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Conclusion / recommendation / ratings are based on the opinion of the author. I recommend that you read the entire review before making any decision.

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Table of Contents

1. Features and Specifications
2. What's in the Box
3. Mounting the TomTom XL 340S In The Car
4. Powering on the XL 340S For the First Time
5. Navigating With The TomTom XL 340S
6. Finding An Address
7. Finding A Restaurant
8. Itinerary Planning (Multi-Stop Trips)
9. IQ Routes
10. TomTom Services
11. Map Corrections & Map Share
12. Navigating to a set of Coordinates
13. Help me!
14. Installing and Using TomTom HOME
15. Customizing the XL 330S's Routing & Navigation Settings
16. TomTom XL 340S vs. Garmin nuvi 1390T
17. Pros
18. Cons
19. Conclusion

1. Features and Specifications

Features:

• Text-to-speech - speaks street names for easy guidance
• IQ Routes Technology
• Advanced Lane Guidance
• TomTom Map Share: instantly modify street names, street direction and POIs on your own device and benefit from others' corrections
• "Help Me!" Emergency Menu: easily access local emergency providers such as police, fire stations and hospitals
• Maps of the US, Canada & Mexico
• EasyPort mount: foldable, slim mount for easy portability
• POI icons: easily find gas stations, restaurants, hotels and more along your route. Customize by adding your own points of interest
• TomTom HOME: ensure that your TomTom is always up-to-date and access additional features with this free software application
• Traffic ready: optional RDS-TMC traffic receiver accessory keeps you up-to-date on traffic events to minimize potential delays
• Daily Fuel Prices Optional Service: find the lowest priced gas on your route

Specifications:

• High-sensitivity GPS receiver
• 7 Millions Points of Interest (POIs)
• 4.3” QVGA touch screen
• 4.7" x 3.2" x .09", 7 ounces with mount attached
• Internal Lithium-Ion battery (up to 3 hours operation)

Map Coverage

The TomTom XL 340S includes new expanded map coverage:

• United States: All 50 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico.
• Canada: All 10 provinces and 3 territories
• Mexico: 35% coverage of the 31 states with detailed coverage of Mexico City and Guadalajara, the main road network and 2,431 counties.

2. What's in the Box

Figure 1: TomTom XL 340S, What's in the Box

The TomTom XL 340S includes the following items in the box:

• TomTom XL 340S
• Windshield mount (EasyPort)
• Car charger (12-24V)
• USB Cable
• Adhesive Disk (for mounting the GPS on the dashboard instead of the windshield)
• Documentation

Figure 2: TomTom XL 340S, Front

Physically, the X 340 S looks and feels similar to previous TomTom GPS units. The 3.5-inch color LCD touch screen is framed by a black and silver colored casing. The 340 S is handsome looking, and feels well made.

With the exception of the power button on the top of the device, there are no physical controls on the XL 340S. All operations are performed via the touch-screen interface

Figure 3: TomTom XL 340S, Side

One of the most interesting physical features of the XL 340S is TomTom's new EasyPort Mount. The foldable EasyPort mount is designed to make it easy to remove the windshield mount and GPS device from the car.

Figure 4: EasyPort Mount, Opened

TomTom says the silicon used on the EasyPort mount is stronger than previous mounts, which should make the EasyPort stronger and able to adhere to more surface types.

Figure 5: EasyPort, Removed

The EasyPort Mount can also be snapped off the back of the XL 340S if you don't want to bring the mount with you, and just want the GPS device.

The 340's internal speaker is also located in the rear of the device.

Figure 6: EasyPort Mount Disc

The EasyPort Mount is attached to the glass by pressing the disk onto the windshield and twisting the bezel into the locked position.

The On/Off button is located on the top of the GPS.

Figure 7: TomTom XL 340S, Bottom

The USB Data/Charging port is located on the bottom of the device.

The USB port (located on the bottom of the device) is used both to provide power and to charge the internal rechargeable battery.

Figure 8: Vehicle Power Adapter

A standard USB vehicle power adapter is included.

3. Mounting the TomTom XL 340S In The Car

Figure 9: TomTom XL 340S, Mounted in the Car

Installing the XL 340S in the car is a simple process that requires no tools or professional installation.

Figure 10: Vehicle Power Adapter

Plug in the vehicle power adapter into an available cigarette lighter port.

Figure 11: EasyPort Mount

Flip open the EasyPort Mount. You need to hold the back of the GPS while you open the EasyPort Mount, otherwise the entire mount disconnects from the back of the GPS.

Press the EasyPort onto the windshield glass.

Figure 12: EasyPort Locking Bezel

Twist the bezel into the locked position to secure the mount to the windshield.

Figure 13: EasyPort Mount, Attached to the Windshield

To remove the XL 340S from the EasyPort Mount, simply pull the GPS until it "snaps" out of the mount. Similarly, you can quickly re-connect the GPS to the EasyPort by pushing the GPS into the outer mounting ring until it snaps back into place.

Figure 14: TomTom XL 340S, Mounted in the Car

The XL 340S looks good mounted in the car, and the windshield mount holds the GPS firmly in place while driving.

