Too bad about Tele Atlas--I was getting excited to spend some borrowed funds on this good looking device. Does TomTom use Tele Atlas exclusively? Is anything stopping them from offering NAVTEQ?

Oddly enough TomTom uses NAVTEQ on the TomTom ONE European edition, and on the TomTom Rider (motorcycle GPS). So for now, If I were you I'd go with the Garmin StreetPilot c530 for about the same price as the TT ONE (Garmin uses NAVTEQ). You might also look at the newly released Magellan Roadmate 2000 -- uses NAVTEQ and is only $299. Although the Magellan 2000T has a greatly reduced POI database. I'll be doing a full review on the Magellan 2000 soon.
--Fletch

For Garmin C550 it looks quite complicated. I guess its more like computer than Streetpilot.

I was going to say 'For Garmin C550 user..' Sorry..

For your information the user can customize the menus completely. No need to stay with the menu provided by TomTom.

Gekko - Can you give some details on how you customize the menus?

"The USB connector is used to connect the ONE to a PC (sorry Mac users), and also to charge the unit."

The software works just fine with my iMac (intel core duo).

Also, free map update offer is not for one year - it's over 30 Oct 2006.

I just received the regional UK version of the this V2 Tom Tom One - General Observations and differences
1) Did not have to activate the maps - Were already preactivated

2) Does not include any safefy/speed camera POI as default? What is the easiest way to get these added?

3) Other forums already mention problem with unit needing hard reset after charging - seems to lock up. Will this be fixed by yet another update?

I too enjoy the Tom Tom One but am very dissapointed to see the obvious underestimation of the US market when excluding the RIM Blackberrry (Only the single largest business use, cellular phone sold in America). I don't for a second believe their reason of the Blackberry not transmitting data. I am able to pair with the Garmin and Magellan quite easily.

It seems to me (in the Los Angeles area at least) that the ONE has a tendancy to pick the shortest route instead of the fastest route, even though fastest route is selected. For instance, it suggested taking surface streets to a destination 17 miles away rather than take a freeway that is a longer way around, but would have been much quicker. I later realized, that it will pick a better route if I ask it to select an alternate route, it's just a shame it doesn't pick the best route the first time around. Hopefully this is something that can be fixed in an update as I really love everything else about this unit as well--except that I was hoping that it would at least show caller ID from my bluetooth phone--oh well, I'd say I'm still happy with it.

Tom Jerry. First of all, the BlackBerry does not have the market share you claim, although no doubt it is one of the most popular. As for the Bluetooth situation, most US carriers request that the Bluetooth only come with a headset and maybe a modem profile. With the other Bluetooth profiles disabled, such as data transfer, it is impossible to send information from the address book to other devices such as a computer or GPS device. Without those Bluetooth profiles, there isn't anything TomTom can do to make it work. Some BlackBerry's do contain other Bluetooth profiles. However, most companies wouldn't buy them because of the potential of data theft. Paranoia does wonders for product development.

Tom Jerry. First of all, the BlackBerry does not have the market share you claim, although no doubt it is one of the most popular. As for the Bluetooth situation, most US carriers request that the Bluetooth only come with a headset and maybe a modem profile. With the other Bluetooth profiles disabled, such as data transfer, it is impossible to send information from the address book to other devices such as a computer or GPS device. Without those Bluetooth profiles, there isn't anything TomTom can do to make it work. Some BlackBerry's do contain other Bluetooth profiles. However, most companies wouldn't buy them because of the potential of data theft. Paranoia does wonders for product development.

"Ahh the metric system. Anyone in North America using the Metric system is in for an unpleasant surprise when they hit the highway system. Again, I guess this is useful in some countries, but it seems like for the North America edition they could safely assume customers will want Miles" All of Canada uses the metric system and since Canada is part of North America, this option only make sense.

