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We Meet TomToms MD Corinne Vigreux Before Break Free Event
Article by: Mike Barrett
Date: 30 May 2011
TomTom launched their "Break Free" campaign promoting HD Traffic as part of the TomTom Traffic Manifesto with the objective of reducing traffic congestion by 5% using technology. The "Break Free" campaign encourages users to make "Caraoke" videos singing the Queen classic "I want to break free" sung in their cars whilst stuck in traffic. To kick the whole initiative off TomTom have engaged a number of celebrities to prove that they are musically challenged and thus perfect candidates for Caraoke. My favorite is this one featuring Pearl.
To promote safety participants must at all times comply with safe driving practices and local traffic regulations if they decide to record the Video in a real life traffic situation. In particular, the driver may not record a video while the engine is still running.
TomTom are also offering a trade in of £50.00 for your old SatNav when you upgrade to one of their new LIVE systems. For more details check the TomTom Break Free offer page. All satnav devices traded in need to be in normal working condition and submitted with windscreen mount and car charger. Mobile phones, PDA’s or paper maps are not accepted.
Moving away form the promotional side of things we were able to interview TomTom's MD Corinne Vigreux before the event and discuss some more serious items. The Q&A session follows:
PGPS: Do you see the massive rise in the popularity of Smartphones killing the PND market?
TT: Definitely not. We feel there is a place for both. The PND is a device dedicated to navigation, performing a single function. The Smartphones are general purpose devices of which navigation can be one function. Smartphones are good for pedestrian use and for the occasional check on Google Maps, but are not ideal navigation devices. To use in-car there are a number of issues to overcome: you need a mount solution, the device needs to be powered, and the inadequacies of the small speaker need to be overcome. Most people will recognise this and opt for a PND for navigation.
Comment: At PocketGPSWorld.com we believe that we have now turned the full circle. Starting with PDAs and early Smartphones navigation evolved into dedicated devices. Now the wheel has turned and the Smartphone is now fully capable of performing the tasks of the PND and much more. Most modern cars come equipped with either BlueTooth or a port for the iPod and a cheap mount completes the in-car navigation solution. Further there is less security risk as you will always take your phone with you when leaving the car.
PGPS: With the popularity of the iPad across the World do you have any plans to produce an iPad specific version?
TT: We dont believe that there is a market for the iPad as a navigation device. It is too big. There are problems with mounting it safely in the car without obscuring the view of the road. The screen is not good enough to be seen clearly in the varying light conditions in the car.
PGPS: The TomTom App has been in the top 10 in the Apple AppStore since it's release do you have plans to launch on other platforms, in particular Android and Windows Phone?
TT: We are currently working on a version for Android this will be released soon. I cannot give you a specific date yet. For Windows Phone we are not planning to release anything.
PGPS: Do you see some of the Free Applications like Google Navigation or some of the apps based on low pricing models as a threat to the more expensive TomTom App?
TT: Not really. You get what you pay for. TomTom has a long history in navigation our depth of experience in routing and traffic provides us with an edge. There are still really only two map providers TomTom and Navteq again with many years of experience. This experience in the markets is what differentiates TomTom from these new competitors.
PGPS: Moving away from PNDs and Smartphones where do you see market growth in the next few years?
TT: We are currently implementing in-car solutions and are in discussions with manufacturers to provide built-in in-car navigation systems. We believe that a large part of the navigation market in the future will be based on the built-in SatNav system. There are many advantages to this including security and the fact that the SatNav is always in the car.
PGPS: With recent news that the French are seeking to ban Speed Camera systems how will that affect your service.
TT: The ban is not a certainty. The French Government is currently rethinking the legislation. However as with Switzerland and Germany, where Speed Camera warnings are banned, we will not provide retail products with the data on. It will then be up to the individual users if they install the Speed Camera locations.
