TomTom ONE
(Watch a video of the tomTom ONE.)
The TomTom ONE, originally available only in Europe has finally made it across the pond to the USA, and we are very excited about that. On the surface, the TomTom ONE is a basic, entry level GPS navigation device. However once you dig down into the advanced routing features you really start to see where this GPS shines. We’ve taken the ONE through about one-thousand miles of testing, and here is what we think.
Physical
The TomTom ONE is what I could characterize as a slim and pocketable GPS. It comes with a standard 3.5 inch display which can show 64,000 colors. The display itself is quite nice; the colors do not shift much until you look at it from extremely wide viewing angles and it is plenty bright so that it will not wash out too much in direct sunlight. While the display does not automatically switch from day to night node, you can manually set night mode in three clicks. The night and day modes also have their own brightness controls so you can set it very bright during the day and very dark at night. There are also ten different color schemes to select from if you don’t like the default colors.
I was skeptical of the mount at first. It is a really simple design with only one moving part, the ball and socket joint. This joint type allows you to tilt or rotate the display to any angle while suctioned to your windshield. Typically, I prefer these ball and socket type connections since they are easier and faster to adjust. However the TomTom ONE mount was just a little bit too tight and a couple of times I pulled the suction off the windshield trying to adjust the angle of the display. Others have criticized the mount for being too short. The face of the ONE will be about 3-3.5 inches from the windshield. This worked just fine for me, and in comparison the Nuvi mount puts the Nuvi about 3.75 inches from the windshield so there is only about a .5 inch difference between them.
Along the top of the ONE is the power button, and a charger indicator light. Good move to put the charge light on top where it will not interfere with the display at night. The speaker is on the back and there is an SD card slot on the bottom. (The maps come loaded on the SD card.) Unfortunately, the USB/power connector is on the bottom of the device. This is one of the few faults I have with the TomTom ONE. Putting the power connector at the bottom limits how low on the dash the screen can be. To accommodate for the power connector I need to mount the GPS an inch or two higher than I would otherwise. Having the GPS rest on the dash in addition to being mounted via the suction cup also makes the GPS more sturdy, but unfortunately you can’t take advantage of that trick.
At 3.8 inches in width, one inch thick, and weighing about 5.6 ounces the TomTom ONE is highly portable. There is also functionality to create pedestrian routes so if you need to navigate by foot, the ONE will fit nicely in your hand or shirt pocket. Just watch out for the battery life which is a little short at about 2 hours.
Speed
Inside, the TomTom ONE is powered by a SiRFstarIII chipset. This now legendary chipset is known for fast signal acquisition as well as keeping a fix in locations that can be challenging for other devices. In Europe, some are now shipping with a Global Locate chip, but these chips haven’t yet appeared in the USA devices, probably due to the current legal feud between SiRF and GlobalLocate.
The ONE is powered by 32 MB of RAM and a 266mhz processor. This brings up our second issue with this device. Often when searching through long lists, especially city names, there is a long delay between typing in a letter and getting feedback from the device. There are other parts of the interface that were sluggish too. For example other devices in this class can calculate a route from the Atlantic ocean to the Pacific Ocean in about 20 seconds while the TomTom ONE took exactly one minute! three times longer. On routes of more typical lengths the calculation happens plenty fast enough, but overall the system could use a little more speed.
Routing to an Address
Routing is pretty simple. You go to the ‘Menu’ and select ‘Navigate to’, ‘Address’, ‘Street and House Number’. You can also navigate to a City Center, a zip code, or an intersection. The first think you are asked for is not a state like many other devices, but rather a city. This has its positives and negatives. The positives are that it can save time entering in addresses, especially if the city name is obscure.
After selecting the City, you enter in the street using the same search function. Here is where the TomTom search functionality really shines. Let’s say you are looking for what you think is called “Alard St”. However the correct spelling is “Allard St”. Unlike most other GPS devices, if you type in Alard you will still find Allard. Bad spellers, rejoice! The TomTom ONE doesn’t force you to be a good speller! The same flexibility applies to city names.
Finally you are asked to enter in the street number. I wish the device prompted you with the range of available street numbers. However this GPS does give you a hand. If you enter a street number that is out of range of acceptable values, the closest acceptable value is entered in which you can then select.
Routing options presented are for the Fastest Route, shortest route, avoiding freeways, a walking route, a bicycle route, or a limited speed route. This should satisfy most every type of routing you might want on the road.
You can also specify if you need to arrive at a particular time. The ONE will then show you how far ahead or behind of schedule you currently are.
Routing to a POI
Navigating to a POI gives you several options. You can route to a POI near your current location, near another city, near your home, closest to your current route, or closest to your destination. This flexibility is really handy, especially since you can add these points as via points to your route. You select how far away you want to search, and then select a category. Unfortunately, the categories are not setup in any hierarchy! only alphabetically. So while you can select ‘Restaurant’, you cannot select ‘Japanese Restaurant’. Phone numbers for POIs are also not displayed, possibly to save space on the 1GB card with the maps/POIs.
Status Display, Voice
While navigating, an arrow indicating the next turn or intersection type is displayed. Also included are fields for the distance to the next turn, the distance remaining in the trip, and the estimated time left in the trip. So yes, while the Nuvi can’t answer “how long until we get there” without doing the math yourself, you will know the answer from the TomTom ONE. It will also display the GPS signal strength and the estimated time of arrival. You can also customize the display to show other fields such as your speed.
Like most other devices, the map can be displayed in 2D or 3D modes. In 3D mode, as you approach an intersection the TomTom ONE will zoom in on the intersection and highlight the desired path. While it is difficult to measure “how well” one device might zoom in versus another device, The TomTom ONE always seems to display the maps at an appropriate zoom level, taking into account your current speed and distance to the next turn.
The volume is acceptably loud, and the voices are extremely clear. While there is no text-to-speech on the ONE, I didn’t really feel like I needed it since the prompts were clear, timely, and the display allowed you to get the information you needed at a quick glance. One thing that really impressed me about the TomTom ONE was how it will often give you not only the current instruction, but also the following instruction if it will happen soon after the first turn.
For example several times I would hear an instruction like “At the end of the road, turn right. Then turn left”. These types of instructions can be very valuable in tight areas. There were even times when it would say “turn right, then get in the left lane” in anticipation of the next turn being to the left and knowing you were on a multi-lane road. These types of instructions can be extremely helpful when you really don’t know where you are going.
Avoiding Roadblocks, Streets, Towns
This is another area where the TomTom ONE (and all TomTom devices) really excel. There are many types of “avoidances” you can set. If you are taking a “Sunday drive” you can “calculate alternative” which will take you to your destination in an entirely different way than originally calculated. Often when going on a short family trip I will navigate to a POI, then on the return calculate a route home and then “calculate alternative” to take me home an entirely different way than I came.
You can also “Avoid Roadblock”. Very sensible lengths of blocks are displayed for you to choose from; 100 yards, 1/4 mile, 1 mile, and 3 miles. You can also “travel via” to add a via point to your route. You can select from your favorites, an address, a recent destination, a POI, a point on the map, a set of coordinates or several other types of locations.
You can also avoid a specific part of the route. This feature has come in handy for me several times. You can select a specific street to avoid, and the GPS will calculate another way around. Something that I use even more often however is to avoid a specific town. If for example you are driving from Hartford, CT to Washington, DC you will likely get a route directly through NYC!. probably not what you want to do. You could use this to select a certain city to avoid and the TomTom ONE will route you around that city.
Multiple Destination Routing
Once again, as far as advanced navigation functions go, the TomTom ONE has this functionality nailed. We won’t get into a ton of details about this functionality here since we have an article dedicated to TomTom Itineraries, but here are the highlights.
If you need to visit several destinations in one day and combine them into one route, you can do this through the Itinerary Planning system. Here you can create a list of individual waypoints or destinations to be added to your route, building everything up into one big route. Here are a couple of tips.
First, don’t forget to add ‘Home’ as your last location if appropriate. Second, when setting up the route I like to add each via point as a waypoint (versus a destination) and then add ‘Home’ (or my hotel) as the final destination. In this manner I can look at the summary of the route and know how long it will take to drive the entire route. Therefore I can tell if I might be able to squeeze in one more location or if my route is too ambitious. Then, when I’m ready to set out I convert each location to a destination so that I get an accurate status and estimated arrival times to that next location.
Planning in Advance
This is another feature I wish more GPS devices would incorporate. If you are using your GPS to plan a trip, you most often want to find out how long it will take to get somewhere before you are packed and sitting in the car. Sure, you could use an online service like Google Maps or MapQuest for that, but you might not always have Internet access where you are planning your trip. You own a GPS so shouldn’t you be able to look at a trip ahead of time?
