TomTom ONE 3rd Edition 3.5-Inch Portable GPS Vehicle Navigator
by TomTom
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List Price: Our Price: $59.99 You Save: $190.00 (76%) Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days Category: GPS or Navigation System See more product details |
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Digital Cameras Photo Reviews of TomTom ONE 3rd Edition 3.5-Inch Portable GPS Vehicle Navigator
Customer Review: A Great, Affordable GPS-Nav
Summary: 5 Stars
Features
-Tomtom One 3rd Edition
-Windshield mount
-Windshield mount adhesive, if you want to mount the unit on your dashboard
-Car to USB charger
-USB cable for connecting your Tomtom to a PC
I have not used any other GPS-nav systems so I can't provide a comparison. But putting that aside, I am very impressed with my investment. Upon opening the box, I found that the instruction manual was not comprehensive. However, the manual came with directions on how to get the full instruction manual from the Internet. As long as you can view .pdf files, you should be fine in terms of getting the full instructions.
Mounting the unit was simple. However, I found that the ball and socket joint, which lets you rotate the screen around the mount, to be very stiff. This can be a good thing or a bad thing. It's good in that the screen will never move when you are driving, even on uneven roads. It's bad if you ever plan on rotating the screen while driving because it's pretty hard to rotate with one hand.
When I start the Tomtom, sometimes it will not be able to find the GPS location for a while. I can't say how long it might possibly take for you to personally find your GPS location. But for me, it usually takes around 30-50 seconds upon turning on the Tomtom. This can vary depending on where you are on the globe, but I think most people can spare one minute.
I found the route calculation to be fast. Ususally, the Tomtom can calculate a route between 4-10 seconds. When I deviated off-course, it took around the same time to find a new route. When planning a route, you can choose to avoid freeways, find the shortest route, find the fastest route, and find bike paths among other things. You can also choose to pass or avoid certain streets.
The Tomtom One comes a lot of POIs, over a million I think. And it lets you select which types POIs you want displayed on your map. The Tomtom also includes directions by voice, in case you were wondering. Also, you can customize the blue status bar to show various info, including the time to destination and your speed. Finally, you can choose to enable certain safety features. One that I found interesting was that you can choose to disable certain buttons and menus while driving. This helps to keep you focused on the road instead of punching in a long address while driving. It also helps you to access other menus and features faster. Overall, for the price, I was impressed with the amount of customizable options allowed on the Tomtom.
Overall, for $170, not including tax, I found the Tomtom to be worth every bit of my money. While I personally wanted a GPS with a larger screen, I am able to live with the small screen. A lot of GPS units on the market let you upload photos and music, but if you are looking for a no frills but dependable and affordable GPS system, the Tomtom is worth considering.
Customer Review: a GPS for Goldilocks?
Summary: 4 Stars
This GPS is not too big and not too small; not expensive but neither is it cheaply made. As Goldilocks might have said as she navigated herself home from the 3 Bears' house, "It's just right!"
I drive a lot and frequently I'm on unfamiliar roads. I've envied friends whose cars are equipped with built-in navigation systems. Since I drive a fleet of old clunkers I've been waiting for the prices of portable GPS navigators to drop, which recently (late 2007) they have.
I read many reviews, at Amazon and GpsReview dot net and GpsMagazine dot com. Frequent references to "ease of use" drew me to the TomTom One. I ordered the 3rd Edition since it has the latest maps. (There are some reviews that suggest that the 3rd Edition hardware is slightly de-contented compared to the previous edition, but I don't believe I'm missing anything significant.) Incidentally, the more detailed reviews were helpful in making the TomTom One useful for me right out of the box, as the user guide is not very comprehensive.
What I like:
- Easy to use. It's easy to enter a new destination. I was worried about entering addresses but this is accomplished with a few taps due to the TomTom interface. The One seems to present the options I'm most likely to need, at my fingertips.
