. The TomTom online community advises choosing the 540 models, since the operating system is not crippled. I remain undecided on whether to invest further in this company, which has taken to market a compromised design along with unsatisfying customer service and technical support.

I like this product. My basis of comparison is my old $600 Magellan GPS, which has died a long, slow, and infuriating (for me) death. I took a gamble buying this new Tom Tom without any user reviews to go on. It has nice looking graphics, starts up very quickly, and is light and thin, with a nicely sized display. It is able to pick up a traffic signal in locations where my Magellan didn't, indicating a superior traffic receiver operating successfully in weak signal areas. The graphics used to show traffic problems along your route seems very nice. When the car is changing heading, the map slews around quickly.

Connecting the device to my computer using the included UBS cable, I was able to ascertain available updates to the program and the map data (kind of odd for these to exist so soon since the product has just now been released), and get them downloaded and installed successfully, although the process online is not especially intuitive. The online system also has a very nice backup feature, that can hold an image of your entire system for you, but it takes a very long time, seemingly an hour or more (I didn't time it) to complete.

I'm red-green color blind and have a lot of trouble with existing color schemes in all kind of systems that can't be customized (somehow everyone thinks it's okay to discriminate against color blind people while going to great lengths and expense to accommodate people with physical limitations). Tom Tom has a process that allows users to contribute their own color schemes for the graphics, and I have found some that I can see better. I like this very much.

Some limitations:

The user interface is not especially intuitive and takes some experience to get used to.
When you enter an address on the onscreen keyboard, there is no audible feedback that you have entered each keystroke, only visual on the screen.
When I first got the device, after turning it on for the first time and viewing the canned intro presentation, for several subsequent uses (turned off power, turned it back on again) the device spontaneously put me back into sections of the intro presentation, making me get ready to take it back for a refund. Something made me hold the power button in while powering it down, then powered it back up, and the problem disappeared.
The graphics are a little hard to read in strong direct sunlight, but not terribly bad.
The POI data base is missing some establishments that it really should know about, and has at least one location nearby (a gas station) that has been out of business for at least five years.
When you complete a trip and the system acknowledges that you have reached your destination, it doesn't nullify the trip automatically like my Magellan did, but retains it until you do so yourself manually. If you start out again, retracing your path, it will still show that path as a route, with (now) backward-facing arrows. This goes away when you cancel the route.
Points of Interest icons on the map do not allow you to tap them to get information on their identity, address, and phone numbers, like my Magellan had. I miss this feature.
Although the product has been released for sale, they haven't posted the user's manual online yet, according to the technical advisor I was able to reach. I liked that I was able to get someone on the phone, though, fairly quickly, when I called, he spoke good English with an American accent, didn't mumble or scoff at my questions, but did seem kind of impatient.

These are just my initial impressions, having used the system for only a few days.

I am pleased with the overall performance of the TomTom XXL 550T. It's not perfect but the good points outweigh the bad, and I would recommend this product. Below are a summary of the good and not so good points:

Great features:
* Large screen; easy to read while driving
* Can switch between 2D and 3D display with the touch of the screen
* Accurate maps which include many small side streets - not just the main roads
* Cross-streets are labeled with their names on the 3D map which lets you see what's coming up next
* Convenient plug-in with long cord to your car's 12 volt power supply
* Easy to program your route
* Able to download map updates from the Internet
* Display includes your speed and the speed limit (Unit will even alert you if you exceed the speed limit by 5 mph)
* Fun feature: Can select the type of car to display to represent your car on the maps

Features that could be improved:
* Hard to position unit with the suction cup mount without the unit snapping out of the mount assembly (Which is the main reason I rated this 3 stars for ease of use.)
* USB cable to connect to the computer was hard to connect (had a strange angle)
* Not able to program "auto-dim" of the screen (You have to manually switch between daytime and nightime mode)
* Map graphics aren't realistic - look like a cartoon drawing
* Had an issue with prior routes being held and highlighted in red on the map display

I've had good luck on trips with this TomTom and in spite of some minor flaws, I think it's a reliable, easy to program GPS.