However, the new EasyPort foldable windshield mount is a mixed bag. I found the mount frustrating to use at times. Frequently, when I tried to adjust the viewing angle, the GPS would detach completely from the EasyPort. I also found it difficult to twist the EasyPort bezel into the locked / unlocked position without the outer mounting ring interfering.

4. Powering on the XL 340S For the First Time

Figure 15: Language Preference

Before you can start navigating with the XL 340S, a number of setting and preferences must be configured, beginning with the desired language. Scroll through the list of available languages and tap the desired language selection.

Figure 16: Confirm Language Selection

Confirm the language selection by tapping Yes, or tap No to return to the list of languages.

Figure 17: TomTom Welcome Screen

Once the language has been set, the XL 340S informs you that it must set a few more preferences before it's ready to begin navigating.

Figure 18: Right-handed or left-handed operation

The XL 340S can be configured for either right-handed or left-handed use.

Figure 19: Setting the Unit of Measure

The XL 140 S can report distances in Miles, or Kilometers. Choose the appropriate setting and press Done.

Figure 20: Clock Display Preference

The time can be displayed using any of the three formats shown above.

Figure 21: Setting the Current Time

Set the correct time by using the up and down arrows, then tap Done.

Figure 22: Selecting A Voice

The XL 340S includes a variety of male and female voices. "Computer generated" voices can announce actual street names using text-to-speech technology. Real human voices are also available to choose, but they can only announce generic maneuvers, such as "Turn left", or "Take Exit on Right".

The default voice selection is "Susan", for US English. Susan is a computer generated voice that will speak actual street names when announcing turn maneuvers.

Tip: Keep in mind that changing the voice setting to a non-computer voice will prevent Text-to-Speech from working on the XL 340S.

Figure 23: Select a Voice

Listen to the voice by tapping Test, or tap Select to choose that voice and continue.

Figure 24: Selecting a Day Color Scheme

The TomTom XL 340S has a built-in light sensor that can automatically switch the display between "day" and "night" color modes. Day mode sets the display to full brightness and uses color schemes designed to be seen during daylight conditions. Night mode dims the display, and changes the map to use darker colors that are easier on the eyes when driving at night.

TomTom provides four different day color schemes to choose from.

Figure 25: Selecting a Night Color Scheme

TomTom provides four different night color schemes to choose from. The blue scheme (top left) is chosen by default.

Figure 26: Would You Like to Set Your 'Home' Address?

Next the XL 340S asks if you want to input your home address. The 'Home' address is a special saved address in your address book that makes it easy to route back to your designated home address with just a few taps on the screen.

Using the 'Home' address is addressed in greater detail later in this review.

Figure 27: Would You Like A Brief Tour?

Now that all the start-up preferences have been set, the XL 340S asks if you want a brief tour on using the GPS and an overview of the features. If you're new to TomTom's GPS products, it's probably a good idea to take the tour (it only takes a few minutes).

Figure 28: Map Share

We'll discuss TomTom's Map Share feature in more detail later in this review, but you should join Map Share when prompted to do so during the initial setup.

Figure 29: Congratulations

Tap Continue. The XL 340S is now ready to begin navigating.

Figure 30: Map Screen

The map screen appears. Tap anywhere on the map to access the Main Menu and set a destination.

5. Navigating With The TomTom XL 340S

Figure 31: TomTom's Map Screen

Whether navigating to a destination, or simply driving around, most of your time with the XL 340S will be spent looking at the Map Screen, shown above.

By default, the following information is displayed on the map:

1. Zoom In
2. Zoom Out
3. Highlighted Route (the path you'll be driving)
4. Navigation instruction for the road ahead (tap this area to repeat the last spoken instruction, and to change the volume)
5. Trip information: trip time, remaining distance, arrival time. The information displayed in this box can be customized, as shown later in this review

The Map Screen is one of the most critical aspects of any GPS. I personally find TomTom's map screen less refined than Garmin or Magellan's map screens, though many users find TomTom's map screen perfectly acceptable.

Figure 32: Advanced Lane Guidance

When approaching a highway exit or intersection, the XL 340S displays a visual indicator in the status bar that shows which lane you should be driving in, and, where available, a photo-realistic view of the turn, as shown above.

Advanced Lange Guidance coverage is constantly improving with each new TomTom map update.

When 3D Lane Guidance is not available, basic lane guidance information is displayed in the lower-left information bar.

Figure 33: Speed Limit Information

The XL 340S displays speed limit information when driving on most major roads or highways. If available for the road you are traveling on, the current speed and legal speed limit are displayed in the lower-right corner of the GPS, as shown above.

In this example, I am driving 45 MPH in an area with a 55 MPH limit.

Figure 34: Setting A Desired Arrival Time

Another handy feature only found on TomTom devices is the ability to tell the GPS what time you'd like to arrive at your destination address, and then see on the map screen how close to your preferred arrival time you'll be.

This feature can be turned on or off via the preferences menu. When enabled, the XL 340S will ask if you need to arrive at your destination by a specific time. If you answer Yes, the XL 340S will display how early or late you will arrive at your destination.