Enter TomTom’s Advanced Planning feature. This is really simple, it is basically just like creating a route to an address or a waypoint except you also specify your starting location. I use this frequently with airport travel. Let’s say last week I flew from Boston to Orlando. Before leaving Boston I want to know how long it will take me to get from the Orlando airport to my hotel. I use the Advanced planning function, set my ‘Depart from’ by looking up the Orlando Airport in the POIs, then set my destination by looking up the Hotel in the POIs. I can then look at the route summary and see how far the trip is, about how long it should take, and a map of the route. Simple, and extremely handy.
Purchasing Guidance
There are a few features you might want that the TomTom ONE doesn’t have such as a music player, text-to-speech, and Bluetooth hands free calling. Many people, however can do without those devices. If you want those features you may wish to consider the TomTom 510 or 910 which are more advanced, but are not nearly as small and portable as the TomTom ONE. (Compare the ONE, 510, and 910.)
If you want an extremely simple device with no advanced routing functionality, you might want to compare the TomTom ONE vs the Garmin Nuvi 350 which lacks many of the advanced functionality, but because it doesn’t have it some people find the Nuvi simpler to operate since there are not as many functions.
But it is really hard to go wrong with the TomTom ONE. It is a very portable device with a great screen, and all the advanced routing functions you might need.
At that price, I may be ready to jump into the pnd game. I was leaning toward the nuvi 360 (similar size and all) but almost twice the price of Tom Tom One.
Thanks for the comments, John. Yes, the 360 is almost twice the price, however it does have lots more features. Still, as you mentioned those features are not important to everyone and I agree the price for this device is great.
[…] Today TomTom announced details surrounding the North American version of the TomTom ONE. There is already a “ONE” in Europe, so what sets this ONE apart? That has been our most frequent question today, so let’s get right down to it and compare the two. […]
[…] CNET has reviewed the TomTom ONE (North American edition) and has given it a “Very good” rating of 7.7 out of ten. The ONE got points for the new design, easy to use interface, as well as accurate directions and price. They were not so warm to the lack of text-to-speech nor the POI database which they felt was a little outdated. (They cited a listing for an ice cream shop that had been out of business for a year.) The One does navigation, and that’s it. It’s perfect for first-time buyers or drivers who just need a simple solution for getting from point A to point B. […]
[…] An article about the TomTom ONE has appeared in the NY Times today. The brief words about the ONE mention the small overall size, same 3.5 inch display, as well as the map coverage. They seemed to enjoy the price point and lack of unnecessary features. Unlike most G.P.S. receivers that have been released recently, the TomTom One doesn’t also play videos or MP3’s. It does just one thing: help you find your way. But its list price, at $500, is lower than the discounted prices of most comparable receivers. […]
[…] BusinessWeek has written a nice article profiling TomTom, their roots, putting a dent in Garmin, and possible future competition from other companies. The article makes mention of the TomTom ONE and its low price point. The most recent attempt by TomTom to upset the balance came in August, with the TomTom One, a compact $499 device that does everything most drivers need from a navigation device, but at a price point not seen before. […]
[…] TomTom has released a video highlighting some of the features of the new TomTom ONE. The video is more of an advertisement of the features than a demonstration, however it does provide a good feature overview as well as highlighting the small size of the device. Perhaps slightly on purpose, the video does tend to remind me of iPod videos… upbeat music over animated backgrounds. Can’t wait to get my hands one ONE. Here is the video (WMV format, about 11.6 MB). […]
A friend bought a TomTom 910 and just love it and he lend it to me to use for a weekend trip and it worked great. I wanted to get one too but could see spending $800 on the 910 and I decided that I don’t really need all those fancy features on the 910 especially the map of Europe. I finally pre-ordered a TomTom One from autonavdirect.com and it showed up today. Wow! Am I happy I got this ONE instead. It looks great and it also works great. Just in time for our long road trip this weekend. I’m already thinking of buying another ONE for someone special for Xmas.
I noticed there are two type of pictures on this site for the TomTom One. The larger picture matches the one I received yesterday and the other seems a little thicker and rounder. Are there two different models of One or was there a design change?
Joseph, the TomTom ONE was originally released in Europe last year. That one was thicker and rounder. The “one” released just in the past couple of weeks is thinner. Many sites (and ads) are still displaying the old ONE photo that was sold in Europe. Europe also has the new design now as well. So the rounder, thicker picture is from the older European ONE.
I hope this finally kicks Garmin in the rear to put some functions in the nuvi like multiple vias, saving routes and detour function that actually works.
[…] Yet another very positive review of the TomTom ONE, this time by PCmagazine. The ONE was given a four out of five “Very Good rating. The reviewer liked the overall value of the device, small size, GPS sensitivity, and user selectable fields. There were a few things they didn’t like such as[…]
I’ve heard great things about the ONE– especially that it gets great satellite fixes and that the quick response interface is very useful. From all the reviews I’ve read, there hasn’t been one bad thing out there–the price is very reasonable as well.
[…] James Derk has written a short review of the TomTom ONE. Like many other GPS users in the USA, James had previously only used Magellan and Garmin GPS devices but decided to give the ONE a try and ended up buying it as his first GPS. […]
GPSreview,
I have noticed on another website that there are two different versions of the TomTom 510. A pug and play version and a portable version. Is there a difference? Also if I buy the TomTom One for Morth America can I download the maps for Europe to a card and use it in Germany?
Thanks,
Scott
Hi Scott - I’ve only ever seen one version of the 510. Can you contact me with where you saw two versions listed?
The European maps are not yet available as an accessory for the TomTom ONE, however I’ve been told by TomTom that they should become available in October.
Looking at the Tom Tom ONE, the North american version. But I do alot of european travel.
Can I buy the Western European Map on the SD card and plug in the NA TomTom?
Alan, I asked that question directly to TomTom today. They told me that yes, that will work. I questioned them since the website says that those maps are only compatible with the Go 300, 700 and they said that all of their maps are interchangeable. You may wish to confirm this with TomTom yourself, but their answer to me today was yes.
Hi, GPSReview. What does “Text-To-Speech” do? Does that mean without this feature, the GPS device will not remind you via voice when you need to make a turn? This is my first time shopping for gps. It is kind of confused.
Text-to-speech means it will say “turn right on main street” speaking the name of the street rather than just saying “in 100 yards turn right” which uses generic recordings.
Does anyone know how many POI come with the TomTom One? I am trying to decide between it and either the Garmin c330 or Garmin c530? Any info or advice you could give would be great? Thanks.
Is the sd card that comes with the “one” big enough for extra maps and upgrads?
There is only about 50 MB left on the SD card (1 GB) that comes with the ONE.
I just received my TomTom1 in mail. Staples had sold out in store. I was surprised it was so small (the screen) it list in the paper as 3×5 mine is 3 x 3-3/4. Are there different sizes?
The screen is 3.5 inches, measured diagonally. There is only one size.
I bought this for my husband for his birthday because he is always traveling and tends to get lost. This GPS is very accurate. He enjoys using it to find gas stations and restaurants on his road trips. The Tom Tom one also can locate many different points of interest as well. It is a great buy.
I’m trying to get my first GPS device for my car. I’m down to two choices. Tomtom One and the Garmin C330. I live in Northern Virginia. Any advice?
I have both GPS and this would be a toss-up!
TomTom One is small and pocketable, it comes with a newer/better GPS receiver and a brighter screen.
Garmin StreetPilot c330 on the other hand is an old work horse, it has 6 million POIs, a very easy to use User Interface so a new user will never get confused with the UI. c330 uses the Map and POI database from NavTeq so it tend to be better as far as finding locations in North America. c330 will also provide addresses and phone numbers of POI like restaurants.
TomTom One which come with TeleAtlas map/POI database does not display the street names and phone numbers of POIs.
I think these are two great beginners’ gps units and with prices dropped below $300 for either one, you really could not go wrong with either one.
Joseph
The TomTom ONE is about half of the size and weight of the c330. It also includes a more complete set of navigation options such as multiple destinations, selectable distances of detours, etc.
Check out our study of Tele Atlas vs NAVTEQ maps. You might be surprised how well the newer set of maps perform from Tele Atlas.
The TomTom ONE also has a more sensitive GPS receiver.
The c330 wins on battery life, and simplicity of the user interface. Part of what makes the user interface so simple is that it doesn’t have some of the more advanced routing options.