I purchased a TomTom One yesterday, and have been unable to make it work. No instructions were given about charging the battery or "activating" maps. I have a credit type card with info on it, but no instructions. I'm going to return the unit--I wasted several hours on it. This is definitely not a plug and play item. Comparisons to Macs are not valid in my experience. I'm a scientist, use computers regularly, and read manuals before using products. Since the battery apparently needs to be charged, and accessibility to the maps needs to be "authorized", this should be clearly stated, with appropriate instructions on how to do each. There should also be a separate battery charge state indicator. Doubling up with the "on" light also indicating charging is not effective.

I have purchased one a week ago and i'm trying to see if what you said indeed was true that if you use an electronic generated voice that it would do text-to-speech. and by electronic generated voice did you mean the default voices? if not could you please direct me how to get one of those. thanks.

The review on the TomTom One, it stated that one had to visit the TomTom website to to get the activation code to activate the maps. Well, in my case this was not true, I just purchased a new TomTom One (sealed in a box)and started it up, no activation code was required and it flew right out of the box maps and all. Bob Krueger, Tombstone, AZ

After searching the internet for reviews on GPS systems I found your site. Your reviews were very helpful in helping me make an informed decision. When I first began to look at GPS my heart was set on finding the right "Magellan" for me because someone I know gave me a recommendation. I instead read all of your reviews so that I could make an Informed decision. Your reviews helped me be optimistic and understand the general Pros and Cons of the different GPS manufacturers (Garmin, Magellan,Tomtom, etc.) My Wife bought me the Magellan 3000 a few weeks ago before she read any online reviews. After reading all your reviews and your "Units to Avoid" section I took the unit back. After reading that you and many other users were having problems with Magellan units sometimes being sluggish and freezing I decided to start researching the different Garmin units. It seems that Garmin does have many very reliable units. I saw that you made the Garmin Nuvi 660 your "Editors Choice". Among other things, I really like this unit's sleek design. Since I can not afford this unit, I figure the Garmin Nuvi 350 is my next best choice since the "Blue Tooth" and "Traffic" features are not important to me. I narrowed down my search between the Garmin Nuvi 350 and the Magellan 2200. I like both units because they are affordable and have many of the newest technology upgrades and features used in GPS. I know you did not review the Garmin Nuvi 350 but looking at similar Garmin reviews and this Magellan 2200 review I am planning to purchase the Nuvi 350 from Walmart for 440.00 and cross the Magellan 2200 off my list since the only thing I can find it has better is that it is water resistant. I was hoping you and the other readers could tell me if I am making the right decision. Thanks again Fletch your reviews are second to none!

I've combed the internet for information but I can't get a simple response to my question - How good are the new Teleatlas maps?

I'm interested in purchasing a TomTom One for my parents (in Florida) but I'm hesitant to do so because of all the bad reviews I've read about the Teleatlas maps and the outdated POI database. Has the new map revision rectified this problem? Are the new TeleAtlas maps as good as Navteq when it comes to navigation and POI database? Or should I avoid TomTom and buy Garmin with Navteq maps?

I just tried tomtom for mobile (treo 650) put map verision 6.50 on my sd card and put my sons address in (live in mesa, az) house has been there for 30 years, tomtom only found a address that was 1200 from his house. (his--8926 e. florian ave) tomtom 7500 e florian ave..) My Garmin with 3 year old maps finds his address right away, so back to garmin I go.

I thought it was showed how big of an Idiot(his word) the reviewer was that he Forgot that in CANADA we use the metric system. I think it is great that TOMTOM took that into consideration instead of making the ONE an American device.

I bought a TomTom One second edition for my dad and decided to try it out. First trip was to a local piza place, it was actually in the POI list. TomTom guided me to the right road, good route planned on highway instead of backroads, however, ending the route about 1/2 mile from target and indicating that the place was on the other side of the road.

Second test was a drive from San Francisco Bay area to Tucson. I also planned the route using maps.google.com. Oddly enough the TomTom guided me to the east bay, then across to Highway five. I took the shorter route down to San Jose then to five. Around LA, TomTom wanted to go east a lot earlier than I or google did. In Phoenix, we tried to take a shortcut to avoid traffic, and TomTom kept insisting we turn around to join the traffic jams, despite pressing 'alternative route' many times. Finally, after about 5 minutes it seemed to understand what we were doing and followed our lead. Menus are easy to follow, GPS positioning is almost instant. I have no experience with other GPS systems, but was a bit disappointed with the route planning.