Figure 35: Displaying the Target Arrival Time on the Map

If you specify a target time you want to arrive by, the GPS displays how many minutes under (shown next to a plus (+) sign in green text) or over (shown next to a minus (-) sign in red) you'll arrive by. If the estimated arrival time is less than 5 minutes before the entered preferred arrival time, the number is displayed in a yellow font. I love this feature, and found myself using it regularly.

Figure 36: POI Brand Icons

The XL 340S also allows you to specify which types of Points of Interest (POIs) you would like to see displayed on the map screen. Some POIs even display their logo instead of the generic category icon. For example, Shell gas stations are indicated by the Shell logo, as are many other types of businesses, such as McDonalds, Starbucks, and Dunkin Donuts to name just a a few.

Figure 37: Day and Night Mode

The XL 340S can be configured to automatically switch between "Day" and "Night" modes, either based on the time of day or ambient light levels. The default setting relies on the time of day, and switches into "Night" mode at sunset.

Figure 38: Route Confirmation Screen

Once a destination has been entered, the XL 340S displays an overview of the planned trip, as shown above. If you're happy with the route, you can begin navigating by tapping Done.

If you'd like to see an alternate route, tap Find Alternative. Tapping Details lets you further customize the route, as shown below.

Figure 39: View Route

Tapping Details on the previous screen brings up the View Route screen, shown above. The screen offers the following functions:

• Browse as text - View a turn-by-turn text list of all turns along the route
• Browse as images - View a turn-by-turn series of images for every turn on the route
• Browse map of route - Display the entire route on the map
• Show route Demo - Simulate the route
• Show route summary - Displays key statistics about the proposed route, such as time, distance, how many miles will be spent on a highway, and more

Figure 40: Browse As Text

Tapping "Browse As Text" displays a turn-by-turn list of all upcoming maneuvers. Tap on a turn to view more details about the maneuvers, or tap Options to configure the information displayed on this screen.

Figure 41: Information Per Instruction

As with most aspects of the XL 340S, you can customize the information displayed to suit your own personal preference. Here, the "Information per instruction" options let you choose between any of the 7 different information settings to display at each turn.

Figure 42: Route Summary

Once a destination has been input, the route summary screen is displayed. Tap Done to begin navigating to the destination, Clear Route to cancel the route, or Details to customize the route or view additional information about the planned route

Figure 43: Route Options

If you're not satisfied with the route the XL 340S automatically calculated, tap Find Alternative to customize the planned route (shown below).

Figure 44: Find Alternative

The XL 340S provides lots of route customization options:

• Calculate alternative - automatically calculates a new, different, route to the destination address
• Avoid roadblock - If you know a street is closed, you can indicate the location on the map and have the XL 340S route around the closed road
• Travel via - Insert a stop along the route
• Recalculate Original - Re-calculate the original proposed route
• Avoid part of route - Browse a list of all turns in the planned route, and choose a specific road (or multiple roads) to avoid
• Minimize delays - Calculate a route that avoids as much traffic as possible

Figure 45: Avoid Part of Route

Tap on the road or highway you want to avoid to exclude a specific section from the planned route

Figure 46: Map Screen

Once everything looks good, tap Done to begin navigating to your destination.

6. Finding An Address

Figure 47: Main Menu 1 of 2

The XL 340S provides several ways to navigate to a destination, but probably the most common method is to enter a street address as a destination.

To begin entering a street address, tap the screen to view the Main Menu, shown above, and then tap "Navigate to..."

Figure 48: Choosing A Destination Type

The "Navigate to..." screen, shown above, allows you to choose what type of destination address you want to route to:

• Home - route to the saved Home address
• Favorite - route to a saved address
• Address - Enter a street address
• Recent Destination - Route to a recently found address
• Point of Interest - Search the POI (Point of Interest) database for a business (restaurant, hotel, gas station, grocery store, etc.)

In this example we'll be entering a street address as our destination, so we'll tap on "Address" to continue.

Figure 49: Choosing an Address Entry Method

The TomTom XL 340S allows you to enter a street address in a number of useful ways:

• City center - if you don't have a particular street address, and just want to drive to the center of town (useful for exploring small towns)
• Street and house number - probably the method you'll most commonly use, this button allows you to enter a complete street address.
• Zip Code - if you know the postal code for the destination address, entering the Zip Code can be faster than spelling out city names (and less error prone)
• Cross street or intersection - allows you to enter two street names and route to a particular intersection

I'll tap on "Street and house number" to continue.

Figure 50: Entering the City Name

The XL 340S pre-populates the City screen with a list of the most recently found cities. You can choose one of the recently used city names, or use the on-screen keyboard to enter a different city name.

In this example we'll be driving to an address in New York City. After selecting NY as the State, I start to spell out New York using the on-screen keyboard. As I enter letters (N-E-W-SPACE-Y-O), the ONE 140 S is constantly updating the list of matching names.

Once enough letters have been entered, I can simply tap on the correct city name from the results list. I'll tap on "New York NY" to continue.

Unfortunately, there's no way to search across all States for a given city or town name. You'll need to know which State your destination address is located in. This may not sound like an issue (after all, who doesn't know what State their destination is in), but when driving to an address close to the border between two States, it's not always obvious which State you're driving to.