Any idea when you’ll get the TomTom ONE XL to review? I’m in the market for my first GPS, and I’m really interested in the hands-free Bluetooth calling capability (and is the traffic information going to be free or subscription based?)
Anyway, can’t wait for your review of the new device. I could do away with the widescreen though, it seems like it will just suck more battery juice.
I hope to have the ONE XL one very soon, but no word yet on an exact date. Note that the ONE and ONE XL have Bluetooth for data, but not for hands free calling. The traffic information will be subscription based. If you don’t think you would need the widescreen, than this model, the ONE, might do the trick for you.
I purchased a TomTom One last Saturday. I’m returning it today (Thursday). It’s a great little unit but the fact that the screen defaults to a view of about .6 miles and even if you zoom in or out it very quickly returns to the default view. This proved to be very inconvenient and proved very dangerous on my first trip using the unit. It will not display and hold a different view of your route other than about .6 mile. Their tech support tells me that this design is intentional. Too bad because otherwise I love it.
I’m curious how you find the zoom feature to be dangerous? Most devices employ a similar zoom feature based on speed and/or proximity to a turn.
The zoom feature itself I don’t see as dangerous.It’s the fact that the user can’t control when the unit zooms is the issue. I have a zoom feature on the factory installed system that is in my personal car. The fact that you cannot control the zoom feature that makes it dangerous when driving in unfamiliar territory on busy highways. The unit only lets you see .6 miles ahead, at 70 MPH that’s not very far on a highway with 8-10 lanes and multiple intersections. Especially since you can’t tell which lane you need to be in to get to where you’re going. Otherwise I love the unit, it’s great. The option to turn this feature on an off when conditions warrant would be a great improvement. However this one design flaw makes it unusable for me.
Thanks for sharing your comments, Merg. That is the first time I’ve heard that point of view so it is good to hear. FWIW the device does change zoom levels based on your speed and proximity to an intersection just to make sure nobody else doesn’t misinterpret what we are talking about.
There is a setting (Menu->Change Preferences->Safety Preferences->Done to get to the map display preferences) which will turn off the moving map above a certain speed. Instead, a preview of the upcoming intersection will be displayed with an arrow showing your path through the intersection. You could specify that you want that turned on at a speed you choose… say anything above 55mph. That feature may or may not be what you are looking for, but I thought I’d point it out since it is perhaps one of the most overlooked features of the device.
Thanks for sharing!
Thanks Tim I’ll try that and leave some feedback tomorrow.
Tim I tried your suggestion on the way to work today. I’m a little confused as to what the purpose of that feature is, it basically turns the unit into a very expensive compass. I have also done a little research and found that I am not the only person that has issues with the unit deciding what information I needed to see and when opposed to me making those decisions. I even found users that claim to have written hacks to turn off the auto zoom feature. Not a good idea messing with the op system. It seems to be something that is inherent in all TomTom units. If TomTom ever addresses this issue I’ll try another one because this really is a perfect unit otherwise. Thanks for you comments and good luck to you and TomTom.
I bought the ONE today from Costco but it doesn’t come with SD card. It said the map is preloaded.
1. Does it mean I have to buy a SD card and download an updated map from online?
2. Is there an updated map available?
3. How frequent is the update?
Yes, the newest ONE models come with the maps stored internally, no SD card is needed. You also probably have the latest map updates, you need to enter your serial number/product code into the TomTom website to find out what might be available for your device.
I had read a review on how poor the TeleAtlas maps performed in comparison to the Navteq. You mentioned in one of the posts that the new TeleAtlas maps were improved. The link in Post 29 is broken but I found the comparison article here :
http://www.gpsreview.net/navteq-vs-tele-atlas/
Do you have any other comments as of May 2007?
Hi ,
I am about to purchase a Tom Tom One now that the price has come down. I understand that it comes with preset US and Canada maps, which is great (I live in Canada) But I am confused as to how I should go about getting a map for Europe? Is there anywhere that I can download a map of western Europe (Italy in particular). I’ve seen SD cards for sale with Europe maps, but at a cost of almost half the Tom Tom itself. Any insight would be helpful, thanks.
You can download and purchase just Italy for EUR 59.95, probably about $87 CAN. There might not be enough free space on your ONE for the additional maps so you might need to purchase an SD card to put them on if you don’t have enough space.
Does NA TomTom have the same languages as the EU, here I think of Danish. I am going on vacation in US and plan to buy a TomTom there and bring it back home and buy a EU card. Will that work?
I don’t recall exactly which devices come pre-installed. Obviously USA voices are there. I also remember UK, and Australia voices being installed by default. But I think you can also download more of the free, standard voices from the TomTom HOME application.
I’m looking at an entry level GPS for use on the road. I wondered if you have any opinions on the Magellan RoadMate 3000T vs TomTom One vs Cobra 2100?
On the TomTom Home page, additional maps are available for purchase. My One came with USA and Canada on an SD card, but there are “detailed” maps of the southern US (where I live). Are these maps more detailed than the one supplied? If so, I would love to purchase.
They are the same maps as installed on your ONE. There might be a difference in the number of POIs, but I think they are otherwise identical, although perhaps slightly more recent depending on when you purchased your ONE.
Thanks Tim for all the works you’ve done in reviewing many GPS. It took me a while to read your review and your responses in the forum to finally get some good ideas of what I’d like to buy for my daughter. You did a good job, really a good job.
Can this unit be used for hiking or camping applications ?
How does it compare to the Garmin Nuvi 350 ?
Lanny - thanks for the comments!
Michael - Depends on what you want it to do. It will tell you your lat/long. It isn’t waterproof nor water-resistant so you would need to protect it well. It doesn’t provide any geography besides roads and major bodies of water. You can compare it to the Nuvi 350 here.
I am confused as to which GPS to buy: My son recommends Garmin Nuvi series and since we live in Europe we are getting recommendations for TomTom One. I would like to use it in Europe mainly, and secondly in North America. I would also like to use it for hiking and biking. Which one would answer my needs?
Isabel, both are good devices, however neither (like nearly all auto GPS devices) will work well for hiking and biking.
Is is possible to use the device as a bluetooth GPS unit for PDA’s or laptops? I’d like to feed the location data to a portable device for analysis, as well as use it for navigation.
Edgar, no, it is not.
Can I use the ‘one’ on a lake or body of water?
Depends how you want to use it…
I have this GPSr and absolutely love it. I use it for geocaching and the only complaint is the snap to feature. This keeps you snapped to a road even when you leave it for about 75 yards. Once you get far enough, it will leave the road and is great for geocaching. I know this can be turned off because this French dude http://www.webazar.org/tomtom/offroad.php?lang=uk has written a program that allows you to do it. I can’t get his program to work well and just wish you could turn off this feature.
I need only a good, basic GPS, but really prefer the street name announcement feature.What would you recommend the TomTom one or Garmin?Thank you in advance.
Le, I’m not sure I can give a recommendation from that little information. You might want to check out our discussion forums for more insight.
I have just picked up a new Tomtom ONE and have a feature on my ONE listed on TomTom Home software. I have a file titled Satellite Imagery USA at 6.8MB on my ONE… but have no clue what it is… or what i can do with it.
Any assistance?
If you go to the Map view (not the 3D map view) and zoom almost all of the way out the earth will be shown in true colors based on satellite images.
impressive…. and i’m not talking about the tomtom… i’m talking about you, Tim.
Sir, you know your stuff. I spent a bundle of my boss’ time this week trying to research GPS. (i hit Cnet and the usual sites)… but it wasn’t until i found this one that i got real answers.
Nice job.
Glad to help!
I’m interested in buying a TomTom One. I found the add-on software TripMaster while searching for additional features. Does anyone know if you need the TomTom SDK and/or a special cable to install TripMaster? Is the SDK still available? Is it free? I read somewhere that TomTom was no longer make, supporting, or selling the SDK or cables.
TIA
You don’t need the SDK nor special cable for it that I recall.
TripMaster? Can someone go into this a bit further? What is it? Where is it? What’s it give me?
THanks!
The TomTom One for North America looks almost perfect. I have to think about the lack of text-to-speech but I am more concerned about POI updates and additional maps. I have been living with a 4 year old non-updateable MapSend DirectRoute v1.00a which has now finally died because it won’t run on Vista. Thank goodness!
1. Does TomTom Home software really work on MS Vista
2. If I go to Australia do I replace the North America map or does the Australia map go on an SD card? Does it show up automatically on the screen when the GPS gets there or do you “activate” it ?
