TomTom to get Tiny GPS
Recent rumors suggest that TomTom will soon be producing some very small navigation devices. According to one of the companies that produces components for TomTom, they have recently had orders for devices with 2.8 inch screens. Most GPS devices have 3.5 inch screens and other devices have “wide-screens” of 4, 4.5 or 7 inch screens.
The reason? Well, it isn’t exactly clear at this point. Cost isn’t likely an issue since 2.8 inch screens typically cost a little more than 3.5 inch screens. The 3.5 inch screens are the sweet-spot when it comes to price of small screens and is why so many GPS receivers come with that size screen.
Now, there are some indications that this rumor might not be true. The source cites that Garmin also uses a 2.8 inch screen on the Nuvi 350. The 350’s screen measures 2.8 inches wide, but typically screen sizes are measured by the diagonal length. In which case the 350 has a screen size of 3.5 inches.
So there is a chance the rumor could be wrong and the 2.8 inch screens are just someone measuring the width rather than the diagonal. After all, a screen with a 2.8 inch diagonal would make for a very tiny screen. Still, I could come up with some uses for a tiny TomTom GPS. We’ll have to wait and see!
