Eclipse Owners, Speak Up!

[N715DP]

I've had it with TomTom, and I doubt anything they do (not that I am expecting anything at all) will make me want to do business with them again).

I just sent off a "question" to TomTom laying out my issues with them in one big submission to see what happens...

It's probably best if you read my review of the TT Eclipse written at about the 8-month mark of ownership:

https://www.tomtomforums.com/showthread.php?t=8569

Question Reference #080711-009446
Summary: Maps? Nav core? Not if you have an Eclipse.
Product Level 1: All-in-one navigation
Product Level 2: TomTom Eclipse (AVN2210p)
Category Level 1: Update/Upgrade
Date Created: 07/11/2008 03:01 PM
Last Updated: 07/11/2008 03:01 PM
Status: Unresolved
Operating system PC: Windows XP
TT-Software version: 6.554

Discussion Thread
Customer (Dave) 07/11/2008 03:01 PM
Good afternoon. First, I would like to send to you, a link to a review that I have placed about the TomTom/Eclipse on various sites around the web. Please feel free to pass this on to whomever might be interested to read it:

https://www.tomtomforums.com/showthread.php?t=8569

I'm contacting you today to find out when/if/why concerning software updates and map updates for my PND.

When/if - will an update for the operating code (navcore) be provided. - will an (substantial) update to the maps be provided. Consistently, since it's release, the PND for the TT Eclipse has been left in the dark. There is no better evidence of this than the fact that it is now TWO full revisions behind on operating code. Additionally, the maps currently offered are woefully out of date compared to those available for other devices.

About once a week, I receive an email from Tom Tom boasting about how new maps are available and are on sale... several of these state "for all devices" when this is clearly not the case. I am curious if this would classify as illegal false advertising, since I am not a lawyer, I don't know for sure. I have attached a screen shot of just one of the many messages I have received.

Please don't insult my intelligence with saying "I'm sorry, but Eclipse takes care of support for your device." I know for a fact that is not the case for the PND.

The last part of my query today is the Why - hasn't there been a substantial update for the device in question (DUO, One, whatever you want to call it)? Since release last June, when I purchased my unit, there have been 3 software releases, the original shipping on mine was 6.551. 6.552 was released full of bugs that caused random crashes and corrupt maps... it took WEEKS to release 6.553 to correct the issues, and 6.554 was sent out just a short while later, with NO change log or substantial updates of any kind. Why the lack of support for this device?

There was great promise for this head unit last year before it was released. It was the first of it's kind to marry a portable PND with a head unit and you could have (and still can) do so much with it. Instead, it's like owners of the Ecplise are left holding the perverbial bag of crap while our fellow TomTom owners reap the benefits of major updates to maps and software.

Basic application features such as telemetry data and auto day/night switching - things that have been in other PND's from other companies for (literally) years seem destined to never see the light of day with TomTom - perhaps they have been added to other devices, but I wouldn't know as I have no updates.

So much is missing from the software that it's hard to believe it was considered a finished product. In addition to the above-mentioned features that are missing, simple ideas like radio station scan - a feature available on nearly every radio with digital tuning - is no where to be found.

Bluetooth phone support is weak - very weak. I have a windows mobile device with a full blue tooth driver stack and yet the only feature I can use with the PND is headset for calls - no data, no messages, no contacts. Again, this is with an unlocked windows mobile 6.1 professional phone with a FULL blue tooth driver stack. One would think that the operating code of the PND would be compatible with a Microsoft device - and please don't tell me it's the phone - I wasn't born yesterday. I can lock this phone in with every other blue tooth device I own, including 3 mac's.

Lastly, your HOME application seems as confused about this PND as any human could be. It sometimes can operate it remotely, and other times it cant. It's referred to by the name "Eclipse", "Toyota", "DUO", and "One" at various places throughout the application, and, of course, it doesn't provide any kind of value-add to the device.

From this customer's perspective, it's almost as though TomTom (and Eclipse for that matter) rushed a product to market, realized they didn't have the runaway success they wanted and so they swept it under the rug, hoping owners wouldn't notice.

I'm sad to say that there is probably nothing that could be done to persuade me to purchase another TomTom device, or ever recommend them to my friends and family.

Sincerely,

Dave

I encourage all Eclipse owners to contact TomTom to see if we can get something about this - perhaps if we all scream loud enough, they will hear us... the worst thing they can do is ignore us - which is exactly what they have been doing since day one.

 

[TmanT]

Well, first of all... The Eclipse is not supported by TomTom beyond basic questions (such as resetting and software updates). Anything beyond that will be redirected to Fujitsu.

 

[N715DP]

yeah, yeah, yeah, that's a wonderful game they play. Call Fujitsu/Eclipse and you get the direct opposite.

If you read through the list of issues presented, you will note that none of them have to do with the head unit itself - in fact, the head unit works great. It's all about the software on the PND which is made by, and supported by TomTom.

 

[tartalo]

Software Update

Please, Software And Maps Update Now

 

[N715DP]

I just realized that I never posted the response I got from TT... amazingly, i got one, though I am not at all surprised with what it contained.

Response (ST Rebecca F) 07/16/2008 07:14 PM
Dear David,

Thank you for taking the time to contact TomTom Support regarding your comments with your Eclipse. It is our goal to provide you with an exceptional customer experience. We are always happy to help.

Thank you very much for your suggestions. We frequently use customer feedback as an initiative to add or change device features. Your comments will be forwarded to our Product Management Team for review.

