TomTom One Third Edition

[mikealder]

TomTom One Third Edition





What’s in the box:



1/ USB Connect cable for the PC
2/ Car Charger Cable (1,5M in length)
3/ Windscreen suction mount
4/ The One Third Edition
5/ Quick start guides
6/ Free services card

What is not in the box is any form of removable software so a day one back up is essential with this unit – the non supply of software on disk is a long established tradition with the One devices, from when the original device was first seen some considerable time ago. I still think this omission is/ was a poor decision, the cost in wasted support calls must far outweigh the cost of mass produced CD’s these days.

With no memory card slot the One Third Edition relies upon internal Flash Memory, 512MB of it is supplied with this regional model. This cannot be upgraded or supplemented; it is all you have for the application, voices, POI files and maps. That said only 221MB is actually in use when new. You are left with 277MB to use, this amount can be increased by preening the memory of files and folders that are not required for day to day operation of the unit. Voice files can be deleted, lets face it if you are using a UK based device why carry voices that you will never use? This alone can save 50MB.

The usual TomTom POI files are included, however the file containing the inbuilt POI collection is less than 2MB – this is much smaller than seen on previous devices. POI accuracy and coverage will improve through the use of Map Share capability. One single ov2 file is pre-loaded this is for the TomTom Speed cameras and covers all fixed locations with speed limit data where known.

I experienced the accuracy of the pre-installed camera database on my drive home, the unit wrongly informed me of three camera locations that simply weren’t present. More worryingly it failed to notify of two fixed cameras that have been at the road side for over eighteen months. I appreciate a download to update this camera database is freely available with the supplied “free services” card, but I would expect a unit as new as this to contain fairly upto date data. Seven miles and five mistakes, let alone the lack of any mobile locations is not very good.

Free Services

1/ Latest map guarantee – this is a very nice touch, this would have alleviated so much trouble previously encountered with new devices, if it had been adopted with earlier units. A very good and worth while addition to the box.

2/ Map Share – Free to use for one year, it will be interesting to see how this develops over time, do you pay extra after the 12 months have expired, or are you expected to purchase a new map after 12 months, if so does it come with free map share – who knows?

3/ Safety Camera Update – will help some, but most users of this site will know where to obtain a better set-up to be honest. The lack of customisation for warning distance and sounds is still a major flaw with the supplied system.

Custom POI Files

As with all preceding TomTom products Custom POI files can be added to the map folder. The device uses the ov2 file format for custom POI’s and is capable of supporting spoken POI warnings if you decide to employ ogg files containing the audio. There is however a bug within the version 7 software used by this device (it also affects the x20 and One XL units). When setting up POI Warnings using ogg files you are presented with this screen:



If you answer No to the question the device will lock up displaying this screen:



The only way around this is to press the reset switch. If you answer Yes with respect to the warning sound (even though you heard nothing) the device will have picked up the sound file, and it will use it by default for any associated warnings.

The new One Third Edition can use the Pocket GPS World Speed Camera Database and utilise the spoken alerts with the correct associated ogg files which are found on THIS page.



Menu Structure

This has seen a significant reduction in the number of icons and pages when compared to previous devices. Firstly the Main Menu is only two pages so what’s present.



Of the above icons only the “Help Me” icon might appear new to users familiar with TomTom devices, all the others do “as they say on the tin” and have been in use for quite some time.

"Help Me" provides qute a wealth of useful information including short cuts to allow easy and quick navigation to emergency services and locations/ phone numbers of such places.
The "Where am I?" Icon is very handy if you find yourself involved in an accident or breakdown situation. Pressing it will reveal road information such as names and displays the current position in Lat/ Long - ideal as a summary for the emergency services.
This is a great idea, but it is seriously let down by the poor POI files contained on the device. As an example using the Phone/ Doctors option I am offered locations in Ireland, Map Share will help with this situation though.





As you can see from the above screen capture there are two pages to the "Phone for Help" the second page is just an expansion offering public transport, car repair, dentist, pharmacy and vet locations.

Another of the Help Me pages covers basic first aid, this could save lives so its inclusion is a welcome addition.


The last Help Me page is for information about road regulations in various counties and car maintenance, its not going to help you re-build an engine but does provide some basic information.


Page two of the main menu offers the slightly less often used options.



Again there is a newcomer for version 7 software – Map Corrections, Tim Buxton has already covered the use of map share functionality in This Article. If Map Share is used correctly it will add a wealth of local knowledge to the map data we all use with updates being made available via TomTom Home and the Internet connection your PC provides. These updates can include road updates, road direction changes and amended POI files – well worth trying, especially so on this device with the very poor inbuilt POI files it starts life with.

