New TomToms

[srphelps]

http://www.heraldonline.com/2013/04/17/4780862/all-new-tomtom-go-puts-drivers.html
What do all of you think?

 

[zengshengliu]

Looks interesting
Here are link from TomTom
http://www.tomtom.com/en_gb/products/car-navigation/go/

If you look at the video in the website, you can see that the device has a fast response speed, and with 3D map
If the final device is really like that, I would be impressed

Also, there is no mention of lifetime map update ?!?!

 

[canderson]

I have yet to see any schedule for the actual introduction of these units into the market. It will be interesting to see how long it takes to bring the development far enough along to release them, and then how long it takes to get them into North American distribution as well (I'd expect the introduction to be made in Europe, though the U.S. web site also shows this new model at http://www.tomtom.com/en_us/products/car-navigation/go/ ),

One thing I CAN say is that if the 6" version is offered with the same quality screen as the Start 60 / Via 1635, this unit may turn out to be something I've been asking for ever since that model was released -- a unit with their gorgeous high res 6" display with the features of a GO model. The Via 1635 doesn't offer any 'Live' services, for example.

 

[Arno]

-- a unit with their gorgeous high res 6" display with the features of a GO model. The Via 1635 doesn't offer any 'Live' services, for example.

Am I misinterpreting the info or is all that the lifetime LIVE only available via bluetooth of ones own cell phone provider's data plan.?

 

[canderson]

The new TomTom paradigm is to use the user's cell phone for the connectivity (known back in Amsterdam as "BYOC", or Bring Your Own Connection). Your smart phone then makes the connection back to TomTom's servers, and delivers the requisite information to your TomTom over a Bluetooth connection.

All in all, probably a smart move for TomTom for several reasons. First, while GPRS has been more stable than I would have expected, it is being phased out. We're already seeing many U.S. markets where it's being cut back, and AT&T has made it clear that they'll steal 2G bandwidth to support 4G when they feel like it, and have a pretty definite plan to phase out 2G altogether over the next year or so. If they do, there will be a lot of existing Live devices looking for a connection here. I have no idea how TomTom plans to manage that issue.

Secondly, it will cost TomTom a boatload less to support Live services. Although we are expected to pay a $60 annual subscription, I have a feeling that there's not a whole lot of margin in that, and that the bulk of the subscription price is going to pay the carrier. North America is a much more fragmented cellular market than Europe, and working out connectivity for $ here would be more of a crap shoot.

Last, it's a heck of a lot cheaper and easier to continue to embed Bluetooth devices in these units than it is to embed GPRS (or down the road, LTE or whatever else). Again, our market is fragmented technologically as well with different systems in place for the various carriers.

The good news is that most of the early smart phones whose Bluetooth stacks were either non-existent or disabled are quickly being filtered out of the hands of users, and it's more common than not now to be able to fully support a Bluetooth connection to a TomTom or other device. The additional good news is that we know from other tethered experience that Live services should not pose much of a burden on anyone's data plan minutes.

 

[Arno]

... AT&T has made it clear that they'll steal 2G bandwidth to support 4G when they feel like it, and have a pretty definite plan to phase out 2G altogether over the next year or so.
[ ... ]
The additional good news is that we know from other tethered experience that Live services should not pose much of a burden on anyone's data plan minutes.

I got an HTC One V phone a couple of weeks ago and had data disabled, just as with the Samsung before.

When I was going to get the new one the 'sales associate' (!) ask me to turn in my old one to get an $ 50 in-store credit. Asked why, he told me that they wanted all the old CDMA's off the market. Seeing your 2G explanation, now it makes sense.

Anyway, told him that I would be back the next day as I wanted to keep the current one as a backup and turn in my previous backup.
By the sheerest of coincidences they happened to have a DigiPower Home and Car charger set available for $ 49.99.
Can't carp, got the set for the old cell phone I would have dumped.

 

[offthegrid]

I'm considering this the tablet I'm using is a pita and the software needs a lot of changes.

Looks like they allow the option of a connected device or using your own data plan. This will be great if they worked out the kinks.

Anybody see the new sports watches? They dumped Nike.

http://www.engadget.com/2013/04/17/tomtom-go-refresh/

All New TomTom GO Puts Drivers Back On The Map

Amsterdam, 17 April 2013 – TomTom sets a new standard in navigation with the launch of the all new TomTom GO. TomTom has completely re-designed the Portable Navigation Device (PND) to put drivers back in control of their drive. A brand new Interactive Map, Lifetime TomTom Traffic and 3D Maps give drivers the ability to know precisely what is going on around them, as well as what lies up ahead.

"Where navigation used to be about getting people to unfamiliar destinations, we are now empowering drivers with easy access to the information they need to make the smartest driving decisions, every day." says Corinne Vigreux, Managing Director of TomTom Consumer. "We have completely redesigned the PND to become an essential daily driving tool. By providing easy access to our world class TomTom Traffic and enabling drivers to see more than just the road ahead, drivers will feel on top of their journey like never before."

