So $100 for the car kit and another $100 for the software.
Ridiculous.
Just buy a standalone GPS for $120.
And Garmin or Magellan software is better IMO.
Good luck Tom Tom.
In theory I agree, however my Garmin is terrible at getting me from A to B it makes very strange errors all the time. I recently programmed in 'Atlanta from Tampa' and after the tenth time it told me to exit I75 in the middle of nowhere I had to disconnect it lol.
p.s. I should point out I do know how to get from Tampa to Atlanta.
They should go one better and make a GPS that mounts on the roof with a shark-fin external antenna and that broadcasts via Bluetooth or WiFi to iPhones and touches held anywhere in the car.
Advantages:
1. Much better reception.
2. No theft problem.
3. Good for the life of the car.
4. iPhone/touch can be positioned for better driver viewing or use by a passenger.
5. No bother of disconnecting everything each time you leave the car. The GPStenna stays with the car. The iPhone goes with you like it would anyway.
6. Opens up a market for similar GPStennas on mass transit as a courtesy to passengers.
Bluetooth, mp3 player, audio book player, audio out, voice navigation, lane assist, 3D buildings, speed limit indicator
Do you think that "Bluetooth, mp3 player, audio book player" have any relation to road navigation?
Even cheap TomTom GPS devices have "speed limit indicator". And some cheap models have Bluetooth. The only useful differences between cheap and highend GPS units are lane assist, text-to-spech and voice recognition.
A highend dedicated GPS unit that has the near functionality of the TomTom car kit runs closer to $400 to $600, not the $120-200 models.
You could buy a Garmin nüvifone G60 GPS Phone, It's list price is only $500.
Not really. The garmin units are quite reasonable now. The Garmin 755t (my current fav, others may want other things) is selling at Costco for 199. It easily has all the features of the Tom Tom unit, with lifetime FM traffic included. And, if you are so inclined, you can drag your aac's (non protected) and mp3's and put them on the SD card. The 755t is probably the model I will move to from my old garmin iQue......if it ever breaks.
Easy solution. Call Garmin and ask for a replacement. Also sounds like you could either have out dated maps, or don't have all the map "tiles" installed.
Not really. The garmin units are quite reasonable now. The Garmin 755t (my current fav, others may want other things) is selling at Costco for 199. It easily has all the features of the Tom Tom unit, with lifetime FM traffic included. And, if you are so inclined, you can drag your aac's (non protected) and mp3's and put them on the SD card. The 755t is probably the model I will move to from my old garmin iQue......if it ever breaks.
Better hurry. The $100 discount is over on the 30th.
Based on mixed reviews, I wouldn't be my decision.
And having an iphone, the $220 for a better functioning TomTom is my choice.
I'm tired of hearing folks bitch and moan about how the TomTom car kit and softwear are overpriced. Here is why I think it is a reasonably good value.
I still have my first-gen iPhone and my wife and I both have iPhone 3GSs as well. Once the 4G LX or whatever comes after the 3GS comes out we will probably upgrade. At that point Ill have 5 iPhone devices and I can put the softwear on all 5 of them for only $100. That works out to only $20 per phone. At that point we can use our old 3GSs as dedicated GPS units for the car.
I've looked at many car docking solutions. Many of them run $50-100 and don't have half the features of the TomTom car kit. Considering what you get, the price is right.
I'm tired of hearing folks bitch and moan about how the TomTom car kit and softwear are overpriced. Here is why I think it is a reasonably good value.
I still have my first-gen iPhone and my wife and I both have iPhone 3GSs as well. Once the 4G LX or whatever comes after the 3GS comes out we will probably upgrade. At that point Ill have 5 iPhone devices and I can put the softwear on all 5 of them for only $100. That works out to only $20 per phone. At that point we can use our old 3GSs as dedicated GPS units for the car.
I've looked at many car docking solutions. Many of them run $50-100 and don't have half the features of the TomTom car kit. Considering what you get, the price is right.