Tip: If you know the zip code of your destination, you can save time by entering the zip code instead of the city name.

Figure 51: Select Street Name

In this example I'll be routing to an address on Central Park West in New York, so I tap C-E-N-T-R-A-L and the XL 340S produces a list of all streets beginning with the word "Central".

The on-screen keyboard can be hidden or shown by tapping on the triangle button in the upper-right corner of the screen (handy if you need to scroll through a long list of names and want to see more than 2 at a time).

I'll tap on "Central Park W" to continue.

Figure 52: Entering the House Number

Using the on-screen keypad, enter the house or building number of your destination address.

The XL 340S doesn't display the valid range of house numbers for the chosen street - a handy feature if you're not exactly sure of the house/building number. However, TomTom does provide a convenient "Cross street" option if you change your mind and want to enter a cross street instead of a house number.

Figure 53: Do you Need To Arrive At A Particular Time

This is a great feature unique to TomTom. If you want to arrive at your destination by a certain time, answer Yes to this question (you can also turn this feature off if you don't want to be asked each time).

Figure 54: Preferred Arrival Time

If you answer Yes to the preferred arrival time question, the above screen appears. Enter the desired arrival time and tap Done.

Figure 55: Calculating Route

Route calculation on the TomTom XL 340S is slow compared to other GPS units. Route calculation times varied according to distance, with short trips calculating relatively fast and longer trips taking considerably longer. For example, an 80-mile trip took around 7 seconds to calculate -- not egregious but still quite a bit slower than competing GPS units.

Also annoying is that the XL 340S must finish calculating the entire route before you can begin navigating. Garmin and Magellan GPS units, by contrast, quickly calculate the first few turns so you can begin navigating, and then finish calculating the entire route.

Figure 56: Toll Road Warning

If you the planned route will take you across toll roads, the XL 340S will ask if you prefer to find an alternate route that avoids tolls. This warning can be disabled via the preferences menu, if desired

Figure 57: Map Screen

The map screen is shown while navigating to the destination address.

7. Finding A Restaurant

Figure 58: Main Menu

Most portable GPS units come pre-loaded with a Points of Interest database, allowing you to find nearby businesses, such as restaurants, gas stations, hotels, parking garages, and more. In GPS speak, a "Point of Interest", or POI, is a business address saved on the GPS. You can think of the POIs as a pre-loaded yellow pages on the GPS.

The XL 340S ships with a large pre-loaded POI database of 7 million entries. That's more than most. Magellan's Maestro units have around 4.5 million POIs, and Garmin's nuvi units generally have around 6 million POIs.

To search for a restaurant using the pre-loaded POI database (i.e. not using Google), tap the screen to bring up the main menu, then tap Navigate to... > Point of Interest

Figure 59: Navigate to...

Choose Point of Interest as the destination type.

Figure 60: Navigate to a POI

The XL 340S ask where you want to search for a POI:

• POI near you - searches the POI database for business close to your current position
• POI in city - allows you to input a city name and search for POIs near that city
• POI near Home - search for businesses near the saved Home address
• POI along route - When navigating to a destination, this option allows you to search for businesses along the way. For example, you might want to search for a restaurant along the way to your destination
• POI near destination - Search for businesses near the destination address

Note: The POI along route and POI near destination icons are only selectable while en route to a destination.

Figure 61: Specifying the POI Category

After telling the GPS where to search for a POI, the XL 340S asks us to choose a POI category. 60 POI categories are available to choose from (tap the "Play" icon on the lower right to view the entire list of POI categories), but the most commonly used categories are displayed on this screen.

In this example we'll be searching for a restaurant, so I'll tap "Restaurant".

Figure 62: POI Search Results List

The XL 340S displays up to 30 results (displayed in groups of 6), ordered by closeness. Tapping the Find button lets you search the results by entering part of the restaurant name you're looking for.

Depending on your location, the XL 340S's limit of 30 results can be annoying. For example, when searching for nearby restaurants in New York City, a limit of 30 results per search is less than optimal.

Also missing is the ability to search for restaurants by cuisine type. For example, many competing GPS devices allow you to specify whether you want to see all restaurants, or only Chinese, French, Mexican, etc.

If you know the name of the restaurant you're looking for, you can tap the "Find" button to enter the name.

If I wanted to find the nearest Starbucks, for example, I could tap "Find" on the previous POI results screen and begin to spell S-T-A-R-B until Starbucks appears in the results list.

Figure 63: POI Map Screen

Tapping on a POI from the results list brings up the POI map screen, shown above.

This screen displays the POI on the map, along with the phone number of the business, and the ability to pan/zoom the map.

Touch "Select" to set the POI as the destination, or "Back" to search again.

8. Itinerary Planning (Multi-Stop Trips)

Figure 64: Main Menu 2 of 2

An itinerary is TomTom-speak for a trip that includes more than one stop. An itinerary consists of a destination and waypoints (stops). Itineraries are useful when you want to make multiple stops along the way to your final destination.

Begin creating an itinerary by tapping the Itinerary planning icon from the Main Menu.

Figure 65: Adding Stops to the Itinerary

Touch "Add" to add the first stop to the itinerary.

