TomTom GO 930
The TomTom 930 will soon make its way to stores in North America. With flagship new features of Active Lane Guidance, Static Intersection Images, and IQ Routes we were excited to put a few hundred miles of testing the TomTom 930 over the last few days. Will the 930 be finding its way into a car near you?
We won’t cover every feature here, since many of the features duplicate themselves in other models. If you need to get full up to speed with all of the functions, check out our TomTom 720 review for the basics, then step up to the 920T review for information about the more advanced features. What we will present below is much about how the TomTom GO 930 (and 930T) expand on those features. If you don’t care to read those, just know that the 930 comes packed with maps of North America and Europe, Bluetooth hands free calling, optional live traffic services, an FM transmitter, 4GB of internal memory with an SD card for expansion, MP3 player/photo viewer, optional connectivity with iPods, multi destination routing, text to speech, a few million POIs, a remote control, the ability to record your own navigation voices, and a remote control. Okay, ready now? Good.
Physical Design
The overall size and shape of the 930 is the same as that of the older 720 and 920 models. One difference is the color. The 720 had a shiny silver color, and the 920 had a matte silver finish. The new 930 features a shiny black finish. In many ways, looking at the 930 from the front resembles an iPhone… shiny black finish around a wide touch screen. That may not be 100% unintentional. 
The remote control has also been changed to a deep black color to match.
The 930’s physical appearance is totally hot, but I worry a little bit that the more reflective shiny black finish might make seeing the screen a little more difficult in high glare situations. Probably not much, but it does happen with other shiny black GPS devices a little.
Active Lane Guidance
A popular new feature on GPS devices is lane guidance. Often, “turn right in one half mile” with an arrow pointing to the right doesn’t provide as much detail as you might need. On complex Interstate interchanges there could be four lanes continuing straight with three lanes splitting to the right. In thick traffic, how many lanes do you need to cross to get into the correct position? Do I need to be all of the way over? Which way does my current lane go?
This is what Active Lane Guidance (ALG) sets out to provide. Instead of a simple arrow pointing towards the right, you can see a small graphic in the lower left showing each lane, and which lane(s) you need to be in. Light blueish lines indicate lanes you don’t want to be in and white arrows indicate the lanes that will take you to your destination. Dividers are also displayed in the lane guidance section.
At the right is a photo showing the feature in action. The road being driven has four lanes. The first lane and second lanes are separated by a barrier, and both continue on the current highway. The third lane can either continue straight, or turn off at the exit. (We know we want that exit because the line in this lane is white.) The forth lane also takes us to our exit, and is an “exit only” lane.
Static Intersection Images
When using a similar feature on other GPS devices (the NAVIGON “Reality View”) I was on the fence if I liked it or not. Initially I didn’t like the feature as the image is static and it doesn’t follow your progress and update as you get closer to the intersection. It did start to grow on me though.
However the disappointment with the Intersection Images feature on the TomTom 930 was just how infrequently it appears. I drove through endless Interstate Interchanges going from one limited access highway to another waiting to see the Intersection Images and they never appeared. I double checked that the setting was turned on (it was) yet I couldn’t get the images to appear.
On the NAVIGON models the Intersection Images don’t appear on every multi-lane interchange either, however it does appear on most Interstate to Interstate changes. I resorted to using the ‘Prepare Route’ feature and simulating different routes before I was able to find some locations where the images appeared. (Los Angeles.) But I couldn’t get it to appear in any of the locations in Boston I tried, either driving myself or while simulating a route.
The intersection image starts to appear between 1/2 and 1/4 mile before the turn. You can basically think of it as similar to the Lane Guidance window in the lower left, but blown up much bigger, covering the entire screen. The image doesn’t change as you progress towards the intersection, however the ‘distance to turn’ field is still there in big print counting down.
IQ Routes
Saving the best for last, IQ routes is perhaps the biggest reason you might want to look at the new x30 series from TomTom. It is worthy of noting that this is an area where TomTom has previously…. how shall we say it… had the most room for improvement. Most TomTom devices tend to be extremely conservative when predicting the time it will take to cover a given route, and the estimates tended to be even further off in remote areas. As I’ve said in the past, I’m thankful that TomTom devices get me places 20 minutes early, rather than 5 minutes late, but I’d still prefer a more accurate prediction to begin with.
So here is how it works. Within TomTom HOME there is a preference you can enable that allows TomTom to “gather anonymous statistical trip information”. It used to more fully spell out the function, adding “such as how long it actually takes you to travel a route”. As you drive a road segment, your TomTom device is recording how long it took you to drive each road segment, versus how long the device predicted it would take you.
If you opted into the service, the device would send that information back to TomTom. TomTom in turn aggregates that data and builds up more accurate time estimates for each road segment, for various days of the week. The data is then combined into the underlying mapping data on the device.
Unlike MapShare, it is relatively easy to figure out just how well IQ Routes works. Let me tell you, it works. Overnight TomTom has gone from being one of the least accurate estimates of travel time to the most accurate. Combine IQ routes with a traffic receiver and you have a system that could rival the network information Dash uses.
Here is just one of a number of specific examples I found. Note that in this route the estimated travel time is 1:23. Having driven that route thousands of times, unless you are in a blizzard the trip will typically take about 0:50. Prior to IQ routes, TomTom figured it would have taken close to 70% longer than that.