Interactive Map

Drivers can easily access the travel information they need via a high-resolution, capacitive touchscreen. A brand new Interactive Map responds and scales to touch. Drivers can simply zoom in and out to find and explore places on the map with their fingertips and tap on the map to get an instant route to a destination.

Lifetime TomTom Traffic The new TomTom GO series comes with Lifetime TomTom Traffic. TomTom's world-class traffic information pinpoints exactly where delays start and end, helping drivers to get to their destinations faster. Drivers can choose to connect to TomTom Traffic in one of two ways, either via Smartphone Connected or Always Connected.

Smartphone Connected devices are ready to receive TomTom Traffic by connecting to a smartphone* via Bluetooth®. Smartphone Connected uses an existing smartphone data plan to access TomTom Traffic, as well as other services like TomTom Speed Cameras.

Always Connected devices** offer the simplest way to receive TomTom Traffic straight out of the box. With connectivity built-in and with no additional costs for roaming, drivers can easily access TomTom Traffic and other services, including TomTom Speed Cameras, whenever needed.

3D Maps

Buildings and landmarks are brought to life in stunning 3D, so that drivers always know exactly where they are.

The new TomTom GO range has a simplified product line-up. Customers can select their preferred screen size, choosing from a 4.3", 5" or 6" model; then decide how they prefer to receive their TomTom Traffic information, either via Smartphone Connected or Always Connected.

Additional Features:

Route Bar: Essential traffic and travel information at a glance. The Route Bar shows precise traffic and speed camera information on the road ahead.

Quick Search: Drivers can find their destination faster with intuitive search results. Quick Search starts finding destinations as soon as the driver starts typing.

My Places: Drivers can see their favorite locations on the map and personalize their map with My Places. This makes it easier to find and navigate to favorite locations again and again.

Lifetime Maps: Always drive with the latest map. For the life of the product, drivers can download four or more full updates of the map onto the device, every year. Drivers receive all updates to the road network, addresses and Points of Interest.

Speed Cameras (three month trial): Drivers can drive in a more relaxed way, receiving alerts for speed cameras ahead. These timely warnings increase drivers' awareness of local speed limits and help to save money on speeding fines. As part of TomTom's global driving community, drivers will benefit from an advanced and highly accurate warning service.

*The smartphone needs to be compatible and come with a data plan. Extra costs may apply.

**Subject to availability of telecom network connectivity.

 

[offthegrid]

New Navigation engine for all TomTom products being introduced.


Tomtom Introduces New Navigation Engine – NavKit

NavKit will power next-generation products across TomTom's entire business
Amsterdam, 17 April 2013 – TomTom today launches its new navigation engine,
NavKit. It will power all future TomTom navigation products and will be available for
licensing to automotive and enterprise customers.

The NavKit navigation engine offers new levels of flexibility. The configurable
component architecture has been designed to enable rapid integration.

NavKit has programming interfaces for adding a customised user interface, porting to any
operating system and integrating navigation services. As a result, the development of a
connected navigation system on any device platform becomes far quicker and simpler.

The new NavKit engine incorporates all the navigation logic of an on-board turn-by-turn
navigation application. Every element has been enhanced to deliver an improved user
experience including route planning, free text search, 2D map browsing and 3D guidance view, map-matched positioning and real-time guidance.

“The automotive industry’s next challenge is to create a seamless connected car
experience” says Harold Goddijn, CEO at TomTom. “To help our customers achieve this, we created NavKit, a flexible, future-proof navigation platform. NavKit makes the
creation of connected navigation solutions easier and faster than ever before.”

NavKit’s architecture will allow customers and industry partners to replace components
in a modular way. Its new routing engine achieves faster and more accurate dynamic
routing, both on TomTom’s maps and on the new industry-standard Navigation Data
Standard (NDS) maps*.

Additionally, it provides better routes around traffic and fully supports TomTom Traffic, Version 6.0, including incident duration predictions and jam tail warnings. The new free text search engine provides easier and faster address and POI search. A new map visualisation engine greatly improves 2D map browsing and introduces an innovative 3D guidance view.

NavKit has been developed according to the highest standards a and is regularly assessed by TIOBE**.

NavKit has been developed according to the highest standards and is regularly assessed by TIOBE**.

The first commercial product powered by NavKit is the TomTom GO, also announced
today. For more information please visit www.tomtom.com/launch

* Full NavKit NDS support will come later this year / beginning next year.
** based on ISO/IEC 25010:2011

Features of NavKit

Free text search engine: Provides drivers with free text search and suggestions across addresses and POIs, supports also POI category synonyms, abbreviations and special characters.

Fast and exact route planning: NavKit plans a route faster and more accurately than standard routing techniques, by using an advanced routing technology based on pre-calculated routes.