I have not had a ton of experience with the different mapping versions till this week. I bought a TT ONE last week and was sent the new Magellan 3140 as a gift this weekend...

I attached both to the dash and took a known route favoring highway travel, both units mapped the exact same route. I then purposely altered the route by jumping off the highway. Within milliseconds the TomTom adjusted and rerouted me forward while the Magellan kept trying to turn me around!

Again, not sure about all the hub-bub about teleatlas vs navtec, but the TomTom was MUCH faster and MUCH more accurate and it is worth mentioning that this was not in a major city either folks. This was in rural south central PA and the closest major city is Harrisburg. Kinda blows a hole the map company battle in my opinion!

JJ - the re-routing time is a different issue unrelated to the mapping data.

Excellent review but one suggestion. The reviewer didn't state whether the USB port is used for all THREE (3) functions it can be used for. This left it up to the reader's imagination if all three were covered. In many GPS units, all three are NOT covered so it DOES make a difference. Especially since the power supply is a critical component of the portability of the unit.

In the future, I suggest all portable GPS units with mini-USB power supplies state whether all three PCD functions are implemented in the port.

1. Power
2. Charge
3. Data

For example
a. Does the unit run and operate off the USB port (many don't)

b. Does the unit charge off the USB port?

c. Does the unit transfer data thru the USB port.

It's clear the reviewer didn't even realize these three functions were available. This isn't to take away from the quality of the review ... it's just to suggest the next review cover the PCD functions of the usb port.

Good review on the TOM TOM one XL. I purchased one prior to reading this review and will spend week with it beside my Garmin 2720 and make the decision whether to keep it or not.

I dont remember seeing a SD card coming with my unit. i did have rthe credit card with the code on it though. I can tell you it worked out of the box.

Thanks for a great review

I'm debating getting a TomTom one or a Garmin street pilot C340. I like the TomTom because it's thinner, but I'm worried about the mapping issue. Also, I wanted to see if anyone could confirm the text-to-speech option on the ONE using a computer-generated voice, because I couldn't find information about it anywhere else.

Does anyone recommend the C340 over TomTom? I would like something under $350 that speak street names, which doesn't give me many options.

Just have a comment on what you have said in page 2 for Figure 22: Miles or Kilometers

"Ahh the metric system. Anyone in North America using the Metric system is in for an unpleasant surprise when they hit the highway system. Again, I guess this is useful in some countries, but it seems like for the North America edition they could safely assume customers will want Miles."

In fact in Canada (another country in North America), we use kilometers. Hence, we can not safely asume customers will want miles. :)

Is there something similar to Garmin's disable safe mode on this unit allowing me to use this unit while the car is in motion?

