Tomtom One: A GPS navigator for everyone

Author's Rating:

Pros: Easy to use fully, out of the box. Undocumented, it charges via USB port.

Cons: Incomplete maps for some areas. Confusing model numbers.

The Bottom Line: 
Excellent co-pilot to get from A to B and points in between. Has relieved my fear of making detours in unfamiliar areas.

Author's Review
For an executive summary, read the bold items.

There are at least 4 versions of TomTom One: version 1, 2, 2 "new edition" and 3. They are identical electronically but quality control and software issues plague versions 1 & 2. Version 3 has just been released as of this writing. The "Europe" model simply has the European maps provided.

"New Edition" US version is noted as having the US/Canada maps preloaded, few to no bug reports and ready to run, out of box. V3 has no SD card or antenna jacks.

See 'navigation test' below for an updated test covering a 2500 mi road trip.



Plain GPS receivers just map coordinates like a compass on steroids. The TomTom, like others in its class, are not just radios: they are expert system programs that guide you through highways and streets. How they guide you is the crux of the differences between many brands of what should be called a GPS navigator, GPSN.



Introduction

Do you need a GPSN? I thought I didn't. Have you ever been caught in traffic, saw an exit and wondered if there was a bypass for this bumper to bumper mess? Did you plan your trip only to find part of your route closed or detoured? Have you taken the wrong lane on a Y split, with the turn around several miles away? You took clear directions from a friend, but still can't find the main highway?

With more cars on the road than ever before, traffic jams are my nightmare, especially driving out-of-town. Without a local to guide you through back roads, a tourist driver is guaranteed to stick it out in a bumper to bumper mess, to avoid getting lost. Road work is often scheduled, and savvy road trip drivers can query government web sites for the status of repairs in their itineraries. Alas, traffic jams occur randomly, albeit more likely to occur during rush hours.

Over two years, I've co-pilot long road trips using a Mercedes' factory installed GPSN. Through thousands of miles of driving, it has not made a mistake guiding us. Recently, friends doing long road trips have attest such accuracy is typical of any GPSN, even hand held units. High accuracy maps are easily updated over the Internet, and costs have dropped markedly.

Last week, using on-line maps, I plotted a 500mi route with a scenic stop, and found during the trip that there was no marked entrance to the highway after the scenic stop. I thus, had to make a 5 mi U-turn ... and with that came my final impetus to buy a GPSN.

This review contrasts the TomTom One, TT1, against the Mercedes GPSN.



TT1 Best Specifications

After looking at smaller hand held units and the Mercedes, it became clear what my basic GPSN should have, and the TT1 met them very well.

A large clear screen. To minimize distractions, images must be as easy to see, clear and quick to understand as a road sign. Alas, too large a screen makes it difficult to mount a GPSN and be portable. So, screen size also depends on how the mapping information is matched to the screen. The Mercedes wins on all counts, with is 5 " screen mounted were radios are placed.

Simple map outlay:complementing its screen, simplicity and directness of presentation are key, again, like road signs. The TT1 has 2 major views: 3D and an aerial 2D. The 2D gives a 'look ahead' view to easily point alternate streets to jump off on in case of traffic. TT1 suppresses the size of non-route streets until one is within a minute or so or reaching it, then blows up the view and detail. The Mercedes does less zooming as the screens show large areas of maps clearly.

Touch Screen: its fastest to point at what you want, rather than to move a separate key to move a pointer to what you want, like a mouse. The Mercedes uses a toggling joystick, and its a pain to coordinate moving the stick to point at what you want. Its very distracting and dangerous to do while driving, and difficult enough at a stop. The TT1 is like a Palm, and its easy to select and change functions, even while driving [ which is not recommended.]

Clear loud voice warnings: heard over your radio or conversation, it should get your attention from whatever you're doing. The loudest volume on the TT1 attracts my attention even with the windows open going over 55 mph. It as clear as the Mercedes unit.

Clear directions: warning should occur at least 1 minute before any turn, and continuously after that if multiple turns occur after the main turn. Directions should be equal to what a local would know driving that area. It as clear as the Mercedes unit.

Rapid response and sensitivity: somewhat obsolete, older GPSN responded slowly. Near all modern units provide excellent directions while traveling up to or over 75 mph. The TT1 is as good the Mercedes unit.

Portable: a GPSN should be used in whatever car its needed, yours, rental or otherwise. It can also be used to check a taxi route, walking or bicycling. Its easier to take it to the home PC to update its firmware and maps via the Internet. As a GPS receiver it can map coordinates in the middle of a mountain or the ocean, it needn't be stuck in the car. It should be easy to recharge.

The TT1 easily bests the Mercedes, which is large and built in. When I arrive at a new destination and begin a walking tour, I can go to many areas without asking directions, so long as the address is known. I can lock in the GPS coordinates of interesting areas.

