TomTom car kit for iPhone

Author: Sven Rafferty
June 28th, 2010
tomtom-iphone-car-kit.jpg

Ratings

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Pros

  • Compact with small footprint
  • Easy to mount and dismount iPhone
  • Holds iPhone steady while driving

Cons

  • Built-in antenna seems non-effective
  • Built-in speaker insufficient for phone calls
  • Pairing requires phone to be mounted
  • Lack of Bluetooth calls through line-out

The Bottom Line
TomTom has made a mighty fine car kit that mounts easily and securely. The iPhone never bobs or bounces while driving and the mounting method is the easiest of all mounts we’ve seen. Sadly, the speaker is weak and useless and the built-in antenna does not seem to boast your reception in any way. Yet even with its faults and bit high price tag, the small footprint and easy mount makes it a winner.

Recommended
Yes

Full Review
The iPhone has brought GPS to millions of phones with a simple and easy download from the App Store. Not so simple has been finding a way to mount that phone for viewing the GPS while driving. With many options for a mount, how does one decide which is the best? TomTom hopes that its car kit mount will be a choice that ends up on your windshield.

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TomTom for the iPhone

Author: Sven Rafferty
January 12th, 2010
TomTom, iPhone, GPS

Ratings

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Pros

  • Best routing we’ve seen
  • Great menus system
  • Fast start-up
  • Wealth of information on navigation screen
  • iPod pausing during voice instructions

Cons

  • Horrible iPod interface
  • Dated map interface
  • Limited POI database
  • No Internet-connectivity for POIs

The Bottom Line
TomTom has a strong history of being one of the best in the GPS industry and as the first to the iPhone, it took the market lead. But with a dated interface and lack of Internet look-up of POIs that the other guys have, TomTom may have a tough sale at $60. It’s saving grace may be the fact that it routed us better than any other GPS app we have tested.
Recommended
Yes

Full Review
I’ve been a fan of TomTom navigation products way back to the start of the millennium dating to our first review of its Palm OS navigator in 2002. Yes, this isn’t the first time TomTom has brought GPS to a “PDA”. (Remember that acronym?) We all first learned of TomTom’s navigator when the second generation iPhone, the 3G, came to the world with the ability to run third-party applications. Unfortunately, it would take over a year before one was able to download it from the App Store. Now that we have it, is it as good as a TomTom dedicated device or is just a little better than the nearly decade old Palm OS version? Truthfully, there is no short answer as to how good TomTom for the iPhone is. Like all the other GPS applications for the iPhone, it has it’s lacking and it has its strengths. Take a ride with me as we make a turn-by-turn review of TomTom’s navigation for the iPhone.

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TomTom GO 930

Author: Sven Rafferty
August 29th, 2008
tomtom-GO-930_med.jpg

Pros

  • Simple to use
  • Excellent address voice input
  • Premium display
  • Customizable
  • Clear and loud speakerphone
  • Extensive POI
  • IQ Routes works well

Cons

  • Short battery life
  • Gas prices not accurate
  • Sometimes quirky routing
  • RDS-TMC not useful outside of large metro areas
  • No dedicated address voice input button on remote

The Bottom Line
In a crowded GPS field, the TomTom sticks out of the traffic like a big yellow school bus. It will not only get you to Point B but it’ll get you to Point B in a way the competition only wished it could do.

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Recommended
Yes (Strong)

Full Review
SvenOnTech has tested many TomTom’s all the way back to its Palm offering nearly six years ago. We’ve always loved its easy to read interface and have been impressed with the features offered by the Holland-based navigation company. Always trying to do something different than the other guys, TomTom has continued to improve its devices from integration to Eclipse radios to including hands-free Bluetooth speakerphone. So what did the Dutch come up with for the GO 930? Address voice input. Oh ya, now we’re talking…literally.

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