MapShare
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TomTom opens up MapShare to all 60 million of its GPS units (video)
TomTom has seen the inexorable rise of smartphone navigation and decided that it needs a cheaper way of updating its head units. Its cunning solution has been to open its MapShare community to all 60 million TomToms in the wild -- which was previously limited just to smartphone apps and select devices. MapShare works by allowing users to update their, erm, maps, when they spot a change has been made, which is then uploaded when they get home. It'll now be aggregated and pushed out as a free daily download. Users can filter updates, deciding if they want ones submitted by "some," "many" or those officially verified by the company itself -- so don't bother trying to game the system to make your morning commute easier.
TomTom sends HD Traffic update to all Live models, extends Traffic Manifesto to US (video)
TomTom CEO Harold Goddijn announced at a NYC event last night that the company's HD Traffic service, previously only included with the Go 2535 M Live, would be available on all U.S. Live models, including the Go 740 Live and XL 340 Live. Traffic updates will be one component of the subscription-based Live, which will also see a 50 percent price drop, to $60 per year. This is all part of TomTom's grand Traffic Manifesto, which aims to cut traffic by five percent overall. Achieving this rather lofty goal in the U.S. would require 10 percent of the country's drivers to be using Live, which transmits real-time traffic data using a dedicated AT&T SIM. The company says drivers using the service themselves can expect to see travel times reduced by up to 15 percent. Our commute often involves a pajama-clad hike from the bed to the desk, so if you're currently a subscriber who drives to work, let us know if Traffic is making a dent in your travels.
TomTom's Map Share update brings crowdsourced navigation to iPhone GPS app
Buckled early and sprung for TomTom's iPhone GPS app, did you? If so, that very app just got a lot better today, as version 1.6 has brought TomTom's Map Share -- a crowdsourcing aspect that'll keep your maps more up-to-date than you ever thought possible. Map Share enables iPhone users to make changes instantly to their own maps and to benefit from free map updates made by the TomTom community and verified by the company itself. That means that users will now be able to edit street names, set driving directions and block / unblock streets directly on their maps, and if you're kind enough, you can share those updates with the rest of the TomTom community. Furthermore, the app will automatically check for new verified updates (including turn restrictions, speed limit changes and crossing changes), so the previously tried-and-true "my maps were old!" excuse will sadly no longer work. Give and take, as they say.
TomTom shows signs of life with Traffic Manifesto, aims to shorten European travel times by 5 percent
We're actually surprised that TomTom's still going strong after Google and Nokia unleashed their free satnav offerings many months ago. If you need some convincing, try this: following the launch of its Go Live 1000 series earlier this month, TomTom has just published a manifesto on its mission to encourage "better use of existing road capacity," and eventually "reduce journey times for everyone by up to 5 percent where there is traffic." Actually, by "everyone" TomTom means Europe, and according to its computer simulations, this would apparently require 10 percent of the continent's drivers to be hooked up to its HD Traffic active load-balancing service. There's no time frame given here, but it'll probably be awhile -- in the video after the break, CEO Harold Goddijn admits that out of TomTom's 45 million drivers, only about 1 million (or 2.2 percent) are currently connected to its live services. That said, this figure might get a little boost once TomTom starts providing free traffic data to radio stations and TV channels as part of its manifesto (in return for some cheap publicity, of course). On a related note, TomTom has also just rolled out HD Traffic 4.0, touting its "higher accuracy, reporting up to 200 percent more traffic jams during rush hours than previously." Existing HD Traffic customers from eight nations -- including Switzerland -- need not fiddle with anything to utilize the new service, and by year's end seven more countries will join the party. Meanwhile, we're still waiting on TomTom's own take on the App Store -- who knows if the company will even survive long enough to reach its goals. We kid, we kid. Or do we?%Gallery-103666%
TomTom Go I-90 integrates into any dashboard, brings radio 'infotainment'
TomTom has been on a mission to keep itself relevant as smartphones increasingly start to overstep on its territory, and the GO I-90 is another move in its counteroffensive plan. Capable of slotting into the double DIN slot usually reserved for in-car radio / music players, its big selling point is that it integrates into your dashboard yet is still capable of being moved around like a discrete nav unit. You wouldn't be left decrying the loss of your radio either, with the GO I-90 sporting FM (with RDS support) and AM reception, USB support for MP3 players including iPods, and a promised compatibility with an "extensive" list of phones for handsfree calling -- unfortunately, the poorly worded PR makes no mention of Bluetooth so we're not sure how they'll pull that off. Throw in a guarantee to receive the latest maps, TomTom's Map Share for crowdsourced routes, and a Help-Me! emergency menu, and you get a pretty comprehensive product. Shame about that €599 (about $893) sticker then. Available in Europe in December.
