Doug Raeburn
08-23-2004, 05:00 PM
<img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/web/2003/raeburn-aug04-Tomtom-00.jpg" /> <br /><b>Product Category:</b> GPS hardware and software<br /><b>Manufacturer:</b> <a href="http://www.tomtom.com/">TomTom </a> <br /><b>Where to Buy:</b> <a href="http://www.tomtom.com/products/products.php?ID=209&Language=4">TomTom Store</a> <br /><b>Price:</b> $349 USD<br /><b>System Requirements:</b> Any Bluetooth enabled Pocket PC; desktop software requires Windows 98/NT/ME/2000/XP.<br /><br /><b>Pros</b><br /><br /><li>Great GPS performance;<br /><li>Comprehensive, high quality mount and accessory package;<br /><li>Top notch routing performance;<br /><li>Effective and easy to use "avoid roads" capability;<br /><li>Clear map and voice instructions.<b>Cons</b><br /><br /><li>No intermediate waypoints;<br /><li>No way advance voice warnings;<br /><li>Some menus are a bit hard to find.<b>Summary</b><br />There have never been more options available for automotive navigation systems than the ones available now. Factory navigation systems are readily available in many popular family sedans and minivans. Major GPS manufacturers such as Garmin, Magellan and TomTom have introduced dedicated automotive navigation systems as a lower cost alternative to the factory systems. But a navigation system based on a PDA still provides the most bang for your buck. If you're in the market for a navigation system based on a Pocket PC, the TomTom Navigator system should definitely be on your list of candidates.<br /><br />Read on for the full review... <!><br /> <PAGEBREAK> <br /><span><b>What's the Buzz?</b></span><br />Over the past few years, I've reviewed several Pocket PC navigation packages, and found some to be very impressive. Whenever I'd post those reviews, I'd get one or more responses that said while the reviewed product is good, nothing can hold a candle to TomTom Navigator. So my curiosity finally got the best of me, and I decided to see for myself. Does TomTom Navigator put all of these other navigation packages to shame?<br /><br /><span><b>What's in the Box?</b></span><br /><br />The TomTom Navigator kit comes with all of the pieces you'd expect, along with an assortment of additional useful gadgets:<br /><br /><li>TomTom Bluetooth GPS receiver;<br /><li>Navigator 2 GPS software (version 2.24.2);<br /><li>A full set of maps for the US;<br /><li>A custom cradle/windshield mount;<br /><li>AC adaptor;<br /><li>Automobile power adaptor;<br /><li>iPAQ power cable;<br /><li>Adhesive base.<img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/web/2003/raeburn-aug04-Tomtom-01.jpg" /> <br /><i>Figure 1: The TomTom Bluetooth GPS receiver.</i><br /><br /><img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/web/2003/raeburn-aug04-Tomtom-02.jpg" /> <br /><i>Figure 2: The back view.</i><br /><br />The receiver has a rounded box shape, and it's small enough to be pocketed. The only control is the on/off switch. There are 2 lights on the front left edge of the unit… one is a Bluetooth indicator and the other is for charge and GPS. The rear of the unit provides cradle mounting holes, a jack for an external antenna and a power jack for the AC adaptor or car adaptor.<br /><br />The receiver supports the NMEA 0183 protocol, and features Bluetooth version 1.1. It's powered by a 600mAh lithium-ion battery that charges in 2 hours and has about 5.5 - 6 hours of power in actual use, according to the manufacturer.<br /><br />The receiver has magnets in the bottom so that it can be mounted on a magnetic surface. Perhaps that would be useful in a plane or boat, but most dashboards in cars are mostly plastic these days. The unit also has a rubber base that helps keep it from sliding around if you just place it on your dashboard. My car has a perfect spot for it just to the right of the instrument panel, where the GPS holds secure.<br /><br /><img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/web/2003/raeburn-aug04-Tomtom-03.jpg" /> <br /><i>Figure 3: The iPAQ 2210 custom mount.</i><br /><br />Aside from the GPS receiver itself, the most impressive piece of hardware in the box has to be the custom mount. The mount for the iPAQ fits the unit perfectly. The iPAQ mount can be removed from the windshield mount, so you can change custom PDA mounts if you change PDAs. The position of the iPAQ can easily be adjusted both horizontally and vertically, and it holds its position even over bumps. The suction cup for the windshield is secure and the mount is easy to attach and remove.<br /><br />The mount includes a jack for connecting the car adaptor, as well as a jack for a permanent power connection, should you choose to wire it into your car's electrical system. The car adaptor can piggyback a second power cable so that you can power the GPS receiver and the iPAQ from a single car connector.<br /> <PAGEBREAK> <br /><span><b>Installing the Software</b></span><br /><br /><img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/web/2003/raeburn-aug04-Tomtom-04.jpg" /> <br /><i>Figure 4: I'm a Texas tiger…</i><br /><br />The software installation for the Pocket PC is basically standard issue. However, the PC application for installing maps is a bit different than other navigation products. Rather than installing a "permanent" application on your PC, the map installation is run from the CD every time. While it takes up less disk space, it does take a bit longer to fire up. And, after you select the desired map, if it's not on CD1, it prompts you to quit, insert the correct CD, and start over. I think I'd prefer an actual PC application that you'd fire up, and that would simply prompt you for the correct CD.