TomTom iPhone App

[edro]

I waited 6 months to be told this POS is $100!!!!

My GPS was stolen from my car and I have not replaced it because I figured this app would cost $40 or so.

$100!!!!!

You can buy a stand alone basic TomTom for that!

 

[pm]

I thought the Tomtom app came with a car kit for the $99 price. It's just the app? That seems unrealistically high. Maybe it's just the intro price...

Alternatives:

• xGPS - free - which uses Google Maps and needs a internet connection to work and is a jailbreak app.
  AT&T's Navigator - $10/month - which is priced high unless you just need a GPS for a week or two vacation, in which case it might make sense.
  G-Map - $20/$35/$70 - http://www.tuaw.com/2009/07/07...-voice-for-the-iphone/
  Navigon's MobileNavigator - $70 - http://www.navigon.com/site/in...gation_software/iphone
  iGo - $80 - http://www.tuaw.com/2009/08/12...avigation-sweepstakes/
  Sygic - $80 http://www.geardiary.com/2009/...-iphone-north-america/
  Co-Pilot Live - $35. http://www.tuaw.com/2009/08/18...n-the-navigation-ring/

I've been waiting for one that will re-route based on real-time traffic updates. I'm not sure if the Tomtom app does this, but I don't want to pay $100 anyway. Still once I see one that does real-time traffic re-routing for $70 or less, I'm in.

 

[nickbits]

From what I read it doesn't speak street names so I wouldn't buy regardless of price right now.

 

[edro]

Originally posted by: nickbits
From what I read it doesn't speak street names so I wouldn't buy regardless of price right now.

Wow! I hadn't heard that...

So it's basically a faster, auto updating version of Google Maps, which is free.

 

[amol]

I was hoping the car kit would work with iPod Touch (since it has its own GPS chip), but if the App is $100, I'm guessing the car kit is at least $175. No deal, I can get a standalone for cheaper.

 

[WelshBloke]

Originally posted by: edro

Originally posted by: nickbits
From what I read it doesn't speak street names so I wouldn't buy regardless of price right now.

Wow! I hadn't heard that...

So it's basically a faster, auto updating version of Google Maps, which is free.

Its up to you if you think its over priced or not but TomTom is far far better than google maps when driving.

I use both on my phone and they are completely different programs.

 

[Suspicious-Teach8788]

Why are you complaining about this? Garmin Mobile XT is $100 and it's for WinMo and Symbian. Some people act like this $100 is an OMG when others rather pay $10 a month for that scam AT&T Navigator.

 

[QueBert]

Originally posted by: pm
I thought the Tomtom app came with a car kit for the $99 price. It's just the app? That seems unrealistically high. Maybe it's just the intro price...

Alternatives:

• xGPS - free - which uses Google Maps and needs a internet connection to work and is a jailbreak app.
  AT&T's Navigator - $10/month - which is priced high unless you just need a GPS for a week or two vacation, in which case it might make sense.
  G-Map - $20/$35/$70 - http://www.tuaw.com/2009/07/07...-voice-for-the-iphone/
  Navigon's MobileNavigator - $70 - http://www.navigon.com/site/in...gation_software/iphone
  iGo - $80 - http://www.tuaw.com/2009/08/12...avigation-sweepstakes/

I've been waiting for one that will re-route based on real-time traffic updates. I'm not sure if the Tomtom app does this, but I don't want to pay $100 anyway. Still once I see one that does real-time traffic re-routing for $70 or less, I'm in.

Aren't intro prices usually lower? If $100 is the intro price I'd hate to see what the full price will be

 

[Rottie]

No free gps app?

 

[Muadib]

Originally posted by: Rottie
No free gps app?

Did you miss the post by pm?

CoPilot Live is another choice over the Tom Tom app, and it's only $35.

 

[bonkers325]

afaik, these GPS apps require data connectivity to function... which means if you have no service your gps app is useless because it streams the map to the phone

 

[WelshBloke]

Originally posted by: bonkers325
afaik, these GPS apps require data connectivity to function... which means if you have no service your gps app is useless because it streams the map to the phone

This is why I like TomTom (and the others like it, route 66 etc).

I'm driving to France in a few days and the cost of international data rates just to get GPS mapping = ouch.

It would be cheaper to hire a guide :laugh:

 

[pm]

Originally posted by: bonkers325
afaik, these GPS apps require data connectivity to function... which means if you have no service your gps app is useless because it streams the map to the phone

From my list above, the bottom three - iGo, Navigon, G-map and then also Tomtom - do not require data connectivity to function.

