TomTom Mobile
I had a Quest before which was fine, but only just up to the job.
I think that Garmin have been left behind in some key areas by companies like TomTom.
Ive been using TomTom Mobile for a few weeks ago and have been very impressed with it. TomTom Rider is based on the newer as yet unreleased engine, version 5.
I think the Quest was very easy and convenient but had two shortcomings: very slow at redrawing the screen and missing guidance during a quick succesion of turns (ie through a series of roundabouts).
The Quests GPS Receiver wasnt that great either, sometimes losing locks going through the middle of London and tree lined roads for example . The TomTom's GPS mouse is better; locks on in seconds and can mantain a solid lock even though a glove box, tank bag, jacket pocket etc.
The software feature list is very impressive, just a few here:
GPRS Updates for traffic jams, accidents etc. (49 Euro a year subs)
GPRS updates for weather.
Easily downloadable Points of Interest (the Safety Camera POI is practically enought to sell it on its own). You can create your own based on searches taken from the online Yellow Pages database.
VERY quick searching and rerouting. An average route is calculated in a few seconds, never had one take longer than 5 seconds.
Excellent and up to date map data.
Redraws are instanteous - all you see is a smoothly scrolling map.
A couple of drawbacks:
GPS receiver battery life is about five hours only.
Drains your mobile in about three - four hours too. A couple of car accessory sockets wired in fixes this nicely.
European maps are extra (Euro base maps are included in ver 5)
There isnt any PC software, so planning specific routes isnt easy.
The current release is missing a few features which would make it indispensible; namely route preferences. These are provided in the new version, Mobile 5 due for release in the next few weeks.
You can download "joke" and celebrity voices - Kitt from Knight Rider, Victoria Beckham, Marilyn Monroe...
TomTom Rider also comes with a Bluetooth headset and integrates with your mobile phone using the touch sensitive screen to make and receive calls. How smart is that? (No idea yet if it will work with the Bluetooth offerings coming from BMW and Autocom, but here's hoping).
Price wise, the only thing Ive seen written is £499 plus VAT, which sounds reasonable (£100 more than the car version) but is probably conjecture.
In the meantime, if you already have a Smart Phone, TomTom Mobile will cost you about £180. TomTom Mobile 5 is due for release in April, price tba. An upgrade offer is available between the two for about Euro 49 tbc.
For a review of TomTom Mobile 5 (the same software that Rider will use, take a look
here
Just another option to consider....
Cheers,
Michael