Any of the regular destination types can be added to an itinerary, including POIs, street addresses, and recent destinations.

Figure 66: Adding A Stop

You can use any of the available destination types to add a stop to the planned itinerary, including recently found destinations and POIs, coordinates, cross streets, and street addresses.

Enter the address for the first stop along the itinerary just as you would normally.

Figure 67: Building the Itinerary

You can add as many stops to an Itinerary as you like.

Once all the desired stops have been added to the itinerary, tapping "Done" starts navigating to the first stop

Figure 68: Itinerary Options

Tapping "Options" from the itinerary planning screen allows you to save the itinerary for future use, or load a previously saved itinerary.

Figure 69: Itinerary List

Stops along the itinerary are grayed out as you navigate to each destination on the list.

Tapping Options on the screen above lets you save itineraries for future use, as well as delete itineraries that are no longer needed.

Missing from the XL 340S's itinerary planning features is the ability to sort a list of destinations by distance. Also referred to as "Route Optimization", this feature comes in handy for those who regularly enter a list of addresses and want the GPS to automatically figure out the best order to visit each stop.

Figure 70: Begin Navigating the Itinerary

Once the itinerary been created, the XL 340S asks if we want to start navigating to the first destination in the list.

9. IQ Routes

Figure 71: IQ Routes

Originally introduced on TomTom's GO 730 and 930 models, IQ Routes allows the GPS to incorporate historical traffic pattern information when figuring out which roads to travel to a destination.

When the XL 340S calculates the route to a destination, IQ Routes considers historical traffic information for the time of day, as well as the day of the week, and adjusts the route accordingly. Estimated drive time is also adjusted, according to the IQ Routes historical traffic information.

Figure 72: Fastest Route - IQ Routes

IQ Routes is designed to give drivers the ability to drive like a "local", giving your TomTom GPS a human-like knowledge of local streets and shortcuts. To achieve this goal, TomTom anonymously (and voluntarily) collects historical speed data from millions of other TomTom owners worldwide. Speed data is logged from each journey, allowing TomTom to build a massive database that analyzes the driving behaviors and local preferences of human drivers. TomTom then harvests this data to determine the optimal route between two points.

IQ Routes did, in fact, product noticeably better, more intelligent routes than non-IQ-Routes-equipped GPS devices. For example, when traveling to New York City during rush hour mid-week, the ONE 140 S favored less traveled roads and surface streets. But when driving to the same destination on a weekend, the XL 340S tended to route me along major highways instead.

10. TomTom Services

Figure 73: Main Menu 2 of 2

TomTom Services provide access to real time traffic, safety camera locations, and fuel prices, and other services available for purchase from TomTom.

Unlike TomTom's GO LIVE models, the XL 340S is not a connected GPS. There is no wireless data connection. Instead, the XL 340S downloads updated data whenever the device is connected to a computer via TomTom's HOME software.

It's important to understand that unless you plan on regularly connecting the GPS to your computer and running TomTom's HOME software, TomTom's Services will be virtually useless, since traffic pattern data and fuel prices need to be recent to be of any value.

Figure 74: TomTom Services

TomTom Services can be purchased from TomTom for the XL 340S. As of this writing, 1 year of fuel prices service costs $19.95.

Figure 75: TomTom Traffic

The XL 340S is compatible with TomTom's optional RDS-TMC traffic receiver (which currently sells for about $50). Lifetime traffic service is included with the traffic receiver.

Once connected to the GPS, the optional traffic receiver will download real-time traffic data, and alert you to any traffic events that will cause a delay along the planned route.

Figure 76: TomTom Safety Cameras

In addition to setting up warning alerts when driving near a known safety camera, you can also report new safety camera locations directly on the XL 340S. The options on this screen are:

• Report safety camera - Lets you report a new safety camera location
• Update safety cameras - Initiates a download of updated safety camera locations
• Change warning preferences - adjust whether you want to see alerts when approaching known safety camera locations
• Disable alerts - turns off all safety camera alerts
• Enable Report button - places an icon on the map screen for quick, one-touch reporting of safety cameras

Figure 77: Report Safety Camera Button

If you frequently encounter safety cameras in your daily travels, you may want to choose "Enable Report Button". This option places a safety camera icon directly on the map screen, giving you 1-click access to mark a new safety camera location directly from the map screen.

Once a new safety camera location has been saved, the XL 340S can alert you whenever you are approaching that location in the future.

Figure 78: Safety Camera and POI Types

The XL 340S allows you to configure what types of safety cameras you want to receive alerts for.

Figure 79: Fuel Prices

Once you've downloaded updated fuel prices, the 340 S lets you sort gas stations by price, or distance, and highlights the cheapest gas found near your current position. Cheapest gas on route is only available when navigating to a destination address.

Note that you cannot change the fuel type you want to see pricing for on the XL 340S directly. Instead, you have to select your preferred fuel type in TomTom's HOME application, and the GPS then downloads fuel price information for that fuel type only.

Figure 80: Fuel Prices - Find by Price

The Find by Price feature is a handy way to sort nearby gas stations in order of price, with the cheapest gas displayed first.

In the screen shown above, I have chosen to view the cheapest gas on my planned route.

