Web site lists TomTom iPhone mount for £99.00 ($168.50) - Page 2

Originally Posted by Tulkas

Valid points. But their software for the iphone will not be radically different than their other software.

Originally Posted by Tulkas

Also, maybe wrong on this, but I recall reading when TomTom first announced this, that TomTom was going to produce the hardware and that it was actually Apple that was going to do the software for them, I think for free, as a showpiece of what was possible with OS3.0 and dock connector app integration.

Originally Posted by razorpit

What if he's in the passenger seat?

Originally Posted by Porchland

Reminds me of the joke about having two Vanderbilt football tickets on by dashboard. Someone broke the windshield and put two more right next to them. Ba-dum-pshh!

Originally Posted by steviet02

You really think that an iPhone app isn't drastically different than the software that runs on their own hardware? You haven't done much software development have you?

Originally Posted by steviet02

I think you are incorrect.

Originally Posted by hdasmith

That £99 will include VAT at 15%, so it's more like $145 without sales tax.

Originally Posted by Tulkas

You think it will have some new magic features? maybe it will just teleport you to where you want to go.

Originally Posted by anonymouse

Well, it would definitely be worth the price if it did that.

"Need to teleport to a meeting? There's an app for that."

Originally Posted by floccus

I expect TomTom to release the whole deal at $99, thats a fair price for both the base and the app and will put them in the lead with iPhone users.

Originally Posted by godrifle

This has never made sense to me. The point of a all-in-one GPS device in my pocket is that I would use it in any car I drive. With this TomTom iPhone frankenstein, I now have to lug the mount/receiver from car to car.

No thanks.

Originally Posted by cmf2

If I recall correctly, that cradle actually has its own gps radio that they say is a lot stronger than the iPhones, which will allow for better performance. Keep that in mind when considering the price.

Originally Posted by Tulkas

Have been a professional software developer for many year. Went to one of the best CompSci/Maths schools in the world. Exactly what is your point?

And no, I don't think the software will be dramatically different. Yes, the software will have to support the OS, hardware and interface. So what? You think it will have some new magic features? maybe it will just teleport you to where you want to go. It will still be a TomTom mapping and directional system. I expect the UI will be a hybrid of the regular TomTom UI and the iPhone, which makes sense.

The algorithms, the logic, the maps will all be essentially the same. Will be it a better experience because it is on the iPhone? perhaps, but then we already paid for the iPhone experience when we bought the iPhone.

Originally Posted by anonymouse

"£113.85 ($193.75) or which works out to £99 ($168.50) plus tax."

Originally Posted by hdasmith

Try again. In the uk we include tax in our advertised prices, so £99 is about £86+VAT or $145+tax.

Originally Posted by cmf2

If I recall correctly, that cradle actually has its own gps radio that they say is a lot stronger than the iPhones, which will allow for better performance. Keep that in mind when considering the price.

Originally Posted by anonymouse

Actually, I thought it only provided an external antenna, not a complete GPS receiver. But, even if it does include that, those chips are pretty much dirt cheap, so hardly justify the cost.

Originally Posted by Wiggin

That's one of the things I tried to find out when this was first announced. I've seen no confirmation either way. Feeding an antenna signal through the dock connector and letting the iPhones GPS chips receive the signal and calculate location could be tricky. Since I belive that would involve an anaolog signal, I think it would mean Apple has reserved dedicated dock connector pins for this. That's unlikely.

If the cradle include the GPS receiver and just transmits the locate as data through the dock connector, that would help explain the high price of the unit.

The question then becomes, if the cradle calculates location and provides that data to the iPhone app to display, will this work with an iPod touch?

Originally Posted by Trajectory

It's an iPhone app. Duh.

Originally Posted by Tulkas

It should be pretty simple for them to do. iPods have been able to do it for years (output music over the dock connector), so why not iPhones. I don't recall Apple preventing it on the iphones or if it was just a limitation of not have Dock Connector Accessory support, prior to OSX 3.0.

Originally Posted by steviet02

As a software developer, I'm surprised you don't take the under the hood equation in mind when you were making your comment.

I think it will be drastically different under the hood as the internal memory constraints are sure to be different and not dedicated, that was my point. Not about the feature set or how it looked. Your original point/statement was making it sound like charging that amount for the software/hardware was out of line because there wasn't much of a difference in the software. I think that there would have been significant challenges to get it to run on the phone.

Originally Posted by nace33

Wow, no thanks!