We have both a Tom Tom and a Garmin in the two cars. Here's my thoughts now that I've used both:

The Garmin is wonderfully easy to use and very user friendly. But we've found it has a hard time with maps and often either sends us through dense side streets in neighborhoods (when a freeway was right next door) or just plain gets lost in crowded downtowns (Downtown Boston, with all its road levels, is especially problematic). I just don't like how the Garmin finds routes.

The Tom Tom, on the other hand, never lets us down and I've found the routing and directions to be far superior. But the user interface is dense, not very intuitive, and even simple actions like ending a route is buried within menu after menu (with is NOT a great idea when you are driving and don't want to take your eyes from the road). It took me twice as long to learn the Tom Tom over the Garmin and using the Tom Tom as a map reader is especially frustrating. It would be nice if map reading was like using an iphone GPS - I just can't use the Tom Tom for pull backs of the general area without a lot of tapping on the screen like an idiot.

Which do we prefer? For long distance or intercity trips, the Tom Tom by far. But for shorter routes or when doing multiple location stops, the Garmin.

In all, the Tom Tom is a great little unit at a good price. And it always finds great routes that save me time.

Aside from the iphone program this is the first GPS navigator I have personally used and I have found it to be perfect for the person who has absolutely no idea what they are doing and needs a simple and basic navigator. The program with home and favorites was easy to set up, and the device was easy to install in my car. I enjoy the fact that the navigator is removable. The GPS quickly tracked maps for me, and my "test routes" certainly followed the best pattern. There's nothing particularly exciting about this device, but after a few quick road trips across the state I am satisfied.

[[ASIN:B003FSTAHI TomTom XXL 550T 5-Inch Widescreen Portable GPS Navigator (Lifetime Traffic Edition)

For the GPS novice or beginner who desires to get from point A - B without overly complicated menus and choices, this is the perfect unit. Dead accurate and has never failed me in my travels here in Northern CA. Simple to operate. Big bright 5" screen. Use the built in computer voice to guide you with spoken street names and turns. Just make sure the combo car charger/traffic receiver works. Mine was DOA out of the box.

For the more advanced user who desires more choices, customization and programmability, the TT 540TM is the unit to get. Also dead on accurate.

Watch out when updating both units. Back up to computer, then remove extra voices you won't be using from the unit. Then update your map. The update should proceed with no problems. Those that have problems with updates did not follow this step.Good luck.

I'm so glad I bought this unit. I was hesitant after reading some of the less favorable reviews but I couldn't find anything else that was perfect either. All seemed to have their pros and cons. I especially was looking for a five inch screen and those are few and far between.

I find the way the XXL describes routes and gives me turn by turn directions perfect. I find the directions to be very accurate.

If there was one thing I'd change it would be more accurate POI in rural areas. I live in a semi-rural area and its hard to find POIs. However, I expect to change this over time with the mapshare as I have already reported a some changes. With the Mapshare its almost like having lifetime map update...maybe not, but we'll see. Another issue is that the traffic updates are nonexistant in my rural and semi-rural areas. I guess thats just a weakness in the system. Of the two issues the lack of traffic updates is the most disappointing but I doubt any GPS is going to have that kind of information. At least if I choose to go off route I get the map to guide me on my own.

I found the computer interface easy to use and support via phone is excellent. Most of the time there is someone available right away to anwer my questions and they seem very knowlegeable.

I know some people like more complicated programs to customize their units but I just wanted a basic navigation unit that does what its supposed to and I got it. I would happily recommend the XXL 550T to anyone seeking the kind of unit I have described. The price from Amazon made this a no brainer. I looked at the same unit at Best Buy and saved myself about $70+.

The TomTom XXL 550T 5-Inch Portable GPS Navigator is a good basic GPS navigation unit which I could recommend to anyone looking for a basic GPS with a larger screen.

That having been said, I had some issues with this unit and TomTom that prevent me from giving it five stars.

-- No Manual. The TomTom XXL 550T 5-Inch Portable GPS Navigator shipped in the late Spring of 2010. When I received the unit toward the end of July there was still no manual available on-line for this model. There are numerous optional settings and even more options if you have the Traffic feature. The "User Guide" which comes with the unit does little more than tell you how to plug it in and plan a simple route. TomTom finally did put up a manual sometime in August, although it appears to just be a link to the XL 350 manual (see below - it just says XL on the cover page instead of XXL, as does the cover page for the 340 XL, which is a completely different guide describing a completely different user interface).

