The TomTom iPhone Car Kit has been getting a lot of media play the last few days. It briefly appeared on the UK’s iTunes Store and then TomTom announced that it will be available there for EUR99.99. But until now the company hasn’t said squat about the retail price here in the good ol’ States. → Read More
Despite the fact that some feel they are whistling in the dark, TomTom just released the latest generation of their “PND” (don’t call it a GPS) the XXL. Featuring a large 5 inch screen, the new PNDs also have improved routing technology that learns your route, and helps to determine the most efficient way to get where you are going. → Read More
Standalone GPS devices are a dying breed. Anyone with a half-way decent smartphone can get from point A to point B with a few taps of an onscreen keyboard and it’s abundantly clear that standalone devices will end up being the the province of old folks. That said, TomTom and Garmin are seeing roses and puppy dogs. → Read More
We saw photos of the TomTom accessory for the iPhone yesterday but now we have video of it. This is basically a little dock with a USB cable and a GPS booster. Not a huge deal but this could feasibly mean the end of standalone GPS devices, which is kind of important. What think you? → Read More
Remember this day. Today is the day that you saw the future of GPS navigation. Tele Atlas has partnered with Norway-based BLOM to provide photorealistic maps to personal navigation devices. So far only 40 cities in Europe have been ported to the service, but many more are scheduled to be released in the coming quarters. Soon the days of having basic 3D boxes to represent buildings will be gone and an actual picture will be there instead. → Read More
TomTom announced today that Microsoft is suing them for patent infringement, however they denied that they had violated any of Microsoft’s patent rights. Microsoft said that it it taking legal action against the GPS maker after the two failed to reach a licencing agreement after more then a year of negotiation. → Read More
TomTom and Fujitsu Ten have announced the ECLIPSE AVN4430 in-dash nav system and it’s pretty darn expensive at $850. But, I’m not sure how much in-car GPS units go for from manufacturers so correct me if I’m wrong. The plus side is that you can remove the TomTom GPS unit whenever you please and use it elsewhere. It sports a 4.3-inch screen and controls all of your car’s entertainment needs. It will be available in the States this month. → Read More
Radio Shack is gaining yet another exclusive GPS model after the Motorola and NAVIGON units. The TomTom Go 630 seems similar in specs to the GO 720 with even the same $399 price. IQ Routes Technology Advance Lane Guidance Access to TomTom MapShare Text-to-Soeech 4.3-inch widescreen Bluetooth handsfree call Side note about why Radio Shack is selling “exclusive” models after the break. → Read More
The J.D. Power and Associates just released the 2008 Portable Navigation Device customer satisfaction rankings with Garmin taking the top seat and TomTom following closely behind. These scores are a composite of six factors that include: ease of use, routing, system appearance, speed of system, voice direction, and navigation display screen. Garmin ranks highest among portable navigation device manufacturers, performing particularly well in the display screen, ease of use and appearance factors TomTom follows Garmin in the ranking, performing well in the routing, speed of system and voice direction factors Personally, I have never been a big fan of Garmin interfaces; who am I though but a lowly gadget blogger. JDPower via GPSTracklog → Read More
Sorry Kim. I’m sure you’re a nice lady and all, but after being forced to sit through umpteen seasons of Sex and the City and the 3 hours of bonus drivel provided by the movie, I don’t think I could handle it. If anybody hopped in my car with your new voice pack installed on a TomTom, I would smash said TomTom with a brick. If you think you can bear your way through such classics as “This is the city, darling. Anything goes.” and “Don’t touch my manolos!”, you can grab the new pack here for $12.95. These celebrity voice packs are suddenly like the GPS unit version of ringtones; Expect shady late night commercials and crazy babbling frogs soon. → Read More
I have no doubt these custom voices for your TomTom or Garmin GPS cease to be entertaining after, oh, about three blocks, but if you’ve got money to burn, go for it. Most are groaningly bad, but they have their functions: GlaDOS: good litmus test for whether people you’re with are huge nerds. Pimp or sexy lady voice: good test for whether you’re a raging misogynist (or closet prostitute). Yoda: Eh, why not? If you’re curious but poor (or care to exercise good taste, like me), you can listen to samples, so at the very least you can laugh at W saying “arrived at destantination. Mission accomplished,” which is funny even though the Bush imitator is only passable. → Read More