Points of Interest: _not_ a priority. My mission is to get from A to B through any bypass anywhere in the USA or Canada. While helpful, most gas stations, parks, food, hotels etc., are very well marked or advertised on roadways, my stops are pre-planned and are rarely done on-the-fly. For example, I prefer stops good for my car and passengers: quality and breadth of amenities for all, and this is rarely touched by the POI markers in many GPSN.



TomTom, Inc.

TomTom is a Dutch company with roots back to the early 1990s programming Palm and Psion computers. It is listed in the Dutch stock exchange. It grosses over Euro 1B annually, similar to its US competitor, Garmin. Its history in GPS began in 2001.

The GPSN field is in its "teens" era, with many companies vying for market share and dominance. Some countries are launching their own satellite systems; the USA is developing a "GPS II" and a fully separate commercial version. Its unknown if these new systems will be compatible with current devices. Models and new technology, come and go quickly. Like early PCs, look forward to more innovation, diminishing costs, compacting size, increasing performance and guaranteed 5 year obsolescence in whatever GPSN you buy. So buy for an immediate need, not for a lifetime.


TomTom One, In the Box

The TT1 ships mounted in a protective plastic frame inside a cardboard box. Included is an USB A-to-mini cable, a 12V car power adapter, a registration number on a plastic card, brief multilingual instructions, a CD , warranty card, and a windshield mount.


Size & Weight, Accessories

Is a huge plus. While TT1 screens are about that of the competitive Garmin i-Series, the whole TT1 is about the size of a box of US cigarettes or playing cards. Its lightweight enough to put in a shirt pocket without pulling. Garmins tend to be like little old-style TV sets, and the pocket sized Nuvi 350 costs over $100 more.

Accessories are available aftermarket. They consists of cases, car mounts, power supplies etc. These custom devices are expensive and unneeded since many camera cases fit the TT1, and its possible to charge the TT1 using any USB port. See further, below.


Speed

Boot takes under a minute even if satellites are not found. Seasoned GPSN owners say this is a plus and unique to many TomTom models. There is a legal disclaimer one has to answer each time its used or an itinerary planned. Once running, screens update with no wait. However, in map view, its a bit tedious, see below.


Screen

About half the size of the Mercedes GPSN, it seems less capable at first ... until you imagine drawing directions on a 3x5 index card: a lot depends on how information is presented. The screen is very bright, sharp, clear, and with excellent colors viewable in sunlight, but direct sunlight washes out the screen. For navigation aids, it has not been an issue since directions can occupy very little room. However, if you need to review whole maps, bigger is better. In the TT1, scrolling through maps is tedious to move screen after screen. While the Mercedes is far easier to use, it too suffers when you need to scroll from screen to screen ... but this occurs less often.


Reliable

There have been few reports of TT1v2 breaking down due to manufacturer's defects within the warranty period, and reports have been favorable on warranty returns. Many all-electronic gadgets are rarely made badly today.

Do not use the enclosed CD, if you can. See next section, "Software ..." below . There are reports of fatal bugs in early TT1v1 or early v2. There are a number of complaints using Tom Tom Home V1.x. If your TT1v2 did not come with the maps preloaded, requiring you to load them from an SD card, you have the older TT1. Download Tom Tom Home 2. Newer TT1v2 versions are available from higher volume sellers like Amazon.com.

When shut off, the TT1 is really asleep or hibernating, thus, the software remains in the last state you used, unless you reset it. It also means it continues to drain batteries, albeit very slowly.

There are subtle bugs in the TT1v2 New Edition, none of them critical. For example, the opening splash screen plays a Tom Tom sound, most of the time, but will do it 100% of the time if you reset it ... this suggests code is being bypassed. While doing setup screen colors with no satellites in sync the TT1 defaulted to B&W, regardless of color you select; this does not occur if the satellites are found.


Software & Ergonomics

Tomtom draws from simplicity while programming Palm and Psion computers: TT1 are easy to to use without a manual. There is an SD card slot, external antenna jack, a USB port, and a power button, that's it. These are briefly discussed in the short manual ... if needed.

To operate the TT1, power on the device and follow directions. The interface is as simple as a cash or ATM machine, there are few choices to make, thus less chance to select the wrong options.

To enter the main menu just tap the screen with your finger. Later on, you'll learn different areas of the screen give different segments of their menu, but they are all tied together later on. The menu only moves forward, so if you make a mistake you'll have to cycle through all the menu items to return to what you want. A bit annoying at first, but you'll quickly master all the options and where they are, simplifying learning and navigation.

To update software, connect the TT1 via its USB port to a computer, and the TT1 automatically installs the needed drivers and boots basic software. It then requests to download a 'desktop' program from the Tom Tom website. This program coordinates the PC and the TT1. Desktop, called Tom Tom Home, checks the version numbers installed and updates when needed. If you've used a Palm and hotsync to a PC, its nearly identical.