-- Software installation. The TomTom Home software is supposed to install automatically when you plug the unit into your computer. This may or may not happen in Windows, but definitely does not happen in Mac OSX. The software installer is on the unit (which appears as an external drive confusingly named "INTERNAL" on the desktop). I ran the installer, which successfully installed a way-out-of-date version of TomTom Home. When I used the installed software to take me to the TomTom web site, it took me to the UK site instead of the USA site. This led to some confusion since the UK version of the GPS uses a different interface. The manual I downloaded was useless. Eventually the software updated itself and I found my way to the USA site. I would recommend that any user, Mac or Windows, download the most current version of TomTom Home and install it before plugging the unit into your computer for the first time.

-- TomTom Support. Hit or miss. The first time I called I had an easy question that I could have quickly answered myself if I had had the manual. The support person instead had me do a factory reset on the unit, wiping out everything I had installed up to that point. After going through all that, he told me the simple answer. Here's my version: street names can be read out loud only by computerized voices. You have only two English language choices. All of the other voices, paid or free, are a waste of time, storage space, or money.

The second time I called (the same day), it was to ask about the missing manual. The support person was as perplexed as I was and took the time to do some research and come up with a useful answer: since the XXL 550 and the XL 350 share the same TomTom "Two-Button" interface (when you turn it on you get a screen with two large buttons in the middle and five smaller ones at the bottom), the manual for the XL 350 would tell me everything I needed to know about the XXL 550. She also sent me an email with a link to the document.

-- Annoying precision. On a couple of occasions, I have been at my destination and parked directly in front of the store while the XXL 550 was still trying to get me to go out on the street and drive another fifty yards or so past the parking lot entrance, leaving me stuck in the middle of the block with my destination hidden behind a parking structure. I suspect it's a slave to street numbers. Shopping malls and strip malls are just not set up that way. If I'm in a strip mall parking lot, tell me I've arrived so I can start looking for my destination business instead of guiding me five or six doors past it in the name of street number precision.

-- Lack of common sense. On one trip, instead of having me just use a left-turn pocket (which appears on the GPS map) to turn into a parking lot, it wanted me to drive more than a mile out of my way around an industrial park so I could come back from the other direction and make a right turn. It made a similar suggestion on another trip. On a third trip, the long-way-around route was the best choice (even in that case, it kept trying to get me back out on the street to drive a few more yards even while I was already in the parking lot next to the destination). This is one more reason to use Google Maps and Street View before leaving home for a destination in another city with which you have no prior experience.

-- Phantom Left Turn Ahead. On a highway I use frequently, there is a transition from a four-lane freeway to a two-lane highway. You really don't have to do anything except adjust your speed. However, whenever I am traveling from the four-lane part to the two-lane part, it starts warning me about a "left turn ahead." It never tells me to turn left, it just warns me two or three times and then forgets all about it once I make the transition.

There are a a couple of other considerations that fall more under the heading of personal preferences or situations:

-- Measurement. The TomTom XXL 550T 5-Inch Portable GPS Navigator always measures shorter distances in yards instead of fractions of a mile. I'm used to miles and that is how most highway signs are marked in California.

-- Mounting. In my car, there is no way I can legally mount the XXL 550 in the 5 inch by 5 inch lower left windshield space permitted under California law. I tried the Arkon windshield mount which has an articulating arm. The Arkon suction cup fits into the legal area, but the XXL 550 is too big to fit between the windshield frame and the instrument pod. There is no place on my dashboard either big enough or flat enough to attach the TomTom adhesive disc; I have the same problem with bean-bag type holders.

-- Traffic. My XXL 550 came with Lifetime Traffic. Unfortunately for me, the Total Traffic coverage area starts about 20 miles from my home. If you're thinking of adding Lifetime Traffic, I'd suggest you go to the TomTom site and verify (1) the traffic FM signal is available in your area, and (2) highways you typically use are included in the area where traffic flow is measured.