3. POI’s, especially for restaurants and roadside chain hotels age very quickly. Is it easy to update POI’s?
Werner - (1) I haven’t heard of any issues. (2) You could put the Aussie maps on SD card if you want, they do need to be “activated” with the device. (3) POI updates happen in conjunction with map updates.
I notice you did not review the TomTomHOME software; an essential for backup, PLUS services and for loading the weekly gpsautofix plugin. TomTomONE (new version) and TomTomHOME are not really friends (yet?) and neither the manual or TomTom’s online support pages clear up the confusion (the User Guide tells users to buy a home charger and to charge-up the ONE before connecting to a PC, the Support Pages say it will recharge this way, but slowly (4 hours). Surely after so many years they can get this sort of thing right?
A word of warning; TomTomONE+TomTomHOME+Mac OSX does not work well and causes software crashing. Best avoided in my opinion.
Hi Jules, We didn’t review TomTom HOME on this page because it is the same application for all TomTom devices and it would be a little redundant to put it on all of the TomTom product pages. I’ve used HOME on Mac OS X with the ONE (2nd edition), ONE XL, 510, 910, Eclipse, and 720 and haven’t had major issues. I did have some early crashes, but an updated version of HOME has fixed those crashes for me. I’m sorry to hear you are not having similar results.
I’m moving to a new city soon and was interested in the TomTom One; however, I just read that it doesn’t have text to speech which you explained as the ability to read street signs.
Can you recommend another GPS for newbie that has the text to speech capability?
You can use the ‘Find Auto GPS’ box near the top left of our homepage to find devices that have TTS, as well as a link to an article describing exactly what TTS offers vs voice prompts.
Here is your chance to WIN a TomTom One from Club TomTom by submitting a one minute video of why you deserve to win. Contest lasts until August 31. http://www.clubtomtom.com/category/products/tomtom-one/
Can the TomTom One maps & POIs be updated??? And if so how??? Just used Garmin Streetpilot c330 (borrowed) and was impressed..
I have enough priority club points to get the TomTom One … But I am disappointed to read that POIs dining not broken into catagories and that there are no telephone numbers … last night we found available lodging with the streetpilot by calling the furnishing motel phone numbers.
Stephen, map updates (including POI updates) are offered by TomTom. POIs are broken down into categories, but restaurants are not further divided into subcategories. I’ve found that searching by name and including the food type (italian, japanese, etc) will typically yield good results. The POIs DO have phone numbers on the TomTom ONE.
I just bought tomtom One and still can’t find info regarding cost of updates. Let’s say new streets are added by tele atlas, how do we get those? Do we have to pay for those? If so, are there any GPS units where the updates are free?
Anybody knows if there is routeplanner covering US where you can make your own waypoints on the map and download them as a gps file?
This can be done in europe using the NAF ruteplanlegger.naf.no/veibok/ and then use this program turplanlegger.no/Default.aspx to convert the gps-file to an itn-file to TomTom.
Sorry for the norvegian laungage.
You can download those through TomTom HOME. They do cost money. TomTom ran a promotion for awhile where some devices could upgrade to the latest maps for free, but otherwise GPS companies generally charge for map updates.
Steffen, I think you can do that with Google Earth and then a program called tripmaster. I haven’t worked with it much so I can’t tell you much about it.
I am considering a GPS for North American travel only, so it is down to between the C330 or the TomTom One both priced under 300 bucks US. What would be the main advantages of one over the other. I am new to GPS but like text to speech etc
Scott, you can compare those two at this link. Neither of those models come with text-to-speech, but here is a list of devices that do.
I just bought a Tomtom One. Generally I am satisfied. But I really don’t feel it is a good idea that they don’t include grocery stores as POIs….No, I can not find Walmart.
I used the tomtom one for the first time today. One disappointment I had..that you have to turn it on and turn it off. I used my friend’s Garmin c330 which turned on when the car started and turned off when the car is turned off. Is there any way to make that automatic for tomtom?
Meow, if you connect with TomTom HOME and download the USA Retail Store locations POI set you will get Walmart locations.
Sunny, there isn’t a way to make that automatic…. yet. NavCore 7, the next version of the TomTom software which should be available for the ONE in the fall does include that feature. I’m not certain that feature will become enabled on the ONE, but it is a good possibility.
Thanks Tim, I succesfully downloaded the USA Retail file. Now I can find Walmart, although I have to type in “Wal-mart”, with the dash.
I bought this GPS because I am going to move, so I checked some stores that I will visit after the move. After install the US Retail, I still can not find Ikea and Home Depot, where I will buy my furnitures and home improvement stuff. I am pretty sure I can find Ikea in a cheap Garmin device that I rent with a car last time. (But that one was very insensitive to GPS signals so when I need to buy one now, I tried Tomtom instead.) Do you feel Tomtom does not maintain their POI list as good as Garmin?
It isn’t a matter of TomTom or Garmin maintaining better POI databases. (They don’t maintain the databases anyway, the purchase them from other companies.) But it is important to remember that unlike the road database where they strive for 100% coverage, the POI database is only a small sample of the known POIs. There are about 15-20 million POIs in the USA, but most devices only include about 1 to 6 million of them. So going with the worst case scenario, a GPS might not include 95 out of 100 known POIs.
Thanks for the answers Tim. Stupid question: Since maps are not updated for free and I started using my tomtom One out of the box, what is use of updates through USB cable. Like what kind of updates are provided for free?
Also, I noticed there was a bluetooth connection on tomtom, and it recognized my treo but then asked to connect to the web using treo data connection. I have unlimited internet on my phone, could this be beneficial to me when I use tomtom? Thanks
Hi Tim, got another question for you.
I’ve looked at screen shots of the tomtom one, and i noticed a european spelling of ‘favourite’ instead of the american ‘favorite’.
Since tomtom is newly stateside now, should I assume the ones that have ‘favourite’ are the older version?
Sunny, the USB cable is for map updates, installing custom POI databases, installing different voices, charging, making backups of your data, installing QuickFix data, etc. The Bluetooth connection can be used to get weather forecasts, traffic information, etc.
Tai - Where do you see those screenshots? If on TomTom’s website then make sure you have the correct region selected in the top right corner of their site. It is spelled the american way on the devices sold in the USA.
I’ve been looking at GPS units and, although I wasn’t thrilled with the Nextar x3-02, I loked the fact that you could drag the map around with your finger, kind of like what you can do with the cursor on Google maps. I’m new to GPS and wondering if the Tom Tom or similar unit can do the same.
Thanks.
A couple days ago, I was browsing the tomtom website and found where you can find map version to see if its the latest but today I spent over an hour trying to find that link and I can’t find it anymore. Do you know it?
Also, if I have internet on my phone, will I be able to access real time traffic/weather updates for free?
As a Fire Captain in a small mountain town (Georgetown), I need to find address/street locations fast during an emergency. How well does tomtom work in the forested mountains? Is there a test drive program? Also, can map data from the county government taxroll be downloaded into the GPS?
Todd, yes you can drag the map around with your finger in the ‘browse map’ view.
Sunny, try the right column of this page. The PLUS services do cost money and compatibility depends on your phone/carrier.
Will, it performs well in tree cover. You can’t add your own maps, but I’m not sure what you mean by “data”. Depends on the type of data you are trying to add.
I’ve really enjoyed reading this review and comments. I bought the TT One just yesterday for a really great price but without a lot of information. It’s a great GPS device to say the least. But one criticism is I wished that the POIs would appear with addresses and at least phone numbers when searched. I also own a Garmin i5 and though it’s not as fully featured as the TomTom One, the i5 would have such potentially important information available.
I purchased the Western Europe SD for my TomTom ONE. When I insert it, the screen has a repeating image to remove it (with a red ‘X’) on the card. Do I have to be IN europe first for it to acquire their satellites?, am I not installing it right, or may it be a bum SD card? I’m leaving for Italy and The Netherlands in a few days. Thanks in advance. Also, are there any MAC users experiencing problems with updates. I get a “ITO.DAT” file exists that shouldn’t and it fails to install the newer GPS fix update.
Erik, there are a couple of different versions of the ONE. Some have the app in internal memory and some have it on the SD card. You might need to use HOME to install the app for your device onto the SD card. You don’t need to be there for the card to work. Otherwise, give a call to support.
I am on the verge of buying a Tom Tom One and understand that the US/Canada maps may be preloaded on the device itself OR on a 1 GB SD card. Is one version better than the other? If not, why does the manufacturer do this in two different ways?
I’d personally prefer the maps in an internal memory leaving the SD slot open for expansion (additional maps, etc) and so that the SD card isn’t just one more thing that might get lost. Most are shipping that way now. I think this was just a change TomTom wanted to make for the better while the device was still in production and all future models will likely have maps in the internal memory.