You raise an interesting point. My question is how do you share an app from the app store amongst the family members. I thought that had been officially permitted by SJ but when I tried I could not see how to accomplish the sharing and then thought I was getting mixed up with music sharing not apps. Your post makes me think maybe my initial thoughts were correct. I assume you have a 5 user family MobileMe account as I do.
Easy solution. Call Garmin and ask for a replacement. Also sounds like you could either have out dated maps, or don't have all the map "tiles" installed.
Thanks I will call them. I did the one 'free map update' they offer not long ago so it is not that out of date and Atlanta hasn't moved much lol ... I have the entire East Coast installed.
However I should add on several trips to Miami on business I have been on this year my experiences with built in GPS and external ones has not been good. I have been in a Bentley, a Mercedes SLK 550 and a Land Rover with their own built in versions and also used a Garmin when in a vehicle without a built in GPS. In all cases the GPS systems proved erratic and down right crazy at times! They often had us turn off major roads into dubious neighborhoods and get us lost. Twice insisting we turn while on a bridge where the road was underneath and not connected! No kidding, we always ended up with a passenger calling out direction from his iPhone using Google Maps which was not wrong once.
p.s. I only mention car makes to show in theory they should be reasonable quality! They were all my client's cars, sadly not mine
The Kensington LiquidAUX Deluxe for iPhone and iPod does.
And considering the Kensington at $129, the added features of the TomTom iPhone car kit @ $120 and TomTom iPod kit @ $100 certainly kills the need to buy the Kensington.
A highend dedicated GPS unit that has the near functionality of the TomTom car kit runs closer to $400 to $600, not the $120-200 models.
You could buy a Garmin nüvifone G60 GPS Phone, It's list price is only $500.
That's a ridiculous comparison. The low cost GPS units compare favorably with the Tom Tom solution. They have larger screens and dedicated receivers. They are also likely louder for voice directions, because the speakers on the iPhone/Touch suck, volume wise.
Saying it's Chevy vs. Lexus assumes that Tom Tom solution is more expensive but also much better. I seriously doubt that.
And let's examine the actual cost:
$200 iPod Touch
$100 Tom Tom software
$120 cradle
True cost for iPod touch nav: $420
Now, let's say I own a $200 iPod Touch and want nav. I could spend $220 for the Tom Tom, or about the same for a nav with a larger screen, equivalent mount, etc. I also don't have to worry about using it while playing digital music. I can use my Touch for that. Other people can use the Touch for games, etc...all while I use nav.
At best it's a wash. Now...make the cradle/software $99 and you would probably have a lot of sales volume.
Still not worth it. Apparently the goose neck comes out of the power plug and is only a few inches long. In which case I would have to look down to my console to see the screen. And the reviews are nothing to speak of.*
CNET has done a review and concludes: "The TomTom Car Kit for iPhone carries an MSRP of $119, but that price is more than a little misleading. For the kit to be useful, you need to add $99 to that price for the software. So you're actually in about $220 when all is said and done. At that price range, you're above the $200 MSRP of the TomTom ONE 140 S, a standalone portable navigation device with a very similar feature set. However, the TomTom Car Kit features Bluetooth hands-free calling through the connected iPhone and online POI searching using the phone's data connection, features that can't be duplicated in the TomTom ONE series." ?
That's a ridiculous comparison. The low cost GPS units compare favorably with the Tom Tom solution. They have larger screens and dedicated receivers. They are also likely louder for voice directions, because the speakers on the iPhone/Touch suck, volume wise.
Saying it's Chevy vs. Lexus assumes that Tom Tom solution is more expensive but also much better. I seriously doubt that.
And let's examine the actual cost:
$200 iPod Touch
$100 Tom Tom software
$120 cradle
True cost for iPod touch nav: $420
Now, let's say I own a $200 iPod Touch and want nav. I could spend $220 for the Tom Tom, or about the same for a nav with a larger screen, equivalent mount, etc. I also don't have to worry about using it while playing digital music. I can use my Touch for that. Other people can use the Touch for games, etc...all while I use nav.
At best it's a wash. Now...make the cradle/software $99 and you would probably have a lot of sales volume.