I recently purchased a TomTom One (from Butterfly Photo, no problems) and I wanted to dispel a number of negative myths about this GPS device. I read reviews, blogs…anything I could find on TomTom versus Garmin. For some reason people think that a GPS device needs to have the ability to show pictures, play music, get traffic reports. Of the three only traffic reports is marginally interesting to me but I’m not willing to pay for it when I get traffic updates from my local free news radio. The other two options are too ridiculous to consider. What I want is something that gets me to the place I want to go when I don’t know how to or know the area. On my reason trip to Indianapolis, IN and through corn fields NE of Indy, my TomTom One did the job quite well. I did not read the manual before the trip, but simply thought I would see if I could get the device to work for me with some trial and error.
Myth 1: TomTom mount does work. I put a dash of water on the suction cup and affixed it to my windshield just above the dash. It stuck tight. I tried to get it off that night and gave up (just removed the receiver instead). That mount stuck to the windshield through the entire 5 day trip in 80-85 degree, high humidity weather with car sitting in the sun. I pried it off at the airport.
Myth 2: Slow recalc times. Not so I made a lot of deviations and it quickly started telling to turn around. On one cross country hop I deviated from the course. It kept trying to get me back on its original course but eventually gave up. If I was smarter I would have re-input the destination and let it calculate a new route. I later found a menu item for alternative routes. BTW, a co-worker took his older TomTom One last year on a trip to Johnstown PA and we got the same dead on navigation during that trip.
Myth 3: POIs are old. I tried a few in Indy and was able to get to restaurants and other places. I don’t care about POIs because I can either ask someone for a place and look it up in a phone book (oh, how archaic) or call and get the number.
Myth 4: Support is rude. I have a small problem updating the satellite file. I emailed them and got back a reply the next day. I haven’t solved the problem yet (been too busy before and after the trip), but the email traffic was courteous and regular. I’m on the West Coast so I have to pick a time to call them during the day. Since the file had no effect on the performance, I’ve not worried about getting back to solving the update problem.
I rated the TomTom One 8 out 10. I did take one point off for the lack of text to voice. The display (which is nice and bright) is generally very clear about the direction, and it does give the name in text of the next term on the screen, but it would have been nice to have it speak the street name. I think I’ll try to change the display to the 2D version and see if that eliminates any ambiguity. I took another point off for the unsolved update problem since I thought the suggestions should have cleared the problem. All in all I don’t see the need to pay twice as much for a Garmin to get features you don’t need and the performance that is not any different than my $249.00 TomTom One.

I am surprised at the amount of negative reviews for the Tomtom One line. I have had a One 2nd edition for about 6 months and bought a One XL for my wife yesterday. Here are the points that I can offer:

Mapping data-I have yet to input an address that it can't find, and this includes 7 states and multiple road trips. On the other end, I have a lot of experience with Navteq based in-car systems and had the problem constantly.

Routing-Severely overestimates ETA, not a problem when you get used to it, but annoying at first, leading you to believe the route is bad. However, both of my units adjust to missed turns with recalculations MUCH faster than the Garmins I've seen and don't try to incessantly get you back to the original route. And what's with the side of the street thing? Who cares? Just look at the addresses of the road you're on, odd or even...

Menu-You have to be kidding me. This is by FAR the simplest GPS to use out of the box, intuitive and easy. I'm sorry, but if enabling the advanced menus by simply selecting them is that much effort for some than maybe the whole idea of a car GPS just isn't a good one.

My wife, who is on computers all day and would rather throw them out the window most of the time finds this system easy. That says a lot, believe me.

Bluetooth-No it isn't compatible with all phones. It needs GPRS data transfer. Yes, this sucks, but blame the US cellular companies for being 15 years behind the rest of the planet rather than Tomtom. If you want it to work buy an unlocked phone from the euro market, they are available everywhere and run the whole price gamut.

Traffic-This is a sticking point for me, but the One I use works fine with my phone (I've had 3 since I bought this and all worked) and the re-routes have saved me a number of times. I would prefer a RDS-TMC setup and look forward to Tomtom coming out with the US version for the XL soon (not having a consistent release date is definitely annoying, especially with no explanation).

Features-Aside from the traffic mentioned above, what does this thing lack? An mp3 player, c'mon, why? A photo viewer, seriously? I don't want processing power sniped by some needless application that Garmin has added just so they can keep the price up. Concentrate on the gps, I have an iPod for music and camera/laptops/PDA for the pics.

Design-Show me a thinner, lighter and better built unit. Even the reviewer states the over-featured Nuvi has a scary build and feel. Why is that? A gps is easy but building a decent body is hard? You don't need a carrying case if the unit is durable in the first place. Bags, pockets, luggage and glove boxes have not messed with my One NE at all.

Service-I've had to call twice with different questions, no problem and considerably better than other CS departments (cable company and so on).

The Garmins have way too many needless features, and to get traffic (a must for me) I need to spend a lot more money. The Magellans are an unknown in my case, but I almost bought a 4040 if it weren't for the ridiculous mounting system. Maybe with the next series.

For the money I am unable to find something better, and I have spent a lot of time trying. If Garmin would come out with a Nuvi-style unit that just did navigation and traffic I would probably try it. Why is that so much to ask for?