<br /><br />Some other products, such as Destinator 3, allow you to make up your own sets of maps. TomTom, on the other hand, comes with a great variety of pre-defined map sets, but doesn't support custom maps. That might be a bit of a disadvantage if your desired map set doesn't happen to fall into a pre-defined set. As you'd expect, TomTom allows you to choose where the maps are stored… with the size of most of the maps, I'd expect that you'd use a storage card.<br /><br /><span><b>Using the GPS Receiver</b></span><br /><br /><img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/web/2003/raeburn-aug04-Tomtom-05.gif" /> <br /><i>Figure 5: This satellite reception is better than my TV's…</i><br /><br />I'll admit that I've been completely spoiled by the Bluetooth GPS units that I've tested. Each one has been great, and the TomTom receiver is no exception. In almost all cases, it acquires enough satellites for navigation in about 10 - 15 seconds. And the signals remained strong… I've never had a problem with GPS reception.<br /><br />The Bluetooth connection is very easy to set up. The TomTom software automatically launches the Bluetooth Manager if it doesn't find an active connection to a Bluetooth GPS. You must set up your Pocket PC and the GPS as a set of paired devices for the navigation system to work. The pairing has to be done only the first time you establish a connection. Every other time, you simply select the TomTom GPS, and you're ready to navigate. The Bluetooth connection was very reliable.<br /><br />When using a Bluetooth GPS unit, you can leave the receiver on the dashboard and your passenger can hold the Pocket PC while playing navigator. This differs from the GPS units that physically connect to the Pocket PC… in that case, the Pocket PC must be placed by the windshield in order to get adequate satellite reception. The freedom to allow any passenger to use the Pocket PC to navigate is a definite plus for the Bluetooth units.<br /> <PAGEBREAK> <br /><span><b>The Software</b></span><br /><br /> <img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/web/2003/raeburn-aug04-Tomtom-06.gif" /> <br /><i>Figure 6: The Navigation Menu.</i><br /><br />Figure 6 shows the first screen of the main menu. The "More…" icon takes you to the next menu screen… there are a total of 3 screens. An interesting feature allows you to customize the contents of these menu screens.<br /><br />So let's set up a route. To do so, tap on the "Navigate To" icon. <br /><br /> <img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/web/2003/raeburn-aug04-Tomtom-07.gif" /> <br /><i>Figure 7: All of the tools that you'd expect.</i><br /><br />The route creation tools available in TomTom Navigator are on a par with the competition. You can create routes by address, points of interest (POIs) and through your contacts list. You can also select a recent location, and set up frequently used locations as favorites. TomTom also allows you to designate a specific location as Home and you can set up a route home from wherever you are by simply tapping the Home icon.<br /><br /><img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/web/2003/raeburn-aug04-Tomtom-08.gif" /> <br /><i>Figure 8: Select the destination city…</i><br /><br /> <img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/web/2003/raeburn-aug04-Tomtom-09.gif" /> <br /><i>Figure 9: ...and the street…</i><br /><br /> <img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/web/2003/raeburn-aug04-Tomtom-10.gif" /> <br /><i>Figure 10: ...and enter the house number and you're on your way!</i><br /><br />Address entry is similar to other navigation programs. It works like a wizard, asking you for the city first, then the street, and finally the house number. If you don't know the house number, it can also navigate to a nearby intersection. As you work your way through the wizard, the selections in the second and third pages are filtered by your previous selections.<br /> <PAGEBREAK> <br /> <img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/web/2003/raeburn-aug04-Tomtom-11.gif" /> <br /><i>Figure 11: Piquing your interest…</i><br /><br />If you wish to select your destination from POIs, TomTom presents you with the screen shown in Figure 11. It displays icons for the most common types of POIs, or you can tap on the "More…" icon to see more types.<br /><br /> <img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/web/2003/raeburn-aug04-Tomtom-12.gif" /> <br /><i>Figure 12: I'm on the highway to heaven…</i><br /><br />Once you choose the type, the POIs are displayed starting with those closest to your current position. You can also search by name, as shown in Figure 12.<br /><br /> <img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/web/2003/raeburn-aug04-Tomtom-13.gif" /> <br /><i>Figure 13: We have contact…</i><br /><br />While many competitive products call up contacts right from within the navigation screens, TomTom does so through the Contact application. Find the desired contact and pull up the tap and hold menu. You can either display a map of the address or have a route created to that address. And this functionality is also brought into the leading "Super PIMs", Pocket Informant and Agenda Fusion.