Originally Posted by christopher126

Exactly. Clunky no thanks....I'll wait till the Toyota Prius uses the iPhone as it's only dashboard screen, replacing the need for a GPS screen and Radio player.

One of the Ferrari models uses the iPhone/iTouch instead of a radio. It just fits in the dash where the radio should be.

Heard it hear first! Hugs!

Originally Posted by Sofabutt

WOW! No thanks. I was really looking forward to this product too. I think TomTom priced themselves out of most iPhone owner's price range. I'll pick up a magnetic compass and map before I'll buy this TomTom product.

Originally Posted by jfanning

Ha ha ha ha, this is one of the funniest posts here. In one thread we have a topic about how much money Apple makes off it (and that is acceptable in peoples eyes), and here we have a product that sells for a third the cost of an iPhone being out of most iPhones owner's price ranges.

Originally Posted by Logisticaldron

It would be cool if Apple licensed OS X with certain HW to be the default radio/temp/GPS/etc/ for a bunch of car systems. I doubt it could happen, but it would be cool if it did.

Originally Posted by cmf2

If I recall correctly, that cradle actually has its own gps radio that they say is a lot stronger than the iPhones, which will allow for better performance. Keep that in mind when considering the price.

Originally Posted by subie09lega

I wish the cradle would accommodate an iPhone that's in a case. Looks like it'll only hold a bare unit.
A concern I have, and was mentioned in an earlier post, the cradle won't offer any protection from the sun when attached to the windshield. When I run my current nav app, the unit gets quite warm when it's not sitting directly in the sun and it appears the this cradle will keep it nice and toasty. Maybe there's a place in my car that can accommodate the suction cup away from direct sun. They should design it so there's a shield to block overhead direct sunlight.
The price doesn't seem too high if that includes the software and cradle when compared to the full price for the Navigon software. I have the Navigon and am happy with it but the GPS boost and better speaker for voice commands would be a welcome improvement.

Originally Posted by Maestro64

Not worth it at that price,

I had chance to play with Trapster and Maps while the wife drove and came to the conclusion that have an MP3, Phone and GPS all working from the same device is not a good thing.

When driving, we had the 3GS connected via USB to the car and we can control the ipod via the car and listen to the music we wanted, it was also connected via bluetooth to made and receive calls. Trapster was running and announced over the music an up coming speed trap, which was great. However when a call came in both the music and trasper stops working no announcement about upcoming traps, once the call was over you have to re-initiate Trapster.

I am suspecting that same will hold true for TomTom, anytime you are on a call you loose the ability to get turn by turn direction or even see what you should do next.

The fact the phone is integrated and is the primary use it makes using the phone for other activities while on a call is not practical. Especially if those activities have to use the data network at the same time as call, which TomTom claims it can get traffic and other updates on the fly. When you have call you loose the data service on the phone.

Also when you receive a call you can access other apps, but they requires you to mess with the phone while driving to get app run during a call which is not a good thing.

I was hopping that this software would be like $50 which would make it worth the money, but at $169 I'll keep and carry around my TomTom and us it.

Originally Posted by eh270

So for LESS money you can get a dedicated unit... wait, can someone define 'competitive' for me?

Originally Posted by John.B

He specifically said he was driving.

Originally Posted by anonymouse

That was quoted from the original article, the price was £113.85 ($193.75), VAT included. They calculated the £99 price, excluding VAT, based on that.

Originally Posted by cmf2

If I recall correctly, that cradle actually has its own gps radio that they say is a lot stronger than the iPhones, which will allow for better performance. Keep that in mind when considering the price.

Originally Posted by irnchriz

I don't see any issues with the performance of the GPS unit in the iPhone 3GS.

To test this I put my 3GS on google maps last night whilst driving home and had my route programmed in. I switched to my location with the compass active (to point the map the way I was facing and followed the blue dot on the map all the way home. No issues at all.

Originally Posted by Johnny Mozzarella

Your dedicated unit can't connect to the interwebs and get real-time traffic conditions.

Originally Posted by jahonen

Actually, it can get real-time traffic conditions. Interweb? not sure (I have an older TomTom model).

Edit: Just checked. Internet? Yes to some extent : "a real-time connection to HD Traffic, Safety Alerts, Fuel prices, weather, Local search with Google and more"

Regs, Jarkko

Originally Posted by Abster2core


Note, TomTom is bringing out the App and Holder separately. That should tell you something, i.e., they will be separately priced and you don't need the holder. A holder which a bunch of you never even considered the features but went ballistic on a rumored price.