As CNET points out, the TomTom app/car kit for the iPhone would be similar in features to the TomTom ONE 140 S*, "However, the TomTom Car Kit features Bluetooth hands-free calling through the connected iPhone and online POI searching using the phone's data connection, features that can't be duplicated in the TomTom ONE series."
As per making a cradle/software for $99, you are probably right, "…you would probably have a lot of sales…," but I doubt you would be in business for very long.
It is obvious by the length of time it has taken everybody that is in this market to come to market, that it is not as simple as it would seem.
One should also consider that the cradle has a number of functions, e.g., Bluetooth hands-free calling through the connected iPhone, online POI searching using the phone's data connection and greater GPS signalling via the car kits "integrated SiRF Star 3 GPS receiver that is more sensitive than the iPhone's integrated GPS antenna", a loud speaker, a charger, etc., that increases its value immensely.
Now the one thing that the TomTom app, and the others as well, can do that the standalone software can't, is to be used in virtually every iPhone/iPod touch that you have or every will in the near future. Although it may not apply to you, we presently have one iPhone and three iPod Touches in the family. This Christmas, we intend to add one iPhone 3GS and 2 new iPod Touches. Theoretically, the cost of the software can be amortized over the 7 devices, which drops the unit price to less than $15 each. That is pretty cheap for all the map data that you get. Imagine the cost and the reliability/ accuracy of using a GPS that had to be continually connected to a data plan that would have to be bought for each device.
I wouldn't be surprised to see third-party car kits become available in you could use TomTom iPhone/touch apps. As their manual doesn't imply that you can't:†
Quote:
GPS reception
The iPod touch and some models of the iPhone do not include a GPS receiver. To use these devices for navigation, you need to use them with a GPS acces- sory, such as the TomTom car kit.
The car kit includes a GPS receiver, a speaker for playing navigation instructions, and a microphone for making hands-free calls while you are driving. We recommend using the TomTom car kit with all iPhones and the iPod touch.
For more information, go to tomtom.com/iphone. When you first start the TomTom app, it may need a few minutes to determine
your GPS position and show your current position on the map.
To make sure you have good GPS reception, you should use your device out-doors. Large objects such as tall buildings can sometimes interfere with reception.
Note: If your device has no GPS reception, TomTom app uses position information from WiFi networks or mobile phone towers. This information is used to find your approximate position and for route planning. TomTom app cannot give you route instructions until it has GPS reception.
*Actually, TomTom app/car kit for the iPod touch would be closer to he price.
...at this point tom tom can take their totally overpriced car kit it shove it where the sun don't shine. talk about prima donnas! first they tease everybody forever with the launch date, then the contraption is like 3 times overpriced. i guess their bone head marketing guys don't read the news or they would know that google will put them out of business real soon.
The navigation software for $100 plus $100 for kit is kind of expensive, but aren't you allowed to distribute the software with devices authorized on the same account?
My wife has the 1G iPod Touch, and I had always considered TomTom for my iPhone. I don't know what the sharing rules are, but I assume it's the same with all apps. So we'd be splitting the software cost which makes it a much more compelling purchase. Additionally, I have two friends who are authorized (back from the DRM days of music) which effectively makes it even cheaper. So ~$25 for software and ~$100 for kit. Not so bad.
Can anyone confirm this is the case?
(Yes, I should just look up the terms and conditions myself. It's Friday and I'm lazy.)
- Greg
Hey Greg,
I'm currently doing some work with TomTom and to answer your question, TomTom built the app complying with the terms and conditions of the Apple iTunes store. This means the TomTom app can be shared with up to five people after the app has been downloaded provided the same iTunes account is used. However, in order for the app to work on the iPod touch one must have the TomTom iPod car cradle.
Comments
So $100 for the car kit and another $100 for the software.
Ridiculous.
Just buy a standalone GPS for $120.
And Garmin or Magellan software is better IMO.
Good luck Tom Tom.