-- Persistent trips. Trips are not automatically cancelled once you have arrived at your destination. This is just annoying; I'm there, erase it already.

There is, however, much to like about the TomTom XXL 550T 5-Inch Portable GPS Navigator:

-- Large, bright screen

-- Easy to program trips. My basis of comparison is a seven-year-old factory-installed system that cost (at the time) more than ten times the price of the XXL 550. I find entering destination information easier and more straight-forward than on the factory system.

-- Street names read out loud. This is probably the major innovation over my factory system. Even though factory system has a much larger screen, upcoming street names are often washed out by the sun or too small to read with my driving glasses.

-- TomTom Home. The software works fairly well on Mac OSX. One feature, Operate My Device, is not available, but the rest of it seems to work and it is quick to do updates and easy to add features, voices, icons, etc.

-- "Safety" camera warnings. I live near a city where there are a lot of red-light-runner cameras and I know where most of them are. The warnings on the XXL 550 are fairly accurate. An out-of-towner could avoid a nasty surprise in the mail by paying attention to the beeps and driving safely.

-- Map Corrections. One of the trips I planned while testing the XXL 550 was to a new out-of-town restaurant. The XXL 550 did not recognize the restaurant name as a Point of Interest or the address as a valid street number. It did get me nearby and once I was there I was able to send corrections on both the restaurant and the new building in which it is located (the land had been vacant previously, so the street number did not exist until the building was completed).

On the whole, the plusses outweigh the minuses by quite a bit, so that even with the issues and considerations outlined above, it still does what it is supposed to do and is reasonably priced in a competitive market.

This is the 4th GPS I've owned in the last two years, and my first one by TomTom. Currently I'm using the Garmin nüvi 260 3.5-Inch Portable GPS Navigator and the Motorola DROID X Android Phone (Verizon Wireless) which uses Google Navigation.

I reviewed the TomTom by running it side by side with my other two GPS units. As ridiculous as this must have looked to people driving behind me, it gave me a fairly good basis by which to evaluate it on. I did notice some small differences between the TomTom and Google Navigation, however the routes it gave me were almost always in line with those from my Garmin. One of the claims made by the TomTom in the description is "you'll have access to one million more miles of roads than you would using other GPS brands." I don't know how accurate that is, but I have never really had a problem finding directions with my other units except for a couple very small roads. And I can't imagine that the TomTom has more accurate maps than Google. The road my house is on was built two years ago, however none of these devices list it (I am using the most current maps for all the GPS units). Even still, I found the TomTom's directions to be very accurate, although I did find some of the routes a little bit questionable in terms of speed (advising me to turn a couple blocks earlier than I thought I should, etc), but nothing that would really make a significant difference in navigation.

The additional features on the TomTom are fairly nice. I liked their Points of Interest (POI) better than the Nuvi, but not as much as Google. They were fairly up to date, most likely from TomTom's more frequent map updates (Garmin updates their maps 3-4 times a year). The device has a great feature that monitors your speed with the current speed limit, and will let you know via audible alert if you exceed it (don't worry, this can be turned off). The form factor on the TomTom is nice as well. I thought the 5" screen would be too big, but it is the perfect size. The unit is lightweight and slim so it doesn't take up a lot of bulk on my dashboard.

Overall, I didn't like the TomTom enough to replace my Droid X with Google Navigation, but if I was looking for a standalone GPS in the future, I would give a lot more consideration to the TomTom over Garmin.

I took this GPS on a road trip from Philadelphia to Iowa. For the most part, it helped me avoid traffic except for one part of I 80. I think the accident just happened so the GPS didn't pick it up yet. All in all, I never got lost. It found faster routes and asked if I wanted to use the new routes. The screen is large at 5 inches. The volume is great and very loud. I just wish it would speak the name of the streets. It notifies you of upcoming turns, but does not say the street names.

Since it is using live traffic updates, it takes some time to start a route plan if the route is very long. Not a big deal. You can also purchase celebrity voices to replace the standard voice, such as Homer Simpson or Snoop Dogg.

I highly recommend this GPS, and with the lifetime traffic, you can't go wrong.