PGPS: Last year you announced with NAV3 that you would be opening up the platform for third party applications and producing your own TomTom App Store. We are nearly a year on and there is some confusion over what is happening. Can you give us an idea when third party apps will be coming?
TT: As you may know we have been trying to get TomTom Home working properly. It has taken us a lot longer than we originally thought and we are still working on it. We need to get this right before we can add more functionality to it. Third party apps will be coming in the future, we just do not have a date yet, but it will not be this year.
TT: Where do you think navigation is going in the future? What innovations do you see coming?
PGPS: I wrote an article last year on Self Defining POIs. This is a way to add value to data and make it automatically provide rich information to a central repository. This can include things such as when a till is switched on it can advertise that the business is open, cash points can indicate not only where they are, but also if they are working etc. I think that the navigation algorithms have evolved to a state where there is little more to obtain from them. The future is in data, and we should now be looking to data driven enhancements.
The HD Traffic is a good example of that. With connected devices such as the LIVE systems and the Smartphones the world of data and the opportunity to enrich the applications with meaningful data is opened up. I believe this is where we should be looking for innovation in the next few years.
| Comments
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 Posted by Tommy3090 on Wed Jun 01, 2011 8:09 pm |
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TT: We are currently working on a version for Android this will be released soon. I cannot give you a specific date yet.
Just Hurry Up before you miss the boat 
HTC Desire S - Vodafone
Android 4.0.4
TT Ver 1.0 (1072278)
Western Europe map version v895.4453
PGPSW Camera Alert |
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| Posted by tomtom_shareholder on Thu Jun 02, 2011 5:25 pm |
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Hi Mike,
Thank you for this article. I found it very informative. A question from my part, since you clearly have an opinion on points of interest (POI's).
I basically have two questions: how important are POI's in the total package that we call GPS. Are they, after traffic information, the most important feature / benefit.
To be more specific: when I read this article http://blogs.strategyanalytics.com/auto/index.php?tag=intellione it says ["TomTom’s community-based approach to map updates and POI data is a powerful answer to the strategies of OpenStreetMaps and Waze. But unless TomTom can find a POI or search partner to counter Google its bold new marketing campaign may come to naught."]
What is your view on this article. Clearly it's very interesting for TomTom that they managed to set a 'flat fee' deal with Vodafone. But what about the POI part of this article?
Is Google just too far ahead with their POI's to ever compete on that particular part of GPS services? Should they allow Google to do the POI part in the overall TomTom experience? Should they seek another partner and if so, are there any? And how does your 'self definining POI's' fit in the strategy they should follow.
PS: Excuse me for being lazy, but asking someone who seems to know a lot, can be a real shortcut. Hope you can take time to fill me in.
Thanks in advance.
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| Posted by DennisN on Thu Jun 02, 2011 8:49 pm |
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The POI situation seems a bit too much hype to me.
For example, TT never did manage to get fuel prices running properly - neither the information of current prices, nor indeed correct locations for many fuel stations.
I was mightily impressed with Google Search when I first went with Live Services. But I have to say the gloss has worn off somewhat - I wanted a Tesco fuel station in Lincoln on Tuesday and was guided to some hidden back street.
So all this talk of TomTom and Google offering location based services/POIs seems too good to be true - the idea of whether the place is open is great, but I recommend you all to be very careful when you ask either TomTom or Google for the nearest Post Office (to draw your pension) or Fish and Chips. Right, I do have a limited range of interests! 
Dennis
If it tastes good - it's fattening.
Two of them are obesiting!! |
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| Posted by tomtom_shareholder on Fri Jun 03, 2011 6:48 am |
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Thank you Mike and Dennis,
For making me laugh (fish & chips), but also on the POI comments. I think - for now - the answer is that POI's can become more valuable in the future, but no-one really nailed it yet.
My question was from the article claiming that it's impossible to compete with Google on POI.