With only two pages available, what’s missing? Well with no Bluetooth capability, the Mobile Phone icon isn’t needed so no guesses, its not there. Neither are the Plus services as these are Bluetooth dependent. View Route has disappeared as an icon in its own right, however if you tap the Status bar followed by “Details” you will find the “missing menu” You are presented with the standard menu associated with “View Route” its just different in actually getting to it.



Itinerary Planning

This is not present within the menu structure, neither can it be found from any other approach with the One Third Edition, is this deliberate or a simple oversight when TomTom rationalised the menu structure?
Is this the menu page TomTom have forgotten about?


Fortunately (for now) this appears to be an omission by TomTom and the missing icon and associated functionality can be re-introduced to the One Third Edition, this necessitates the use of a custom menu, whilst this will return the missing functionality to the unit you will loose the Map corrections and Help Me icons from the main menu.
It would have been far preferable if TomTom had dropped the "Find Alternative" function from the main menu as this function is available from the status bar, in the same way you now have to find the "View Route" icon mentioned above.

Battery Life

It's too soon to say, I would typically charge/ discharge any cell at least eight times before quoting figures, others will have to comment on this as I only had access to the device for a short period.

On The Road

To power up the device needs a two second press of the power button. I like this feature as there is far less chance of an inadvertent switch on with the unit in your pocket or handbag.
GPS position fix is very fast, the One Third Edition employs the “Quick Fix” system to assist the initial position fix. Even with no updates (which are obtained via connection to the internet for free) the One Third Edition acquired its first fix in under 30 seconds. With the quick Fix data in place the device should perform even better, I found subsequent start ups took only seconds to acquire a position fix.

The screen is readable in sunlight – yes we do get sun in the UK from time to time, you can also select different colour schemes and brightness levels for day and night mode. The screen size is neither wide screen or large when compared to other devices in the TomTom family range, it is quite usable being larger than most modern PDA devices and phones. Measured diagonally the presented screen is 87MM and it uses the standard 4:3 aspect ratio.
You also have the option to move the status bar from the bottom of the screen to the right hand side, it would be nice to also shift it to the left side but this is not an option on the device.





Volume from the onboard speaker is good, with no noticeable distortion even at 100%, I found 80% was loud enough to clearly hear the instructions above the stereo playing rock music. In tradition with the minimalist TomTom approach to features on the One range there is no external sound output, so it’s a good job the volume and clarity are acceptable.

Route Planning

Efficient with full postcode support, although if you plan a long distance run this does appear to take longer than other TomTom products, I am only talking about a few seconds difference even when planning from one end of the country to the other. Where this does become noticeable is if you are stupid enough to compare multiple devices on the road. Ignore the navigation instructions and see how long they take to re-calculate, the 910 was quickest followed by the One XL using an SD card, then came the 720 followed by the One Third Edition – this happened on a number of occasions, the race result was the same each time.
Map versions can often produce different routes so this will also partly explain the above – take the following as an example of such confusion different map versions can cause.



All the devices are correct in terms of a usable route,but they were loaded with different map versions, this picture also highlights the display size of the One Third Edition, viewed from left to right there is a 720, One Third Edition, One XL and a 910.

Traffic Information

With no Bluetooth connectivity all the TomTom eggs are in one basket with respect to the Traffic data – that being the RDS-TMC accessory which is an additional purchase if you want Traffic information.
In the UK we are plagued with poor reception, but the One Third Edition only offers RDS-TMC connectivity. To receive this data service you connect the optional receiver to the base mounted connector, once this is in place the Traffic menu becomes partially active. To be fully active (and usable) requires the receiver to lock on to a radio station providing the correct information. If/ when you receive some data the device will dynamically adjust your route to avoid traffic jams depending on your preferences.

All we need to see for the UK is a decent receiver and the much awaited iTIS network improvement to take place.

Conclusions

A no frills basic unit supplied with the very latest at the time of writing UK & IRE map available v705.1485 supplied by Tele Atlas (upgrade voucher in the box if this changes over time). If you want the capability a mobile phone offers in way of data consider the more costly One XL, or if data and hands free are needed look towards the x20 devices.

Should you ever want to use the more comprehensive seamless Europe or US maps look at another device as 512MB is not enough to store them, additional single European country maps will be OK on the device though.

It works and will suffice for most users if all they want is an out-of-the-box navigation device. What it does do very well is provide a navigable route with spoken instructions; combine the third party voices for spoken alerts and POI files and you won’t go far wrong, at £139 it’s a decent price if ordered over the net – with pick up in store an option as well dependent on where you purchase.