In conclusion, I am sure that there are better performing products available when money is no object, but I have yet to find one I like more-when I do I'll buy it. At this price point I simply can't find an easier to use, more staightforward and reliable unit than the One series. Maybe this says more about what's available in the market than anything else?

Typical american, assuming that North America = U.S.A. Well, you're not. Canadians and Mexicans use the INTERNATIONAL STANDARD metric system (km not miles, you closet-british-lovers) and not some antiquated system. When will you people learn that you're not the centre (that's right! c-e-n-t-R-E not c-e-n-t-E-R) of the universe. Oh, and I agree with your analysis of mapping packages.

does the tom tom one come with a way of charging in an auto. with only a two hour battary life one might need to use a cigarette lighter receptical for battery charging,

In the setup portion of your review: "For you militant types, you can set your ONE to observe military time. For me, 6:00 pm will do just fine, thank you very much."

OK, one small point: Referring to 24-hour clock convention as "military time" is bad enough. But to say that use of 24-hour clock is "militant" is downright provincial.

Only a handful of countries still prefer 12-hour clock notation (USA, Australia, most of Canada, New Zealand, Philippines). All the rest of the world uses 24-hour clock.

All the US military uses 24-hour clock. Nearly all US engineering, scientific, medical and emergency services usage is 24-hour clock. Once people live awhile with 24-hour clock, they even prefer it! Is it no wonder that TomTom engineers were farsighted enough to offer us an intelligent choice? Thank you!

Now, based upon your excellent, comprehensive review, I just purchased a "reconditioned" (not used) TomTom ONE from buy.com for $160, and look forward to giving it a try.

And for me, setting it to 24-hour format will do just fine, thank you very much.

I live in Canada and purchased the Tom Tom One. While it can display the unit in kilometers, the voice navigation still gives directions in miles. Is there a way to change this?

Thanks for any help.

About flipping the screen upside down, how about mounting the GPS upside down so that USB connector goes on top rather than bottom?

Great review overall.

I noticed that you wondered why this unit has an upside down screen option. I find that it increases the number of ways it can be mounted (especially on the dash). I just purchased a Magellan 3140 and really wish it had this useful (for me at least) feature

I don't know how to successfully recharge my Tom Tom One with the computer. Doesn't last long on the road as a sales person...only two hours and you run out of battery life. Does it have to be on or can it just be plugged into the computer. The tom tom one should be recharging from the plug in of the cigarette lighter..what is the lighter plug in for?
Frannie4@prodigy.net

Anybody know the type and size of the screws on this model

This GPS unit has a desirable size for its capabilities and the price may makes this unit more attractive compare to comparable other units

TomTom One Review: http://www.bestnewreview.com/polls.aspx?poll=247&partner=0&Desc=TomTom-One-Review

First off, thank you for your in depth reviews; they are a great help as I shop for a GPS for my wife for xmas.

Regarding the left-handed and upside down display options - as I shop I am also thinking about picking up a low cost unit for myself with an eye towards also being able to use it on my motorcycle. It occured to me while reading the review that it would be nice to be able to specify left - handed operation, since my bike does not have cruise control so my right hand is always occupied with the throttle. The upside down feature would be nice if the mount did not articulate in such a way to mount down on the base of my cafe' fairing as I plan to do.

I don't know if this is what the designers were contemplating, but it is a possible application of those features.

Though the Tele Atlas issue will disuade me from buying this unit, reading about these features has given me some more things to consider as I make my purchase(s).

Thank you again for your well written reviews.

I went to the store today and notice TomTom version3. From what I read, Tomtom no longer use the SIRF STAR III chipset. Is the new GPS chipset better than SIRF STAR III?

