Christmas is here again and that can only mean one thing...the GPS market is introducing new toys for consumers to play with. What we have here is the newly updated TomTom One (3rd Edition) which is the exact same dimensions and weight as the regular TomTom One ( 3.8" x 3.2" x 1.0" and 6.1 ounces ) with added features and of course newly updated Tele Atlas maps.
Lets start with the basics, for consumers looking to upgrade from the prior released TomTom One, the cosmetics of the product have changed slightly. The thin black plastic that outlined the screen has been replaced with the ever popular color silver. This gives the TomTom One a new space-age look that may appeal to some people while others (myself included) will find the new look cheap and clichéd. The SD card slot on the bottom of the unit has been replaced with an RDS-TMC antenna connector which is used for traffic reports. The antenna itself does not come with the unit and is available separately for roughly $129.00 but I find this accessory unneeded and pricey.
Moving on to the interface...needles to say the TomTom One (3rd Edition) borrows heavily from past TomTom operating system software so anyone who has used TomTom products will have a decent idea on how to maneuver around the already user-friendly interface. They have managed to add a few extras to the touch screen interface such as a "Help Me" button which when pressed opens features such as "Phone For Help" which displays emergency numbers for the current location (such as and typically 911) "Drive To Help" which show you the quickest way to the nearest police station or hospital and a "First Aid Guide" which is provided by the British Red Cross.
Also included in the safety features is an option to sound a custom alarm if any of the following occur:
1. When approaching a school or church
2. When driving faster than a set speed
3. When driving faster than allowed
A nice addition to the TomTom One (3rd Edition) is the ability to make your own map corrections. For example the city I live in recently shut down an existing department store and rebuilt a Super Center about a mile down the road about 3 months ago. Because of this recent change the Points Of Interest database had to be updated. I simply used the "Map Correction" feature to edit and move the existing Point Of Interest to its correct location on the map. Very convenient. The "Map Correction" feature also allows users to (Un)block A Street, Reverse Traffic Direction, Edit Street Names, Add Missing POI, and Report Other Errors.
Without say the TomTom One (3rd Edition) has been preloaded with the best maps on the market. The unit now runs on USA and Canada maps version 705.1481 provided by Tele Atlas. When compared to other GPS products on the market I've personally found that TomTom products have the edge when it comes to accuracy and map detail. The TomTom One is even polite enough to warn me when there is a toll road on a calculated route and then has enough courtesy to avoid it if I so desire, I've never gotten this kind of respect from my Garmin Nuvi 200.
The only down side to the TomTom One (3rd Edition) is its battery life. Even with all the upgrades we still only have a 2-hour battery charge that leaves us dependent on the cigarette charger in our cars. Oh well, can't win `em all.
For consumers interested in purchasing their first GPS unit the TomTom One would be perfect if not only for its quality then for its simplicity. Other units might come close but I've found that the TomTom One delivers time and time again.
What's in the box? I'm glad you asked:
- The TomTom One (of course)
- (1) Car Charger
- Documentation Pack (Quick Start Guide, Installation Poster, Accessories Catalog, and Warranty/License Agreement)
- (1) Windshield Mount
- (1) USB Cable
- (1) Adhesive Disk For Windshield Mount (for mounting the TomTom to your dash) TomTom ONE 3rd Edition 3.5-Inch Portable GPS Vehicle Navigator
I replaced a Magellan 4040 with this. The Magellan had text to speech - wide screen - blue tooth and AAA guides. Cost much more.
In my opinion the inexpensive Tom Tom beats the Magellan hands down, even without text to speech.
Text to speech is a great concept but seems to strain the processor to the point that it would sometimes forget to give you street names OR directions. Very bad. I had 2 Magellan's ( I thought first was defective and returned it ) and both would do this. I would much rather hear "turn right in 500 feet" than no instructions at all. Many times I was blocks past my turn before Magellan would announce it. Not good.
Both Magellan's got flaky on me as well. One would need an occasional reboot for a frozen screen, the other would occasionally tell me I had reached my destination when it was still miles away.
Tom Tom has been rock solid.
Tom Tom NEVER misses a turn voice command. They are quite detailed as well unlike Magellan. Magellan says "turn right at Blair Street" where Tom Tom says "turn right in 200 feet than make third left".