Note that fuel prices are updated whenever the XL 340S is connected to a computer running TomTom's HOME application.

Figure 81: Gas Station

Choose a gas station from the results list and select it as a new destination.

11. Map Corrections & Map Share

Figure 82: Main Menu 2 of 2

Map Share allows you, and other TomTom owners, to correct mapping errors directly on the GPS, and then share those corrections with other TomTom owners via TomTom's HOME software. Using Map Share, if you're driving around and notice an error on the map, you can mark the error, as well as the correction, directly on the device.

If you choose to participate in the Map Share program, your map corrections are shared with other users, and maps are automatically updated each time the XL 340S is connected to the computer.

The level of map sharing can be configured to accept all corrections, or only those verified by TomTom.

Even if you choose not the participate in the Map Share program at all, you can still benefit from other TomTom owners' corrections and automatically download Map Share updates. Also, the ability to change the mapping data directly on the GPS device is a powerful feature that allows drivers to correct mapping errors immediately instead of having to potentially wait years for mapping providers to update their database.

According to Harold Goddijin, TomTom's CEO, on average, if you drive anywhere for one hour with a map enhanced by Map Share feedback, your route will be influenced by more than 20 corrections.

Figure 83: Map Corrections

The Map Corrections main menu, shown above, lets you configure your map sharing preferences, correct a map error, or download other users' map corrections.

Figure 84: Map Corrections 1 of 2

The "Map corrections" menu can be used to add or remove roadblocks, mark a one way street, change street names, and update turn restrictions and speed limit information.

Figure 85: Map Corrections 2 of 2

Map correction can also be used to add new POIs or update existing POIs.

Figure 86: Report Other Error

The 340 S also allows you to correct existing or missing streets, and highway exits.

Figure 87: Verification Level for Map Changes

When downloading map corrections to the XL 340S, you can specify which changes you want to accept.

The default setting is to only accept changes that have been verified by TomTom. This setting means fewer changes will be downloaded, but there will be fewer erroneous updates.

You can also specify whether you want to share your own map corrections with other TomTom users.

12. Navigating to a set of Coordinates

Figure 88: Navigate to...

There may be occasions when you want to navigate to a set of coordinates rather than a street address, cross-street, or Point of Interest.

The XL 340S lets you input longitude and latitude coordinates as a destination address. To navigate to a set of coordinates, tap Main Menu - > Navigate to... > Next Screen > Latitude Longitude.

13. Help me!

Figure 89: Help Me!

The XL 340S includes a number of options designed to help drivers in emergency situations. Whether your vehicle is disabled, or your looking for the nearest hospital, TomTom's help feature is an important addition to the 340 S.

The "Help me!" icon is located on the Main Menu, shown above, and can be used to:

• View your current location
• Find a nearby service center
• Navigate to a service center (on foot or in your car)
• View first aid information

Figure 90: Help Me! Main Menu

The "Help me!" main menu is home to the following help options:

• Phone for help
• Drive to help
• Walk to help
• Where am I?
• First Aid guide
• Other guides
  

Figure 91: Drive to Help

The "Drive to help" screen provides one-touch access to find nearby car repair shops, hospitals, fire stations, police, pharmacies, and dentists.

Figure 92: Walk to Help

Tapping "Walk to help" from the "Help me!" main menu allows the XL 340S to calculate walking routes to the nearest emergency services.

Figure 93: Phone for Help 1 of 2

The XL 340S does not have Bluetooth, so it cannot be used to place or receive phone calls.

However, the "Phone for help" screen helps drivers quickly lookup phone numbers for nearby emergency services (which can then be dialed from your cell phone).

Figure 94: Phone for Help 2 of 2

The "Phone for Help" screen also lets you lookup nearby dentists, pharmacies, and vets.

14. Installing and Using TomTom HOME

TomTom HOME, included with the XL 340S, is a software program for your computer that lets you manage the 340 S and keep the software up to date. Specifically, TomTom HOME performs the following:

• Manage maps, voices, POIs
• Download Map Share corrections (and upload your corrections, if you choose)
• Buy TomTom Services and manage your subscription(s)
• Update the XL 340S with the latest software and services
• Make and restore backups
• Read the full version of the user manual

TomTom HOME is available for Mac or PC, and supports Windows XP, 2000, Vista, and OS X 10.3.9 or higher.

Earlier versions of TomTom HOME suffered from major stability problems. Thankfully, the newer version included with the GO 740 worked well, and I didn't experience any software crashes or incompatibility issues..

To install TomTom HOME on your computer, do one of the following:

• Connect the XL 340S to your computer using the included USB dock, or any standard USB cable. The computer will automatically prompt you to install TomTom HOME
• Install TomTom HOME using the included software CD

Figure 95: Please Select A Language

Choose the desired language and click OK.

Figure 96: Welcome to the TomTom HOME Setup Wizard

Exit any other running applications, and click Next.

Figure 97: Choose Install Location

Accept the default install path (or change it if needed), then click Install.

Figure 98: Installing

TomTom HOME takes a few minutes to install. Wait while the install completes.

Figure 99: Completing the TomTom HOME Setup Wizard

Once the installer completes, click Finish.

