TomTom ONE 3rd Edition 3.5-Inch Portable GPS Vehicle Navigator
by TomTom
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List Price: Our Price: $34.99 You Save: $215.00 (86%) Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days Category: GPS or Navigation System See more product details |
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Customers in the UK,
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for British Pounds
Digital Cameras Photo Reviews of TomTom ONE 3rd Edition 3.5-Inch Portable GPS Vehicle Navigator
Customer Review: Excellent GPS at a Budget Price!
Summary: 5 Stars
I just purchased the TomTom One 3rd Edition and thus far, I'm extremely happy with it. It's easy to use and does what I want it to. At first, I really debated spending a few more bucks and getting a unit with "text to speech" (i.e. the gps announces street/route names), but I just didn't want to spend another $60 or more for this one feature. While "text to speech" would be nice, the TomTom's verbal directions along with display provides ample information for making the right turns.
Connecting the unit to my Acer laptop and connecting to the TomTom website via a Verizon aircard was pretty easy. I was able to update the maps, and then I had some fun exploring downloading some of the POIs (points of interest). I'm sure that other more expensive GPS units have a larger libraray of POIs, but I can get by with what the TomTom provides...I bought the unit for navigating the roads. It's also fun to play around with the various voices that are available for free and charge. The mounting unit has worked well so far in summer weather. The volume is more than adequate, and the screen is bright enough even in summer sun.
Important point.....the TomTom Third Edition comes with maps of the US and Canada. Many of the other budget units do not include Canada. Since we live near the border, I wanted to be able to use the unit when traveling in Canada.
Thus far, routing performance is good. As with any GPS, it may choose a route different than what you know. What I've seen thus far is that any route the unit chooses would be comparable in time/miles and work. The unit is quick to recalculate. I think it is good to keep in mind that a GPS will get you to where you want to go, but it's a good idea to have a back-up plan such as a standard map for those times when a GPS routing program fails. From what I've read, this can happen with all brands of GPS units.
So....I like it...it works....it was cheap...and the price at Amazon was great!
Update: Just a point of comparison. My son's friend was just visiting with us at our summer cottage located on Chautauqua Lake, NY. At the cottage, I have no trouble getting a satellite signal with my TT One. In comparison, the Garmin Nuvi 260W was unable to lock on a signal for most of the three days that he was here. I don't know whether there is some sort of temporary problem with a satellite or what. Otherwise, the Nuvi is a very nice unit. In comparing a couple of travel routes, the Nuvi did pick out a better route for traveling between Bemus Point and Wilson, NY. But, I didn't see where for my needs that I would want to pay the extra money for the 60W...even though it is a very nice unit.
Customer Review: Great machine for the price
Summary: 5 Stars
I waited over one year before purchasing a GPS. Although a sad confession to make , the anticipation of the 'buy' was a harmless past-time in this period. I assessed my needs & how often I would actually use one & when the one 3rd ed. hit the 160 ish mark , I bought it. I am very happy with it. I set up the on-line downloads & that updated it straight away ( free for the first month ) & allows one to create routes etc & download more 'points of interest'. For example a sign for Dunkin' D's shows up when I drive past one ( there are many other options , to appease my wife , a sign for Target also appears ) . I also downloaded, for free, an English ladies voice for the directions. All personal choice & I prefer the sound of her. I like the option of Zip/post codes & it shows telephone numbers of points of interest . On driving, I have found it to be quick in picking up signals ( again , one can download sat' info' each week that assists the GPS in locating them ) & the information to be just what I need. The announcements , thus far, have been easy to understand & operate on; as have the screen directions. I like the 'help' features that give basic information on first aid & car stuff.
I wld strongly recommend this product. My 2 pieces of advice : If you drive & need to use a GPS ALOT , consider one with a larger screen - that is true for any GPS ( I didn't think the extra 100 or so was worth it for the number of times I really need to use it , but a daily user may think differently) . ALso , I strongly recommend buying the bracketron Nav-MAt. I live in a high crime area ( my car has been broken into 4 times & once they only stole the rear view mirror ) & this beauty ensures that no marks are left on the screen , also , it makes it easier to take the GPS out of the car & away somewhere safe.
Overall, this is a very solid & well priced unit that will serve most buyers well . It does exactly what it says 'on the tin'.
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Update - I have used this a lot over the past few weeks. Updating points of interests is quite easy. Like a few other reviewers; it is far easier to plan ones route & update etc via the computer screen. The TT allows 'remote' access & from the computer ( with the TT attached ) new routes & map updates can be processed. I have also set my screen to show the 'map update' icon. For example, when driving, if you notice that a shop has closed & it is on the POI ( points of interest ) -or you want to add a new POI, simply tap on the icon & it will save the location & allow one to edit & send the information to others. I used this option last night. It was very quick & once you have done it once, it will be second nature.
Customer Review: one of the BEST things I've ever bought!
Summary: 5 Stars
No, this is not a PERFECT device, but considering how little I paid for it (seventy bucks after rebate, refurbed model) I am extremely pleased. It has paid for itself countless times in just the two months that I've owned it. I have used it for medium road trips of 800 miles, and cross-country trips of 1800 miles, and for city trips of less than 30 miles. I think I'm addicted to it...couldn't imagine ever going without a GPS unit ever again, esp. for those long road trips.