To stay informed about new TomTom products or features, we recommend that you join our newsletter. For information on how to join the Newsletter, please click on the link provided below. If you are unable to click on the link, please copy and paste it into your Internet browser.

http://www.tomtom.com/2091

If you have any further questions or comments, please email or call us at 866-486-6866 Monday through Friday, 8:30 AM until 7:00 PM EST. Thanks again for writing. At TomTom we believe in showing you the way the easy way.

With Best Regards,

Becki
TomTom Customer Support

yeah, thanks again

 

[lorthirk]

I can't believe it! TomTom has been update to 7.853 for Eclipse!

 

[N715DP]

really? I have the PND at home so I will have to check it out when I get there after work this evening - did it come up in Home as an available update?

 

[lorthirk]

Yes... I did what I call a "desperation software update" -- just plugged in the device with Home to see if I was lucky, but well prepared to get only the QuickGPSFix. Instead I got this huge gift. Please -- I read about everything about your experience with the Eclipse, and I would be very glad if you got your update too, and tell us what you think

 

[lorthirk]

Just a small correction -- version is 7.831, not 7.853.

 

[N715DP]

I know the "desperation update" all too well - in fact, when we came home from a road-trip vacation on Saturday night, I plugged in hoping that my week of being disconnected had somehow prompted an update.

Creating a new backup of my PND now and will update as soon as it's done.

 

[lorthirk]

First thoughts?

 

[N715DP]

first thought - the icons are prettier



The upgrade went very easily, which was nice. I haven't had a chance to actually use it yet other than poking around at the menus. There appear to be a lot of different icons for things that weren't there before. I don't use the PND much during the week as most of my driving is just to/from work. I will post back in a few days when I have had a chance to explore a bit.

I did lose my Daylight and Calculator functionality, but that's not the end of the world.

 

[lorthirk]

Now the real deal is when they will release 7.20 maps... I hope we won't have to wait much longer...

 

[N715DP]

I agree, it shouldn't be too long. I am guessing it was easier for them to port the software for the PND up than to port the new maps back to the old software.

Just for the heck of it, I used the GPS to get to work this morning - all 5 miles of the trip. First impression is this: General GUI usability is drastically improved. The quick menu is a great thing - no more 27 taps to toggle back and forth to day/night. I am looking forward to seeing if the dimmer saves it's setting from power off to power on.

There were several other things that I recall saying "that's nice" on the way in, but they were all things that should have been there from the start - nothing earth shattering. Buttons seemed to be better located, more logically laid out. The ability to change up the status bar in more ways is really handy as well.

Overall responsiveness of the PND seems faster as well, it appears to be much more efficient code.

Mobile Phone support seems much improved, though I didn't have a chance to get my data up and running just yet as I need to call Verizon and have modem tethering added to my phone to test that.

I am looking forward to the MapShare feature to see what it is all about, but as you mentioned, we need the newer maps to use it.

A few things, like "Change car symbol" seem trivial to me and, in my opinion, that's time/effort that could have been spent on something else.

The ability to change the Automatic Zooming is nice, I Have had a few instances where it annoyed the heck out of me.

Like I said, overall first impression is that the upgrade brings a lot of good things with it, but more time is needed to be sure.

One thing that jumped right out at me is that the "Quick Menu" takes up a LOT of screen space, even with it's transparent edges - from a GUI standpoint, it would be great for it to be about 1/2 it's current size. They could also do something here with a sliding drawer-type thing, tap the edge of the screen and the quick menu slides out with several icons available.

Hopefully those maps are coming soon

 

[N715DP]

I forgot to mention a few other things:

In my rant, I made this statement:

So much is missing from the software that it's hard to believe it was considered a finished product. In addition to the above-mentioned features that are missing, simple ideas like radio station scan - a feature available on nearly every radio with digital tuning - is no where to be found.

While I didn't even touch the radio/cd/mp3 side of the software, I can say that the PND side of the software, after a short use this morning, seems much more refined and polished than the previous 6.5xx version. Much more of a major-revision release than a "beta".

 

[Andy Somnifac]

The only thing I have to add is that there is a minor change on the radio side. With satellite radio enabled (XM in my case) you now have to press directly in the little [+] to bring the preset buttons up. Previously, if you pressed anywhere on the screen they would appear. If they were on screen, you just had to press anywhere in the upper half of the screen to hide them. Yet another minor annoyance when it worked fine before.

Oh, if anyone else has sat radio, this does nothing to fix the truncated artist and song information...

 

[N715DP]

Thanks for that information - I have been tempted to get the XM adapter but have yet to bit the bullet on it. I've also never used the iPod controller so I am curious if they made any changes on that side as well.

I did notice on the FM radio side that stations have 2 digits after the decimal now - not that it makes any difference at all, but it's a change. Previously it was just 93.5 or whatever, now it's 93.50.





edit/ at least we have gotten somewhere with TomTom, perhaps they are going to turn over a new leaf for us and not leave us so far behind again.

 

[Andy Somnifac]

As far as I can tell, there are no changes to other audio features. It reads MP3s from a CD the same, iPod works the same, USB mass storage works the same. If only there was a way to speed up the scanning on a USB device...

 

[N715DP]

I would think that some sort of meta-file on the USB device wouldn't be too hard. I don't know how much memory there is in the 2210 itself, but something similar to what windows does with it's annoying hidden Thumbs.db files for pictures, or Apple OSX does with it's .filename hidden files for Finder. Perhaps it wouldn't even need to be saved to the USB device - leverage the SD card in the PND. Either way, I am sure a "compare" (or diff in *nix land) would be much faster than the current scan.

 

[lorthirk]

As said in another thread, today I had to do a reset of my PND. After that I was prompted to install version 6.554 again, not 7.831. So it seems that TomTom pulled out the update??