Now see what happens when I enable IQ routes. The estimated trip time for this route is now down to 0:51. Bravo! I found numerous other improvements as well. I simulated a trip I took last summer to Watertown, NY (what was I doing there?) and the trip took me about 6:25. With IQ routes enabled, it estimated the trip at 6:39, without IQ routes it estimated 7:47.
But the fun doesn’t stop there. Let’s say you are planning a trip into the city over the weekend. You would like to know in advance how long it will take to get there. Since the IQ Routes feature allows you to plan routes in advance, it will now ask you when (today, tomorrow, weekday, or weekend) you want to take the trip. The time estimate will then be based on historical averages for that day type. Now only if we could insert the time of day…. or tell it when we need to be there and have it tell use what time we need to leave…. I guess we will have to wait for a future update for that.
TomTom NavCore 8
A few other extras pop up on this device. Speed limits, and speed limit warnings now appear on the bottom of the status bar. Typically just the road speed limit is displayed (when known) however if you are exceeding the speed limit by a certain margin the graphic will turn red. This feature is in addition to any audible speed alerts you might have setup. You can see in the screen shot on the right I was going just a wee bit fast in the 45 mph zone.
MapShare has also seen a few minor tweaks. You can now edit the speed limit of a road segment. In addition, the interface to edit turn restrictions has been improved and is more intuitive than it was in the past with arrows more fully illustrating the changes you are proposing.
Purchasing Advice
If you are super excited about the static Intersection Images only, you might want to think twice. The limited amount of places where the images appear make it one of those “I’ll take it when I can get it” features. The lane guidance information in the lower left corner is super helpful when you find yourself saying “how many lanes do I need to get over and do I have enough time?”
But the real winner here is IQ Routes. IQ Routes takes TomTom to the top of the pack when it comes to estimating route time, and those times will continue to get even better as TomTom collects more data. IQ Routes, combined with the RDS-TMC receiver the TomTom 930 will have you covered both for expected and unexpected delays.
| Store | Rating | Best Prices |
|---|---|---|
Compare all prices on the TomTom GO 930 Auto GPS ranging from $499.99 to $499.99. | ||
 | $499.99 | |
powered by  | ||
In the features list on the left sideof this page, you indicate this is ’slim’ but show ‘no’ on whether the unit is ‘pocketable’. I thought this was pocketable. Please confirm. Also is there a case?
I define “pocketable” as less than 4.5 inches in total width, and less than one inch thick. Since this GPS is 4.6 inches wide, it doesn’t meet my personal definition of “pocketable”. Accessory cases are available, but not included in the package.
I wish the Active Lane Guidance would also show the exit number. I think I liked the Navigon screen better. I’m looking forward to some review comparison, especially when Garmin comes out with their solution.
What is the 930T vs. the 930? Can’t find info on this one. Is it for European customers?
The 930T includes the traffic receiver in the box. The 930 doesn’t include it, but you can purchase it as an optional accessory.
pocketable at 4.6″? = yeah, that extra 0.1″ is a HUGE factor. It would never fit in my pocket compared to a 4.5″ model. (I’m kidding)
’slim’ and ‘pocketable’ are relative. it depends on how big your pockets are.
Yes, it raises issues sometimes. But at some point I had to sit down with a ruler and some boxes and just say “here is where I’m drawing the line”. For pocketable I said 4.5, and stuck with it.
Does “Operate My Go” in TT Home work with the 930 on a mac?
Tim,
How does the IQ Routes info that your device gathered get back to TomTom, when you connect to a PC? Do you know if there is an estimated cost for the service?
Sounds like the time of day would really be useful so you get a better picture of rush hour conditions, or peak times.
Correct, if you’ve opted in to share the data the information gets transmitted back to TomTom when you update your device through the Tomom HOME software.
What is the bluetooth capability. I have a Verizon Blackberry. Thanks!
@ michelle
hi there, i’m from holland and have seen the Tomtom 930 (usa, europe) / 930T, T stands for Traffic Messenger Control, TMC. is in europe free info (usa, europe) / 930 HD-T (only works in the netherlands in combination with SIM-cards, for live traffic information, costs: 10 euro a month. more info: http://www.tomtom.com/hdtraffic?Lid=4&selector=true )
TT 930 is very quick with calculating and the lane assist is super!! better map-share functions. and you can download one time a free card for your tomtom (in europe, don’t now of this offer is also for the usa) and i like the black collor of the device.
my conclusion: it’s perfect!
greets
o and one more thing, it’s one of the first gps devices that can navigate without a connect from sattelites!!! built in sensors registrate that your moving and slowing down or speeding up, if you make a turn or not. it could be handy for example like tunnels with exits in it.
The 930T has an FM traffic receiver, and also uses IQ Routes? I wonder how it combines the two to get a route?
This sounds like an interesting device. A bit more expensive than some though?
Are there any costs after the initial purchase?
George, IQ Routes just changes the time estimate for the route without looking at the traffic situation. With a traffic receiver the adjustments for any know traffic delay will be applied the same way (to a degree overriding the original estimate).
I see. Thanks.
I know it isn’t quite available, but do you know if there will be subscription costs, for the traffic in particular?
