Reply to: Sat Navs

[IR35 Avoider]

Tom Tom will be launching their traffic HD service soon. This uses cell-phone signals from cell-phones in moving cars (and later I suspect data fed back from customers HD Satnavs) to track the actual speed of traffic on 10x as many roads as are covered by current traffic info services, and incorporates this into its planning.

The HD in "Traffic HD" means high definition. Traffic HD bears about as much relation to the current Traffic service they offer as broadband does to a dial-up modem. In addition to 10x the road coverage, HD will update 5x as often, every three minutes instead of every 15.

Initially it will be available on new models, then upgrade will become available for many existing models, starting with the more expensive versions and hopefully working their way down to mine. The hardware part of the upgrade is a new power cord that has a data-only mobile phone built into the cigarette-lighter plug. The traffic-data subscription is 10 Euros a month, and there are no separate phone charges.

I don't really need this for my daily commute, 99% of the time, but I'm tempted to get it just for it's sheer gadget appeal, and on the off-chance that once a year it will make a big difference. (Such as the time an accident on the A40 that occurred just as I was leaving work turned a one-hour journey home into a four-hour ordeal. Even after an hour stuck in traffic, with so-called radio traffic info on, I didn't know the road ahead was completely closed and missed my opportunities to cut a couple of hours off the journey by making a U-turn and going home another way.)

TomTom will also be using their new database of information on traffic speeds on each road and how they vary with time of day to calculate optimum routes more accurately than can be done on the basis of distances alone. The last time I checked they were only offering this feature on more expensive devices, but I would have thought they will eventually offer this on nearly all devices, since it's only a software/map upgrade.

[NoddY]

Lidl and Aldi have SatNavs on offer every other month. Are they any good?

[FarmerPalmer]

HTC Touch Cruise with Tom Tom 6 Navigator.
Previously had an O2 XDA Oribit

[Paddy]

You do know real men have an inbuilt sense of direction and can plan a journey with a quick glance of a £4.99 roadmap?

A road map at £4.99 will not give all of the UK and Europe with ALL the A to Zs of all towns and cities. Just for the UK you would need 30 A to Zs plus a set of OS maps; that alone would set you back £200. Apart from the navigation I would recommend a SatNav with traffic information, speed cameras, and speed limit warnings.

[Alf W]

I've got a Garmin Nuvi which picks up the traffic broadcasts, doubles as a bluetooth handsfree kit for my phone (and makes it easier to send texts on the move), can play MP3 files through the radio, shows elevation and you can download different icons to replace the standard car showing where you are (monster trucks, pirate ship, pizza slice etc).

Haven't figured out if I can download comedy voices to it yet but the Ozzy Osbourne one I had on my Tom Tom wore a bit thin after half an hour.

[Platypus]

I want a basic one. Which make is better? A salesman down TCR gave me a load of flannel about Garmin and the military, but I've only ever seen TomToms. Does it make any difference?

TomTom One is the winner.

[TheFaQQer]

Do any of them show your elevation? (I was going to say height rather than elevation but the puns that could have ensued might have been too dire). This is a feature I don't especially need but would like to play with for a least a few nanoseconds.

I think that tends to be more the walking ones rather than driving - don't think my tomtom does it.

Also, they aren't necessarily reliable - the Garmin walking one that my dad had was regularly out by about 100-150 ft, which when you're hiking to the top of a mountain makes a difference!! The company blamed the map data coming from the Canadian Air Force, but (as ever) it's fixed in the next release - why don't you buy a new copy of the software?

[TimberWolf]

Do any of them show your elevation? (I was going to say height rather than elevation but the puns that could have ensued might have been too dire). This is a feature I don't especially need but would like to play with for a least a few nanoseconds.

[SantaClaus]

Best thing is the MDA Vario 3 with built-in Copilot satnav.
Having a satnav, phone, web surfer and camera in one box is a plus.

Downloaded the whole of western europe onto it and used it to navigate the roads in Mallorca.

Binned my TomTom.

[PAH]

Pay a bit more and get one that picks up travel delays as well. Well worth the extra few quid.

Does it tell you that you're the cause of the delay for driving at 40 in a 60?

[Alf W]

Pay a bit more and get one that picks up travel delays as well. Well worth the extra few quid.

[PAH]

Got a navigo off ebuyer. 60 quid iirc, and loaded TomTom Navigator on it.

This is only worth doing if you don't have to pay for the TomTom software, otherwise just buy a TomTom!

There was a download link to all you need in the ebuyer user comments section, but bear in mind it's probably shady and could land you in a lot of trouble with FAST.

[pmeswani]

I want a basic one. Which make is better? A salesman down TCR gave me a load of flannel about Garmin and the military, but I've only ever seen TomToms. Does it make any difference?

I bought a TomTom primarily for the pedestrian route planning. Hasn't let me down much so far.

[TheBigYinJames]

I want a basic one. Which make is better? A salesman down TCR gave me a load of flannel about Garmin and the military, but I've only ever seen TomToms. Does it make any difference?

I bought a cheapo Garmin a few years ago and it's still going strong, in spite of the maps being out of date.

[Bob Dalek]

Sounds like the female "not knowing Left from Right" phenomena.

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