<br /><br /> <img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/web/2003/raeburn-aug04-Tomtom-14.gif" /> <br /><i>Figure 14: Demonstrating avoidance behavior…</i><br /><br />Once TomTom has calculated a route, you have several options for changing it. First, if you just don't like the chosen route at all, you can tap on the "Alternative" icon, and a new route will be determined.<br /><br />For more specific adjustments, TomTom displays "avoid me" icons for major highways included in its route, and you can tap on any of them to get a new route that doesn't include that road. This approach makes it easy to choose the highways that you're most likely to avoid with any given route. To select specific roads beyond what TomTom automatically displays, an expandable box is provided to do so directly on the map screen.<br /><br /> <img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/web/2003/raeburn-aug04-Tomtom-15.gif" /> <br /><i>Figure 15: Another @#$*&^! detour…</i><br /><br />There is also an interesting method to deal with short detours. If you run into a road block and the length is either visible or posted, you can tell TomTom how long the detour is, and it will attempt to get you around the road block and back on its calculated route just beyond the road block. Living in the snow belt, we have a saying that we have two seasons, winter and construction, so I'm sure this would be very useful for me.<br /> <PAGEBREAK> <br /><span><b>The Maps.</b></span><br /><br /><img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/web/2003/raeburn-aug04-Tomtom-16.gif" /> <br /><i>Figure 16: Map view.</i><br /><br />Once your route has been calculated, you can view it in 3 different ways. Figure 16 shows the Map view, which contains a map of your route with no text instructions displayed. But just about everything else you might want to know is displayed: distance to next turn, speed, minutes to destination, estimated arrival time, distance to destination, number of satellites acquired, direction of next turn, current location and compass direction. That's a lot of data in a very small section of the screen. You can also see the menu that allows you to switch between views in Figure 16.<br /><br /> <img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/web/2003/raeburn-aug04-Tomtom-17.gif" /> <br /><i>Figure 17: Instruction view.</i><br /><br />Instruction view eliminates the map display and shows you a list of the instructions necessary to get to your destination.<br /><br /> <img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/web/2003/raeburn-aug04-Tomtom-18.gif" /> <br /><i>Figure 18: Instruction details.</i><br /><br />If you wish to see details on any of the instructions, you can choose "Details" from the top right dropdown. You'll then see a screen like the one shown in Figure 18. By using the arrow keys on the bottom right, you can step through all of the instructions.<br /><br /> <img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/web/2003/raeburn-aug04-Tomtom-19.gif" /> <br /><i>Figure 19: Split view.</i><br /><br />Split view shows the map and the list of instructions on the same screen. For any instruction, you can pull up details as shown with the Instruction view.<br /><br /> <img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/web/2003/raeburn-aug04-Tomtom-20.gif" /> <br /><i>Figure 20: Putting your route into perspective…</i><br /><br />Along with 2D map views, no contemporary navigation package is complete without a 3D view, and TomTom is no exception. It seems that you either love this view or never use it. I tend to be in the latter category, but it's great that it's there so that the preferences of both camps are addressed.<br /> <PAGEBREAK> <br /><span><b>Using the Routes.</b></span><br /><br /> <img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/web/2003/raeburn-aug04-Tomtom-21.gif" /> <br /><i>Figure 21: The map is zoomed out between turns…</i><br /> <br /> <img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/web/2003/raeburn-aug04-Tomtom-22.gif" /> <br /><i>Figure 22: …and zoomed in to give you a detailed view of each turn.</i><br /><br />The maps give very clear details when an instruction is displayed. A large green arrow shows the exact move to make, as do the instructions in the bottom display. In some situations, the bottom display will show multiple icons to better communicate the instructions. For example, if you have to turn left onto an entrance ramp to get onto a highway, the bottom display shows the left turn arrow along with a highway icon.<br /><br />Voice prompts are helpful and easily understood. When necessary for clarity, the instructions include multiple steps. The voice instruction for the entrance ramp example listed above is "Turn left, then take the highway." As with most of the programs, TomTom gives you advance warning when an instruction needs to be followed. The distance before the turn or exit at which the warning sounds increases as your speed increases. It doesn't have my favorite "way advance" warning feature from <a href="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/articles.php?action=expand,24218">Destinator 3</a>, however. With that program, in a situation where you're on a long stretch of highway and are approaching a turn or exit, Destinator gives you a preliminary warning about 2 miles prior to the turn, as well as the expected warnings as you get closer. I like that idea because it gives you time to prepare for the turn, such as changing lanes, etc. TomTom developers: if you're reading this, this would be my #1 suggestion for improving your program.