I just couldn't figure why a POI-competition would be so dangerous for TomTom (as the article states). If Google becomes king of POI, then source the POIs from them, and enrich them with your own data (just like HD traffic sources cellular data from Vodafone AND their own devices). If someone else can, or they can manage themselves, that's fine also.
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| Posted by DennisN on Fri Jun 03, 2011 7:39 am |
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Whilst it may sound funny, let me assure you that there is nothing funny about turning up at a Post Office to collect my pension only to find it doesn't exist - that might mean no fuel to get home! And fish and chips can mean the difference between hungry and happy. Let's face it, at today's fuel prices it is not good to wander round trying a selection of POIs to see if they are there. Earlier this week I drove to three different alleged Tescos and three different alleged Fish and Chips in order to satisfy my fuel tank and my belly, all at 18 pence a mile.  Don't do it? If I didn't, the next options were motorway service areas!
The point is that we use the POIs for a purpose, not giggles. If the provider doesn't provide accurate ones, the service is useless. That has been very well demonstrated by the fuel prices fiasco - I have this morning just renewed my Live Services for another year and it has the gall to say it includes fuel prices. But I won't touch them with a bargepole, not just because they are unreliable for both location and accuracy, but also because last I heard they foul up my camera POIs. And don't tell me to use TT cameras - I've been trying to test them ever since I downloaded map v870 and they simply don't work, no matter what I try - I did get a few cuckoos, boings, cows, beeps and horns for a day or two, but they've gone again and anyway I need to carry a chart saying what each sound means for the 12 or 13 different types of warnings. How many different types are there for PGPSW camera database? Over 30, and each one tells me exactly what it is and the speed limit at which it operates.
Dennis
If it tastes good - it's fattening.
Two of them are obesiting!! |
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| Posted by tomtom_shareholder on Fri Jun 03, 2011 8:03 am |
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| DennisN Wrote: | Whilst it may sound funny, let me assure you that there is nothing funny about turning up at a Post Office to collect my pension only to find it doesn't exist - that might mean no fuel to get home! And fish and chips can mean the difference between hungry and happy. Let's face it, at today's fuel prices it is not good to wander round trying a selection of POIs to see if they are there. Earlier this week I drove to three different alleged Tescos and three different alleged Fish and Chips in order to satisfy my fuel tank and my belly, all at 18 pence a mile. Don't do it? If I didn't, the next options were motorway service areas!
The point is that we use the POIs for a purpose, not giggles. If the provider doesn't provide accurate ones, the service is useless. That has been very well demonstrated by the fuel prices fiasco - I have this morning just renewed my Live Services for another year and it has the gall to say it includes fuel prices. But I won't touch them with a bargepole, not just because they are unreliable for both location and accuracy, but also because last I heard they foul up my camera POIs. And don't tell me to use TT cameras - I've been trying to test them ever since I downloaded map v870 and they simply don't work, no matter what I try - I did get a few cuckoos, boings, cows, beeps and horns for a day or two, but they've gone again and anyway I need to carry a chart saying what each sound means for the 12 or 13 different types of warnings. How many different types are there for PGPSW camera database? Over 30, and each one tells me exactly what it is and the speed limit at which it operates. |
I know, I recently had this myself, running out of gas at night and being routed to a gas station that no longer existed. This was my Audi MMI in-dash system. Made me sweat really. POI's are important, but not yet accurate everywhere. In my view the owner of the (disappeared) gass station should (have been able to) report that he was out of business. So businesses should be aware that they are a POI, and they'r listed as a POI, and how to manage their information.
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| Posted by MikeB on Fri Jun 03, 2011 8:47 am |
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Even if the owner of a business going out of business had the capability to tell someone that he was no longer a valid POI I doubt very much that he would either bother or care. I guess they would have far more important things to worry about.
Which brings me back to the self-defining POIs. If the POI was dynamically linked to his cash register and the cash register was not powered the POI would flag itself as offline.
Mike Barrett |
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