3D Maps: Provides drivers with a 3D view of their route, optionally including 3D
city models and 3D landmarks, optimising their driving experience.

Advanced alternative routes: NavKit suggests better alternative routes around traffic and fully supports TomTom Traffic Version 6.0, including incident duration prediction.

IQ Routes: Drivers will know the best route for the time of day, thanks to
TomTom’s extensive GPS probe data coverage.

Itinerary management: Routes with waypoints can be stored, edited and
deleted. This enables users to manage itineraries and reuse routes that they
have previously created.

Pinch to Zoom: Drivers can use touch screen technology to adjust the zoom
level of their map.

Map configuration options: OEMs can adjust the appearance of their map to
suit their personal preferences. This includes changing the color of their map,
textures, the width of the road and the camera viewpoint.

Daily driving assistance: NavKit allows home, recent destinations and
favorite destinations to be stored, enabling quick and easy access to these destinations. If the driver hasn’t set a destination, TomTom will still advise on
the traffic situation around the driver’s current position.

LIVE Services: Provides drivers with instant road information when they need
it. Includes Traffic 6.0, TomTom Places and Safety Alerts.

Map Share: Free daily map changes from the Map Share community. Includes
dynamic changes such as blocked roads and new speed limits.

NavKit SDK: Provides documentation, interface specifications, tutorials and a
complete navigation UI including source code to provide application developers
with the tools to implement their own connected navigation application.

A new NavKit SDK is released every quarter. Companies interested in using NavKit can
request an evaluation license to get access to the latest SDK

 

[offthegrid]

Corinne Vigreux with the new product announcements:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=t7M18OUzSRY

 

[offthegrid]

Already a hands on look at the 3 new models.

TomTom has revealed the latest addition to its burgeoning range of personal navigation devices, the new TomTom Go series. The range features all-new hardware and software with features that are designed to it more compelling to use on an everyday basis – even if you already know how to get from your current location to your destination. We got the chance to go hands on with all the units at a TomTom launch event in Amsterdam and came away generally impressed, if not entirely blown away.


http://recombu.com/cars/articles/news/new-tomtom-go-live-400-500-and-600-hands-on-and-photos

 

[offthegrid]

The new TT Commuter

http://www.t3.com/news/tom-tom-commuter-concept-revealed

 

[offthegrid]

Sorry if I repeated some info that was already posted. This was the 1st time in a couple of days I've done anything other than talk to people about the marathon bombing. I hope everyone here and their families are all okay.

 

[Andy_P]

So is this the realisation of TomTom's final vision? A device with NO buttons or user-input at all?

We've seen a big reduction in user-options and flexibility over the years, this could be the ultimate "dumbing down"!

 

[srphelps]

in this video you can see the tomtom 600 being used in the demo mode. i think it's pretty dang sharp:thumb:[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A8ry3gUq5k8[/ame]

 

[Andy_P]

It's a whole new ball-game to use....

 

[canderson]

The big question is whether the 6" (600) with its integrated SIM card will appear here in North America as an LTE model. Ever since the Start 60 / Via 1605 appeared here, I've been hoping for a 'connected' version of this device. What isn't said, of course, is that as described, the 6" unit would require a TomTom subscription for connectivity (same as the existing Live models), whereas the others will live off the owner's cell phone connection. For those of us with truly unlimited data, it would have been nice to have had the 6" work via Bluetooth as well. Perhaps that will be an option, but the inclusion of the SIM and cell modem will inevitably raise the 6" price up a bit.

 

[canderson]

Questions:

Has anyone, anywhere, seen or heard any mention of audio-out options other than the internal speaker?

After seeing what you've seen, can anyone confirm that our old *.itn type of itinerary planning is returned on these units, and not just the lame "via points" method we've seen on Nav3 devices?

 

[zengshengliu]

in this video you can see the tomtom 600 being used in the demo mode. i think it's pretty dang sharp:thumb:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A8ry3gUq5k8

If you look at the video at 1:25
You can see that it take a while for the device to load the 3d map back when you came from other screen
That could be scary if you are on an intersection and don't know where to go

 

[srphelps]

Yeah I saw that too I wonder if its because he keeps zooming it in and out. plus i think if it is a bug tomtom will fix it before the release of the unit. hopefully they learned there lesson on early release with the 1000 and 2000 and via:sad:

 

[Arno]

After seeing what you've seen, can anyone confirm that our old *.itn type of itinerary planning is returned on these units, and not just the lame "via points" method we've seen on Nav3 devices?

New Navigation engine for all TomTom products being introduced.
Tomtom Introduces New Navigation Engine – NavKit

Itinerary management: Routes with waypoints can be stored, edited and
deleted. This enables users to manage itineraries and reuse routes that they
have previously created.

"reuse routes that they have previously created" seem to 'infer' that it will be possible again.