Does the Tom Tom One or XL give clearance heights and commercial vehicle routes? Does it show if diesel fuel available at POI service stations? I drive an RV and would like a GPS that gives me that information for trip planning.
No, the ONE doesn’t do that.
Thanks for all the replies Tim. My friend just got his tomtom One today and I got mine about 10 days ago. I thought it would be exactly the same but it is quite different. I have a SD card slot (SD card didn’t come with mine) and his doesn’t. His doesn’t have bluetooth but mine does. The biggest thing I noticed about his was a couple streets that don’t show up on mine, showed up on his. On the bottom his says 3rd edition (4N01.002) and mine says 4N00.005. There’s no edition listed on mine.
You mentioned bluetooth is for plus services but he also has traffic (no weather though)without bluetooth. How will that work?
I have unlimited data on my phone so if use the bluetooth feature would the PLUS services be free?
If even with bluetooth, PLUS services will cost money, then I may take mine back and get the one with updated maps. What do you suggest?
Additionally, do you know major changes between the two that we don’t know about? Thanks
Sunny, I haven’t seen, nor ever heard of, a ONE that doesn’t have an SD card slot. Did you happen to look at the device? Some don’t come with an SD card, but I’ve never heard of any that don’t come with a slot.
The same goes for Bluetooth. I’ve never seen a ONE that didn’t have Bluetooth. None of them allow hands free calling, but Bluetooth should be there for the PLUS services. Without Bluetooth, I see no way for him to get traffic on the ONE. (The ONE XL however has a port that looks like it will be for the external traffic receiver.)
The PLUS services do cost extra.
I haven’t seen any data on TomTom’s website to suggest a new version of the ONE, without Bluetooth and without an SD card slot. I’ll keep an eye out for any changes, but I haven’t heard of any from my usual sources.
Update — I did just see one marketed for Europe, that doesn’t have Bluetooth. It didn’t mention if it had an SD card slot or not, and it isn’t available there yet. (And they usually get new devices a couple of weeks ahead of time.) One thing I noticed is that the color is a little different. My ONE has a black frame around the screen with the TomTom name in the lower left in silver letters. The ONE I just saw has a silver frame with the name TomTom centered on the bottom in black letters. Did the one your friend has look like that?
Tim, thanks for your prompt reply to question #97. I agree that maps preloaded in internal memory is the way to go since it frees up the SD card slot for other things, so I called Tom Tom customer support and learned that the Second Edition (internal preload) has a serial number on the outside of the box beginning with C_NOZ. I just bought my One at [snip] and am having fun getting started. The First Edition serial number begins with a Z, by the way.
Best wishes, Herman.
Hi Tomtom users State Side
I brought a Tomtom One GB this week here in the UK, it is a “3rd Edition†with 512mb memory BUILT IN!. There is definitely no SD card slot, although http://www.tomtom.com is still detailing one in the spec. They do not even include a software CD with this model. I will live with mine until the warranty runs out, then I’m betting if I take the back off there is still an SD card in there. I guess it’s a cheap option for Tomtom to fit a new solid casing with no card slot and keep the same components inside. This way the poor old consumer has to fork out more cash for a “plus†model with more memory.
Does the ONE show “next exit” information?
Yes.
I just got the Tom Tom ONE, The HOME software is nice but I wished it had a print itinary feature. And they could have made the screen size bigger on the computer screen.
Tim, I just received my TT One (4N00.004.2, s/n begins with C_NO:E22xxxxxxxxx). Is this considered a “Version 1, 2 or 3? I am trying to buy this handlebar mount ( http://www.buybits. com/product/sku_hr-tt1-v1-bike-mount.aspx ) from Germany, and they have 3 versions. I don;’ know which one to order.
I don’t know how to tell them apart by serial number/product code.
I just vacationed in Myrtle Beach S.C. and the neighborhood I stayed in was about 5 years old but it does not show up on my Tomtom One. How do I download a newer map for the area? My Tomtom is only 1 year old, the map must be outdated
That isn’t terribly uncommon to find, Mark. It is more likely that the area wasn’t in the current map when you received the map, versus receiving an old map on the device. You can check MapInsight to see if it is on the current map, and report it if it is not.
Tim,
I just purchased the TomTom ONE and called customer service to see which editon I have. The rep told me that if the serial number after the C_NO: starts with an E…it is 1st Edition, a Z is 2nd edition and a Y is 3rd edition. Hope this helps the guy in Germany that did not know the difference in models. Also, the 3rd Edition has the TomTom logo in the center bottom of the frame. I am at a loss why the 3rd edition has mapshare, the newest maps and a leather case with strap for $50 less than the other editions. Mine was the 2nd Edition . Also, Consumer Reports currently rates the Tomtom One a best buy. I would be curious to know which edition they tested. Oh, by the way. Tim, thanks for all your help on this site.
Hi Dave, yes we wrote about the TomTom ONE third Edition yesterday and talked about how to physically identify them. Thanks for the serial number info. In Germany there are even more versions with some that have full Euro maps and others that have regional maps. Consumer Reports tested the second edition.
I haven’t seen the third edition shipping in the USA yet so I’m not yet certain what retailers might offer it at. Don’t forget too that the 3rd edition doesn’t have Bluetooth, and the currently shipping 2nd edition devices should have fairly current maps.
Tim,
Sorry, did not realize you had just covered the 3rd edition yesterday. I was on this site and it just covered the One we are talking about. I also asked the Rep at TomTom how I could tell on 2nd Edition if I had the current version of maps without breaking the seal and opening up the box and checking. He did not know short of opening and powering up and checking for version. My serial number is Z15157Hxxxxx. Can you decipher from that serial numbers if my maps are current?
Hi Dave, no, I don’t know how to decipher the map version from the serial number, sorry.
Tim,
Thanks for your great work on this site. I had considered buying a portable GPS for sometime and last night made the decision and bought both the TomTom One 2nd Edition and the Magellan Maestro 3100 from the same local retailer at an unheard of price including anywhere I could find it on the internet. Both are new and not refurbished. I paid the same price for both of them. I both both because I had read good and bad on both of them on other review sites. Now, I am doing research trying to figure out which one to keep. Bottom line is I want the best of the two for the money. Any suggestions?
At the same price, The TomTom ONE offers maps of all 50 states plus Canada (the 3100 only has the “lower 48″). It also offers Bluetooth data services such as traffic (but not hands free calling) more POIs, and is smaller and lighter with the same screen size. The only advantage the 3100 has is battery life. But that is looking at the black and white specs of the devices. Since the devices are fairly similar in specs some of the more subjective qualities may end up being a bigger part of your decision.
Tim,
You make valid points that I need to consider. You will see the TomTom One tomorrow morning in a local office supply store newspaper flyer. I got it for that price minus 20% earlier than the Sunday flyer that I had access by showing it to another local retailer last night competing for the business. I know I can not say the name or the price, but just wanted to throw that out there for other shoppers. Thanks again for your tremendous knowledge of this product. I learned more from you in your forum than I did in all the others put together. Keep up the good work.
Is there a way to download a route with multiple stopping points into the tomtom one that has been created in Microsoft Streets & Trips 2006?
Thanks
Chris, I don’t personally know of a way but there might be third party programs (something called tripmaster comes to mind) that allow you do do what you are talking about with Google Earth. I’m not sure about s&t.
Just got TT one, but I found the user manual is useless. It is not clear about what to do for the first time user.
Strongly considering an One, but sometimes drive in a noisy environment. What are the options to hearing the voice instructions via an earpiece of some sort rather than the built-in speaker?
Also, what the code for in the product card, like “QD*** ***** *****”?
Does it need to activate the product?
I am lost.
Just bought a Tomtom one. Would like to download extra voices from website but keep getting a message that URL is not connecting and to try later. Have tried for two weeks and still getting this message when I am trying to get to the payment screen. Is this my computer problem or a problem at the site?
Mark - There is no audio export feature on the ONE.
Steve - You only need that if you need to reinstall maps or sometimes to upgrade maps.
Dana - I don’t know, you should give TomTom support a call.
I bought a tom tom one new edition only to find that even my home address in scarborough is not updated on the map.
I could not find any way to get updated maps for this device. The website is also very unfriendly. I have registered my device but whenever I go to the support page, it again asks me to choose my device.
Is there a way to get an updated map without paying another 60.00 USD for the maps?
