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TomTom intros GO 930T and 730T with Lane Guidance and IQ Routes
TomTom might be in a bit of a tussle with the EU lately, but that isn't stopping the company from announcing two new GO models at CeBIT this morning -- say hello to the GO 930 and 730. The updates to the popular 720 and 920 now feature TomTom's new IQ Routes features, which uses a database of historical vehicle speeds along different paths rather than speed limit information to generate route guidance, and Advanced Lane Guidance (shown above), which aims to make navigating complex interchanges a little simpler. Other than that, there's not much of a bump here: both models feature the same 4.3-inch, 480 x 272 touchscreen, 400MHz CPU, Map Share and traffic as their predecessors, and the main difference between the 930 and the 730 is the presence of a dead-reckoning accelerometer in the 930. Expect the $500 730 and $550 930 to hit in April.Update: If you're in the Netherlands, UK, and Germany, you can also score HD Traffic versions of these bad boys as well, which come bundled with TomTom's new GPRS HD Traffic receiver. The tiny box plugs into a range of compatible TomTom models and provides high-quality traffic data. It's out in the Netherlands now and should be out in the UK and Germany later this year, with France to follow in 2009.[Thanks, Tim]Read - GO 930 and GO 730 press releaseRead - HD Traffic receiver press release %Gallery-17384%
Hands-on / roadtest with the TomTom GO 720
Before we tell you about the TomTom GO 720, let us impart one piece of advice which we're pretty sure most GPS enthusiasts know already: if you're going through the Lincoln Tunnel into Midtown Manhattan late at night with your GPS fired up and ready for action, make sure you know by heart what to do when you come out the other side -- because GPS simply ain't happening in New York City. That said, TomTom's slickly designed and elegantly executed 720 is a seriously welcome addition to our navigational world, and frankly, we'll be sad to see the little guy go.
TomTom GO 920 on the way?
Whenever a manufacturer is rumored to be upgrading its top-of-the-line device, we wanna know about it, so GPS Review certainly had us intrigued with word of a successor to TomTom's popular, hard drive-equipped (and once-infected) GO 910 in-car navigation system. While perusing the manual on the recently-released GO 720 CD, one of the editors stumbled upon a set of files named go520.link, go720.link, and go920.link -- which besides the unit in question, most likely refer to a European-only product as well as what we now suspect to be an upcoming flagship model called the GO 920. Obviously no specs or details of any kind are available beyond this tantalizing clue, but now that we have an idea of what to look for, we're gonna be breathing down your neck for more info, TomTom.
TomTom GO 720 review roundup
It looks like TomTom's managed to hit all the right marks with its new GO 720 GPS unit, at least according to the first few reviews that have turned up, which all seem to have found plenty to like about the device. Among the first to get their hands on the device was GPS Review, which found the unit to be "more than just a simple specifications bump to an existing model." In particular, it was especially impressed by the ease with which you can receive live traffic information, as well as the unit's text-to-speech functions, thinner size, and longer battery life than other models. Also putting the unit through its paces was Computeractive, which dug the unit's much-touted map sharing feature and abundance of extra features, but was slightly less impressed with the need for a cellphone connection for traffic updates. Lastly, and most thoroughly, the folks at Mobinaute seem to have examined every nook and cranny of the device, providing plenty of pics and a ten minute video showing the device in action. Of course, it's also all in French, but they too don't seem to have found much to complain about, other than some stability problems when the device was connected to a PC. Read - GPS Review ("hard to imagine this device not being a huge hit")Read - Computeractive (5 out of 5) [Via Navigadget]Read - Mobinaute ("forecasts of what will be the accessible navigation of tomorrow today")
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.