There is no subscription cost for the device nor IQ Routes. Traffic does have a subscription cost. The first year is included with the receiver and I think after that it is $60/year.
George, if you’re interested in seeing historical traffic speeds, similar to info used by IQ routes, Google is also now offering it. You can look at what traffic will most likely be like at certain times each day, all through the week. Pick any day, and use the slider control to see traffic at various times of that day. It’s color coded to can tell you how fast the traffic is moving. Best of all FREE.
Unfortunately, what the Google feature doesn’t do is change your estimated travel time… it just changes the color of the roads.
Tim,
Does IQ routes actually change the route itself based on the data or does it just change the time? Ie, if it knows a certain road is slow on Mondays, will it route you different vs. another day of the week?
Yes, it can pick a different route with IQ Routes on versus if you turn it off. TomTom says it will result in a different route as much as 50% of the time. I didn’t see different routes picked (on vs off) as often as that, but it does actually change the routes picked.
Thanks for the info on Google traffic.
On the 930, why would calculate a route without IQ Routes? Why the option to toggle it?
Unless I’m mistaken I thought I read somewhere a comparison between updating maps on a TomTom and another device, Garmin maybe? I thought it seemed expensive. The 930/930T sounds pretty good, but if it is costly to keep it updated then I’m not sure about it. I know they all cost something.
Is there an actual release date for the 930?
I’m not sure why there is an option to toggle IQ Routes, but here are a few guesses.
1) Whenever you are dealing with user generated data (even if it has passed a validation process) it is probably a good idea to allow the user to turn it off.
2) Perhaps they want people to be able to see (as in my examples above) just how well it actually works.
3) Whenever you release a new feature it is a good idea to offer a way to “roll back” in case there are times when it produces results that are not as good as before.
As to map updates– With the TomTom you have access to free updates submitted by other TomTom users for up to 1 year. Map updates are made available every quarter, and typically cost $99. They frequently go on sale, and most users will choose to update once every 1-2 years.
Where can I buy a GPS which can monitor vehicle speed and alert the driver (or someone else) when exceeding speed limit.
Is their any chance TomTom will offer a firmware upgrade to give the 920 the IQ feature ?
Rick,
The IQR is built into the new maps.
Even if you got NavCore8 of free, you would still have to buy the new map!
Rick,
The IQR is built into the new maps.
Even if you got NavCore8 for free, you would still have to buy the new map!
So that everyone is clear on IQRoutes feature, it is not something that is updated via TTHome or a Mapshare type update. The IQ info shipped with the map is all that you will have until you purchase a newer map with new IQ info. That’s why there is not “subscription fee” or additional Plus services charge. Tho you can opt in to report travel times (road segment travel speeds), the reported info will not be available to you until you buy a new map. It doesn’t mean it has no real benefit. It does. Over the next few map updates, I would expect more and more local roads will be included.
is the fm receiver for traffic good in Europe and the US on the 930T…have the 910 and use it in US and Europe…is it worth upgrading
The traffic receiver is physically different in Europe and North America. The same receiver cannot be used in both locations.
Are there any improvements to the Navcore 8 software. Constant irritations with 7 are:
- You can only edit the name of a POI that you have entered. If you want to edit any part of its address you need to delete it completely and enter a new one. (Pretty lame)
- You can not edit the name of a POI category that you added. I created a new Category and entered about 50 POIs. When I wanted to rename the category my only option was to delete it and all the POIs. (Really dumb)
Last question: I guess it would be wishful thinking to hope there is an Off Road mode?
Tim, Thanks for the elaborate test. Can you tell me how many voices you have on your device? I mean languages. Does your 930 “speak” only English or do you have the usual “choice of voice” ? Living in a foreign country, wanting to hear my mother tongue and having heard about “regional limitations” is my reason for asking. Thank you.
Does the 930T have a built-in traffic antenna in the power cord like the garmin or is it still separate?
Separate.
It seems the more I read about the x30’s, already in use in Europe, the less appealing they appear. Lane Assist is apparently very spotty, no particular erea they are even reasonably complete. IQRoutes is still a work in progress and really only assists in travel time estimates. Doesn’t yet take into account time of day or even day of the week. Options are Today, Tomorrow, Weekday, Weekend. I have the same attitude towards this as the upcoming nuvi 800’s. I don’t see enough reason to go for either if you’re already fairly happy with your current PND. Neither will bring very many changes to the table. IMHO, the x30’s are repackaged x20’s with two added features. (Three if you count being a speed limit reporter for TT for free). I think both manufacturers can, and probably will do better by year’s end. I’d sit on the sidelines for this one.
I run a small educational sales company and travel 4 states. Currently, I have a 2 year old Garmin StreetPilot C550 which doesn’t connect with my Palm Treo 700p. A good friend has considered buying a GPS for some time. He drove my car and used it on a trip recently. He set-up the phone to work with it and it was perfect. He wants to buy mine now and let me upgrade. I had an occasion to use a Tom Tom a few weeks ago. I liked it and am considering a purchase. In looking at features, I note that the Garmin has ability to save 500 waypoints and the TomTom 920 or 930 only 48. Many locations I go to are saved for further use. I must have 100+ now. Am I going to be disappointed with the 920 or 930? Any other disappointments I might be looking at?