I just came back from a 900 mile trip Chicago - St. Paul - Chicago. I rode west and then took road 35 along Mississippi river. Although my TomTom One did a good job with the route I programmed in advance, it failed miserably 3 times I needed to find a specific address in St. Paul, Winona, and Madison. All three times I ended up calling the place to get some directions. I checked Goggle Maps when I came back, and Google found all three places. I’m thinking now about replacing TomTom with Garmin Zumo.
Following are the versions on the device:
App: 6.560
GPS: V1.21 Boot: 5.05
Map: US and Canada — V665.1293
Are these the latest versions for Tom Tom One Advanced edition?
Interestingly, it gives a tip “Please visit http://www.tomtom.com for free updates and new maps”
It is very helpful here. Thanks Tim.
Is there a way to give a name for the address I input, like Tim’s home address?
I checked the Map insight and the adress is updated on that site. It seems that the Tom Tom device does not have updated maps.
Can tomtom lets uers to add and share POI data? Is there a way to add my own POI?
If it has this function, I am sure tomtom will win GPS market dramatickly. Give me some credits if tomtom takes my idea.
Yes, you can add and share POI data on your own.
Got some poi files. Some has ov2 file, but no bmp file. How to get the corresponded bmp file?
Thanks.
Got it. Made the bmp file myself.
Hi Tim,
I found myself could not log in today. I just ran ad-aware to remove some tracking cookies before tomtom Home. Does this cause the problem? Any suggestions to fix this problem?
Thanks.
Steve, I’ve been having occasional trouble as well. I suspect there could be a few issues on their end.
Tim, you are my hero. I have researched half a dozen areas about which GPS to buy. You have the only area that gives accurate and substantial information to make an accurate buying decision.I bought the Tom Tom today, and it was so much fun, I thought about calling in sick for the afternoon just to ride around. I love it. Great unit for the price.
I am brand new to a GPS. I bought a Mio and returned it and now have a TomTom one. I am satisfied so far. I bought the refurbished model. My question is how can I tell if I have the most updated maps for Canada and the US. Also how do I find my version? My product code starts with ZZF
Rodney - thanks for the comments!
Burke - TomTom doesn’t make it all that easy to find anymore. Your best bet (that I can see today) is to call TomTom and ask them.
thanks Tim will give it a try
The drawback of TT one is that you cannot give a name of an address you input. How can I remember who’s address is one month later? Let me remember the name in TTone and TT one links to the address.
Could TTone IT guy gives a fix to our toy?
Thanks.
Steve, you can give a name to an address you enter as a favorite. After putting in the city/state/address it will default to a name based on that, however you can just start typing on the on-screen keyboard to name the favorite whatever you would like.
Thank you Tim.
I learned a lot here.
Based on feedback on this site, I recently purchased a TomTom One with the built in memory. So far I like it, but do you know if there is a way to show the elevation? I have a little Etrex that show this and the calculated accuracy, and so far I haven’t been able to find these in the unit.
Thanks,
I forgot to mention in my first post, that my unit does not appear to have the advance route planning icon that the manual talks about. It appears I can create an internary and save it to do the same function, but thought that was worth noting.
There is no way to show altitude. You might need to set ’show more options’ in the preferences page to get advanced planning to show up. Then you will find it under menu page 2, top left labeled either as “Advanced Planning” or “Prepare Route” based on the software version.
Hi Tim, Great site!
Does anyone know if the TT one maps include Vieques island (part of Puerto Rico)?
TIA
Steve H - Yes, you can even create a route that goes from the main island across the Fajardo-Vieques ferry.
I wished they would have put altitude on there someplace. I installed Tripmaster (plug-in) and it will show it, so I know it’s there.
Hi. I just recently bought a TOMTOM One and think it is a great unit. I have one problem though. THe device thinks there is a road next to my house that doesn’t exist. So it is always trying to route me down that road. Every time I plot a route either to or from my house I have to use the ‘Choose Alternate Route’ and then exclude that street specifically. Unfortunately I have to do this each and every time I use the unit. Is there any way I can avoid having to do this? I know the Garmin and other brands (I guess the ones that use Navteq) don’t have this problem. I got a screaming good deal on the ONE (199.00CDN) and don’t want to return it, but it is very annoying to have to correct the unit every time.
Any advice would be appreciated.
cheers
You have three options.
1) Try to ignore the issue, and when you don’t drive where it wants you to it will automatically recalculate.
2) Ignore the issue, plus report the issue to Tele Atlas so that hopefully they will fix it.
3) Upgrade your software to NavCore 7 (it might not yet be available for your serial number but should be soon) and then if you have recent enough maps to participate in MapShare you can report the error and block the street so it won’t be routeable.
I am looking at the Tom Tom One and noticed today that they now have the “version” with the maps not installed on a card. Does this open up any possibilities of getting phone numbers for the POI’s on the device? I know they didn’t put the numbers on the SD card because of lack of size but now that the maps aren’t on the card can anything be done? I’d really like to have a phone book option on my gps (but I really like the one).
Todd, the ONE does include phone numbers for most POIs. (Regardless of which version of the ONE or if the maps come on SD card or in internal memory.) In software version 6 it is a little difficult to find them, you need to click on the POI in browse map mode, but in version 7 they are right on the POI information screen when you click on it in the search results.
I recently bought refurbshed TomTom One and there is no charger from AC.
I already have my motorola razr v3 charger and found it does fit to my tomtome.
But I have not tried it. Can someone suggest me if I can use motorola charger to charge tom tom when I am at home without my pc.
I was pissed off by TTone today, and had to call someone for the direction tonight. The street where the address located is not continued, i.e. separated by some buildings and a couple of streets. TTone led me to the wrong side of the street and told me this was my destination, though the number I input was corrent. I updated TTone before I went. Google map is correct, but not TTone. How can I do with this damn error?
Sagar - Technically doing so would probably void your warranty. You would want to check to make sure the electrical output of both chargers was the same. Even the “first” quality ONE doesn’t come with an AC charger, however you can purchase them as an accessory.
Steve - I’m not sure what you mean by “how can I do with this”. If you have upgraded to version 7 you can make the change in MapShare. If not you can report the error to Tele Atlas.
Sagar - You may find it more affordable to purchase a AC to “cigarette lighter” adapter that will let you use your car charger at home. Works well for me. (Originally bought it for a portable CD player that came with a car charger only).
I bought a usb charger adapter at Wal Mart for about $14. It has two usb ports and plugs into your regular AC. It will charge two usb device at once. Razar phones don’t use the standard usb pinouts. That is why you have to buy their charge.
READ THE DIRECTIONS!!! If you cant find your address, you can always add it. Also, call the location your trying to get to make sure you have the correct address. If your TT dont have it, ask for the closest building near them. I have had to delete POIs several times because they just werent there. Ive also added several. I try to be a little smarter, when I get to my destination, I add it into my ONE XL so next time I need to get there…I know where im going.
Can you attach the ONE via USB to a laptop and obtain tracking information to use with a program like RouteBuddy on the Mac ? I see you already said this wasn’t a Bluetooth option.
Gavin, I don’t believe they support the standard communication protocols that would allow that. There might be third party programs that somehow manage to get it to work, but they won’t typically be recognized as a USB GPS like GPS devices that are built to function as USB connected models. I notice RouteBuddy does list the RIDER and GO lines from TomTom as being somewhat compatible, though I’ve never been able to get that combination to work.
Tim … Thanks for the fast response. I guess if they send ANY positional data out the USB port it could be decoded, but I’m disinclined to put on my programmer hat. I’ll ask the RouteBuddy people and see what they say — I bet I don’t get an answer as fast as I got yours! By the way, I have used the little TomTom Bluetooth “brick” GSP with Macs and it does just fine presenting on a map (though not with RB) … Gavin
Of course the designed purpose of the TomTom Bluetooth GPS is to send the position over some sort of serial (USB/Bluetooth) connection to another device, whereas the PND devices don’t.
I played around with RB a little bit after your question today and I couldn’t get it to get a position from any of my TomTom devices, although it did recognize and identify them. Perhaps there is a way, but it wasn’t obvious to me.
I just purchased a TT One [snip] really like it and am very impressed with the clarity of the maps and the digital voice.
My question concerens the charging times.
Do you know how long it takes to fully charge if connected to the PC via USB? & How long to fully charge from the provided car adapter?
It takes about 2 hours with the car adapter and about 4 hours via USB.
Thanks Tim, One more thing, in order to charge the unit, does it have to be turned on? (when connected to either car or PC).
- Darren
Tim, you said it takes about 2 hours with the car adapter and about 4 hours via USB to charge the unit. How long does it take to charge with the TomTom USB Home Charger that plugs into an AC jack and comes with adapters for other countries? Also, do you know if it ruins the battery if you leave it plugged in all the time while using it in your vehicle?
