Tomtom vs. Navman GPS for car

Forums › GPS, maps and mapping software › Tomtom vs. Navman GPS for car

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Batman

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#705140 23-Oct-2012 14:54

ahmad:
ZollyMonsta: I had an earlier Navman model. Just was difficult to use. Seeing the newer one and the complete change to the interface it is confusing to use. Have compared Navman (father in laws) with my Tom Tom XL 340 (oldish now) and more than often the Navman insists to "perform a uturn when possible". It's become a running joke whenever we go travelling with them.

The maps on Tom Tom and operation of the unit just seem better.

Cheers, really appreciate your thoughts. I have a VERY old Navman which does the job but I'm heading to Auckland and thought I should probably have more up to date maps than 1990. And map updates cost half what a brand new unit with "lifetime maps" is going to cost me!

My Navman says "Perform a U-turn when possible" - I never found it funny lol. Why do you think that's so funny and what does the Tomtom say instead? :)

+1 here too

i have nothing more to add

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#705146 23-Oct-2012 15:11

ahmad:then in the fine print say that it's for the "usable life of the unit", which is defined by them, and defined as when they cease to support it with firmware updates.

That could potentially be very very misleading when in 2 years time they decide to drop support for it and you lose "lifetime" maps after 2 years even though the unit itself is perfectly functional.

They can't really call it "lifetime" IMHO.

Usable life would come down to the CGA in NZ I would have thought. Could you expect 5 years out of GPS hardware? It is not as though there is much to wear out on them. Guess it depends on wear and tear and how much it is used.

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#705159 23-Oct-2012 15:34

It uses a sim card? Are you sure?

mattwnz

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#705165 23-Oct-2012 15:40

nakedmolerat: It uses a sim card? Are you sure?

I thought some worked like the kindle where they don't need a sim card to connect to 3g.

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#705178 23-Oct-2012 16:22

nakedmolerat: It uses a sim card? Are you sure?

Sorry, i should have been more clearer. The LIVE devices have a built in SIM card, you pay for the service from the TomTom website and it keeps it valid.

arhidakis

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#720048 20-Nov-2012 12:55

I have operated, fixed and owned different Gps devices since 2004.
But i must admit my favourite of all time is the TomTom One XL, which i owned from new (4 years now) still use it for my hardcore travelling.

Just a few months back travelled from the UK to Poland nearly 800 miles through different countries and a ferry crossing and i must say it never missed a road.
Tomtom devices are overall expensive with pricey maps and i'm not sure how the lifetime updates will pan out, yet definitely worth owning one, you can never go wrong.

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#722130 24-Nov-2012 01:46

nakedmolerat: It uses a sim card? Are you sure?

Here's some basic information about how various brands of GPS get their traffic information. For more info, look into RDS-TMC, also known as SUNA in Oz.
EDIT: Guess I can't link yet. It's on the AA Roadwatch website, just above the map that appears:

AA Roadwatch: Learn more about which car navigation devices support our Real Time Traffic Information shown on this page

I used to use TomTom Navigator on my Asus smartphone (running WinMo 6), that was all well, except it ate battery on my main phone, which is to be expected

. I now have a Navman MY60T, which I'm ambivalent about. Traffic alerts were a bit underwhelming, and after looking into how the TMC system works, I can't really blame it. There is pretty much not enough bandwidth in the FM channel to push all traffic-related events out, nor are there enough Location IDs to locate where the event is, even in a "small" (by international standards) city like Auckland.

My dad's Navman EZY35 also once made me nearly run out of fuel on a roadtrip due to its ambiguous interface sending me in the wrong direction.

Navman's map updates also require Windows, and I use a Mac as my main machine, so I have to do all my updates on a slow little EeePC.

All that said, my friend's TomTom ONE (forgot which specific model) lost GPS reception in the Waitakeres, whereas my Navman was still ok. Many factors played into that scenario though, so I can't say which is more reliable based on that one event...

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#728002 6-Dec-2012 12:46

Is the "lifetime" maps thing only available through certain dealers or moels? JB-HIFI are doing the Tomtom XXL550 dor $119 but I don't see anything about lifetime maps on the tomtom website.

Do you just plug it into your pc and download maps or something?

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#728009 6-Dec-2012 12:57

Asmodeus: Is the "lifetime" maps thing only available through certain dealers or moels? JB-HIFI are doing the Tomtom XXL550 dor $119 but I don't see anything about lifetime maps on the tomtom website.

