The TomTom GO 300 comes with everything you'll need to start navigating, including a cigarette-lighter adapter, an AC adapter, a USB cable, mounting hardware, a quick-start guide, and an installation CD with an online user guide. You even get a cloth to keep the touch screen clean.

The TomTom GO 300 provides the usual array of vehicle-navigation features, including a 12-channel GPS receiver and integrated antenna, voice-guided driving directions, a huge points-of-interest (POI) database, an address book, and detailed maps of the entire United States, which come preloaded on a 1GB SD card; you can also upload Canadian maps from the included CD.

The GO 300 supports voice commands in more than 30 languages, and you can choose from more than 50 different types of voices to keep things interesting. There is a speed-linked volume feature, which adjusts the voice volume level depending upon your vehicle's current traveling speed. Also new is a built-in Bluetooth connection for accessing TomTom's Plus services via your Bluetooth-enabled mobile phone. According to TomTom, service should work with any Bluetooth-enabled, GPRS-ready cell phone or PDA, but you can find a full list of compatible devices on the company's Web site.

TomTom's maps are colorful, and the street names are well defined. To keep the map screens uncluttered, you can opt to show only specific POI icons or turn them off altogether on the TomTom GO 300. The device calculates routes by fastest time or shortest distance, and you can instruct it to avoid toll roads and highways. The Advanced Planning function provides a good way to create and explore routes before you hit the road, and the Itinerary Planning feature is ideal for those long journeys that include multiple stops along the way. You can enter each stop as a destination from your address book or POI database, or you can enter them manually using the onscreen keyboard. The GO 300 will calculate the best routes between destinations or waypoints, giving you a good idea of how long it will take to reach the next stop and complete the entire trip. Itineraries can be edited and saved for future use--a handy tool if you're planning a return trip. Navigating through the user screens is fairly simple and straightforward.