The Future of Tom Tom

[Lionel]

Hopefully a thread that everyone can express an opinion on.

I feel that technologies are merging television/'phones/internet/gps/data storage/ ect. ect..

So we would need to define three things with the tom tom.

1) What is it? (simple gps and no more; a real computor with lots of potential)
2) What can it do or could it do? (staying within the known technology of today)
3) What would you like to see in the future?

Some things on my wish list:
A slighty bigger screen.
A better connection to the telephone(transfer the sim card?).
A better (and simplier) connection with the car radio in order to access the speaker system (via a simple plugin cable perhaps)
Video phone (could it work?)
Television reception.
Film/video playback
Better internet display

And lots more... What do you think?

Lionel

 

[eldorado]

Personally for me I'm happy just the way it operates as it is, not a techi and have all the other stuff that I need when out on the road, or for that matter even at home, I know the younger generation is in all that high tech stuff, so if you need it gofor it, but leave some of the electronics as they are for the older generation...

 

[Rayszy]

Wish list

I think making it into a TV would make the GPS illegal in many states, you can only watch video from behind the driver.

 

[mikealder]

A unit displaying the best mapping available with the best GPS receiver and esiest to use interface, add in the wide screen format and an active mount then I would be happy, I purchased the unit for Navigation not controlling my phone or playing music. The add ons that keep growing see to give the most problems when you read through posts on the forums - Mike

 

[gatorguy]

Mike, I might have disagreed with you as little as a year ago. Even then, pnd's were the only reliable navigation assistant for most of us and the add-on features were the frosting and sometimes the only things that differentiated one model from another. But over the past year it's become clear that our highway-use gps's can't continue to compete with the plethora of features arriving on our mobile phone platforms. Social networking, LBS apps, extensive search functions and improving navigation apps have made phones a viable solution for many users. For pnd's to continue to have a strong attraction for new buyers, all the manufacturers (not just TomTom) need to quickly improve their core navigation functions to the level where there is an obvious advantage to standalone navigation for the average consumer. TomTom specifically needs to work on the organization of their menu settings and the reliablility of features. For a regular TT user, it does eventually and fairly quickly become easy to use. But brand new buyers comparing the simple and logical Garmin interface to the more involved TT structure will probably often opt for Garmin if actually compared side by side with no other decision making input, IMO. The reliability of TT Home, consistant dependabilty in operation, and testing of application updates prior to release, all need to be improved. With TomTom's decision to drop the development of a mobile app and no signs of any mobile device on the horizon, TomTom is much more reliant on the pnd market than Garmin, for instance. IMHO, I don't think Teleatlas, IQRoutes, or "white" core navigation/maps for sale to other manufacturers and developers will save them from a declining market. I'm not even convinced that TeleAtlas will even be in TomTom's control by years' end. I feel they really need to go back to their innovator roots, but spend quality time in developing the features before releasing them. First to market can be OK, but first to really make it work is even better for the majority of us. In a nutshell, the dependability and operation of the TomTom platform just isn't where it needs to be for it to be "choice one" for most new buyers. That's the promary reason they are losing market share to their biggest competitor IMHO.

 

[mikealder]

Mike, I might have disagreed with you as little as a year ago. .

If you did then it wasn't on the forum, but I think I understand where you are comming from, the mobile phone enabled with GPS is a very credible device, I have been using PDA based phones with integral GPS for a few years. A few add on applications and you can really tailor the device to meet your needs.

Since the demise of the SDK for the TomTom PND range there is no future for third party applications to add functionality to the units, the huge range of hobby developed software for the SmartPhone and iFone range is beginning to look far more attractive if you want a true multi-purpose device, that said the navigation applications for the SmartPhone/ iFone need a big wake up call to take on the likes of the PND as currently they don't come close IMHO.

Social networking, LBS apps, extensive search functions and improving navigation apps have made phones a viable solution for many users. For pnd's to continue to have a strong attraction for new buyers, all the manufacturers (not just TomTom) need to quickly improve their core navigation functions to the level where there is an obvious advantage to standalone navigation for the average consumer. .

I wonder where LBS is really going, driven by "think tanks" sure it has its place, but some of the recent additions just don't add any reality to what would be a financially viable industry that would be sustainable.

Sure the Google Search search option on the TomTom Live devices we have in Europe is great, but its not a patch on what a modern phone used correctly can offer, sadly the phone still cannot navigate anywhere nearly as good in use as the PND.

TomTom specifically needs to work on the organization of their menu settings and the reliablility of features. For a regular TT user, it does eventually and fairly quickly become easy to use. But brand new buyers comparing the simple and logical Garmin interface to the more involved TT structure will probably often opt for Garmin if actually compared side by side with no other decision making input, IMO. .

I still consider the TomTom GUI is by far the most intuative in use, and by far easier to take to as a user, what I don't like is inconsistancy between device types, certain functions missing or found in other locations when you switch from say a One Third Edition to a Go-930

The reliability of TT Home, consistant dependabilty in operation, and testing of application updates prior to release, all need to be improved.

What reliability?
Only today I drove 40 miles to resolve an issue with a new Go-520, updated via Home by a new user, sure it put the latest map on the device (v825) but didn't update the Navcore - user is left with an unusable device (Boots and reports "No Map Found"), this software really shouldn't be forced upon users, there should be an alternate way of updating the device unless the software is totally secure and users are not able to update maps without the coresponding application update - yes I know this example should't have been possible, but it did occur - simple to rectify when you know what to do (delete the ttsystem file in the root of the device, the update to Navcore 8,300 followed by Navcore 8,302)
But this shouldn't be necessary IF the Home application worked correctly in the first place.

IQRoutes.

I find this data does make a difference, but having to use a high end device to access the data is a shame, a SmartPhone application using this data would be a real killer application for those of us that want a true mobile solution, I think we might be waiting a long time for this though - if it ever happens at all - Mike

 

[gatorguy]

Mike, "I might have disagreed with you" wasn't meant that I had actually posted a disagreement. Kinda like I coulda gone to either Oxford or Harvard. . . if I'd only been accepted.