TomTom Launch GO x40 LIVE Range in the UK

Darren · Last edited by Darren on Mon Feb 16, 2009 10:15 am; edited 6 times in total

Not the best kept secret in the world but TomTom have today launched the x40 range of LIVE connected GO devices with availability as of this weekend in the UK.

I'm fresh back from the UK Press Launch where the GO 540, 740 and 940 models were announced. As many of you will already know, the x40's are 'connected' devices and have a built in GSM Radio and SIM card to enable delivery of the LIVE services which include HD Traffic, IQ Routes, Safety Cameras, Fuel Prices, Weather, Buddies and Google Search.

All three devices come with a three month trial of the LIVE services and subsequent subscription costs are £7.99 per month with no contract so you can cancel and renew on a month by month basis should you wish. Surprisingly, only the 940 has the capability to play .mp3 files stored internally as well as iPod Connect. The 540 and 740 can use the iPod connect feature if used with an extra cost accessory dock.

We've been luck enough to have had a 940 for some months now and the HD Traffic works very well indeed, if you value the traffic functionality then that alone would justify the x40 and a subscription in my opinion.

Pricing

TomTom GO 940 LIVE (European + US maps) with £50 fuel card - £449.99
TomTom GO 740 LIVE (32 European maps) with £40 fuel card - £349.99
TomTom GO 540 LIVE (UK/Ireland maps) with £30 fuel card - £299.99

Three months LIVE Services trial included, £7.99 per month thereafter.

Stock is already with UK Distributors and is expected in retail by the weekend. Online retailers may be in a position to ship sooner still.

For ease of reference we have published a full features comparison table here.
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Darren Griffin

stealthdevil · Occasional Visitor Joined: Jul 05, 2007 Posts: 40

Finally a date!!! Thanks for the info Darren!

Darren · 29 October 2008

The full press release is provided here:

stealthdevil · Occasional Visitor Joined: Jul 05, 2007 Posts: 40

Is there any reason why the press release says mid november for release as opposed to this weekend you stated?

Darren · Posted: Wed Oct 29, 2008 3:47 pm Post subject:

mikero · Regular Visitor Joined: Feb 28, 2006 Posts: 84

Will the new services be available to owners of x20 and x30 devices if they purchase the HD Traffic module as a new accessory?

Darren · Posted: Wed Oct 29, 2008 4:15 pm Post subject:

Darren · Posted: Wed Oct 29, 2008 4:23 pm Post subject:

The surprising omissions on the x40 range are the .mp3 player functionality and the FM Transmitter, both reserved for 940 only.

I will need to seek clarification on the mount as a technical spreadsheet suggest all models get only the basic mount in the box. I was under the impression the 940 would have the full function mount. This has line out/headphone and iPod connectivity port.

Also it is worth pointing out the the LIVE services will function ONLY in the country of purchase. There is no roaming agreement so they will not function if you venture outside the UK.
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Darren Griffin

Zebb · Occasional Visitor Joined: Aug 28, 2008 Posts: 55

The 940 price of £450 is nearly half the cost of a years worth of fuel for most people.

edit; it was reported to be £550 on The Register this morning.

Darren · Posted: Wed Oct 29, 2008 4:35 pm Post subject:

Zebb · Occasional Visitor Joined: Aug 28, 2008 Posts: 55

Most people use less than that so their target audience must be very small. So is the X30 series discontinued now?

stealthdevil · Occasional Visitor Joined: Jul 05, 2007 Posts: 40

It's definitely a step backwards to take away the FM transmitter and MP3 functionality. These were features I used on the 530 and quite liked. I was able to simply bluetooth podcasts and music from my phone to the 530 and have it on the car speakers. So a shame they have removed it, probably just to entice people to buy a 940. Instead I've just bought a new car cd player with USB input. So I've connected a 250GB hard drive with all my music. If I want to listen to something from my phone, I stick the memory card into a USB adapter and plug it in. It has an audio in at the front, which brings me to my question..

I liked the way I could have the instructions read out to me on the car speakers. Do you know if there is an audio out jack on the 540 active dock? Or is there a separate accessory for it?

I've noticed sites cropping up with the new press release, all of them stating mid november launch.. I guess tomtom should have fixed that before sending out the release! Hopefully retailers will be quick to stock the item and I can get my hand on it in time for the monday morning drive to work.

The device is definitely for the high mileage users as tomtom have said themselves. I personally spend do 100 to 150 miles a day all during rush hour which is why I'm so eager to get my hands on this..I had a 530T (returned it as soon as heard about the 540). It did certainly help me skip some traffic, but only if I forced it to avoid a route despite it recommending me to stay in traffic.

Through the trials you have done for the HD traffic, did you find the timings accurate for the delay? Did it re-route you more often than x30T? Does it notify of traffic one would already expect? For example a route I took would always be congested with a 15min delay. It was guaranteed to be everyday and the 530t never informed me once of a traffic report.. Does the x40 series overcome this and tell you of daily congested routes which are actually congested every working day?

Darren · Posted: Wed Oct 29, 2008 4:50 pm Post subject:

Darren · Posted: Wed Oct 29, 2008 4:55 pm Post subject:

Guinness2702 · Regular Visitor Joined: Oct 23, 2008 Posts: 156

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