TomTom Announce New GO SatNav Range

MikeB

TomTom announce a new entry range of GO x0 SatNavs with lifetime traffic updates and lifetime maps. In an interesting move TomTom have created a new entry level SatNav system which provides lifetime updates for free.

The TomTom Traffic requires the use of a smartphone with a data connection and plan for the updates, so the communication hardware is not built into the SatNav. At first glance this may seem a little shortsighted as the standard TomTom live services are £47.50 for a 12 month subscription, a revenue stream that TomTom have cut themselves off from with the new range. However on the plus side TomTom will be growing the user base of data collection improving the quality of the Live Traffic which they can then sell on to other customers.

The New GO devices are known as 40, 50 and 60 having 4.3, 5 and 6 inch touch screens designating their model numbers. The GOs come with full Western European mapping and partial coverage for Eastern Europe. The Lifetime Maps allow you to have four or more map updates a year for the model purchased.

The SatNav is bundled with a windscreen mount, and charge cable and, as usual, has a wealth of additional accessories for purchase. With prices ranging from £149.99 for the GO 40 to £179.99 for the GO 60 this represents great value for a navigation device that will never be out of date.

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Mike Barrett

tonygold · Frequent Visitor Joined: Jul 14, 2006 Posts: 417

looks good but 2 questions i would need to know really:
1. does it support PGPSW camera database and personal POI's
2. how much phone data would the traffic use if being used for say 6 -8 hours a day?

V8Viento · Occasional Visitor Joined: Aug 01, 2005 Posts: 2

A couple of weeks ago, I paid out £299 on a new TT6000 to replace my aging Tomtom One.
On getting it home, I find that you CANNOT use custom Poi's. The chaps at Halfords were not aware of this, and to Halfords credit, they refunded my money, despite the unit not being faulty. (Back to the shop in less that 24 hours!)

I would have NEVER bought it in the first place, and you need to make people aware that they cannot load Custom Poi's onto most of the new TT GO range, or at least to check the model they wish to purchase first. Preferably via the internet search, as Halfords were unaware of this major issue.

This also means that you cannot use PocketGPSWorld's Camera database on this range of Tomtoms, along with other databases.

I have spoken with Tomtom Support, and they have confirmed this.
Furthermore, they have said "They are considering including this feature in a future update". However they would not be drawn to giving even an indication as to the possible release date for allowing custom POI's on the Go Range of Tomtoms. I find via internet forums this issue has been going on for a year or more. Considering TT have the original code for older TT's that have this facility, I would have thought that it was not a major task to modify the newer models.

I am not anti-Tomtom, as this would have been my 3rd Tomtom, I like their products, but fail to understand why that have removed such a useful feature, that has been included since their inception.

I can only see this as a marketing issue to lock customers into buying their Camera database. To me this is totally unacceptable and a complete deal breaker for buying their products.

I am now at a quandry of what to do to update my old Tomtom. The cost of map updates will go a long way towards a new device that would include lifetime map updates!.

As this is another new range, can PocketGPSWorld confirm if this new range inculdes the use of Custom Poi's.
If not, why are you not alerting your readers to this fairly important fact?

I hope I am wrong and that these new Tomtoms do include custom Poi's, but somehow I suspect this will not be the case.

Regards
Geoff

dbat2 · Occasional Visitor Joined: May 29, 2008 Posts: 6

My subscription to pocketgps and to tomtom live traffic is up in a few weeks and I am looking for a new satnav as the socket is dodgy at the back of my current Via Live model. I like the idea of lifetime live traffic as that is invaluable to me living within the gridlock of the M60. I hate the idea of losing my cameralerts though. Which will win?

Snudge · Posted: Fri May 09, 2014 8:53 am Post subject:

I would buy a new TomTom but understand that I cannot plan a route in TYRE and upload it to the latest devices so no new sale to me either.

bufforpington · Occasional Visitor Joined: Feb 14, 2008 Posts: 11

In reply to a question of how much phone data would it use in 6-8 hrs.
I have tomtom traffic in use on my iPad mini and I'm on payg dat plan
After using traffic live for about 8-10 hours on a few occasions my usage is about 10mb a day.

tonygold · Frequent Visitor Joined: Jul 14, 2006 Posts: 417

MikeB · Posted: Fri May 09, 2014 9:40 am Post subject:

At the moment we are not aware of the full specification of these new devices. We have not had a review sample to play with and can only report the information that TomTom have provided us with.

We have requested a review sample and will be able to provide more information once we actually get our hands on one.
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Mike Barrett

bjnorris · Occasional Visitor Joined: Jun 25, 2009 Posts: 1

Just a point regarding the traffic updates.
The Go 5000 & 6000 do have a built in sim to access the traffic updates and other information via tomtoms internet server. so there is not need to tether it to your mobile phone as with the Go 500 etc.