It doesn’t need to be turned on to charge. You should see the green light on, when the device is off but charging. I suspect it will take 2 hours with the home charger, but I haven’t tried. The battery should hold up if you leave it plugged in. They won’t last forever, but that shouldn’t impact the battery life much.
I just bought a Nuvi660 and my wife tried to find the Panamanian Counsol in downtown Washington, DC. The thing had her lost for 2 hours, wouldn’t give directions and was useless. Did well going back home, though. (Northern Virginia) How good is the Tom Tom One in city driving? I need a reliable GPS for my wife for safety reasons. Any suggestions? Price: around $300-400 @ discount. Thanks.
Hal, the Nuvi 660 is one of the most popular GPS devices sold, and consistently gets very high praise from customers and reviewers. I don’t mean to offend, but what you describe is most likely only caused by a defective device, or the device not being operated or understood properly.
Hmmm, good point. Well, back to the ol’ drawing…I mean owners manual. I guess I need to make the same trip and see what it does. She previously traveled to Lancaster, PA and it did well. One more question: how are locations deleted from the memory? Thanks
Are there any recomendations on where to buy western european maps for my tt1 2nd edition. I saw some european sites that appear to be much cheaper than US tt site. Any compatibility issues that I should be aware of. Can the set of disks bought from TomTom US be used on more than one machine? Thanks.
I have a TomTom One and would like to know IF this feature can be used to map me out directions to get to so and so latitude/longitude from so and so different latitude/longitude? EXAMPLE:from my home in Indiana to a grave site in Fort Gibson Oklahoma, both starting and ending up at latitude/longitude given.
Thank you,
Fred, you can enter in that info, however depending on how far away from an existing road the coordinates are the device might refuse to route you there with a “no route to destination” type error. If the points are close to a street you should be okay.
Tim,
Thanks for the speedy response.Do you think if I were to drive to a place that shows I am pretty close, I could walk it the rest of the way, or wouldn’t the gps pick up my physical position? Also, since a gps is new to me, under what catagory would I put in the lat/longitude?
Tim, will I have to pay to upgrade the maps if I purchase a 2nd edition unit (to get the same version of maps included on a 3rd edition unit)? Or can I download them for free?
Using an auto GPs for geocaching is tough. But you could use it in the manner you describe, using lat/long as the type of place you want to navigate to. If you add the cache as a favorite you could use the Browse map mode to see your position relative to the cache.
Jon, I don’t have the answer to that. It depends on the device you get. They continually update the maps on the devices during manufacturing, so it often just comes down to the shelf life.
Purchased tt1 for more than 1 month now, but never get map updated though I run TomTom HOME (version 2.0.0.370) regularly. (Only get some fix for fast calculation). Any reason for this? Don’t they work on map correction this past period time?
Thanks.
Steve, the official map update packages are not free. Only the MapShare updates are if upgraded to NavCore 7.
I think I know the answers, but I’ll ask anyhow. I purchased a TomTom One V2 a couple of months ago, but after updating the Home program, it tells me my maps are not new enough to use the Mapshare. My questions are, is the NavCore 7 the firmware of the unit or is it related to the Home program and do I have any chance at getting a map upgrade without paying the full price?
It’s is frustrating to buy something and realize it was out of date when you bought it.
Travis, Navcore 7 refers to the installed software running the device. Technically it might not be “firmware” but rather the “application”. It isn’t related to HOME in that manner. The best you can do is call TomTom and ask, but more than likely you would need to pay for the map update like the rest of us.
Do you have any recommendation for the mounts for Tom Tom one , The windshield mount that comes with gps unit is not very good , it keeps dropping and does not have a good hold.
I am looking for bean bag mount for my Tom Tom one like the ones available for Garmin but I was not able to found bean bag mount for Tom Tom one.
Try these GPS mount tips if you haven’t already. I’ve seen generic bean bag mounts at Best Buy for about $40.
Two questions Why is the Peace Bridge between Fort Erie Ontario and Buffalo N.Y. Not listed in border crossings it is the second most used crossing in Ontario and why no Wal-Mart listings. I bought my TomTom to use in our R/V and so far I think it’s great.
Unlike the road database, not all POIs are included in GPS devices.
Also you should be able to get the WalMart locations by downloading the US Retail POI database from TomTom HOME.
Tim,
I received today the One 2nd ed that I bought at Radio Shack last Sunday. The version I received has the SD port, but it has no card as all maps are in the memory, what is good. I was able to update the maps and the software to the most current versions. MapShare was enabled, but strangely there are no updates (did I miss anything?). I am amazed with the number of options and features of this GPS! I am very thankful to you for providing high quality informaiton that enabled me to choose this one instead of the 3rd edition.
A few questions:
1- Does it have the reverse itinerary feature?
2- For some reason, at some parts of the itinerary, it speaks in yards, while at others, in feet or miles. Why does it use yards, instead of just feet and miles?
3- I set the clock to my local time and it shows correctly when not connected to the PC. However, when connected to the PC, the Universal Time is being shown instead of the local time. Why?
4- Is there any way to see the current altitude?
5- The lenght of the standard mount is very short. I noticed that there is an optional “Alternative Mounting Kit” for about $30. Do you know the lenght of its arm and where I could get it for less?
Thank you!
1) I don’t know any TT devices that have that.
2) That has always been something that has bothered some people. Many people can better relate distances like “100 yards” to something like a football field and can picture that in their minds, while other people prefer feet.
3) Where do you see that? In the “control my device” feature?
4) Not without third party software.
5) I haven’t used one of those.
Tim,
Thank you for your reply. Answering to your question: On most screens the time is displayed on the upper right hand corner. When not connected to the PC, the time shown is my current time. When I connect TT to the PC and use TTHome to control it (”Operate My One” option), the same screens show the time. However, instead of the local time, it is showing UTC. Interesting enough, on the PC I can operate the TT normally, but the Set Clock option under Preferences is grayed out.
Not a big deal, just interesting.
Regarding yards vs feet, it is an odd choice to sometimes use one, sometimes use another. I would prefer a more consistent approach.
Marco,
Did you have to pay for the MapShare maps and software? If not, how did you do it?
(Just to confirm, what version of maps did you download — 675?)
Steve,
I did not pay. Here is what happened: The GPS came with version 6 something, and the PC software (TT Home) on the CD was version 1 something. I installed it on my PC and when I executed it, it said there was an update. I accepted it, and Home was updated to 2.0. Then, I looked for updates to the GPS software and maps, and it found some (including GPSFix, phone connection, etc). I then asked it to download and install them. Everything seemed to work but every time I was going back to TT Home, the update to the GPS software was still showing as if it hasn’t been done. When I tried to operate TT through TT Home, it said it was missing one file, prompted to download, and then said the file was unavailable. Also, when I tried to select the MapShare option on the TT Home, it said it was not available for my device. The maps were showing as version 675 so either they updated correctly, or I already had the right ones. I then called the support, and initially the guy said I could not use MapShare unless I bought new maps that were the same version of mine, but had some additional files that would make MapShare work. I questioned that, and he put me on hold to do some additional research. Meanwhile, I powered TT off and on, and then everything started working correctly: I was able to activate MapShare, and the software was showing version 7.131. When the guy came back, he offered to give me free upgrade to the current maps if I faxed him my purchase receipt showing that I had just bought the device, but that ended up not being needed. It seems that after the update you need to cycle the power to make things work correctly.
So, if you bought a TT that has been on the shelf too long, you may want to call the support and see if they add the current maps to your account for free.
I just got off the phone with TomTom and they said Mapshare would not work with the One v2 yet, but they are working on updates to enable it. They also said the map version 6.75 was the same as my V6**, just sold in a different area??
As a side note, they did say a new map version was coming out in the January time frame that I could purchase and the Mapshare should be functional by then.
Tim Tim
I bought a new TomTom One V2 for each of my autos. Both have what I believe to be the most current software versions loaded. My question is this…. When new maps come out, is it possible for me to buy one software update and be able to load on each of my GPS’s without having to buy 2 complete update map disks? Thanks in advance for your help.
Nope, you need two software licenses, one for each device.
I’ll add my congrats to others’. Better information here than from TT itself. I’ve got V 2 with the SD slot, but no information on how large a capacity or speed it can recognize. I wonder what I’d use the slot for since the US map I want is on the internal memory.
Richard, you could use the SD card slot to add new maps for areas not covered, but the vast majority of people will probably never use it.
Tim,
Thanks for your prompt response and for the work you’re doing here.