Brian, you can save those locations as custom POIs rather than favorites and have virtually no limit to how many you can store. That also makes it easier to backup, and transfer to different devices down the road.
Just when I start focusing on a potential replacement device I hear something that makes me think again. After the Dash reviews were not great concerning its routing ability I started looking for a possible alternative GPS with traffic. The Dash traffic solution sounded good, but obviously other devices do traffic differently. The 930T sounds good, but what gatorguy is saying makes me pause again. While it isn’t bad exactly I wonder whether it is worth it. However, given that the pricing I’ve seen isn’t much more than the 920T I wonder if it would still be a good bet to go with the 930T with the thought it will only improve. My whole point is to replace my old Garmin 2610 with a more up-to-date device with traffic.
I think TomTom is playing conservative with IQ Routes right now since it is a brand new feature. Certainly as they amass more data, being able for the user to select a travel time is the next logical step, something that would be easy to implement, and something I’m sure they are planning on. It is such an obvious feature that they must feel they don’t have quite enough data yet to fully blow it out.
Having used IQ Routes, I can say that it makes a pretty dramatic change in how it predicts time estimates and perhaps even more importantly what routes it selects.
Of course they had more room for improvement in their time estimates than other manufacturers, but the fact that this brings them back to the top in time estimates and impacts route decisions makes it a winner.
Tim, I suspect that is you run the same route travel time estimate of both the TTx30 and Garmin 700’s, you’ll get nearly the same result many times. I honestly have found the Garmin estimate to be nearly dead on in most cases. I haven’t seen the “optimistic” Garmin estimates referred to in several posts. On a common 30 minute trip, my 760 is nearly always dead on or off by no more than 2 minutes at most. Maybe a 5% variance in actual vs. estimated in the vast majority of cases?
I find that with Garmin devices, if the route covers lots of major state highways or interstate highways, the route will always be about 5% optimistic… I’ll never get there quite as fast as the Garmin thinks I will.
On most medium state roads, smaller state roads, and local roads, especially in rural areas I’ve found the time estimates on Garmin devices to be a bit too conservative… but not as conservative as the TomTom devices were pre-IQ Routes.
With IQ Routes, the TomTom devices are now a bit more accurate on highway/interstate predictions, and much more accurate on state roads, local roads, and rural areas. And more accurate than the Garmin devices for those routes.
But what is more important to me than the time estimates (I just become accustomed to their estimates and adjust appropriately) is that the TomTom now offers better routes in many cases because of the more accurate data.
What we also can’t ignore here is people’s driving habits and how that relates to the time estimate from the GPS. Some people are more comfortable matching or exceeding the speed limit in rural areas where other people might be more comfortable doing so on highways.
I know some people who drive about 50mph wherever they go…. rural, city streets, highways. While I know other people who will drive 20 on city streets or rural roads and 80 on the interstate. So driving habits will always play a role in time estimates.
Note that the feature is called IQ routes and not IQ ETAs, this is as much (actually more) about picking smarter routes than it is time estimates. IQ Routes seems to do a better job at picking clever routes than TomTom devices were before.
I agree that this isn’t a feature that will cause a significant amount of x20 users to dump on ebay to grab the x30, but it is a good improvement in time estimates and route choices.
When will the 930 be aval in the states?
Should be any day now.
I’m not sure if one does things better than the other or not, but it seems to me that you pay more for a Garmin to get the same functionality you get with TomTom. And I’m assuming, just for discussion, that the IQ Routes really doesn’t offer anything over how Garmin determines their ETAs. In other words, it’s not a feature that adds anything. Of course, the long term costs need to be factored in as well, but I don’t see a significant difference there.
I have found the 930 at a store on the 24th. The sales associate said they got them in on Tuesday April 22nd. Excited about trying it out
Tim,
I was about to pick up a 920T when I saw your review of the new 930. It seems the big advantage is the IQ mapping, if TT use the data collected by users to update future maps - will all TomTom products benifit, once you update your maps? Or only the 930?
I am having a hard time justifying the price differance between the two and will probably opt for the 920 as the price is dropping..
BMan - TomTom hasn’t said what might be available down the road for other devices. Historically, many software features introduced in new devices trickle down to older models over time, however they don’t make any promises that it will happen.
I have a Garmin nuvi 760 and a TomTom 720 and I prefer the TomTom EXCEPT that the 720 display is not very bright and thus is very hard to see in bright sunlight (the Garmin is really bright). Have you noticed the difference that I see in display brightness of those two units? Any improvement on that end in the new 930? I will buy a 930 as soon as I can, but only if the display is brighter than on the 720.
Francisco - I’ve found the 720/920/930 screens to be plenty bright, even in direct sunlight. Running it side by side with the 750/760 I don’t see much difference. Sure, at the highest brightness setting the Nuvi is a little brighter, but I find it washes out the contrast so I don’t drive with it at the brightest setting.
