TomTom is really pushing the connected capabilities of its navigation devices with this new x40 LIVE series, which hit IFA this year
as rumored. The GO 940 LIVE, GO 740 LIVE and GO 540 LIVE include a "new and extended" version of
IQ Routes, which can adjust your route for predicted and actual road conditions, based on historical data and TomTom's HD Traffic feature. The units include Safety Alerts for alerting to speed cameras, Fuel Prices, and Local Search, which is powered by Google and allows you to plan a route to your search results. Also onboard is voice command and control, letting you plan routes and make phone calls using only your voice. The series will be available in the UK, Germany, France, Netherlands and Switzerland this fall, starting at £299 (about $544 US). LIVE services are £10 a month. Unfortunately, the versions we played with at IFA didn't have a live connection, but software looks easy to access and easy to use. Too bad the actual hardware looks circa 2003.
Any news on when will this service (LIVE) be available in the US? Has TOM TOM any plan to provide:
- video route (blaupunkt presented it and it looks really sleek)
- sign recognition
- internet access
Clear the first !!
Website : http://www.europale-asmedia.net
My Navigon GPS has traffic/construction updates and will automatically route around them, plus speed limit warnings, all for $400 less with no monthly fee. Other than the Google link, every technology mentioned in the article is pretty mainstream. What's the big deal?
I agree up to a point about the great features that Navigon has to offer. Free LIFETIME traffic, updates of the go...etc. Then again, the Navigon touchpad is terrible and the craddle is a nightmare.The keypad is so small that that had to give you a stylus to use it. Who has time to do that? Yeah, but all that aside, you make a great point about all of the wonderful and FREE features offered by Navigon. 8)
Your satnav uses RDS-TMC to receive traffic updates. Not the most reliable. TomTom x30T and some others have RDS-TMC traffic lifetime updates for free. I have used it myself and can say it's not all that great. Not many roads are covered and the information can quickly get out of date.
The x40 series features their HD traffic which yours doesn't and won't have. The HD traffic uses anonymous cell phone data from Vodafone. It tracks the speed of moving cars on the main primary and secondary roads. It combines this with government data and RDS-TMC data and then is verified by TomTom manually before being sent to you - every 3 minutes. Use this in conjunction with IQRoutes which you also don't have, the x40 will know the fastest routes at every 5 minutes of the day.
That's pretty advanced stuff. When I used the IQRoutes, I managed to save a good 10 minutes off my travel time. My old satnav didn't tell me about that route, nor did google maps. It seemed longer, yet it was 10mins faster.
So there is a lot to look forward to for the TomTom x40 series, I just wish they would hurry up the release :-S
TomToms is really a powerfull tools for gps location services, but they should find any way for adapt the TomTom navigation device with the iPhone... I read this post when the autor show us something about TomTom in the iPhone. Somebody knows anyything about?
Your suggestion makes a lot of sense for iPhone users. I wonder what they would have to charge so they wouldn't gut their market sales for their own hardware?
Would be nice if the new features can be a download for the previous line (own a 930 myself). Easy enough through the TomTom Home 2 software.
They're trying desperately to push sales in a dying market. GPS devices are destined to end up like pocket calculators.
the "download quickgpsfix" icon looks like a deathstar
"Too bad the actual hardware looks circa 2003."
Yep, really bad. Because you know, they could really use a smudgy case and a glossy screen that reflects every single ray of light directly on your face while you're driving.
Is it just me, or does that look like a CHARGING BASE!!!??!?
*so happy*
It's cool to see that real-time info is getting traction on satnavs. The 'up to dateness' of the info is most important, if it's outdated, it's useless. I really like the speed cam alerts on-the-fly and lowest fuel price. .
Traffic info what needs to get better. I'm not sure about TomTom, but my girlfriend's Garmin shows traffic where there's none and doesn't where there is. It's lame. We just don't trust it anymore.