In theory I agree, however my Garmin is terrible at getting me from A to B it makes very strange errors all the time. I recently programmed in 'Atlanta from Tampa' and after the tenth time it told me to exit I75 in the middle of nowhere I had to disconnect it lol.
p.s. I should point out I do know how to get from Tampa to Atlanta.
Advantages:
1. Much better reception.
2. No theft problem.
3. Good for the life of the car.
4. iPhone/touch can be positioned for better driver viewing or use by a passenger.
5. No bother of disconnecting everything each time you leave the car. The GPStenna stays with the car. The iPhone goes with you like it would anyway.
6. Opens up a market for similar GPStennas on mass transit as a courtesy to passengers.
--Mike Perry
A highend dedicated GPS unit that has the near functionality of the TomTom car kit runs closer to $400 to $600, not the $120-200 models.
Can you explain what functionality do you mean?
Can you explain what functionality do you mean?
Bluetooth, mp3 player, audio book player, audio out, voice navigation, lane assist, 3D buildings, speed limit indicator
Bluetooth, mp3 player, audio book player, audio out, voice navigation, lane assist, 3D buildings, speed limit indicator
Do you think that "Bluetooth, mp3 player, audio book player" have any relation to road navigation?
Even cheap TomTom GPS devices have "speed limit indicator". And some cheap models have Bluetooth. The only useful differences between cheap and highend GPS units are lane assist, text-to-spech and voice recognition.
You are correct.
But you can buy a Chevy cheaper than a Lexus.
A highend dedicated GPS unit that has the near functionality of the TomTom car kit runs closer to $400 to $600, not the $120-200 models.
You could buy a Garmin nüvifone G60 GPS Phone, It's list price is only $500.
Not really. The garmin units are quite reasonable now. The Garmin 755t (my current fav, others may want other things) is selling at Costco for 199. It easily has all the features of the Tom Tom unit, with lifetime FM traffic included. And, if you are so inclined, you can drag your aac's (non protected) and mp3's and put them on the SD card. The 755t is probably the model I will move to from my old garmin iQue......if it ever breaks.
Easy solution. Call Garmin and ask for a replacement. Also sounds like you could either have out dated maps, or don't have all the map "tiles" installed.
Not really. The garmin units are quite reasonable now. The Garmin 755t (my current fav, others may want other things) is selling at Costco for 199. It easily has all the features of the Tom Tom unit, with lifetime FM traffic included. And, if you are so inclined, you can drag your aac's (non protected) and mp3's and put them on the SD card. The 755t is probably the model I will move to from my old garmin iQue......if it ever breaks.
Better hurry. The $100 discount is over on the 30th.
Based on mixed reviews, I wouldn't be my decision.
And having an iphone, the $220 for a better functioning TomTom is my choice.
I still have my first-gen iPhone and my wife and I both have iPhone 3GSs as well. Once the 4G LX or whatever comes after the 3GS comes out we will probably upgrade. At that point Ill have 5 iPhone devices and I can put the softwear on all 5 of them for only $100. That works out to only $20 per phone. At that point we can use our old 3GSs as dedicated GPS units for the car.
I've looked at many car docking solutions. Many of them run $50-100 and don't have half the features of the TomTom car kit. Considering what you get, the price is right.
I'm tired of hearing folks bitch and moan about how the TomTom car kit and softwear are overpriced. Here is why I think it is a reasonably good value.
I still have my first-gen iPhone and my wife and I both have iPhone 3GSs as well. Once the 4G LX or whatever comes after the 3GS comes out we will probably upgrade. At that point Ill have 5 iPhone devices and I can put the softwear on all 5 of them for only $100. That works out to only $20 per phone. At that point we can use our old 3GSs as dedicated GPS units for the car.
I've looked at many car docking solutions. Many of them run $50-100 and don't have half the features of the TomTom car kit. Considering what you get, the price is right.
You raise an interesting point. My question is how do you share an app from the app store amongst the family members. I thought that had been officially permitted by SJ but when I tried I could not see how to accomplish the sharing and then thought I was getting mixed up with music sharing not apps. Your post makes me think maybe my initial thoughts were correct. I assume you have a 5 user family MobileMe account as I do.