If you “don’t see much difference” in screen brightness between the TomTom 720 and the Garmin 760, then either:
1 - I have a defective 720 (yours is “plenty bright, even in direct sunlight”, mine most certainly is not. Actually, my 720 is almost unreadable in direct sunlight). And / or
2 - you have a defective 760 (”at the highest brightness setting … it washes out the contrast”. Mine certainly does not)
After I posted my original question about the brightness of the 720 vs the 760, I read your review of the 760 which states that:
“Perhaps the best part of the newer Nuvi devices is the screen. The screen is incredibly bright, brighter than just about any other GPS on the market. These newer screens (as compared to the early 300 series for example) are so bright it is the only GPS I’ve ever considered turning down the brightness from the maximum setting. Text is crisp, and extremely readable.”
That is exactly my experience with the 760, but I see no loss of contrast at any brightness setting. Perhaps my 720 may be defective because it is almost impossible to read in bright sunlight.
Thanks for your excellent website and help.
Francisco - Then my suggestion is that you won’t be any happier with the 920/930 than the 720.
Tim,
With my 930 I tried the “Operate My Go” function on my Macbook Pro and it downloaded a file. Well it kinda works. It identifies the device as a 730, some functions work, others don’t. Some buttons are clickable others aren’t. I can not get it to go to the map or driving view screen - it just shows a screen with No Route Planned on it. Has this worked for you?
I also had copied over the Mapsettings.cfg file from my 920 hoping to retain my favorites, etc. The only thing that was picked up was my home location, recents and favorites were not. I had to manually enter my favorites again. This may be because of the different NA map versions and I hope I didn’t cause a problem by using the 920 file and moving the 930 one out.
One thing I noticed - when I first started it up and connected to Home it had the signal strength bars arranged horizontally but when I was playing with it last night they were vertical as they are in the 7.481 update on my 920.
I’m off tomorrow and will be checking it out on the road.
Question about traffic (as compared to Garmin 760)
On the TomTom, is there a difference between receiving traffic through TomTom PLUS (which I assume uses my AT&T phone/dataplan) or the Traffic Receiver? Is one more accurate than the other?
How does the traffic functions compare between the TomTom and Garmin? Do they only report there is a traffic problem on the current route? Do they both offer re-routing in case of accidents or long delays?
Thanks!
(Torn between these two units)
Yes, there is a difference between using the TomTom RDS-TMC traffic receiver and using the TomTom Traffic PLUS service. In theory, the RDS-TMC traffic should be better than the PLUS traffic. TomTom has explained to me that the RDS-TMC traffic uses just INRIX data, while the Clear Channel TTN (TDS-TMC) system uses data from their own network in addition to the INRIX data.
However, more than one person who has used both in the same area has told me they have been getting better data from the PLUS service than with the RDS-TMC receiver. I can only theorize that there was a lack of broadcasting towers in their area for the RDS-TMC information that might have inhibited the information getting to them while the PLUS service simply needs a cell signal.
I travel extensively in a motorhome and have used MS streets and trips with GPS for routing and POI especially campground locations by location and features.
Has anyone experience with campground locations on the Tom Tom?
The campground POIs probably won’t be as extensive, however the 930 supports custom POI databases so you can import them from other sites. There are quite a few people that have done that with pretty good results.
I just received the new 930 yesterday and put it to the test immediately since I’m leaving for Europe in 2 days. I tried it out in the mid afternoon and evening yesterday and again in the morning today. For comparisons I own a Magellan Roadmate 700 that I updated to a 760 and have used extensively throughout the US and Europe for many years. I had found the Magellan hard to beat for picking consistent good routes, next to other GPS’s my buddies have owned (Garmin, TT, etc) but the Magellan takes a long time to re-route, and it’s bulky to travel out of the country with, hence the TT 930 purchase.
Here’s my impressions so far:
My main dislike at this point is the screen washing out in the daylight. It’s near impossible at times to see the screen when the sunlight pours into the car window. And because the included window mount is short it forces me to have it positioned more towards the front of my windshield in both cars I own (Prius and G35) which leaves it more susceptible to washing out. My quick fix for this will be to construct a little hood for it that will keep most of the incoming light shaded from washing out the screen. If anyone else has suggestions let me know.
It doesn’t tell you what side of the street your destination is on. Certainly not a biggie, but I wish it had that capability.
The map is a little less clear as to upcoming streets, on quick glance, compared to the simplicity of the Magellan with the easy to see white background against dark streets design. I’m sure I can get used to this in the long run so I’m not considering this a deal breaker.
I checked to see that the lane guidance was on but I’ve never seen this come up in the last 2 days, whether on city streets, expressways, or the freeways. I live in the San Francisco Bay Area (Silicon Valley) so maybe they don’t have that feature in this area. Might see it more when I get to Europe?
The feature of speaking the address info is nice but incomplete since you have to at times physically tap in your choice from a list that comes up after speaking the street name. In other fields you can just say the number next to the correct choice, but not on street names. Again, not a deal breaker, but I wonder why they couldn’t have every choice in every category be accessed by voice only and not need physical interaction. Must be costly to do since so few other companies have this implemented correctly. I have a built-in GPS in my G35 that does this quite well.
Overall, I’m going to give it a go and keep it. I’m hopeful that it will do a great job while I’m traveling through Europe the rest of this month.
Dave, The 930 doesn’t verbally announce the side of the street, but it will display it with a final arrow as you approach the destination and by which side of the street the checkerboard flag is placed.
You can go through the entire voice entry procedure with just one tap by following the “Spoken Address (Dialog)” method and following the other settings/tips in the “Voice Prompt Tips” section of our 920T review.
