New devices are crippled?

[Filbert]

I've been pondering getting a new Tomtom satnav after using the app on my phone for a couple of years. However, none of the devices currently listed on the Tomtom site seem to have lifetime maps and/or traffic. And they all seem to depend on a cellphone for traffic info.

This seems to be a retrograde step. Have I missed something?

 

[canderson]

I've been pondering getting a new Tomtom satnav after using the app on my phone for a couple of years. However, none of the devices currently listed on the Tomtom site seem to have lifetime maps and/or traffic. And they all seem to depend on a cellphone for traffic info.

This seems to be a retrograde step. Have I missed something?

What model are you looking at? They all have lifetime (world) maps at a minimum. That's actually a huge step forward from the old days. Traffic may be a subscription thing - tell us what models you're looking at again.

Yes, they require an external source for traffic data, though with the exception of the few that had cellular connectivity (e.g., 5x00 and 6x00 models), you were always stuck with RDS, if that. At least now the connection is easy. Just set your phone up as a Bluetooth or WiFi hotspot and feed your TomTom the traffic data without the need for an app on your phone. I think TomTom got tired of the business model where they built in cellular capability just to see the carriers move on to something faster, making the older units obsolete.

 

[Filbert]

I'm looking at GO Superior, Navigator and Classic. Here's the comparison link. I must admit that I missed the lifetime maps thing. I found it hard to find the details, but I now have done. Thanks for pointing it out. I have always had models with cellular connections in the past, going back many years - I can't remember what my first one was, before the GO Live 1000, but it had live traffic and was amazingly accurate. It also had more features than the current models. (I sometimes borrow my wife's GO Premium)

 

[canderson]

I have always had models with cellular connections in the past, going back many years - I can't remember what my first one was, before the GO Live 1000, but it had live traffic and was amazingly accurate. It also had more features than the current models. (I sometimes borrow my wife's GO Premium)

Could have been the GO 740 Live. I had one of those as well. Was sorry to see 2G service fold up here.

 

[Brian E]

I've been pondering getting a new Tomtom satnav after using the app on my phone for a couple of years. However, none of the devices currently listed on the Tomtom site seem to have lifetime maps and/or traffic. And they all seem to depend on a cellphone for traffic info.

This seems to be a retrograde step. Have I missed something?

I recently purchased two GO 620's from Amazon and both have lifetime speed cameras, although I had to contact TomTom support to get them to upgrade the supplied trial speed cameras to lifetime, as specified on the box. I also prefer the GO 620 over the newer models as it still has the feature to be able to answer incoming telephone calls and also allows you to personalise the map display (for example, I prefer to have the route shown in pink, rather than the default light blue).