Digitalclips
Easy solution. Call Garmin and ask for a replacement. Also sounds like you could either have out dated maps, or don't have all the map "tiles" installed.
Thanks I will call them. I did the one 'free map update' they offer not long ago so it is not that out of date and Atlanta hasn't moved much lol ... I have the entire East Coast installed.
However I should add on several trips to Miami on business I have been on this year my experiences with built in GPS and external ones has not been good. I have been in a Bentley, a Mercedes SLK 550 and a Land Rover with their own built in versions and also used a Garmin when in a vehicle without a built in GPS. In all cases the GPS systems proved erratic and down right crazy at times! They often had us turn off major roads into dubious neighborhoods and get us lost. Twice insisting we turn while on a bridge where the road was underneath and not connected! No kidding, we always ended up with a passenger calling out direction from his iPhone using Google Maps which was not wrong once.
p.s. I only mention car makes to show in theory they should be reasonable quality! They were all my client's cars, sadly not mine
The Kensington LiquidAUX Deluxe for iPhone and iPod does.
And considering the Kensington at $129, the added features of the TomTom iPhone car kit @ $120 and TomTom iPod kit @ $100 certainly kills the need to buy the Kensington.
http://store.apple.com/ca/product/TR...cwODQ#overview
$79.99 you mean.
http://us.kensington.com/html/14493.html
You have been had
If you think the offerings from Tom Tom are reasonable, you must be a customer of 'I saw you coming'
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uVvcD4Czx4Y
You are correct.
But you can buy a Chevy cheaper than a Lexus.
A highend dedicated GPS unit that has the near functionality of the TomTom car kit runs closer to $400 to $600, not the $120-200 models.
You could buy a Garmin nüvifone G60 GPS Phone, It's list price is only $500.
That's a ridiculous comparison. The low cost GPS units compare favorably with the Tom Tom solution. They have larger screens and dedicated receivers. They are also likely louder for voice directions, because the speakers on the iPhone/Touch suck, volume wise.
Saying it's Chevy vs. Lexus assumes that Tom Tom solution is more expensive but also much better. I seriously doubt that.
And let's examine the actual cost:
$200 iPod Touch
$100 Tom Tom software
$120 cradle
True cost for iPod touch nav: $420
Now, let's say I own a $200 iPod Touch and want nav. I could spend $220 for the Tom Tom, or about the same for a nav with a larger screen, equivalent mount, etc. I also don't have to worry about using it while playing digital music. I can use my Touch for that. Other people can use the Touch for games, etc...all while I use nav.
At best it's a wash. Now...make the cradle/software $99 and you would probably have a lot of sales volume.
$79.99 you mean.
http://us.kensington.com/html/14493.html
You have been had
If you think the offerings from Tom Tom are reasonable, you must be a customer of 'I saw you coming'
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uVvcD4Czx4Y
Looks like it.
Still not worth it. Apparently the goose neck comes out of the power plug and is only a few inches long. In which case I would have to look down to my console to see the screen. And the reviews are nothing to speak of.*
CNET has done a review and concludes: "The TomTom Car Kit for iPhone carries an MSRP of $119, but that price is more than a little misleading. For the kit to be useful, you need to add $99 to that price for the software. So you're actually in about $220 when all is said and done. At that price range, you're above the $200 MSRP of the TomTom ONE 140 S, a standalone portable navigation device with a very similar feature set. However, the TomTom Car Kit features Bluetooth hands-free calling through the connected iPhone and online POI searching using the phone's data connection, features that can't be duplicated in the TomTom ONE series." ?
* http://store.apple.com/us/reviews/TR...t&s=topSellers
? http://reviews.cnet.com/gps/tomtom-c...tag=txt%3bpage
That's a ridiculous comparison. The low cost GPS units compare favorably with the Tom Tom solution. They have larger screens and dedicated receivers. They are also likely louder for voice directions, because the speakers on the iPhone/Touch suck, volume wise.
Saying it's Chevy vs. Lexus assumes that Tom Tom solution is more expensive but also much better. I seriously doubt that.