As an example, from the G-Map review: http://www.tuaw.com/2009/07/07...-voice-for-the-iphone/

Another plus is that all the maps are on your phone. If you slide out of AT&T's service area the maps are still there; in contrast, the Telenav-based AT&T Navigator app will not work if you don't have data coverage, as the maps are downloaded on-demand.

 

[DivideBYZero]

Having local system based maps is the comst compelling reason for this, and I don't really understand why people cannot see that it's still cheaper than month by month $10 fees by $20 over the year.

 

[gorcorps]

Originally posted by: WelshBloke

Originally posted by: bonkers325
afaik, these GPS apps require data connectivity to function... which means if you have no service your gps app is useless because it streams the map to the phone

This is why I like TomTom (and the others like it, route 66 etc).

I'm driving to France in a few days and the cost of international data rates just to get GPS mapping = ouch.

It would be cheaper to hire a guide :laugh:

What I just noticed is that the $100 tomtom app doesn't even include the whole planet... it's just the US and Canada. Here's the prices as I see them:

US and Canada - $100
Western Europe - $140
Australia - $80
New Zealand - $95

This is obscene how expensive this is to use in other countries. No reason to get this app with all the other alternatives.

 

[pm]

Originally posted by: WelshBloke

Originally posted by: bonkers325
afaik, these GPS apps require data connectivity to function... which means if you have no service your gps app is useless because it streams the map to the phone

This is why I like TomTom (and the others like it, route 66 etc).

I'm driving to France in a few days and the cost of international data rates just to get GPS mapping = ouch.

It would be cheaper to hire a guide :laugh:

When I was in Poland, Germany and Austria last month, I used an unlocked 3G iPhone, Google Maps and xGPS and prepaid data cards. It worked fine - although the unlocking method had issues with 3G which I understand have been fixed now, so everything was on EDGE. But I paid roughly USD$12 for 60MB of data which, since I wanted local data on my phone anyway (hotel internet in Europe is expensive), seemed like a good deal. I didn't run into a lot of dead areas too, so using it as a GPS worked pretty well most of the time.

Updated my top post above with Sygic and Co-Pilot Live navigation software.

 

[Matilda]

I do some work with TomTom -

Originally posted by: nickbits
From what I read it doesn't speak street names so I wouldn't buy regardless of price right now.

At the moment of launch, TomTom for iPhone is not compatible with text-to-speech - however, we're going to continue to look at incorporating new features and technologies to the iPhone app.

Originally posted by: Amol
I was hoping the car kit would work with iPod Touch (since it has its own GPS chip), but if the App is $100, I'm guessing the car kit is at least $175. No deal, I can get a standalone for cheaper.

There's no announcement of the price of the car kit yet, or whether or not its compatible with the iPod Touch. When we get more details, I'll fill you in.

Originally posted by: edro

Originally posted by: nickbits
From what I read it doesn't speak street names so I wouldn't buy regardless of price right now.

Wow! I hadn't heard that...

So it's basically a faster, auto updating version of Google Maps, which is free.

Google Maps is not turn-by-turn, doesn't have voice-guided directions, and its maps aren't stored on the iPhone, meaning if you lose your data connection, your maps and route disappear.

 

[Aimster]

Went to Austin for the first time.
Used the tomtom app the entire time.
Worked great

 

[Matilda]

Here's an update on TomTom updates for the rest of the year (which will be free for those who own the application), straight from the App Store:

***** TomTom News Flash *****
On 17 August 2009 TomTom launched its first navigation solution for iPhone and it?s been very well received.

With the launch of the TomTom app v1., the aim was to introduce a trustworthy navigation solution that makes the most innovative technology simple to use.

The ultimate goal is to add as many of the features and technologies that TomTom is renowned for as possible to the TomTom app.

TomTom is also conscious of the feedback that users give through iTunes and regards this as valuable input to making the TomTom app better and better.

TomTom will launch several updates by the end of 2009 that will include improvements on the general performance of the app, as well as additional features and technologies.

All of the updates that TomTom will launch in 2009 will be free to customers that have bought the TomTom app before the update release!
******************************

 

[Rottie]

I was playing around with map and compass I had to ditch google earth for lack of street name on the map then tomtom come out with 99.99 I hought compass is free you don't need tomtom or is it better than compass? My only complain abot both map and compass streetcnames become smaller when zoom in making hard for my eye even with white on black