Figure 100: TomTom HOME Splash Screen

TomTom HOME launches...

Figure 101: TomTom HOME, Main Menu 1 of 2

TomTom HOME's main menu is shown above. There are three pages of options to choose from. Page 1 has the following features:

• Add Maps
• Add Traffic, Voices, Safety Cameras, etc.
• Use my activation or promotion code
• Update my device
• Use TomTom Route Planner

Figure 102: Log In To TomTom HOME

Click Log In from the File menu to log in to your TomTom HOME account (or to create one if you don't yet have an account).

Figure 103: MyTomTom Account

Enter your email address and password and click Log In, or click Create account to setup a new account.

Figure 104: TomTom HOME Version

This review was conducted using TomTom HOME version 2.7 - the latest version as of this writing.

Figure 105: Found New Hardware

Connect the XL 340S to your computer using the included USB cradle, and touch Yes when the GPS asks if you want to connect to the computer.

If this is the first time you've ever connected the GO 140 to the computer, wait while your computer detects new hardware...

Figure 106: System Settings Change

Depending on your operating system, you may be prompted to reboot your computer. If so, click Yes to reboot, then re-launch TomTom HOME once the computer finishes rebooting.

Figure 107: TomTom ONE S Detected

Within a few seconds of connecting the XL 340S to the computer, you should see that TomTom HOME has recognized the device, as shown above.

Figure 108: TomTom HOME, Updates

Now that TomTom HOME is installed, whenever the XL 340S is connected to the computer, updates will automatically be downloaded and installed on to the GPS.

Figure 109: Setting the Preferred Fuel Type

Use TomTom HOME to specify what type of fuel you want to download pricing information for.

15. Customizing the XL 330 S's Routing & Navigation Settings

Figure 110: Preferences 4 of 6

TomTom's GPS units have more configurable preferences than many other GPS units. Almost every aspect of the XL 340's interface can be customized.

Chances are good that you will want to customize at least some of the default settings, and I recommend browsing the preferences so you can see all the available customizations. Don't worry - you can't "break" the GPS by changing any of the settings on these pages. Also, there's a handy "reset all settings to factory default" option just in case you want to set everything back to the way it came from TomTom.

Tap Change preferences from the Main Menu to begin tailoring the XL 340S to suit your own preferences.

In this walk-through, I'm going to view the routing preferences by selecting Planning preferences from the screen shown above.

Figure 111: Planning Preferences

This preference setting allows you to specify how you want the XL 340S to behave when calculating the route to a destination.

You can choose to have the GPS automatically plan the fastest route (the default setting), or you can select any of the other available options, including having the 340 S ask you how it should calculate the route each time a destination is entered.

Figure 112: Preplanning Preferences

This screen lets you specify how you want the XL 340S to handle traffic delays. By default, the 340 S will prompt you if a problem is detected along the planned route AND a faster alternate route is available.

Figure 113: Toll Road Preferences

The Toll Road Preferences menu lets you specify how you want to handle toll roads. By default, the XL 340S will ask you what to do whenever the planned route will encounter a toll.

Figure 114: HOV Lane Preferences

This screen lets you specify how the XL 340S should handle car pool, or High Occupancy Vehicle (HOV) lanes.

Figure 114: Unpaved Road Preferences

This screen lets you specify whether or not the XL 340S should route along unpaved roads (such as dirt roads).

Figure 115: Preferences 4 of 6, Quick Menu

The Quick Menu preferences screen lets you customize which features are displayed in the Quick Menu. The Quick Menu is a collection of frequently used items that are displayed when the screen is touched while en route to a destination.

Figure 116: Show in the Quick Menu

Choose which item or items you want added to the Quick Menu.

Figure 117: Show in the Quick Menu, Page 2

Additional items available to add to the Quick Menu.

Figure 118: Street Name Preferences

This very useful setting lets you turn the following options on or off:

• Show house number before street name - when enabled, the XL 340S will display house numbers before street names. Also, when entering a destination address, the GPS will ask for the house or building number before the street name
• Show street names - displays street names on the map screen
• Show next street name - Displays the name of the next street as you approach it
• Show current street name on map - displays the name of the street you are currently driving on

Figure 119: Status Bar Position

You can decide whether you prefer to see the Status Bar (the blue information bar displayed at the bottom of the map screen) horizontally (at the bottom of the screen), or Vertically (at the right-hand side of the screen).

Figure 120: Show On The Status Bar

The amount of information displayed by default on the status bar can quickly clutter the screen, making it difficult to read from the driver's seat. Thankfully, TomTom's software allows you to customize how much or little information you prefer to see on the status bar.

Figure 121: Show on The Status Bar, Page 2

Note that "Show lane guidance" refers to the smaller, non-3D lane guidance graphic that is displayed on the status bar, and does not refer to the 3D Advanced Lane Guidance view.

"Show leeway to arrival time" displays how early/late you will arrive at your destination. When checked, the XL 340S will ask what time you need to arrive at a given destination, and will display how many minutes early or late you will arrive. I like this feature a lot, and it comes in very handy.

16. TomTom XL 340S vs. Garmin nuvi 1390T

The XL 340S is a solid performing, wide-screen GPS that includes a suite of high-end features at a reasonable price.

