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TomTom iPhone adds HD Traffic, Local Search AND a Free Map Update!
Article by: Darren Griffin
Date: 15 Mar 2010
 TomTom's latest v1.3 update for iPhone is now available in the iTunes Appstore.
This update, available to existing customers and new, adds a number of features not least of which is HD Traffic and Google Local Search as previously seen on LIVE equipped TomTom PNDs.
The long awaited arrival of HD Traffic and Local Search will please many customers as the iPhone is an obvious platform for connected services.
HD Traffic updates are delivered automatically at three minute intervals and the traffic can be viewed both in the map browser and as a traffic bar on the map screen when a route has been plotted.
HD Traffic is a subscription service and costs £0.59/day, £4.99/month, £11.49/quarter or £37.99 per year.
Other features released in v1.3 are Google Local Search which allows you to look up points of interest and calculate routes in just a few clicks, pinch and zoom, an automatic day/night mode and music fading.
The music fading option gives the user comprehensive control over the volume of iPod music being played whilst navigation is running. You can control the volume of the music independently of the voice guidance and music gently fades out and in as navigation directions are played.
TomTom iPhone costs £54.99 for UK/RoI and £59.99 for Western Europe. For more information see www.tomtom.com/tomtom-app.
Version 1.3 even comes with a free map update as well which makes it rather good value!
| Comments
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 Posted by Chrisnetx on Mon Mar 15, 2010 10:40 am |
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Lovin' it so far!  The map has also been upgraded to the current 8.45 version. The only issue I foresee is incurring charges when roaming, but I guess this is a question best asked to your network provider.
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| Posted by hailstorm on Mon Mar 15, 2010 12:04 pm |
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Really happy with this update. Aside from custom POIs it now does everything I need.
Does it automatically reroute around traffic jams? I haven't had much of a chance to test out the traffic just yet but I didn't see an option in the settings.
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| Posted by nashmills on Mon Mar 15, 2010 12:30 pm |
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It doesn't seem to automatically re-route which is a shame. I tried it yesterday and had to go to: "Menu/Route Options/Minimise Delays" which is awkward not to say dangerous whilst driving.
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| Posted by Chrisnetx on Mon Mar 15, 2010 1:13 pm |
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| nashmills Wrote: | | It doesn't seem to automatically re-route which is a shame. I tried it yesterday and had to go to: "Menu/Route Options/Minimise Delays" which is awkward not to say dangerous whilst driving. |
In theory though you could do this before you set off  But yeah I'm a little surprised at this too.
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| Posted by Seamaster on Mon Mar 15, 2010 1:24 pm |
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Pedestrian mode still broken. Absolutely useless when I put it to the test in Holland and France this weekend. Fell back on Google Maps, despite the roaming charges, which continues to track location perfectly where Tomtom can't.
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| Posted by zebsogo on Mon Mar 15, 2010 2:04 pm |
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Yet again TomTom pricing is extortionate. £40 PER YEAR for traffic !!!. I'm really happy with Navigon for iPhone £19 one off payment for traffic no yearly charges and it works really well. TomTom yet again over pricing their overblown APP
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Navigon 92 Premium Live,TomTom Go 6000,Garmin 2699 LTM-D and a TomTom Go 1005 Live ( For the wife )
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| Posted by Chrisnetx on Mon Mar 15, 2010 2:09 pm |
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| zebsogo Wrote: | | Yet again TomTom pricing is extortionate. £40 PER YEAR for traffic !!!. I'm really happy with Navigon for iPhone £19 one off payment for traffic no yearly charges and it works really well. TomTom yet again over pricing their overblown APP |
It works out at little more than £3 per month, hardly extortionate, particularly as that's less than the monthly equivalent and half the price of the monthly sub on the PND devices 
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| Posted by zebsogo on Mon Mar 15, 2010 2:15 pm |
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Yeah right but you are paying for it every year which is cheeky. if other applications can charge one off fees (and alot less). why not tomtom still in my opinion Extortionate
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Navigon 92 Premium Live,TomTom Go 6000,Garmin 2699 LTM-D and a TomTom Go 1005 Live ( For the wife )
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| Posted by SSR on Mon Mar 15, 2010 5:37 pm |
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| nashmills Wrote: | | It doesn't seem to automatically re-route which is a shame. |
Strange, as I was getting voice messages that it was taking the best route.
Does it advise when there's a quicker route, but not take it?
I also think it's expensive, but you're paying for a quality solution.
Navigon's traffic rerouting took me on a crazy route through Central London.
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| Posted by hailstorm on Mon Mar 15, 2010 5:44 pm |
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Site admin for gpsreview is saying that it will reroute automatically if there is bad traffic on your route.
http://forums.gpsreview.net/viewtopic.php?t=18148
As for pricing, I would bet Navigon are making a loss on their traffic service with that one off fee.
£38 for the year is slightly less than half the cost I was paying for traffic on my 540. Seems good value to me. I guess you got to weigh it up as to how reliable it is and how much time it helps you save in the year.
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| Posted by Sportiva on Mon Mar 15, 2010 5:45 pm |
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Regarding automatic re-routing it doesn't work. Today I was on M40 outside London and I saw slow traffic up-ahead but I wasn't promoted for faster alternative route. Only after manually going to route options and choosing minimize delays (or something like that) I was re-routed.
Regarding the pricing if the HD Traffic would work on TT iPhone I wouldn't have major complaints apart from fact that HD traffic is not widely available. Outside HD traffic area you should get the TMC data.
All in all TT Trafic on iPhone in its current form is nearly useless. Manual re-routing is just very counter intuitive and potentially dangerous. The only positive part of my iPhone HD Traffic experience was that I had to subscribe for one day only... If I had payed for one year I would've been boiling 
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