- It really works. I'm surprised by the detail of the maps. Once I pulled off the road into a cemetery to change my destination and was surprised to see that all the lanes within the cemetery were mapped!
- Unobtrusive. I selected one of the standard female voices as I'm used to being told what to do by my Significant Other. The TomTom One gives me just enough information and not too much. (I should note that my S.O. complained that the TomTom One "voice" does not tell us the name of the street I'm supposed to turn on. I knew it lacked this "text to speech" feature when I bought it, and I haven't missed it. The street name text is clearly displayed on the screen and I find the map image more useful since many New England intersections don't have road signs anyway.)
Room for improvement:
- It's only 90% accurate. I give my TomTom only 4 stars because its directions are generally good but not always excellent. I have not tested other GPS devices but suspect that it is always good to use common sense rather than relying 100% on the GPS. What I do with the TomTom One is look at a real paper map before a journey and/or directions provided by whomever I'm visiting, and if the TomTom One ever gives me an instruction I don't like I ignore it. The TomTom never sounds irritated; it just quickly recalculates a route based on my new location and we get along just fine. I know this seems as if it defeats the purpose of having a GPS but this little device is a navigational aid, not a substitute for common sense. And I want this review to be honest, not an ad for TomTom.
Customer Review: not really worth the money
Summary: 2 Stars
If you plan to use TomTom's `Home' software to connect your GPS to your computer, MAKE SURE YOU BACK UP YOUR GPS BEFORE DOING ANYTHING ELSE!! Then immediately make a copy of that backup. Each time you back up your unit onto your computer it erases the previous backup.
TomTom's Home program has a tendency to screw up your unit when installing updates. TomTom does not have a working fix for this. According to TomTom customer support (the reply came two weeks after opening a support ticket on their website), your GPS unit and maps contained on it are NO LONGER covered by warranty if their Home software or their updates cause a problem with your GPS. When installing a software update to the unit I purchased, the maps were erased from my unit. The fixes provided my TomTom customer support were to either spend $70 for new maps, or send the unit back to be repaired, for an amount they will not specify. Their update, installed using their software, onto their unit, and you're out of luck when it doesn't work correctly and makes your unit worthless, unless you want to give them more money to fix the problem that's their fault-that's just plain wrong. Amazon was very good about exchanging my unit for one that now works, even after installing the same updates that ruined the first one (I made backups before doing anything with the new one). I hope the one I got was a dud, but TomTom's level of support makes me think this is a common occurrence and a problem with their units/software that they do not want to deal with.
The maps that come on the unit are not very up to date; many points of interest are missing-for places that have been in their current locations for 5+ years. The GPS antenna and reception on this unit are VERY good; it will see your current location very quickly after power on. One BIG advantage over other/older TomTom units, the maps and unit software are stored inside the unit. Other TomTom units use a removable SD card, that if you lose it or it's stolen, the GPS will not work at all.
Overall the hardware seems to be good, the GPS software, PC software are lacking in accuracy and proper functionality, and the Customer/Tech Support are severely lacking in quality, quantity, and timeliness. If you plan to use a unit as-is out of the box, and never updating it, this is the unit for you. If you want something you will be able to easily add and upgrade to, you may want to keep looking. Gamin or Magellan for example, have been in the North American GPS market for a long time and are `getting it right'; while TomTom is making a good effort, they just are not there yet. Refusing to fully stand behind your own product is a BIG step in the WRONG direction.
The unit's antenna/reception and internal storage are the only things that make it worth a two star rating.
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Customer Review: Inexpensive stress reducer!
Summary: 4 Stars
I purchased the TomTom 3rd Edition at WalMart for $249 Aug 21, 07 when they first came out after a lot of research on Garmin, Magellan, and TomTom and the Dash which was still in testing. The price at the time was very inexpensive compared to other GPS units. There are other models of TomTom One and they have different features so be sure to get the one you want. I got the 3rd Edition because it had the new software including Mapshare and it had an option for a traffic receiver.