Dave, I agree 100% with your comment that: “It’s near impossible at times to see the screen when the sunlight pours into the car window.” For me this is THE major problem with the TT930; and frankly I am getting very tired of that, very fast. Even without the bright sun the screen to me looks dull, although of course it is readable. I can not understand why TomTom will not improve screen brightness. The Garmin 760 (which I also have) is much brighter and easy to read even in the brightest sunlight. By the way, on my TT930 lane guidance is on but to date I have never seen it at all… I hope you will enjoy your upcoming trip, and good luck.
Dave, the Lane Guidance hasn’t come on for me at all in the Baltimore area in the 9 days I’ve been using it. I had to run a demo route in the 95/495 hwy. area near Washington,DC to actually see it activated. My guess is that this is an evolving feature that will be increased in future maps/updates. The screen brightness has been my only complaint with all the TomToms that I’ve used. Never used a Garmin but in the stores it’s obvious that their screens are brighter but I’ve gotten hooked on TTs. Sometimes I drape a baseball cap brim over the device to see it better.
John, that’s what I suspected about the lane guidance feature, that it was in its infancy and maybe more areas added in the future.
I’ll work through the brightness thing to some degree by masking off the top and sides a bit with some makeshift setup, but I suspect I’ll like the unit enough to hold on to if for a while until the next big wave of GPS units arrive on the scene that makes us all drool.
I like the look of the Garmin units but in all of my friends units they seem to be a bit iffy with the way other things work. I know there is no perfect unit but the Magellan 700 Roadmate was as close as you could get, even for years after it was passed on by by newer technologies. Everyone is out to make MP# players and everything else out of GPS units, I just want a GPS unit that does GPS really well and simply. I think this Tom Tom is going to do the trick based on the tests I’ve thrown at it so far (barring the washed out screen thing). Thanks for your replies.
Cheers,
-Dave
I haven’t had any problems with my Garmin 760. It has worked great. I am sure this TomTom will work well, too. It’s just your preference.
Tim, when viewing the map as your traveling to your destination is there a way to see the name of the poi’s as they are passed? Thank you
You can go into Browse Map mode and tap on the icon.
Tim, I’m curious concerning the Lane Guidance. How often does it appear compared to the Navigons? Not necessarily the Reality View screen but the lane arrows on the bottom left. I’m just wondering if there are more areas on the Navigons that show this.
Probably depends on the area, but in my area I see it more often on the NAVIGON devices.
Real newbie here. Bought my TT 930 just last week, and am curious about some things. I agree on the brightness issue. It’s pretty washed out on the windshield of my G35 as well. I’ve raised it to right under the mirror, angled it down, and seems to be better. I much prefer mounting it very low, right above the dash, on the left hand side, up close to the doorpost. But during the day, I haven’t figured out a way to shade it there. Still a work in progress.
But my question for you pros. I’m not likely to make it to Europe this year, but for the life of me, I can’t find the Euro maps on my machine. I’ve scrolled through the states, Canada & Puerto Rico, but nothing for Europe. Any idea how to find this? I thought it was included, and that was one of the reasons I bought it, since I do make it there on business from time to time.
Any suggestions?
Thanks!
For those who have recently purchased one of the 30 devices there is a new NA map version available - 805.
About the Europe maps, I believe if you go to page 2 of preferences on the device you’ll see Manage Maps. Tap on that and you’ll be able to switch from the NA to the Western Europe map.
Thank you John! You are absolutely right! Gives me something new to play with!
Now, if only I could figure out why the TT930 keeps reading from the sample books on most startups!
And since this is comment on a review, I’ve been very pleased with mine in the first week of useage. It helped me find two locations out of town I’d never been to, and on a late night food run in a strange small city it did a great job finding a pizza place the hotel desk couldn’t find, and getting me there and back.
I was just about committed to a Garmin 660 until I saw this review, and fell for the new features and user comments steered me to the TT930.
Just thought I’d post a quick update. I’ve now been in Europe for 3 days and have used my TT 930 quite a bit (already traveled through 3 countries and about 600 miles of freeways and small towns). I really do like this GPS quite a bit now. In regards to the lane guidance feature, I have now seen it work many times and it’s a very cool feature. It gives you a lot more confidence in your next move on the motorways, besides being very slick looking graphically. The speed camera feature works perfectly so far, as well as the correct speeds and speeding warnings. Already saved me a few possible camera tickets. I still wish it didn’t get so washed out in the daylight, but so far it has been OK to deal with.
Also, it is very fast at recalculating. I had to maneuver around a city in Belgium yesterday that had construction everywhere around the city. Had to constantly divert from the route and it would come up almost immediately with alternatives on the fly.
They really have the European thing together and when they eventually get all the lane guidances for the US to match it will be very hip here as well. Very glad I took the chance and bought this for my European trip.
Dave,
Thanks for your update. I wasn’t sure when you said “they really have the European thing together,” if you were referring to the Lane Guidance feature only. Did the 930 function pretty much the same in the US? Other than your issue with the display washing out it sounds like you’re pleased with it.
Yes, I was speaking about the Lane Guidance primarily, only because I didn’t see it come up while I was testing it in the SF Bay Area the 2 days before I took off for Europe. And of course, the speed cameras are not as widely used in our area either so i didn’t get an idea how that would work in the US either.