With regards to POIs these are also on the tomtom server and just by typing say tesco will bring up a search result in the poi section on the right of the search pane. I agree that there will be some specific POIs that are not there and this could be an issue for some people.
Ive only had my Go 5000 for a couple of weeks but so far Im more than pleased with its accuracy, ease of use, volume etc
The traffic waring seems very good so far and the speed camera notice is excellent, giving advance warning of cameras on route.
I would have liked it to be able to connect to my audio via bluetooth but so far im very impressed

Davidwf · Posted: Fri May 09, 2014 12:54 pm Post subject:

I've recently purchased the Android app for my Nexus 7....also to later find out that custom POI's cannot - oficially - be used......

However, I found that by copying them to the same folder as the maps live they DO in fact work OK ... OK so you don't get the pretty icon in the POI list but the entry is there.

The folder will be something like e.g

\extSdCard\tomtom\com.tomtom.europe\files-Europe
Connected to a PC you could just search for file cline.dat or cname.dat which will be in the right folder.

In the Nexus 7 for example it is

Computer\Nexus 7\Internal storage\Android\data\com.tomtom.weurope\files\files\Western_Europe

Hope that helps Very Happy

thezerocool · Occasional Visitor Joined: Jul 23, 2005 Posts: 24

Im not sure what all the fuss is about, the speed cameras that are installed on my 600 are fine, they seem very accurate for fixed and mobile. I believe the cost of renewal is around the PGPSW price too.

Admittedly I would prefer a choice but having no choice has forced me to find out that their database is actually really good.

As for the traffic, well its as good as it was last year on my older 1005 but its now free for life!

Davidwf · Posted: Fri May 09, 2014 9:08 pm Post subject:

"Their" database is nowhere near as comprehensive as PGPSW is believe me !

DennisN · Posted: Sat May 10, 2014 7:47 am Post subject:

bjnorris and thezerocool you are living in a fantasy world if you find the TomTom Search, Cameras and POIs satisfactory. I speak from experience of running three TT devices alongside each other in my van almost every day, driving about 60,000 miles or more a year.

TT Search This used to be Google Search. I could type in a postcode and it would give me all the addresses for that postcode. I could select one and Navigate To it - that helped a lot with deliveries to businesses. I once did a search with this new thing for Tesco and ended up in the middle of a housing estate, nowhere near one. If you search this forum for Andy_P's search results you'll laugh yourself sick!

Cameras I keep my TT ones updated every week, sometimes more than once. Yesterday it drove me mad to be warned about exceeding the average speed limit on the M25 where the cameras had long since been removed. Mobile cameras? What mobile cameras, I haven't been warned of one for months. Of course, the cost is similar to PGPSW database, but has to be paid for every device, whereas PGPSW can be used on up to three devices in the same household. Some say that TT database is directional, but that's very hit and miss - I get warnings for 60mph cameras on the eastbound M4 when I'm travelling west! And the warning? Laughable beep for everything. It is possible to change it and have a different beep for every type they have - 12 or so different beeps - you have to be kidding! The pgpsw offering includes spoken warnings which identify the type and speed of each and every every camera.

POIs I have a POI set of my own, all the business addresses I visit regularly. I have it on my old GO520 and to go there I just navigate to POI. I used to copy it to each of my different TT satnavs. Now I can't.

Oh, and as for Traffic. Yes, it's good, but when it cost £80 a year it was excellent - now that they've throttled it back, it doesn't tell you about traffic more than about 50 miles ahead at best, so if you have a choice of widely different but similar mileage routes, you can't choose them early enough to avoid long term traffic problems.
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Dennis

If it tastes good - it's fattening.

Two of them are obesiting!!

M8TJT · Posted: Sat May 10, 2014 9:01 am Post subject:

thezerocool's c0mments are what TT are relying for sales Dennis. Those who think that TTs latest offerings are good, possibly without comparing them to something better. No doubt they possibly have not used one of the older TTs that you keep banging on about (and rightly so) that you can actually do stuff with, or actually compared the TT camera offering against something a bit more complete and accurate (Read PGPSW camera database). The latest TTs must seem to be the best thing since sliced bread to those who haven't experienced something better.

Fellwalker · Posted: Sat May 10, 2014 9:31 am Post subject: Tomtom POIs

From bitter experience, many are in the wrong place. From what I can tell, they are Google POIs. You cannot rely on them. Many are a street away or just wrong; maybe they are where the post code centre is? Golf courses have been shown on the wrong road, miles round from where the actual entrance is. When I submit corrections they take ages to appear, the record being a year.
In contrast, most of the pgpsw POIs are user input and updated by real people. Updates are very quick.
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Samsung Galaxy Note 9, Nexus 5, Galaxy tab S3. Also use OSMAnd+, Sygic Mobile Maps, and OS maps app. Also "Great Britain Topo Maps" and "Old Maps". Don't use speed camera database as sticking to the limit is safer.

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