The TomTom ONE XL II (that’s a mouthful) launch is one step closer with the FCC stamp of approval. Details are still up in the air, but it seems this guy simply updates the previous model with Bluetooth hands-free calling. Even the available users guide doesn’t reveal any juicy details as it seems as if the guide is just repurposed from the current generation. All the docs are up on the FCC’s website if you need more info. [Thanks for the tip, Rich!] → Read More
TomTom released their PRO line yesterday, designed for pro on the go. The TomTom PRO 4000 ($330) and 8000 ($460) are the first to hit the market. Here is what bugs me about these two: the hardware is the same as the non-pro models, but the customer service (and software) is not. PRO Features: – A whopping 2 year warranty – Menu lock option so you’re not tempted to mess with it while driving (this should be on all TomTom devices) – Heavy duty sleeve for those of you suffering from dropsy – Free map update in the first 12 months – Accesses to a PRO only customer service line – PIN lock to protect your information when other people use it Some of these new “features” seem like items that all TomTom units should come with standard. Why the different treatment TomTom? Are us Joe-Lunchbox types not good ‘nough? Anyway, the only difference between the two is the 8000 has premium features like IQ Routes, Voice Address Input, and Bluetooth hands-free calling. I’d advise you to get the cheap one and then complain until you get the good service. via Navigadget → Read More
See if you can make sense of this quote from a TomTom spokesperson: Our navigation system runs on the iPhone already. Does that mean TomTom has an application in development for the iPhone App Store? If so, when will it be released? If not, then what exactly was TomTom talking about? My guess, that TomTom didn’t want o seem “hurt” by the inclusion of a GPS chip inside the iPhone 3G. Its software will work just as well on the iPhone as it does on its stand-alone units. Something to that effect. → Read More
http://blip.tv/scripts/flash/showplayer.swf?enablejs=true&feedurl=http%3A%2F%2Fcrunchgear%2Eblip%2Etv%2Frss&file=http%3A%2F%2Fblip%2Etv%2Frss%2Fflash%2F975847%3Freferrer%3Dblip%2Etv%26source%3D1&showplayerpath=http%3A%2F%2Fblip%2Etv%2Fscripts%2Fflash%2Fshowplayer%2Eswf POIfriend (pronounced like boyfriend), which has nothing to do with the traditional Hawaiian dish of fermented taro, aims to be “the point of interest community that connects people and the places important to them.” Sounds easy enough, right? That’s because it is. POIfriend.com is based out of Toronto and was started by Dave Krawczyk and Bill McLean. It’s essentially a social network that allows users to create and share their own POIs within their group of friends or with the entire community. Sounds pretty dumb, huh? Well, if it were just a social network to collect and share POIs then, yes, it is dumb and not worth the time to sign up, but POIfriend.com is much more than that. → Read More
Aren’t GPS sales on the decline? I can say without a doubt that if I had a car I’d pick one up. I’m sorry but Google Maps is not perfect and even if I had a BlackBerry with GPS, I still wouldn’t rely on it. I was in Seattle last week and had a bitch of a time getting around with just Google Maps. TomTom announced this morning a revamped One and XL GPS devices. Some new fangled windshield mount dubbed EasyPort can be taken with you wherever you go. The audio systems from previous models have been tweaked so that you can raise the volume of the device without it getting distorted and hear it above traffic. The higher end models include text-to-speech. The One sports a 3.5-inch touch screen LCD while the XL comes with a 4.3-inch screen. Both will be available some time next month. Specs and pricing after the jump. → Read More
I’ll be honest with you. If I hadn’t gotten rid of my car late last year, I’d be tempted to pick one of these up myself. There are plenty of cheap GPS units out there but to be able to grab a TomTom unit for under $100 seems to be a pretty sweet deal. The unit is refurbished, yes, but you’ll get the same warranty as if it were new (one year, I believe) and you can extend it through Buy.com’s warranty service. Specs include a 3.5-inch touchscreen, preloaded maps of the US and Canada, turn-by-turn voice directions, and millions of points of interest like gas stations, ATM machines, hotels, etc. Not too shabby. It’s $119, plus a $20 mail in rebate at Buy.com. TomTom ONE 3rd Edition Portable GPS System [Buy.com] via FatWallet → Read More