And let's examine the actual cost:
$200 iPod Touch
$100 Tom Tom software
$120 cradle
True cost for iPod touch nav: $420
Now, let's say I own a $200 iPod Touch and want nav. I could spend $220 for the Tom Tom, or about the same for a nav with a larger screen, equivalent mount, etc. I also don't have to worry about using it while playing digital music. I can use my Touch for that. Other people can use the Touch for games, etc...all while I use nav.
At best it's a wash. Now...make the cradle/software $99 and you would probably have a lot of sales volume.
As CNET points out, the TomTom app/car kit for the iPhone would be similar in features to the TomTom ONE 140 S*, "However, the TomTom Car Kit features Bluetooth hands-free calling through the connected iPhone and online POI searching using the phone's data connection, features that can't be duplicated in the TomTom ONE series."
As per making a cradle/software for $99, you are probably right, "…you would probably have a lot of sales…," but I doubt you would be in business for very long.
It is obvious by the length of time it has taken everybody that is in this market to come to market, that it is not as simple as it would seem.
One should also consider that the cradle has a number of functions, e.g., Bluetooth hands-free calling through the connected iPhone, online POI searching using the phone's data connection and greater GPS signalling via the car kits "integrated SiRF Star 3 GPS receiver that is more sensitive than the iPhone's integrated GPS antenna", a loud speaker, a charger, etc., that increases its value immensely.
Now the one thing that the TomTom app, and the others as well, can do that the standalone software can't, is to be used in virtually every iPhone/iPod touch that you have or every will in the near future. Although it may not apply to you, we presently have one iPhone and three iPod Touches in the family. This Christmas, we intend to add one iPhone 3GS and 2 new iPod Touches. Theoretically, the cost of the software can be amortized over the 7 devices, which drops the unit price to less than $15 each. That is pretty cheap for all the map data that you get. Imagine the cost and the reliability/ accuracy of using a GPS that had to be continually connected to a data plan that would have to be bought for each device.
I wouldn't be surprised to see third-party car kits become available in you could use TomTom iPhone/touch apps. As their manual doesn't imply that you can't:†
GPS reception
The iPod touch and some models of the iPhone do not include a GPS receiver. To use these devices for navigation, you need to use them with a GPS acces- sory, such as the TomTom car kit.
The car kit includes a GPS receiver, a speaker for playing navigation instructions, and a microphone for making hands-free calls while you are driving. We recommend using the TomTom car kit with all iPhones and the iPod touch.
For more information, go to tomtom.com/iphone. When you first start the TomTom app, it may need a few minutes to determine
your GPS position and show your current position on the map.
To make sure you have good GPS reception, you should use your device out-doors. Large objects such as tall buildings can sometimes interfere with reception.
Note: If your device has no GPS reception, TomTom app uses position information from WiFi networks or mobile phone towers. This information is used to find your approximate position and for route planning. TomTom app cannot give you route instructions until it has GPS reception.
*Actually, TomTom app/car kit for the iPod touch would be closer to he price.
† http://www.tomtom.com/support/support.php?ID=3
The navigation software for $100 plus $100 for kit is kind of expensive, but aren't you allowed to distribute the software with devices authorized on the same account?
My wife has the 1G iPod Touch, and I had always considered TomTom for my iPhone. I don't know what the sharing rules are, but I assume it's the same with all apps. So we'd be splitting the software cost which makes it a much more compelling purchase. Additionally, I have two friends who are authorized (back from the DRM days of music) which effectively makes it even cheaper. So ~$25 for software and ~$100 for kit. Not so bad.
Can anyone confirm this is the case?
(Yes, I should just look up the terms and conditions myself. It's Friday and I'm lazy.)
- Greg
Hey Greg,
I'm currently doing some work with TomTom and to answer your question, TomTom built the app complying with the terms and conditions of the Apple iTunes store. This means the TomTom app can be shared with up to five people after the app has been downloaded provided the same iTunes account is used. However, in order for the app to work on the iPod touch one must have the TomTom iPod car cradle.
Thanks.