Do you just plug it into your pc and download maps or something?

I purchased the same one from JB a few months back.

Basically you sign up on the TomTom website, you have to send off a copy of the purchase receipt to an email address (or post it) and you sign up with a TomTom account.

Once it has all been verified you simply get an email with map updates when they become available. Part of the process involves downloading and installing TomTom Home. Which you use to sign into your TomTom account and map updates/voices are sent to you.

It all works quite well.

One thing i found with my TomTom was it stopped picking up GPS signal, and a hard reset was the only way to fix (press and hold power button for ages until the TomTom logo starts and you hear the drums)

Asmodeus

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#728012 6-Dec-2012 13:02

Cool thanks. Looks like I have another xmas pressy sorted

EDIT: Do you like the unit other than the occasional loss of gps you are experiencing? Any other issues to be aware of?

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#728013 6-Dec-2012 13:10

I got a Navman EZY45 from DSE in Melbourne for AU$50. I'm actually really happy with it, especially for the price.

It's fast to get a fix, accurate and easy enough to use. It's pretty good at telling you what lane to be in, what the speed limit is and when you are approaching a motorway exit the screen changes to make it really obvious where you need to be.

For the $50 it cost me, I think I got a bargain.

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#728021 6-Dec-2012 13:33

Asmodeus: Cool thanks. Looks like I have another xmas pressy sorted

EDIT: Do you like the unit other than the occasional loss of gps you are experiencing? Any other issues to be aware of?

I only had the GPS signal loss once, it has been rock solid since. There was a couple of issues with the sound when i first got it (occasionally went stuttery when reading directions) but that was fixed with a software update shortly afterwards (I have had it for about 5 months) and has been fine since.

Good device, i have been very happy with TomTom and will stick with the brand for the next one i get.

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#728023 6-Dec-2012 13:38

I'm going against the grain and saying that both have similar support in NZ, I have had great experiences with both products, and I'd personally buy a Navman. The Road pronunciation is better and lane guidance I found superior.

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#728094 6-Dec-2012 14:53

networkn: I'm going against the grain and saying that both have similar support in NZ, I have had great experiences with both products, and I'd personally buy a Navman. The Road pronunciation is better and lane guidance I found superior.

After the most recent map update (in Nov) the road pronunciation on my Navman does seem to have improved. However, its routing is still quite horrible (I'd use other words, but I might get banned): From Hamilton up to Mt Roskill, Auckland, it told me to get off the motorway at Bombay. I ignored this, of course, and the subsequent re-route dropped nearly 1hr from the ETA. This is on the "fastest" route optimisation. Anytime I want to get from south/south-east Auckland to central, it tells me to use local roads rather than the SHs. I can't fathom this.

Also, the map data is nearly 2 years out of date with a few of the intersections, at least in Mt Roskill. There is apparently still a roundabout at May/Stoddard/Denbigh, according to Navman. As far as I can see, it's been a signalised intersection for over a year now.

Lucky for networkn if Navman works well for him. But I'm going back to TomTom as soon as my 3-year free map updates are up. Which now seems more a liability than a good deal

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#728108 6-Dec-2012 15:14

Sirius:
networkn: I'm going against the grain and saying that both have similar support in NZ, I have had great experiences with both products, and I'd personally buy a Navman. The Road pronunciation is better and lane guidance I found superior.

After the most recent map update (in Nov) the road pronunciation on my Navman does seem to have improved. However, its routing is still quite horrible (I'd use other words, but I might get banned): From Hamilton up to Mt Roskill, Auckland, it told me to get off the motorway at Bombay. I ignored this, of course, and the subsequent re-route dropped nearly 1hr from the ETA. This is on the "fastest" route optimisation. Anytime I want to get from south/south-east Auckland to central, it tells me to use local roads rather than the SHs. I can't fathom this.

Also, the map data is nearly 2 years out of date with a few of the intersections, at least in Mt Roskill. There is apparently still a roundabout at May/Stoddard/Denbigh, according to Navman. As far as I can see, it's been a signalised intersection for over a year now.

Lucky for networkn if Navman works well for him. But I'm going back to TomTom as soon as my 3-year free map updates are up. Which now seems more a liability than a good deal

Well to be fair it's been a year since I didn't use the GPS in my BMW or Google Maps which is amazing, so I can't speak to the latest mapping, but traditionally going back 6+ years, Navman have been ahead of TomTom.

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