Well so far so good overall. I've never had a GPS before. Just a designated navigator who can't read maps! And that led to us getting lost and frustrated and going to the same old shops and restaurants. So now, I look forward to going to a new destination! It is so easy.
Several times it has shown me better ways to get somewhere. It has taken me on minor roads which have avoided the more congested and slower areas. It has made me more confident driving in unfamiliar areas.
Now, everything is not perfect. Once, we bravely decided to go to a major shopping mall in an area I'm not familiar with. TomTom led us to a dead end alley near the mall. We found it eventually by sight but that took awhile because of the terrain and buildings. That happened only once.
Another time it was wacked! It showed us driving off road in fields when we were on roads. It finally came to it's senses after several miles.
Occasionally it takes a long time to lock onto a satellite. I heard that it locks onto satellites faster if you arrive at the current destination with the unit on. It knows where to start looking.
My biggest complaint would be that it doesn't tell you what side of the street your destination is once it announces "You have reached your destination." Sometimes I am looking left and right for a store on a busy 4 lane street and I'm trying to figure out which lane to be in. Other times it's at night and I can't see house numbers. It doesn't necessarily take you to the door. It may be this house or that house or the one over there. At night it really would be nice if it could pin point it better. At the very least, tell me what side of the street to look.
But all in all, it is a great little unit. I thought I would want text to speech but I get by fine with the turn announcements and glancing at the screen which zooms in as a turn approaches so you can see exactly where to turn. I goof up sometimes still and end up in someone's driveway : ) as opposed to the road very near it. I did it 3 times in the same long driveway.
So I highly recommend it even though it isn't perfect. But it is way more perfect than my old navigator!
Which ever GPS you purchase, I think you will be happy and so will your designated navigator. You don't need to spend a lot of money for a very good unit.
Customer Review: The perfect GPS unit for under $200
Summary: 5 Stars
I bought this unit when it was on sale for $140 (usual price is $200) at a local retailer. Took it home and had a heck of a time opening up the packaging which is made to stop thieves from breaking it open in the store... I turned it on and found that it already had a charged battery (very nice touch) and it asked me for my home address (so that it could sync up with the satellite for navigation). Next thing you know I am up and running!
I had to go to a family garthering that day and decided to let the TomTom direct me there (even though I knew where the place was). I attached the suction cup to the windshield and the TomTom took me all the way to the front door. I even made a wrong turn on purpose to see what would happen, without a hiccup it directed me to where I should be. I actually brought the unit inside with me to show my family. My mom was so impressed she asked if I would buy one for her the next day, which I did. (To which my Dad remarked "Thanks for making spend $140 dollars!")
Fast forward a few months and I am using this thing all the time. I go to Sandy Hook pretty much every weekend in the summer and the TomTom has been a blessing. They are doing construction on the bridge right by the beach and it takes forever to get on the Northbound side of Rt 36 coming out of the park. If you take the Southbound lane it's a lot quicker but you go through Rumson which I'm not familiar with. So as soon as I got over the Rumson bridge I powered up the TomTom and before you know it I was on Rt 35 and on the Garden State Parkway on my way home. I also have to mention that there were really no signs on the roads to show me how to get to the highway, so I would have been driving around for a while and would have had to stop and ask directions without it. (Also considering the price of gas these days it's nice to have something that will save you from wasting it driving around in circles)
One of the things I really like about it is that it will tell you your estimated time of arrival from where you are. A nice touch if you want to figure out how long it will take to get to a destination. (Great for making sure you're not late to a first date, or job interview).
It comes with a lighter plug so you'll never run out of juice on the road (A note, I find that the unit will work for about 60 mins before needing to be recharged or plugged into the lighter socket). You can also plug it into the USB port on your computer at home for recharging the battery.
I also hook it up to my Mac once a week and download map changes to keep it updated. That service is free for the first year I believe.
All in all, for the money you really can't ask for more. This is a simple yet effective GPS unit that anybody (even my Mom!) can use and enjoy! Go out and buy one now!
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