With all these low cost GPS comming out, it would be a lot nicer if they have a sticker saying "SIRF inside" or some other unknown GPS chip vendor

Doesn anyone know Tomtom One has the feature that allows you to view the map "north up", like most garmin units can? Well I consider myself pretty savvy when it comes to directions and the map of Los Angeles metropolitan area, that's why bought the best & most economical unit cuz i can pretty much navigate my way around town myself in the head as long as i know which direction i'm going. Although TT1 has the compass feature showing your heading, but I would love to be able to view the regular 2D map that always shows the north side up (south side down) regardless which direction i'm heading. That way i know exactly where i am and make my own decision where to go instead of depending on the turn by turn navigation all the time. I'd only use the turn by turn navigation when i'm heading to an area where i'm completely unfamiliar of, or not have the mental map in m head. I've scanned thru the manual for many times but unable to find anything regarding this feature. Please reply to this if you know a thing or 2 about it.

Thanks

Hieu:

Doesn anyone know Tomtom One has the feature that allows you to view the map "north up", like most garmin units can? Well I consider myself pretty savvy when it comes to directions and the map of Los Angeles metropolitan area, that's why bought the best & most economical unit cuz i can pretty much navigate my way around town myself in the head as long as i know which direction i'm going. Although TT1 has the compass feature showing your heading, but I would love to be able to view the regular 2D map that always shows the north side up (south side down) regardless which direction i'm heading. That way i know exactly where i am and make my own decision where to go instead of depending on the turn by turn navigation all the time. I'd only use the turn by turn navigation when i'm heading to an area where i'm completely unfamiliar of, or not have the mental map in m head. I've scanned thru the manual for many times but unable to find anything regarding this feature. Please reply to this if you know a thing or 2 about it.

Thanks

Yes, you can set the map to keep north up.
You can also set the compass to point the direction you are going so you can see yourself going west on the map.

I feel compelled to respond about the map accuracy. I also need to point out that I live in the south central US, not Europe.

I had a tomtom one 3rd edition with the latest maps, and a garmin nuvi 200 with the latest (2008 release, since 2009 is "coming soon" still) and the tomtom was much more accurate, possibly due to the MapShare feature. The POI info for the Nuvi in particular, seems consistently off. As a quick test, I tried the same 5 fast food joints on both, and the nuvi had errors on 4 out of the 5 and was severely wrong on one of them, directing me into a residential neighborhood in the opposite direction from the resturant. All 5 have been around for years, and have not relocated. Besides the total misdirect I mentioned, the nuvi placed 2 of them on the wrong side of the road, (said "turn right" when it was on the left) and announced arrival a block too soon on the 3rd. It was telling me to turn around and go back well before I had reached the destination.
The tomtom was dead on for all 5. Also if the tomtom had been wrong, I could tap the screen and fix the poi, where the nuvi has no such capability.

The nuvi has also, twice now, attempted to route me onto roads that don't exist or at least aren't built yet.

Based on my experience, I'd have to say tomtom has passed garmin in map quality. Like I said, this may be due to the mapshare updates, which applied almost 9000 corrections, and I opted to only use the "verified" corrections, not all user submitted corrections.

Tomtom makes it easy to add a POI also. If you drive somewhere and want to add it as a poi, on tomtom it is just as easy as adding a favorite. The nuvi supports adding favorites, but not adding new poi. Adding a poi to the nuvi requires downloading it from a computer.

The main things tomtom does worse than the garmin are the windshield bracket and poor battery life. The windshield bracket works well enough, but takes a lot more effort to get stuck where it won't fall off, and isn't as easy to get the gps in and out of.

The map graphics are better on the nuvi also, but the overall gui is functionally better (if less "pretty") on the tomtom.

Another nuvi annoyance is the need to spell the city for each address lookup. The tomtom always remembers the last ones you used and you can pick it with a single tap. Also on the tomtom you can switch between 3 keyboard layouts, including QWERTY and the alpha order that the nuvi has (and a 3rd layout I haven't tried).

Finally, the tomtom has many voice options and overall better sound quality.

Your review stated: "Take a look at this promotional sheet included with the TomTom ONE: yes, it's designed stylishly and looks good. But the text says I am entitled to a year of free map upgrades"

The actual text read "you are entitled to ONE upgrade, NOT "a year of free map upgrades".