But yes, overall it’s an impressive piece.
Oh yesh I didn’t mention that it also interfaces with my Blackberry perfectly, importing my phone numbers perfectly and the hands free talking works very smoothly so far.
My buddies out here on the road are quite impressed with it, especially when i tell them the price. They always say “that’s the price including the European maps?”.
I would like to buy a 930T in the states for use in USA and Europe.If I buy in the US, I understand that the TMC function will not work in Europe due to a different antenna. I also understand that the ASR will not work in Europe for some reason. Can you get a different power cord with the right antenna in it? As most of my use will be in Europe, can I order a European spec unit from a US dealer?
Thanks Dave. I’ve been a Garmin owner for a long time, but I’m seriously looking at the 930T primarily because I’m missing two things with my current unit. One is traffic, which you can get from everybody now, but the other is lane guidance. The only two I know of providing additional lane help are Navigon and TT, so I’m also looking at the N 2100Max and 7100.
George, I might wait a few months before latching onto the 930. Lane guidance is pretty rare in the States right now. To get additional data, you buy a new map. Updates are costing $129, instead of the standard x20 prices of $100. Wait out another map update or so and you’ll be much happier
Roger - Correct, there are different traffic antennas for the USA and Europe. You are also correct that ASR only works (out of the box) for the continent where you purchased the 930, however you can find the files to make it work on the other continent.
I don’t know of any USA retailers that stock the “Europe” version of the 930.
Thanks Gatorguy. The lack of interchanges using that feature does concern me. Waiting is the one thing I didn’t want to do, at least not very long. I’ve got a trip the end of June to New England, and possibly some others during the summer and fall, so I was hoping to have something by then. I don’t understand releasing it before you can make use of the functionality. Maybe not every interchange, but at least some. As more devices make it out on the roads maybe we’ll find it works in more places.
Just so people don’t misinterpret… the Intersection Images are not 100% vaporware… they do exist for some intersections in the USA, but they are few and far between indeed.
Considering buying a 930T for my wife that drives into the city daily (100 mile round trip). I’m really interested in the traffic service. My understanding is that this service is free for the first year, what is the cost after that? Additionally, I have read that the RDS-TMC (which I take it as the built in reciever) is not always up-to-date when reporting traffic issue. Any feedback on this subject?
Location: Kansas City, MO
Thanks for your feedback in advance.
The traffic service is expected to cost $60/year after the promotional period. The quality of the service will vary by location, I don’t have any specific feedback for your area.
Tim, having not previously owned a GPS, how effective do you consider these devices for traffic avoidance? As I posted earlier, long daily commute so navigation options are a plus, providing the traffic service is realiable within a few minutes, i.e. 5-10 minutes.
Is it worth the investment? (I know open ended question) but we live in our cars or so it seems.
I’ll say that there is a reason most all of the traffic services come with a free trial subscription.
Sometimes they will report traffic that has already cleared, sometimes they will not report when traffic does exist, and sometimes they get it right.
The service is only getting better with time, and despite the cost it is one of those things where you say “well… I guess I’d rather have it than not have it”, but overall it is no match for sliced bread.
I’ll echo what Tim said about the RDS-TMC receiver. I’m in Baltimore and it has helped me several times. When the renewal comes up ( I still don’t know how they know you’re using it ) I will renew. It won’t change your life but I’d rather have it than not.
Will the 930 provide walking routes? If not, will it at least locate where you’re standing and where you’re walking? Is there another unit that will do this? How does the 930 compare to the Nuvi 770 and 670?
Vic - Yes, it does have a pedestrian routing option.
Tim & John, thx for the response, I greatly thank you. One confusing item for me. I notice on Tomtom website they do not list a 930T anywhere, but I found several websites that list a 930 & 930T (including this review). So is there a 930T, if so I haven’t found any place that has the “T” model packaged. Can you provide me insight into this item. I understand the 920T has the traffic included, so what about the 930?
Thanks,
i have a 920, is this worth upgrading to?
Tony - I’m not sure why the packaged “t” models are not shipping quite yet, but I anticipate they will be shipping soon.
Tim - Thanks for your response. Do you or anyone have any information comparing the 930 with the Nuvi 670 and 770?
You can compare them here.
How does the 930T compare to Garmin’s nuvi 880 soon to be released (May 2008)? Which unit has the fastest boot up time? Also, Garmin has a feature called “dead reckoning” on their Streetpilot 7500 unit but not on the 880. I read that the 930 has enhanced positioning technology. What’s the difference? Does the 880 have this feature?
Do any of these gps have real-time traffic for free? How does the 930T’s compare with the 880’s “MSN® Direct for U.S. compatible”.
Another question, the 880 has this feature: “It automatically marks your position when you remove it from the windshield mount, so you can navigate with nüvi on foot and find your way back to your vehicle”, does the tomtom has something similar or does one just entered the location of the car into the 930T. The 880 is twice the price of the 930T which considering all of the 930T’s features is leaning me towards the 930T unit.