I upgraded to v7.x of the TT1 firmware using this method. The upgrade was bug free and easy ... following the directions on the software. Unless you have poor Internet connections, you needn't bother using the included CD.


Charging via any USB Port?

This fact is not clarified by support forums, the manual or not mentioned by TomTom's support FAQ.

All USB ports provide a standard voltage and current, per USB specifications. At worst, many can trickle charge any USB device that has rechargeable batteries.

I ran the TT1 until the battery power dropped 30%. Using the supplied USB cable and plugged into a PC's USB port, the word 'charging' appears in the 'Status Summary' screen and the battery icon blinks. After 3 hours, the word charging disappeared. Disconnect the USB cable, and the battery icon now reads full.


Bluetooth

Is available to sync your cell phone with premium services, such as traffic reports. I have not used it.


Battery life

Rated at 2 hours, maximum life can be had by reducing back lighting and voice volume to anywhere under 50%. The chargers or 12V car power adapter attaches to the USB port.

How useful is a 2 hours battery runtime to you? A 20 min mall drive each way via highway can extended to 1 hour for me if I'm caught in traffic, and the TT1 detours can reduce that to 30min-40min. However, that's maybe barely enough power to take me back if the traffic jams persist. In general, I doubt I'll ever use the GPSN without the car adapter, and leave the battery operation to walking or bicycle routes.


Navigation Test

I did a "Turing Test" by comparing my favorite known driving routes against the TT1 recommendations.

My often used routes are optimal for time and distance. In planning mode, TT1 gave identical recommendations, from 0.5 - 500mi away.

On test trips, I purposely pulled over to a side road that I knew reconnected to the planned route some distance ahead. After the 'turn around if possible' warning it automatically re-routed my trip to take me back on track. On other tests, it simply rerouted me directly back to my plan, without other warnings.

I hit the 'road block' option that suggests I'm stuck in traffic for 'X' miles. TT1 would tell me get off the next exit, turn around, make a turn here or there and follow a new route to bypass this X miles jam. I did this numerous times to check how it would reroute me in local driving & highway driving. Expectedly, it gave 'reroute not possible' when my destination was within the minimum distance required to reroute, about 0.5 mi.

After preliminary testing in local roads, the TT1 went on a road trip of over 2500 mi.

I entered GPS coordinates for addresses I had not been to but expect to visit. If faulty coordinates were given that terminated without roads, the TT1 quickly reported a route could not be plotted to that destination: you can navigate to the nearest turn off road if the coordinates are known. I arrived at all the plotted destinations flawlessly, following TT1 directions instead of what I would be told.

In a notorious area in Washington DC, traffic jams that cause over 1 hour trip delays were very common ... TT1 routed me around DC easily, so my arrival time changed by under 5 minutes. In prior trips, I had no choice but to stick it out on the traffic jam. On the return trip, part of the bypass route also had traffic, I hit the 'road block' feature and again, TT1 navigated me around the block through local roads and to the highway with ne'er a change in the arrival time. Anyone who has driven through the confusing DC inner roads will know how difficult such navigation is without detailed knowledge or maps of downtown Washington. The TT1 easily saved me 1 hour wasted in DC traffic that I had done many times for years prior.

As I sped down south, I simulated jams on the highway, and the TT1 would quickly route off the next exit into local roads, some of which I saw easily paralleled the main highway. Some bypass routes were complicated. I did this off and on, through 2000 mi of highway travel, passing through 8 states.

At my rural destination a few roads were non-existent, often dead ends or into housing development. You could plot a GPS location to a main road before a turn off. The locals had preferred routes, but the TT1 would route me through existing known roads, dirt or otherwise, that still got me to my destination as quickly as a locals recommendation. Rarely, the road names on the TT1 was different than that posted on the road signs. I spent about 500 mi traveling through these country roads.

The supplied TT1 POI database is practically useless. Except in exceptional cases of carelessness, gas or rest stops marked were far from a preferred road stop: I knew some of those stops had poor food, rest room or gas prices, while the better stops were like a mini WalMart with gas prices often lower by as much as 25c/gal. TT1 allows the user to make their own POI database, and this I did. On the return trip, TT1 tools easily allowed me to optimize my stops. In the end, I reduced my travel time by 2 hours, each way!

After over 2500mi driving the TT1 recommendations, I can say the TT1 has been accurate and invaluable.


Conclusion:

There are many GPSN that can equal the TT1 is basic navigation. However, the TT1 meets my specs well and as of this writing, may be the cheapest full function pocket portable GPSN available. I paid $220.

I have seen a few missing streets in TT1 map after a 2500mi road trip. It was inconsequential, as they were nearly all private roads. One state highway that was now a Federal Interstate was partially listed as a state highway, so was not plotted as the optimal route, instead TT1 plotted the main Interstate used through the city. I took the bypass Interstate anyway, and the TT1 quickly replotted the new route through the bypass highway.