I'm amazed at all the whining on the maps - my Nuvi 360 and my TT One both are good - sometimes one better than the other (rare) but it can be either one that is the winner.
Love TT interface and goodies - love a Garmin too.
FWIW - you always need a paper map just in case. Neither could find a 4 year old development and the roads going into it yesterday for me. TT got me closer on a road that was there but still wanted to place me in a field. Garmin had me in a field when they road was still there for another mile ... why it dropped that road I dunno since it was an old primary highway thats now a secondary one.
None of these things are perfect as I learn more and more everyday.

I bought the TomTom One 3rd edition, as it was being sold for the best price at Walmart. Only $170 CAD, taxes included. I must say that I LOVE the way that this GPS unit works. Its very intuitive, very esthetically pleasing, and reliable. It doesn't have the gratuitous junk that some other GPS systems have, like MP3 players.

If you want the GPS unit to tell you things in KM, you can. I didn't have any problem with it, however, I don't have the unit anymore so as to tell you how I did it. Yes, you heard me correctly. I don't have it anymore.

While I'm in love with the TomTom GPS unit itself, what I am most definitely not in love with is the computer interface system used with the GPS, known as TomTom Home. Home has caused me nothing but glitchy problems. The (very polite and helpful) phone support line representatives that have tried to help me with it even admitted to having serious reservations about the Home system. One of their reps, who spilled the beans a little, told me that TomTom DOES NOT BETA TEST the home system when they upgrade it! She even went so far as to say that "we are all almost in tears around here when they rollout a new version of Home"!

The problems that I had with Home really started to develop to a climax when I was notified that I had to download the new "TomTom Application". This application is known as NAVCORE 8, and has been described to be as the latest operating system that runs the TomTom GPS units. Navcore 8 does not interface correctly with TomTom Home. According to another Tech Rep, "when new applications rollout, we often have integration problems between Home and the new application." When I downloaded and installed the new application it resulted in my TomTom no longer being accessible for my computer, and I got numerous Input/Output errors. TomTom home registered my GPS as having no space remaining for any new updates, due to these errors, even though I had about 97 megs free on the unit. I replaced the defective unit with a new TomTom One, and encountered the same problem again. Thankfully I could still return the product, which I reluctantly did, and purchased a Garmin Nuvi 250 instead.

I actually like some aspects of the One more than the Nuvi, such as the user interface, however the software unreliability of the TomTom brand has turned me off of the GPS unit, and off of TomTom altogether. Perhaps you will not experience similar issues, however, be aware that this could be a problem that you could encounter if you buy a TomTom.

Imagine if it had occured 6 months after purchase, and I could not have returned it to where I purchased it. I would have had to ship it from Eastern Canada by UPS or Fedex to Texas, where TomTom would either repair the unit or replace it- and TomTom support told me that I would have to pay for it, which I felt was utterly unacceptable. I work for UPS, and I calculated a rate for myself- it would have cost $27, and would have been only returned to me 2 to 3 weeks later! I figured I had saved that money, and had added it to my innitial outlay of $170 CAD, so I invested in the Garmin Nuvi 250 at $198 CAD instead.

I would suggest being cautious if you, like myself, purchase this unit and are careful to update it regularly, as TomTom suggests. These regular updates may shockingly deprive you of your ability to use this unit as it is intended to be used.

I was given a TomTom for Christmas and found it to be almost unusable. The TeleAtlas maps are at least 10 years old. I haven't been able to go to any place I didn't know where it is.

I bought the map ug grade and it seemed to be the same one I had but it had a later version number. Stay away from any GPS that uses TeleAtlas maps. Google is now using TeleAtlas and they are screwed up alsp.

The link you mentioned in the review as a non-working link works just fine. You may want to remove that from your in-dept article. Either they fixed it after or your computer had issues what you are writing is not true in that few sentences.

I haven't seen this many dumb questions a while ago like in this comments... C'mon people, a little research won't hurt your gray matter.

So I wonder when it tells me to turn right or left does it mean that I should move the steering wheel to that direction, because sometimes if I turn left I kind of facing the door and I can't see the road anymore? :)

How much do the map upgrades cost?

About $70 for the XL and One series and $90 for the Go series. Better than the previous prices of $90 to $130, but still way too high.