Greetings,
I am looking at TomTom One and i had a specific function in mind. I am looking for a GPS system that will allow me to input a large number of addresses from the computer (where its easier to type them up) and organize them so i can go from one to the other in the shortest way. Can tomtom or any other GPS system do this yet? any information is welcomed and many thanks in advance.
Thank you.
John, not as well as you might hope. The TomTom devices can be operated from a computer so you can use your keyboard and mouse to enter addresses. Or if you want to take some time and do it frequently you can even load them in as POIs from files. What it won’t do is automatically find the best order to visit them all. You could make some educated guesses about what will likely be the best route and then try a few combinations out and preview the total time, but if you have lots of entries that could be time consuming. The new Nuvi 700 series such as the 760 (review here) can “optimize” the route.
Tim, Thank you very much for your prompt reply. Not as good as i had hoped, but still better than nothing. Thank you again for your help.
I understand the battery life is about 2 hrs after a full charge…..
While plugged into the car charger, the unit will continue to operate continuously as long as it sees 12 V , correct ???
Juan, yes, correct.
On the TT1 xl can you use the screen while you are driving to just track your position on the map and move the screen down the road a piece to see upcoming roads and exits without having a route designated? How about with having a route designated? Thank You.
Thanks, Tim. Very helpful forum. After reading your comments, I got TT v2 last week. Updated everything. However, it constantly calculated bizzarr routes. I live in Vancouver. What do you say about TT for Canadian users?…
Larry - Yes.
Eric - I haven’t used those maps in Canada.
I have a Tom Tom One, ver 2, and it’s been a pretty good unit, a few quirks aside. I have the TomTom Home on the desktop PC, and all is well with that. So here’s the rub: I just bought a TT 720 for the RV, and when I tried using the Home, it wouldn’t recognize the 720. It needed me to uninstall the original Home, and install the new one that came with the 720.
How can I use one copy of home for both my TT1, and 720, as and maybe even a second TT1 (wife’s)? Can I have a copy of Home which will recognize all 3 units?
Will, the copy of TomTom HOME that came on the CD for your 720 should work fine for both of your devices. I do that all of the time with multiple TomTom devices. You do need a different TomTom account for each device, but you only need one copy of the software.
Tim,
My Tom Tom One is Version2 and I bought it refurbished. The installed map (US and CAN) doesn’t even show the street I’ve lived on for four years. I thought it was not up to date, but when I run the Home program and ask it to check my map, it tells me it’s the most up to date available. Are the maps really that old?
Thanks
Richard, that is fairly common for any GPS. They just (unfortunately) haven’t remapped your area. I can find streets 20 years old on any GPS that are not yet mapped. It is unfortunate, but not all that uncommon.
I have a tomtom one. how do i know what version i have? i was told to look at the first letter of the serial number. What Letter is each version?
Thank you for any help you can give,
T.J.
TJ - If your ONE has a black trim around the screen with the TomTom name in silver in the lower left then it is the 2nd Edition. If it has a silver trim around the screen with the TomTom name in black in the lower center then it is the 3rd Edition.
TJ
The rep told me that if the serial number after the C_NO: starts with an E…it is 1st Edition, a Z is 2nd edition and a Y is 3rd edition.
Hi, I am probably going to buy a TT1 this week, in order to use it on a long drive across country. My question is about powering the unit. The cigarette lighter socket in my vehicle is only powered when the ignition is on. What happens to the TomTom and my current trip data when I shut the van off? My other question is about the mount. Will it mount OK to a van windshield, which is really sloped? Thanks ~K
Kay, nothing will happen when you turn your vehicle off. The ONE will continue to run on battery power until you turn it off or it runs out of battery power. You shouldn’t have an issue with the mount. It rotates to about 90°.
I just purchased a TT LE LImited Edition on Ebay and can find virtually no info on it. The word is that it was made for Best Buy, but their online store makes no mention. Does anyone have anything specific?
Ron, correct it is only a short production made just for Best Buy. You can follow some discussion about the ONE Limited Edition in the forums.
Tim, thank you for the comment. If this is as good as the rest of the TTs, I got a hell of a buy at $[snip] + shipping, new in a box. I’ll write more after I get it and use it.
I have owned the TomTom ONE Version 2 for a few months now and the best thing I can say is that it REPLACED my laptop sitting on the driver side of my vehicle using a GPS program to guide me from Point A to B and does it with much greater accuracy…
My Only complaint with the unit is the HOME 2 Interface that you run on your computer that is suppose to give you access to the functions of the TomTom One. I use a 19 inch monitor on my computer and the Home 2 interface gives you a “Cute” 4 inch screen with no ability to make it any larger, to work with… I would have liked something a little Bigger when planning LONG trips using this interface.
The TomTom performs extreemly well and am considering getting more of them to give away as Christmas Presents this year. The price drop on the Version 2 since I purchased mine has made that an even more attractive GIFT IDEA..!
Tim:
Just got a TT One LE at Best Buy. Previously had a TT One 3rd Ed but returned it. Here is the scoop on the LE (4N00.005): Appears to be a 2nd Ed with NavCore 7 full. Mine had version 7.130 out of the box and upgraded to 7.131 through TT Home. The LE also has SD slot but no plug in for the traffic antenna. The LE has Bluetooth for traffic from cell phones.
I ran both units simultaneously before returning the 3rd Ed and they ran identical. The LE with full NavCore 7 does have the itinerary planning, custom POI features, and Map Share I was looking for. To me, the 3rd edition with NavCore 7 Lite is a bit of a rip off (both units were the same price).
One last thing you might like (after reading your reviews) is that the LE has a “Turn Screen Upside Down” setting on page 6 of Preferences. Now you can get the unit real low on the dash!
Thanks for the detailed comments Tony and the update on the LE. You know, you are not the first person to remind me about the “turn screen upside down” feature. I’d probably be one of the few people to use that feature with one small problem… it makes it really hard to access the power button!
But yes, so long as I turn it on before putting it in the mount the upside down feature is great!
I think TomTom is trying to confuse us as to what the LE really is. Mind you, I know nothing about GPS and brands. I only bought the LE after I drove a GPS fitted loaner while mine was in for service. The box for the LE lists GPS unit as the “TomTom One device” with less extras than the standard TomTom One. That seems to be the difference - a regular TomTom One minus things like the A/C connector and dock and SD card. I still have mine unopened and am trying to sell it because I can’t even use the Bluetooth with my Verizon Razr V3m. If and when I sell, I’m going for the 510 or maybe the XL. I’d like to hear more comments on this. Ron
Ron, the regular TomTom ONE doesn’t come with an AC adapter, dock, or SD card either.
Tim, I’ve been doing most of my shopping on Ebay and I guess a lot of the sellers are putting their own packages together that include the extras. It’s getting too confusing. Since you now own the LE, can you tell me the difference (in non-tech English) between the LE and plain old ONE? Also, has there been any upgrade to allow connectivity to Verizon cells?
Ron, I don’t own a ONE LE. The original/plain ONE was never sold in North America– I don’t recall the specs on it.
To Tim & Tony H. I should have addressed the prevous message to Tony, who bought the LE. Brain lapse, sorry. So Tony, can you enlighten me and give me an answer to question 224. Thanks. Ron
I travel a lot. If I buy a TT ONE LE, can I use it in other countries if I download the maps? How would I get the maps for the other countries?
Thanks
John you can use the included TomTom HOME program to copy/backup the existing maps to your computer. You can then through the same program purchase extra maps and download them to your computer and then to your device.
Ron: If I understand you correctly, what you refer to as a “plain old ONE” is actually the TT ONE 2nd Edition which Tim has reviewed above. The ONE LE is the same unit with the following upgrades:
1) NavCore 7 Full with MapShare
2) USA & Canada Map stored in INTERNAL memory (1GB). There is an SD card slot but no SD card. I presume the slot is for SD cards with other optional maps. This way you would not have to uninstall the US map if you wanted to run the Europe Map, I presume. (Tim?)
Finally, do not confuse either the ONE with the ONE LE or with the ONE 3rd edition (which Tim has also revired seperately). Good Luck
And to further confuse the issue…
The ONE 2nd Edition can easily be upgraded to include NavCore 7 and if the maps are version 6.75 or later you would also get MapShare.
AND!… There were two versions of the ONE 2nd Edition! The earlier models came with the application and maps on SD card while the latter models (sometimes referred to as the “new edition” just to really mess with everyone even though it was still a “2nd Edition” model) came with maps in internal memory with an open SD slot.
Tim,
Thanks for clarifying wha