Verdict: New Wide Screen. Same Old Problems.
TomTom's ONE XL is the wide-screen version of the TomTom ONE. Priced at around $400, the updated ONE XL sports a 4.3" wide display and adds support for TomTom's real-time traffic service.
Last year I reviewed the TomTom ONE, and although there was much to praise, the ONE suffered from poor maps, terrible customer support, and a sub-par routing engine. Has TomTom fixed all that ailed the ONE and delivered a stylish, user-friendly wide-screen GPS for under $400?
Dutch manufacturer TomTom hit US shores with a splash in April 2006 with the highly anticipated TomTom GO 910. The GO 910 was one of the first GPS units to make use of SiRF's high performance StarIII receiver, and sold for around $800. In September 2006, TomTom followed the TomTom ONE, a price-friendly stylish GPS that aimed to bring the best of the GO 910 to the masses. Now TomTom is bringing a 4.3" wide display to the ONE, and calling it the ONE XL.
Table of Contents
- Technical Specifications
- TomTom's Product Line
- What's in the Box (Unboxing)
- Mounting the TomTom ONE XL In the Car
- Wait, no SiRF? Is that OK?
- Powering on the TomTom ONE XL for the First Time
- TomTom's Updated Maps
- Navigating with the ONE XL - Finding an Address
- Finding a Restaurant
- Finding an Alternate Route
- Itinerary Planning (Multi-Stop Routing)
- Bluetooth
- TomTom's PLUS Services
- TomTom Traffic
- Enabling All Options
- Configuring Preferences
- Routing Engine Performance
- Pros
- Cons
- Conclusion
1. Technical Specifications
- Highly sensitive GPS chipset
- 32 MB RAM
- CPU 266 MHz
- 4.3 inch full TFT color LCD touchscreen (480 x 272 pixels, 64.000 colors)
- Internal Lithium-ion battery (2 hours operation)
- 119 x 86 x 27 mm, 208 grams
- Operating temperature: -10 °C to +55 °C
- Bluetooth™ 2.0
- Pre-loaded maps of the United States & Canada (TeleAtlas)
- 6 Million POIs (Points of Interest)
- Global Locate's "Hammerhead" GPS receiver
2. TomTom's Product Line
TomTom currently sells four models in North America: the GO 910, GO 510, ONE, and ONE XL. The GO 910 is currently TomTom's most expensive model, and the ONE is the entry-level GPS.
|
GO 910 |
GO 510 |
ONE XL |
ONE |
| Diagonal Screen Size |
4" |
4" |
4.3" |
3.5" |
| CPU, RAM |
400 MHz, 60MB |
400 MHz, 60MB |
266 MHz, 32MB |
266 MHz, 32MB |
| Maps |
US, Canada & Europe |
US & Canada |
US & Canada |
US & Canada |
| Hands-Free Calling |
Yes |
Yes |
No |
No |
| MP3 and audiobook players |
Yes |
No |
No |
No |
| Audio line out cable |
Yes |
No |
No |
No |
| Slideshow viewer |
Yes |
No |
No |
No |
| Text-to-speech technology |
Yes |
No |
No |
No |
| PLUS services |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
| iPod control cable |
Accessory |
Accessory |
No |
No |
| Storage |
20 GB HD |
1 GB Flash SD card |
1 GB Flash SD card |
1 GB Flash SD card |
| SiRF Star III GPS |
Yes |
Yes |
No |
Yes |
| Built-in Bluetooth |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
| Automatic light sensor |
Yes |
Yes |
No |
No |
| Home dock and TomTom HOME software |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Download |
| New design windshield mount |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
| Additional external microphone |
Yes |
Yes |
No |
No |
| Remote Control |
Yes |
Accessory |
No |
No |
| Price |
$499.95 |
$399.95 |
$399.95 |
$299.95 |
The ONE and ONE XL share an identical feature set, have the same processor, RAM, and storage space. The ONE and ONE XL use a significantly slower CPU than the GO 510 / 910, and overall I found the ONE XL somewhat sluggish and less responsive than the GO 910.
3. What's in the Box (Unboxing)
Figure 1: TomTom ONE XL Retail Box
ONE XL's retail box looks almost identical to the ONE's box, except the box is blue instead of green, as it is on the ONE.
Figure 2: Everything That's Included with the ONE XL
The TomTom ONE XL includes the following items in the box:
- TomTom ONE XL
- Windshield Mount and Adhesive Mounting Disk
- USB Car Charger and USB cable
- Installation CD
- Documentation (on the CD-ROM, plus a quick-start poster)
Figure 3: TomTom ONE XL, Front
The ONE XL is one good looking GPS, no doubt about it. The simple, elegant design makes the ONE XL one of the most handsome GPS units I've seen to date.
Except for the power button, all controls are performed via the 4.3" touch-screen LCD display.
Figure 4: TomTom ONE XL, Back
The back of the ONE XL is home to a single speaker, and the external antenna connector (located at the top-right corner).
Figure 5: TomTom ONE XL, Bottom
The USB connector, RDS-TMC Traffic connector, SD Memory Card Slot, and reset pin-hole are located on the underside of the ONE XL.
Figure 6: TomTom ONE XL, Left Side
The ONE XL's case is made out of black and silver colored high-impact plastic.
Figure 7: TomTom ONE XL, Top
Looking at the ONE XL from a top-down view, you can see the curved shape of the case and the power button. The curvyness makes the ONE XL feel thinner than it actually is - at its center, the ONE XL is 1.06-inches thick, making the ONE XL thicker than both the Garmin nuvi 660 (0.9" thick) or Magellan Maestro 4040 (0.8" thick).
Figure 8: TomTom ONE XL's Windshield Mount
TomTom's windshield mount is simple and effective. Simply press the suction disc against the windshield glass to secure it in place, and pull on the hanging tab to release it. The mounting bracket forms a ball-and-socket style joint with the mount, and is firm enough that it held the ONE XL vibration-free and in place while driving.
Figure 9: TomTom ONE XL's Windshield Mount
The ONE XL attaches to the windshield mount be lining up the mount with the grooves on the back of the ONE XL and pressing down until the unit clicks into place.
Figure 10: TomTom ONE XL, Attached to the Windshield Mount
Once the ONE XL is connected to the mount, the head can be easily articulated into the desired viewing angle. One issue I noticed during testing is that the angle of the mount combined with the short distance between the suction disc and the GPS caused the ONE XL to hit the windshield glass when trying to mount or unmount the GPS. More on this in the next section, "Mounting the TomTom ONE XL in the Car".