Please bear in mind the menu problems relating to Itinerary and the very limited custom POI functions supplied with the device, these omission are a very poor move on TomTom's part in my opinion, they really need to sort out the menu to release/ return the menu to its full capability, who cares if its two pages or three?

=======================================================================

HOW TO OVERCOME THESE OMISSIONS:

NOTE:
THE FOLLOWING ONLY APPLIES TO DEVICES USING NAVCORE 7 SOFTWARE, AS SOON AS YOU UPDATE TO VERSION 8 THIS WILL NOT WORK AS THE ITINERARY CODE HAS BEEN REMOVED FROM THE SOFTWARE FOR THESE DEVICES.

If you want to recover the full Itinerary and Custom POI capability that the software offers but TomTom have stupidly (in my opinion) removed from the device you need to run a custom menu on the unit.

Doing this will recover the missing POI menu and Itenerary functionality, but you loose the Help Me and Map Share icons (if I work out a way to get these back as well I will be happy, but all attemps at this have proven fruitless so far), this is a small price to pay as far as I am concerned as you can soon toggle between the two menu structures with a simple connection to the PC.

Before doing any of the following please make sure you have a full back up of the device, use the method detailed on the FAQ Page #1 for a reliable method.

Put the following text into a file named TomTom.mnu


MENUBLOCK|BLOCK_MAIN|BTM_GPS_POSITION|
MENUPAGE|TASK_PAGE1|Main menu 1 of 2|
MENUITEM|TASK_NAVIGATE_TO|
MENUITEM|TASK_MENU_FIND_ALTERNATIVES|
MENUITEM|TASK_MAINTAIN_POI|
MENUITEM|TASK_ADD_FAVORITE|
MENUITEM|TASK_MENU_PREFERENCES|
MENUITEM|TASK_PAGE2|
MENUPAGE|TASK_PAGE2|Main menu 2 of 2|
MENUITEM|TASK_MENU_PLAN_ATOB|
MENUITEM|TASK_SHOW_MAP|
MENUITEM|TASK_DELETE_ROUTE|
MENUITEM|TASK_MENU_TRAFFIC|
MENUITEM|TASK_ITINERARY|
MENUITEM|TASK_PAGE1|


Then put the file into a folder called "SdkRegistry" (do not use the quotation marks though) and pay attention to the Caps case of the letters.


This method will "unhide" the features people need and use on a day to day basis, unfortunatly it will remove the newer version 7 additions to the software.





You can still mark map changes to the map for future review using the navigation screen short cut as this does work even when using a custom menu (make sure you enable this BEFORE installing the custom menu though).



(note the short cut for marking a map change for future referral below the speed camera icon on the upper left side of the screen)

To revert to a normal menu simply rename the TomTom.mnu file to something else and the device will boot using the default menu structure, doing this will make the default menu screen return :

Main menu screen one:



Main menu screen two:



Change Preferences screen one:



Change Preferences screen two:



Change Preferences screen three:



Change Preferences screen four:



Change Preferences screen five:




Edit Once to add the menu shift due to the stupid menu implementation on the device as supplied

Second edit to add the default menu screens to the end of the post - MikeAlder

Third edit to add the large red warning about navcore 8 implications for the work around - MikeAlder

[46jimbo]

So, is this the end of the SD card slot on the One series? Does this mean that you will be forced to buy, say, a 720 if you want to install a large map?

Pity, I say, as my One does everything I want it to. And I do need the larger maps.

[rogalog]

Hello
Am I going wrong somewhere?

I have just bought a TT1 Ver3 to replace my V2 because I liked the idea of Map Share; then I found they'd done the dirty by taking away the mange POI's menu and eventually found my way here....

I've done as suggested but the new items fail to appear, and the Menu remaind unchanged.

I copied your text into Notepad on my computer and made sure it was saved as a text file named TomTom.mnu

I made a folder in the root directory of my Tom Tom called SdkRegistry and put the file in it.

Rebooting the TomTom makes no difference to the menus... any ideas?

===============================================
Addendum 16/09/07

Realised what I did wrong!!

When I saved my file with Notepad as TomTom.mnu, all it did was to call it TomTom.mnu.txt Dorhhhh...

I can never remember how to actually change the file type in Windows, so I did it in a DOS window, made it TomTom.mnu and now it works fine.

Thanks Mike for your advice.

[mikealder]

You seem to have done everything correctly, I suspect your menu file name might be at fault though, it is quite possible it is named TomTom.mnu.txt

In Windows Explorer click Tools/ Folder Options, View Tab and make sure "Hide Extensions for known file types " is NOT selected, while you are in there set Hdden Files and and folders to Show.