POI in Tom Tom is way better in my area than Magellan. It had an espresso stands that only opened 4 months ago near me! Of course results may vary depending upon where you live.
Voice is loud and clear, map colors are changeable, interface is very customizable.
Also Tom Tom guarantees a free download of the latest map for your unit at purchase. Garman and Magellan have very vague policies on that and may charge you for the latest map.
I have owned both Garman C220 and Magellan 4040. I will be most likely be purchasing Tom Tom from now on....
I have been using this one for only 2 days, but having used previous GPS (Garmin Nuvi 350, Mio C310x and Magellan 4050), I can say my navigation experience has been very good so far.
I agree with other reviewers that even without text-to-speech, the voice directions in combination with looking at the map will work just fine. My first trip today went smoothly with the following caveats:
1-When you make a wrong turn (which I did intentionally to test the device) , it tries very quickly (within 5 seconds) to re-direct you in the correct direction. However, unlike the other devices I have tried, it does not notify you that it is "re-calculating" . I personally don't believe it is a big deal as long as it does a good job at putting you back on track.
UPDATE 11/27/07: Even though you do not get a "re-calculating" voice
indication, it does put a message on the screen (2 seconds long) to that
effect. I personally think this is fine since I used to hate having
to hear the "re-calculating" over and over again on some of the other devices I have tried.
2-When driving through side streets, the unit does not display the name of the next street to turn to on the top right corner. It will display the names of major highways and routes only. For example, if I am supposed to turn right to Memorial road in 100 yards, it will not display that street name, but just verbally tell you to tun right. I find this to be a major nuisance, since, in the absence of text-to-speech, I want to READ which street i am supposed to turn to next. I have not seen any other reviewer complain about this. So I hope this is not just my own device. I have been having some technical issue with the TomTom Home 2 software when attempting to download the latest maps, which I will explain below, but I believe this to be unrelated to the side street names issue. I am planning on calling customer service to inquire about this. Having said that, even with the missing side street names, I am still able to follow the screen (the trajectory is clearly marked) as well as the voice guidance without missing a turn.
UPDATE 11/27/07: I called customer service and they confirmed that the device does not show the next street to turn to if it is not a major highway. I just could not believe this device would not show you the next street: any other GPS in the market does so. So I decided to play some more with the features, and discovered that this option DOES exist. All you have to do is go to navigation options under preferences and select the option to display the next street to turn to . It worked. I can't believe it was that easy, yet customer service did not even know this was possible?!
TomTom Home 2 issues:
When I try to use the TomTom Home 2 software to download the latest maps, I consistently get an "internal server error" which prevents me from moving forward with the download. I will call customer service to inquire about this, so I am hoping that there is a quick fix for this. I don't have any issues when downloading other items like POI, voices, and safety cameras....
UPDATE 11/27/07: This is a TomTom web server issue due to high download demand after black Friday. I was able to download the maps successfuly after talking to customer service.
Map Share :
Map share is a great idea, I have tried it , and it is very useful. But Tomtom literature that came with the device indicates that free Map sharing with/from others is only good for one year. So Map Share is not free after all?! Is this an indirect way of getting you to buy updated maps?
UPDATE 11/27/07. Customer service mentioned that there is no one year limit to using Map Share. So I hope they are not bluffing....
Final thoughts:
My 4 star rating is based on the assumption that the couple of issues mentioned above will get fixed . Even with those issues, the device itself is a very solid GPS navigator. It does not give you the frills of a Nuvi 350, but the price difference between those two is in favor of the TomTom. It is so far a keeper.
UPDATE 11/27/07. Based on my 11/27/07 updates, I am happy I made the purchase! I am also growing fonder of the device as I learn about its features (zip code search, intersection search, longitute/latitude search, powerful POI search options, ....). Plus, the TOMTOM Home 2 software allows you to get the latest maps for free (first 30 days). That in itself is extremely helpful. One of my friends bought the Magellan 4050 with Voice recognition only to return it because his own house was not on the map (plus Magellan does not advertise free map updates). The Map Share feature is also very valuable as it is equivalent to a freeware map update software. - Tom Tom One - 3rd Edition - Tomtom One - Tomtom'
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