However, the similarly priced Garmin nuvi 1390T includes Bluetooth and a real-time traffic receiver, making it a better value than the XL 340S.

I also prefer Garmin's map screen over TomTom's, although the TomTom does allow more customization than the Garmin. For example, the TomTom XL 340S allows you to customize the map screen layout, colors, and select which pieces of information you want to see displayed. Garmin's 1390T does not.

17. Pros

	Shares many of the same features found on TomTom's more expensive higher-end models
	IQ Routes = improved routing engine logic (the GPS chooses better routes)
	Large POI (Points of Interest) database (7 Million)
	Supports many languages
	Supports multi-destination itineraries
	Ability to enter a desired arrival time, and see how late or early you will arrive
	Map screen is highly customizable, and can be configured to suit your own preferences (including color scheme, vehicle icon, and how much/little information is displayed on the map screen)
	Advanced Lane Guidance eases complex highway intersections
	Downloadable fuel prices help you save money at the pump
	TomTom Map Share lets you benefit from user-updated maps
	Ability to make map corrections directly on the GPS
	Loud, crisp internal speaker
	Fast boot times and satellite acquisition

18. Cons

	EasyPort windshield mount is clumsy
	So many configurable options and menus, that it can be confusing to operate
	Slow route calculation
	Small, cluttered text can be hard to read from the driver's seat
	Cartoon-like map screen could use a design overhaul
	Can't search for restaurants by cuisine type (i.e. Chinese Food)
	Can't sort a list of multiple destinations by distance
	Rarely announced what side of the street the destination was on
	No Bluetooth
	Lackluster text-to-speech quality compared to other GPS units. Some words have a European pronunciation
	Cannot "optimize" a multi-destination trip (have the GPS sort an itinerary of addresses by distance)
	No SD or MicroSD memory card slot

19. Conclusion

When I reviewed TomTom's ONE 140S earlier this year, I was impressed by the device's high-end features not usually found on such an inexpensive unit, and was generally pleased with the device. However, the 140S's smallish 3.5-inch screen made TomTom's already cluttered map difficult to read from the driver's seat. TomTom's XL 340S is functionally identical to the ONE 140S, but benefits from a larger 4.3-inch screen, which makes every aspect of the GPS easier to use. Advanced Lane Guidance, once the exclusive domain of $500 and up devices, makes it easy to navigate complex highway intersections. When approaching a highway maneuver, the XL 340S tells you which lane you should be driving in, and in some, but not all cases, also displays a 3D rendering of the highway exit. IQ Routes, another feature found on the XL 340S, leverages real-world driving data from thousands of other TomTom drivers to help determine the best route. Estimated arrival times are also adjusted to reflect actual average speeds instead of posted speed limits. During my testing, IQ Routes significantly improved the routing logic, and helped the ONE 140 S choose routes that were on par with similarly priced units from Garmin or Magellan. The XL 340S powers up quickly, and, in my testing, was able to acquire GPS signals without issue, even when driving behind tall buildings. QuickGPSFix technology also appeared to speed initial fix times further by pre-downloading GPS ephemeral data onto the device (tip: if at all possible, connect the GPS to TomTom's HOME software before heading out, and the GPS will almost instantly know where it is). Text-to-speech lets the 340S announce actual street names, and TomTom's Map Share lets you make map corrections directly on the device, and download map corrections from TomTom on a daily basis. The 340S ships with an unusually large POI (Points of Interest) database of about 7 million. The pre-loaded database was able to find everything I could throw at it, although the inability to sort restaurants by cuisine type is frustrating. I also quite liked the XL 340S's ability to set a desired arrival time, and then see how early or late I will arrive. While I liked the idea behind the new EasyPort windshield mounting system, the integrated mount fails to achieve its goal of a convenient collapsible mount that can be easily removed and transported with the GPS. Instead, EasyPort is cumbersome to use, and takes longer to attach or remove from the windshield than a standard windshield mount. Map layout and design is more a matter of personal preference than definitive "good" or "bad" judgments, though I personally find TomTom's map harder to read than competing GPS units, and the text generally too small to be easily read from the driver's seat. Compared to Garmin's map screen, TomTom's map looks cartoonish. I also wondered why the XL 340S almost never announced what side of the road my destination was on. Like other TomTom devices, the XL 340S allows you to customize nearly every aspect of the GPS. Of course, you can leave everything set to the default values and the XL 340S will function just fine. But if you're so inclined, virtually every setting can be adjusted to suit your own personal preferences. You can change map colors, pick which pieces of information you want to see displayed on the map, add or remove a compass, and adjust just about every aspect of the interface. Depending on your own technical comfort level, some users may find the XL 340S' seemingly endless maze of menus and options overwhelming. If ease of use is your primary concern, or this is your first GPS, you may want to look elsewhere. If you love gadgets and aren't intimidated by a few menus, than you'll conquer all that the XL 340S has to offer in no time at all. Those looking for real-time traffic can add an optional TMC traffic receiver to the XL 340S for around $60. The XL 340S is a solid performing, wide-screen GPS that includes a suite of high-end features at a reasonable price.