A couple of questions on the 740 Live

[wbwjr]

I currently own a 920 and have been extremely happy with the unit but I'm considering upgrading to the
740 Live mainly for the traffic and have a few questions:

1) Will Tom Tom release a 940 Live in the U.S.?

2) I know the 740 does not come with a bluetooth remote. Will the remote from my 920 work with the 740?

3) What are the chances Tom Tom will end up dropping the $9.95 Live fee?

I used the plus services with my Verizon BB8830 but I never could receive emails while I was in traffic mode on the 920 hence one of the reasons I'm thinking of upgrading.

 

[mvl]

1) Will Tom Tom release a 940 Live in the U.S.?

Nothing formal has been announced.

I'm questioning why they haven't yet launched it. Tomtom financial conference calls promised new devices in 2Q and 4Q 2009. In 2Q they launched the 740 in the US, and the 140/340 ONE/XL models. So it's possible the 940 would come in 4Q. My hope is that Tomtom launches a 4G LTI-compatible 950 in 4Q. The timing would be good since Verizon will have just lauched their 4G network using the same LTI standard as their Vodafone partner in europe (all Verizon is waiting for is analog TV to shutdown so it can turn on its purhased airwave spectrum). With streamlined technology, Vodafone should be able to launch a true HDtraffic solution in the US at that time. Which means a simultaneous US/Europe 950 launch is feasible. This is 100% dreams and speculation, I have zero inside knowledge on any of this.

So I've decided to wait and see before upgrading my 720.

2) I know the 740 does not come with a bluetooth remote. Will the remote from my 920 work with the 740?

It should, the UK website says the bluetooth remote is compatible with the 920 and 740.

3) What are the chances Tom Tom will end up dropping the $9.95 Live fee?

I doubt it. Part of that fee pays the Jaspar cell phone bill, and the rest pays tomtom for the services.

 

[wbwjr]

Thanks for the info. 4Q is not that far off. I can wait a little longer.

 

[gatorguy]

I just tried pairing my 930 remote to the 740 (NA). So far unsuccessful, so no assurance that it will work. I've haven't ever seen a post from a US owner who has been able to pair the two, but doesn't mean it's not possible.

 

[wbwjr]

That's disappointing to hear. The remote on the 920 is very helpful, especially if the unit is mounted on the windshield.

 

[gatorguy]

Just to be clear, I'm not claiming it can't be done, but I can't make it happen and I haven't heard of anyone doing so on the NA version.

 

[mvl]

I realized I've been in GPS world for so long, and haven't checked in on cellphone world in a few years.

Well, LTI is now called LTE. And most importantly Verizon only expects to have 2 cities up by end of 2009. The bulk of Verizon's deployment will be in 2010, with 25-30 cities targeted by the end of 2010. And apparently, Verizon is ahead of its Vodafone partner, who will remain on 3G for a few years longer.

Verizon has commited to using SIM cards for its 4G rollout, so there is the possibility that a 950 will come in 2010 that supports the 700 mhz US spectrum and the 900/1800 used in Europe. But I think that LTE-based HD traffic is probably a 2010 event (at the earliest).

So that leaves me to wonder what Tomtom has up their sleeve for 4Q. Knowing tomtom it will be a 750/950 for Europe with some really cool new feature. And us poor Americans will get the "brand new" 940.

I'd still buy the 940 if/when it came out... hopefully in time to beg my wife for it as a Christmas gift. A 940 for Father's day obviously isn't happenning.

 

[gatorguy]

Think you might see a couple of "surprises" announced in the next 90 days. One good, one perhaps not so much.

 

[wbwjr]

Think you might see a couple of "surprises" announced in the next 90 days. One good, one perhaps not so much.

Now if that isn't a tease I don't know what is. Not fair!

 

[gatorguy]

One surprise was announced today for the iPhone. Another should be in the fall from what I hear. There's another in the wind that might not be the best news, but nothing decided for sure yet, at least that I've heard.

 

[wbwjr]

I wonder if I should try and sell my 920 and purchase the 740. Amazon has it for $319.00. Or, I could hold off for another 90 days to see what they do. I see you have the 740. Are you pleased with the unit?