TomTom Start wants to democratize GPS navigation: smartphones point, laugh
Paradoxically, most of the fuss surrounding TomTom of late has been associated with a certain smartphone -- a class of devices that signals the end to the dedicated SatNavs TomTom builds. Still, TomTom hasn't given up the fight yet as they've just announced the TomTom Start, a Є129 entry-level GPS navigator with 3.5-inch display and choice of six StartSkin covers costing €15 per -- you know, so you can change the look of your GPS unit every time you reupholster your car's interior. The device cost climbs to Є149 for a European map pre-load instead of the base, regional offering. Start features TomTom's IQ Routes and Map Share technology to find the fastest route benefiting from the aggregated map correction data fed by the hoards of local TomTom-ers. Look for it in the UK and Ireland, the Netherlands, Spain, Portugal, Sweden, Denmark, Finland and Norway... someday, TomTom doesn't say when.
TomTom lets TomTom ONE 3rd Edition loose on North America
Looking to keep all its bases covered, TomTom's now followed up its just-announced high-end Go 920 T navigator with the decidedly lower-end TomTom ONE 3rd Edition. From the looks of it, the big additions this time around are support for TomTom's Map Share technology (previously seen on the company's higher-end units), a new "enhanced UI," and a new "HELP ME!" feature, which apparently includes everything from directions to the nearest hospital to car maintenance information to first aid instructions. Otherwise, you'll get the same 3.5-inch touchscreen as before, along with 1GB of internal memory, an RDS-TMC connector, and leather case and strap to "protect you TomTom device in style." Look for this one to be available sometime next month for the budget-friendly price of $249.
TomTom keeps 'em coming with the GO 520
We'd heard about the TomTom GO 520 before, but now it's looking a little more official -- so all you Europeans looking to get in on TomTom's new Map Share action but not willing to drop the coin on the new GO 720 can cheer up. Apart from trading in the 720's 2GB of flash and all-Europe (or North America) maps for 512MB or 1GB of your local European region, the 520 is basically the same piece of kit -- 4.3-inch WQVGA display, 400MHz CPU, 64MB of RAM, SD card slot, FM transmitter, Bluetooth, optional RDS-TMC traffic information receiver, and the aforementioned Map Share feature, which lets you edit maps and share them with other GO users online. Europeans should see this one drop in the third quarter of this year, for something like €400 ($537).[Via NaviGadget]
TomTom intros GO 720 with Map Share technology
TomTom doesn't appear to be letting that spat with Encyclopaedia Britannica stop it from rolling out new GPS devices, with its new GO 720 unit making its debut today, along with the company's new "Map Share" system. The device itself is a fairly standard affair, boasting a 4.3-inch WQVGA display, a 400MHz CPU, 64MB of RAM, an SD card slot, an FM transmitter, Bluetooth, and maps of the US and Canada pre-loaded on the unit's 2GB of internal flash memory -- an RDS-TMC traffic information receiver is also available as an optional accessory. The company's new Map Share system, as its name suggests, lets users make changes to maps and share 'em with others. While you'll apparently be able to make the changes directly on the device, you'll still have to use a PC to upload them for others to use, and to get your updated maps in return. Look for this one to set you back about $500 when its released in the US and Canada in late July -- a separate model, the GO 520, will also be available in Europe only.