An addendum to my previous question, does the 930T work well around buildings versus the 880? I had borrowed a family member’s Magellan unit in when visiting Montrael, Canada a few years ago and it stunk. It couldn’t find the GPS signals and it was enough to get my wife to declare no GPS units for our future. I’m hoping to convince her to move away from paper maps with this new unit. If the unit I buy does not work quickly and accurately, I fear my wife will never allow me to purchase another one of these units again. 8-(
Scott, since the 880 hasn’t been released yet, it is impossible to answer most of those questions. You can read about Enhanced Positioning Technolog on our 920t review. None of them have free traffic. The TomTom devices can mark your location in a parking lot as well– just manually.
Hi Tim,
Is the unit 930T fast navigating through the menu screens? I’m really looking for speed as I’m the type of driver to quickly get into a car and go. If I have to wait to get my info into the unit, it will slow me down too much.
Yes, it is fast. It boots faster than most Nuvi models as well.
Hi Tim,
I just read your review of enhanced positioning technology but it did not give me my answer. If one is starting out in an area full of large buildings but no GPS signal is avaible, will the enhanced positioning technology be able to adapt or will the unit give up until a GPS signal is found(this happened to me in Montreal believe it or not)?
No, it only provides assistance after the signal has been lost, if it was never there to begin with then it won’t help. But if you are basing your experience from a Magellan device “a few years ago” you will find that the GPS chipset performance has likely improved quite a bit since that time.
Hi Tom,
thanks for taking out from your precious time to answer our questions and concerns…i know the 920 and 920t has a feature where you can get to know cheap gas prices along your route or within a radius…does the 930 have this feature too?? I am sold on this unit but need to confirm this? Thanks
Imowo - Yes, you can get that for the 930 as well.
Thanks Tim.
The comparison was very helpful. But I still can’t decide between the 770 and the 930. I’ll just keep using my laptop with DeLorme USA 2009 and wait until the 880 comes out. I’ll keep monitoring these comments. Great forum. Thanks again.
Thanks for your recent answer Tim. Is is possible to obtain a different power lead with an antenna suitable for use in Europe?
Tim,Have you heard any news from tomtom that they’ve cancelled shipping the 930 here in north america? I live in alberta and ordered 930 from gpscentral.ca calgary and they’ve credited back my order. Their website has this note,”MAY 8, 2008. TOMTOM HAS CANCELLED? SUSPENDED? THIS PRODUCT. WE’RE ARE NOT SURE OF THE REASONS YET”. any idea what went wrong?
Rey, from what we have been able to tell, they just didn’t get stock as fast as they had hoped. You can find an extensive discussion about it in this thread of our forums.
Tim,
Thanks for the link. Just talked with Futureshop store manager here in Red Deer Alberta. He told me they won’t carry the 930 and other products from tomtom in the near future due to volumes of returned products like the 920’s. Garmin’s inventory are fast selling more. And especially people who works in the oil rigs bought them and returned TT and exchanged with garmin units. I’m not exaggerating this but that’s what the guy told me. I want to buy the 930. Darn! Where would I order it now?
Can this GPS save a specific route (previously driven- to be selected to drive later)? If yes, would this route be exactly like it was driven previously? I heard the Navigon will. If yes, How many “saved routes” can it store?
It can’t… but I don’t believe there are any devices (including NAVIGON) that can do that. While the NAVIGON can record logs, I don’t recall (someone correct me if I’m wrong) it being able to convert those logs back into routes.
Tim, Do you know if and when Australian maps will be available with the 930?
Sonia - I think they are available for purchase now.
I had mistakenly ordered a TT920t instead of a TT930 from tomtom.com but they say that I can arrange to return it once I’ve received it. Meanwhile, I noticed that the local Best Buy had the TT930 so I picked it up. On the first day of use, it’s tried to divert me onto the HOV lanes twice. The first time wasn’t a biggie as I just had to continue straight on in the main lanes but the second time (on the way home), it directed me off the freeway to the u-turn that would lead me back to the transit center, I thought it was taking me to a parallel road so I missed the u-turn and made a left turn under the freeway, it then directed back through some residential streets back to the freeway and basically put me back on where it told me to get off. On the plus side, there was a stretch of the freeway that always gets clogged, practically at the last minute, it directed me from the far left lane to exit onto a toll road for a short distance and dropped me onto a residential street that bypassed the traffic jam altogether. The first time that the Advanced Lane Guidance came up it showed two lanes on the right exiting I610 to I10 east but in fact there were four lanes exiting, the two rightmost lane were for I10 west and the second set of two were for I10 east. It would’ve been more helpful if it had came up a few seconds earlier to show that the three lanes exiting I290 east bound to I610 south bound was on the left while the lanes on the right went to I610 north. It’s one of the few places where you exit left to go right and exit right to go left. Likewise, the second time it popped up, it failed to show the two lanes exiting I10 east bound to I45 north bound but showed the lanes exiting for I45 south. The third time it popped up for me, it showed the two rightmost lanes exiting I10 west bound for I610 north and one lane exiting I10 west for I610 south when in fact it’s just two lanes, the right most goes both ways but bifurcates to two lanes with the extra lane on the right going to I610 North while the other lane went to I610 south.
Overall, it seems like a good box if there was just a way to tell it not to take the HOV lanes. I’ll probably wind up marking all the HOV ramps as blocked but then that may eventually get shared out to screw someone else up.