No, it's not accurate 100% of the time. More like 90-95%. And when it comes to pinpointing an exact street address on that street, accuracy is closer to 50/50, by my estimation. POIs are not that numerous unless you pay extra for them, and a lot of the free stuff that you can download from the TomTom website like locations of gas stations, are pretty much useless.
The best use for this device is when moving to or temporarily staying in a new town. It's also great for long trips to keep you aware of where you are on your journey distance and time-wise (seems to make the trip seem shorter to me), when trying to find a specific address, when wanting to experiment with different routes or shortcuts (the One re-maps your route automatically), and when forced to take detours due to construction or accidents or traffic jams. I just LOVE never having to squint at a paper map ever again!
I also figure that anything which will lessen my chances of getting lost thereby saving me time and gas and money, or my chances of getting into an accident (when lost one tends to be nervous and straining to see signs and landmarks rather than being attentive of other cars, pedestrians etc.)---is worth every penny!
Some tips:
1. Activate the onboard compass. It's very reassuring to know that you're headed in the right direction, esp. when you've totally lost your sense of direction.
2. Set the speed alert to a specified speed rather than by local speed limits, since the TomTom's records of local speed limits is accurate only about 60% of the time, and outside of major interstates, half of the time unavailable.
3. The 4 display gauges I found to be most useful and chose were time until destination, distance until destination, arrival time at destination, and speed. (Above 50mph, I found that the TT's mph reading was consistently 3-5mph above my car's speedometer reading, but nevertheless it's nice to see it in the center of my field of vision instead of looking over or through my steering wheel.
Customer Review: A wonderful little device
Summary: 5 Stars
Got this just after the holidays. It was $149 from a local office supply store. What is ironic, is that a store, three stores over, had the same unit for $249! Shop around I had to make several calls until I found one in stock.
The unit is elegant, simple to use, and works right out of the box. It comes with a suction mount, Cigar lighter cable, some documentation on how to get started, and a USB cable. But really, you can just plug it in and go.
I did not know the unit was more or less a self contained little flash drive. You can get free updates, and change a few things online. Whats neat is that the unit can run on a PC (using the PC as the interface). The unit will self-install on most PCs and the interface is easy to use. Documentation (advanced features) are online. Its 2008 don't expect a full "book" on how to use it. Frankly, you don't need it.
Getting around is simple, clear, and understandable. I did not want the bluetooth, extra cards, FM transmitter, and other bells and whistles, I just wanted a simple to use GPS in my car - this gets the job done with ease.
The display is clear, the buttons are easy to press, and the map routing is simple.
I tried a few other units in the store before getting this one. This is the 3rd edition, and it shows. It seems some of the much cheaper units are still in a beta phase and were clunky and slow.
The pre installed voices are clear and easy to hear in the car. I was able to find a LOT of cool FREE voices online. They just add fun to the unit.
Right now there is a lot of road construction in parts of southern New Jersey. The maps are fairly up to date (within two months), and I was talking to a friend with a Garmin unit (6 months old) and our maps are about the same. A lot of people seem to be freaking out about map quality, but if you read deeper - EVERYONE has something bad to say about all the GPS units on the market.
I am very happy!
Just a side note, I was using the TomTom tonight, in bad weather, in an area of NJ I was not familiar with. I was so glad that I could more or less just listen to directions, and keep my eyes on a road, VS trying to read a paper map - at night - in the rain...
My wife joked "We'd be dead-dead without TomTom.." she's right. As far as I am concerned this item just payed for itself with piece of mind.
Customer Review: It's amazing!
Summary: 5 Stars
About three weeks ago my wife purchased a Tom-Tom One for me for my birthday. She'd asked if I wanted a vehicle GPS -- I told her I didn't. I was concerned about the difficulty of using it, thinking it'd be another piece of technology shoved in a drawer. She bought it anyway.
I have to admit, it's absolutely amazing. The Tom-Tom doesn't come with a manual. It's touch screen and fairly intuitive. Hit the screen for the menu, scroll through options, type in an address or locate by category (e.g. restaurants, shopping) -- and it DONE. It takes 2 seconds to program the trip map and it's off. Voice command and video command guides you -- if you choose to vary the route (e.g. if Tom-Tom wants to guide you to take an interstate/freeway, but you move on to take a different route, Tom-Tom automatically adjusts to your change, automatically reroutes, and takes you there anyway.
Whereever you are, to get home you touch the screen and reroute to home and Tom-Tom takes you home.
We're using it several times/week since placing it in the vehicle.
Example, we had to take a family member to a hospital 95 miles away, in a town we'd not been to before. I entered in the town, clicked on Hospital, picked the correct hospital from a list provided by Tom-Tom, and clicked Done (equal to Enter). Tom-Tom guided me out of my driveway and all the way to the hospital. It identified every cross street -- on freeways it advised me of any time I'd have to pull off 2 miles before the ramp, and again 1/4 mile before the ramp, and then at time to pull off. It visually, continuously advised me of miles driven, miles remaining to go, and gave me an estimated arrival time. Coming home, I pulled off on a different ramp/exit to purchase gas and have some dinner. When I got back in the vehicle, the Tom-Tom re-routed me automatically and brought me back on the freeway and guided me home.
Also, it came with a rechargable battery that runs without plug in about 90 minutes, and included a car charger and a computer USB connector/charger. The screen is crisp and clean. The voice directions are crisp and clear. And it's easy to use.
I'm amazed. No kidding.