Stick with PDA or go for a PND?

andyfr · Posted: Thu Feb 05, 2009 4:56 pm Post subject: Stick with PDA or go for a PND?

I have been using TomTom on PDAs for a while now. First was TT3 and now TT6. I only use it on rare occasions in the UK and on holiday in the USA.

As TomTom seem to have abandoned the PDA in favour of PNDs I have to make a decision at when I'm due to upgrade my PDA at some point.

1. Find an alternative program which has UK and North American maps.

None seem to be as good as TomTom according to reviews so I keep going round in circles.

2. Get a PND.

Most of the reviews indicate that the TomTom 930T would be the one to go for but bearing in mind how rarely I use sat nav I'm reluctant to get one unless I will be able to keep it up-to-date for a good few years.

If anyone has been in a similar position or can advise me on the pros and cons I would be most grateful.

Andyfr

mikealder · Posted: Thu Feb 05, 2009 5:04 pm Post subject:

Go for a PND but I probably wouldn't go for the 930 due to cost, for example you can still get a 520 from Here for £115 add another £60 for the USA map and £10 for an SD card to put it on.

If you need Western Europe in lue of the UK&ROI then the 930 probably is the cheaper option - Mike

andyfr · Posted: Thu Feb 05, 2009 5:23 pm Post subject:

Thanks for the reply Mike.

Does the 520 have the Advance Lane Notification feature? It look pretty good.

Andyfr

mikealder · Posted: Thu Feb 05, 2009 5:29 pm Post subject:

The 520 will need to be updated to the latest software then the latest map which you can do for free using the latest Map Guarantee when you get the unit.

Once it is running the latest mapping and application you will get the IQ Routes-2 which offer routes based on time of day, the Advanced Lane guidance and Reality view will all be working on the device.

The wait till you need the USA maps to make sure that when they are purchased they are of the latest standard available at the time of the trip - Mike

andyfr · Posted: Thu Feb 05, 2009 5:35 pm Post subject:

Thanks for that Mike.

It sounds ideal. What is the advantage of the 930? The 520 would seem to be the same with the options you suggested.

Andyfr

mikealder · Posted: Thu Feb 05, 2009 5:42 pm Post subject:

The 930 comes with Western & Central Europe mapping and North American mapping installed to the memory within the device - there is considerably more memory available with the 930 (4GB for the 930 whereas the 520 has 512MB built in), but as you can use an SD or SDHC type card with the 520 capacity isn't an issue.
If you fancy lots of storage on the unit for music and maps put a 32GB SDHC card in it - I use an 8GB in my devices, this is plenty large enough for a few maps and quite a few CD's worth of music.

In addition to the extra memory the 930 is supplied with a remote control and RDS-TMC receiver in the box and has a gyro system within the unit for dead reckoning while driving through tunnels - Mike

andyfr · Posted: Thu Feb 05, 2009 5:45 pm Post subject:

Thank you Mike. Very helpful.

Andyfr

andyfr · Posted: Fri Feb 06, 2009 3:39 pm Post subject:

Unfortunately they are out of stock. I have been offered the TomTom One XL as an alternative, how does this differ from the 520? Also I noticed that there are V1 and V2 models, what are the differences between these please?

Andyfr

mikealder · Posted: Fri Feb 06, 2009 3:59 pm Post subject:

They were showing some stock yesterday when I posted the link but all good things have to come to an end - did they mention any further stock being made available as they have gone out of stock before then returned on sale a few days later?

As for the One XL the original One XL has an SD card slot but the newer ones don't as they rely upon built in Flash Memory, the downside to the built in memory is you cannot install the large map files as there is insufficiant space.
The XL doesn't have Handsfree for the mobile phone, mp3 Player, Text To Speech, Lane Assist or reality view and it cannot provide IQ Routes - it is much reduced in terms of capability and funtionality.

Looking at just the Total PDA web site the 930 isn't showing as available (which was you original choice) - but if you hunt around you should be able to find them elsewhere (Halfords have them at a rather high price). Keep an eye on the price though and consider the x40 range if there isn't much difference in cost when comparing different suppliers - Mike

andyfr · Posted: Fri Feb 06, 2009 4:39 pm Post subject:

They said that there may be some more stock but they had to wait wait for TomTom to contact them. I think I will just keep looking for the 520 as it would suit my needs.

I did ask if the XL had Advanced Lane Guidance and was told that it would have once the update had been done. I was confused about this as I hadn't seen any mention of this anywhere.

Andyfr

mikealder · Posted: Fri Feb 06, 2009 4:49 pm Post subject:

	PocketGPS
	Web