Now have a look at your TomTom.mnu file in Windows Explorer, is it correctly named or not - if its wrong right click it and change it to what it should be - Mike

[Robin2]

[SpanerInTheWorks]

I to noticed this drop off on TomToms part. I'm also actively looking for the MENUITEMs for "Help Me!" and "Map Corrections".

I have spoken to TomTom about the "Manage POIs" and "Itinerary planning" menu items that are described and/or mentioned in their V3 users guide. The response was:

"In regards to your query, the information in the manual is indeed incorrect. A mistake was made by the production team. I apologies on there behalf for the error. The information will be updated in the very near future.
There will be no update to add these options in the future. The device can not use them at all."


Other differences I have noticed between the V2 and V3:

Similar to you mikealder I had a v2 and v3 side by side navigating the same route.

TomTom seemed to have cut out map detail overseas (WE model). I have only tested this in Finland but rivers, builtup arears (orange, default map colour) and Industrial areas (grey, default map colour) shown on the v2 map are missing on the v3!! This is I guess to fit it all in the 1GB memory. It seems a bit tight, I only have 19MB free space!!

I was lead to believe from somewhere that "Car symbols" would be available on the V3. but it is not.

Voice navigation seems to be improved on the v3 too.

Once I get those menu items I'm missing, I will be well happy.

Thanks for your post mikealder, great description!

[mikealder]

I appreciate the comment from TomTom:

"In regards to your query, the information in the manual is indeed incorrect. A mistake was made by the production team. I apologies on there behalf for the error. The information will be updated in the very near future.
There will be no update to add these options in the future. The device can not use them at all."

Whilst they admit the mistake in the manual they then state these menu options are not available because the device cannot use them - its time they WOKE UP as this device can use them, but doing so is at the cost of Map Share and Help Me - the ironic twist is TomTom are forcing users to update their POI by using Map Share.

In order to achieve this they remove certain menu functions from the device, we re-enable them and in the process disable what they want us to use.

I to would like to enable the full menu, but it would appear these new functions are not called up in the software when you look for them, they must be somewhere else - I will have another dig around for them this weekend - Mike

[Gmonkey]

Thanks for your post Mike, this is the first I've heard of that problem. It's strange that you have to update POI's by using Mapshare. Hopefully they will update it soon. Like you said, at least they took responsibility and admitted their mistake.

[Andy_P]

They only admitted a mistake in the manual...

It seems to be deliberate policy to cripple the functionality.

Call it paranoia, but we seem to have been lumbered with at least three or four "problems" all of which make it harder to use third-party POIs.

1. Can't add or manage them on the ONE Third Edition
2. Can't seem to install them using Home v2
3. Proximity warnings keep mysteriously disappearing, meaning extensive reprogramming.
4. Total number possible is being more than HALVED by Mapshare corrections using up the available ov2 "slots" (I now have 60 of these CAxxxx and PAxxxx.ov2 files - gonna have to start dumping some of the correction categories).

Is this deliberate????

[rossb55]

mikealder - great information, very useful

i am new to sat navs and tomtoms. having just purchased a V3 i was struggling to plot routes.... now I know why.
can you give the menu text i would have to use if i only want to replace the map correction icon and leave the help me icon, i.e. have the choice of itinerary planning but not manage POI's - or is the need for POI's intrinsicaly linked to itinerary planning?
if you ever work out how to get all menu choices that would be a bonus!

many thanks
ross

[mikealder]

Welcome to the forum, at present the menu text I put in the write up above will give you back the options you require at the cost of the Map Share and Help Me functions, these new version 7 menu items are not listed in the code in the normal way, as yet I still have not located what these functions can be called up by.
When/ If I manage this (or anyone else for that matter cracks this problem I am sure it will be made available via the forum though - Mike

[spcdust]

Does the Tom Tom One (3rd Edition) have any limit on the number of custom POI files it can handle?

Thanks in advance

spcdust

[mikealder]

100 is the limit - BUT when map shere kicks in this can be reduced by a considerable amount - if you don't want map share and need to use Custom POI to the limit of the software don't enable the share options and you will be fine - Mike

[spcdust]

Thanks for that Mike

Just out of curiosity, you've obviously seen the issues that some of us are experiencing with the One (3rd Edition), have you used the one you reviewed much without any problems?

I see you removed the TT speed camera files which I have now done so I'll see this week end if that has any impact. Also, you're obviously far more technically informed on these things than myself but my instinct tells me it's some driver / memory management issue they need to resolve which I suspect a software patch/update should sort out - what are your thoughts?

Cheers again

spcdust

[Andy_P]

As this machine has some ongoing issues that are generating quite a lot of traffic in the forums, and Mike's excellent description here addresses most of them, could one of the moderators make this a "sticky" topic to stop it disappearing down the list?

I WOULD do it myself....

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