<br /><br />The quality of the routes is outstanding, for the most part. I tested these programs with some routes with which I'm familiar, so that I could see if the calculated route made sense. In every case, the TomTom routes were very direct, making the choices that I believe most drivers would prefer. Automatic rerouting is very fast in most situations.<br /><br />Another very impressive aspect of TomTom is its stability. When testing other navigation software packages, I found that I had to soft-reset from time to time, more often than I'd like. With TomTom, in the entire time I was testing it, I had to soft-reset only once.<br /><br />The user interface of the software makes effective use of tap-and-hold menus. However, some menus are only available from certain screens, so some commands, such as "Clear route", can be a bit of a chore to find.<br /> <PAGEBREAK> <br /><span><b>Fine Tuning Your Route</b></span><br />One of my standard test routes provided the perfect opportunity to test TomTom's "avoid roads" functionality. During one of my first tests of a Pocket PC navigation system, I had some significant problems when trying to tailor this lengthy route to my liking... in fact, I was never able to get even close to my preferred route. So I tried the same route with TomTom to see if it could do any better. This is a route from my home in a suburb of Milwaukee to Green Bay. Most navigation software packages calculate a route through downtown Milwaukee, while I prefer another route that uses different highways and avoids the downtown core. And not surprisingly, when left to its own devices, TomTom created a route through downtown. Not a problem, as long as alternatives are available. I chose to avoid the main eastbound interstate highway (I-94), and TomTom's new route did indeed avoid downtown. I had to "avoid" one more major highway to get closer to my preferred route, but the final route varied only slightly from the route I would have chosen myself, and I could have gotten it there exactly with a little more work.<br /><br />As another test, I tried the configurable "avoid area" box on the map, and selected both of the highways that I had "avoided" earlier, along with a larger surrounding area. When I did that, TomTom gave me my preferred route in one step.<br /><br />There is another solution to this issue available with <a href="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/articles.php?action=expand,19817">Pharos Ostia</a> and <a href="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/articles.php?action=expand,24218">Destinator 3</a> that is lacking in this version of TomTom… the ability to set multiple waypoints on a route. You can specify a handful of waypoints along the route that you actually want, and they'll coax the navigation software in that direction. Multiple waypoints are very useful for trips that have multiple stops. TomTom Navigator 2, the version being reviewed and the most current version for the US, doesn't offer such waypoints. TomTom Navigator 3, the most current version in Europe, has added this feature. As I understand it, TomTom doesn't intend to offer TomTom Navigator 3 in the US, but will bring the versions into feature parity with TomTom Navigator 4, which will be available in all markets. The timeframe for this is unknown.<br /><br /><span><b>Conclusions</b></span><br />The hardware portion of the TomTom package is very impressive. The Bluetooth GPS receiver is the smallest that I've encountered, but its small size doesn't hamper its performance. Its GPS and Bluetooth sensitivity and connectivity are top notch, as is battery life. And the custom mount and other accessories included are impressive as well.<br /><br />The TomTom software is nearly as impressive. The routes seem well planned for the most part, and the maps and instructions are very clear. The voice prompts are also clear and very informative. It's easily the most stable navigation software package that I've used. The "avoid roads" feature is easy to use and very effective. However, the lack of waypoints is a downside compared to the competition, and the generally well-designed interface suffers a bit from hard-to-find menus. These points aside, it's a very well designed product overall. <br /><br />So, how about my earlier question regarding TomTom as compared to the competitors that I've reviewed? Let's just say that if I didn't already own navigation software that I like (<a href="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/articles.php?action=expand,24218">Destinator 3</a>), it would be a difficult choice between the two. However, I don't feel compelled to switch at this point. I'd give TomTom Navigator a nearly unqualified recommendation if it weren't for the lack of waypoints. When version 4 is released and the waypoints issue is addressed, I'll check it out and ask the same questions again. However, if waypoints aren't a key feature for you, then the current version of TomTom deserves strong consideration.