XL and XXL series questions, Canada

[DancingSpotlights]

Hi,

I'm in Canada and have narrowed down my feature list and may have a short list of devices. Unfortunately, it's not clear from the TomTom site whether certain devices have those features. The information is either unclear, unlisted, or conflicting.

1. How much memory do the XL3xx and XXL5xx have? The TomTom US site says several of the 3xx series have 2GB, but the Canadian site says 1GB. Was there a quiet upgrade? If so, how can I tell them apart? We opened a box in the store and found nothing.

2. Does the EasyMenu application upgrade include multiple routes? The 350 manual on their site doesn't list that option, but also doesn't say which application version it applies to. The 550 site points to the XXL manual which says it does, but that manual could have been written for the XXL540.

Garmin manages to put dates on their manuals and make it clear which models they cover. I wish TomTom would do the same.

Thanks in advance,

Dancing Spotlights

 

[DancingSpotlights]

Oops, if you saw a previous version of this post, please ignore. I copied the rant part of my draft rather than the final part.

 

[dhn]

The North American 350 models have 2 gb storage. The 540 North American also has 2 gb except for the World Traveller Edition which has 4 gb.

EasyMenu models -- even with the upgraded application -- do not offer Itinerary Planning, if that's the question you were asking.

The 540 model does have it, since it is a full menu model.

 

[canderson]

The EasyMenu models, if you're trying to avoid those after what you've heard, include all of the following:

Ease (Start2 in Europe),
XL335SE, XL335LE, XL335LM,
XL350, XL350T, XL350M, XL350TM, (XL IQRoutes2 in Europe),
XXL550, XXL550T, XXL550M and XXL550TM.

 

[DancingSpotlights]

That's quite the list to avoid.

I get the impression that TomTom no longer thinks that planning routes is important and is leaving it out of newer models. Is that correct?

It's important to me. I often drive long, featureless roads at night and miss my turn. I know which turn I want, but get talking and miss it. The other turn might seem better to the machine, but it includes some icy stretches I like to avoid.

Thanks in advance,
DancingSpotlights

 

[dhn]

Think you should focus on a 340 or 540 and that's it.

 

[canderson]

That's quite the list to avoid.

True, but in fact, many of those are just minor variations on a theme. Some of the suffix letters are "specials" by and for retailers that don't want to deal with price competition, and can use the difference in the model number just to avoid the "lowest price guarantee". As an example, WalMart is famous for having manufacturers tweak a model number on an otherwise identical unit sold elsewhere under a slightly different model number. You can see this in several (e.g., the XL335LM) models.

TomTom's lineup is MUCH larger than the list above.

 

[Rick F.]

dhn and Canderson have steered you right.

I'd just like to add that the XL-335TM (TM=lifetime traffic & maps) does not have the easy menu ? but leaves out the map of Mexico. I went with this model because it offered me a bit more room for upgrades as I'll never need Mexico. At the time Target was selling this model for $149... but now I think it's $219.

 

[DancingSpotlights]

What about the 330S? It's on final clearance for $100 this week. The only difference I can find is the 330 doesn't have lane help, which I hear doesn't work in Canada anyways. (If it worked in Toronto, it would be worth paying for.)

Memory: Is it a problem right out of the box, or only if I add extra voices and features? How fast are map file sizes increasing? I'd be willing to lose details for states I don't visit, if that's an option.

Age: How old are these models? Are they likely to be unsupported soon? I suspect "final clearance" is the answer for the 330. Or do they all have the same map format, so device age is less important?

Thanks,

 

[dhn]

Advanced Lane guidance and Reality View didn't make much of an appearance on any Canadian maps until version 845. Since then, there have been constant improvements with each release since then.

You DO see Advanced Lane Guidance for just about all the 400 series of highways in the GTA. And Reality View for some exits as well. There just isn't ALG for city streets.

I wouldn't consider a unit without ALG.

 

[ehunter]

I'd just like to add that the XL-335TM.... At the time Target was selling this model for $149... but now I think it's $219.

Amazon has one for $119 but you have to put it in your shopping cart to see the price. I think there is just one left though.

 

[canderson]

The 330 doesn't offer the "Quickmenu" system either, does it? I like having fast access to a couple of buttons at all times. I like the 335TM deal above a lot. Even the 340S is going for $93.97 at Amazon this week.

 

[DancingSpotlights]

Thanks for the help and re-assurance. The 340TM was on sale for $119 at Sears, and is now loaded with tonight's adventure on auto and two itineraries back (one allowing it to choose the expressway, the other in case I'm tired and want the slower route -- I hate high-speed lane changes at night.)

We venture into Toronto just often enough that the lane guidance will be very useful.

I can see why the itinerary feature wasn't popular on this model, to the point where users said it wasn't a useful feature and they dropped it. I think I speak its language now, Plan route, then Plan itinerary - Options - Save, but it's not natural to me.

Thanks for the help!
DancingSpotlights

 

[ehunter]

Dont update anything on the darned thing until AFTER you do a complete out-of-box backuo !!! Else there may be pain later down the road.

 

[rustybirman99]

The XL 335T (no Mexico, but 340TM otherwise) is still $119 at Amazon and available now. You should sign up for the Amazon CC at the same time and get another $30 off this purchase ($89 !!). You can cancel the card later. I had an Amazon CC I never used and got another for the extra $30 off when I got the XXL 540TM, then cancelled one.

 

[canderson]

Thanks for the help and re-assurance. The 340TM was on sale for $119 at Sears...

Outstanding! I think that was the Sears Black Friday price. Wonder if they didn't sell enough through the holidays and had some inventory left they wanted to move? You've got a full menu set and all the quarterly map updates you can eat at a decent price.

As per the post above, PLEASE don't forget:

https://www.tomtomforums.com/genera...4-how-backup-contents-your-unit-computer.html

 

[DancingSpotlights]

Backing it up now.

It worked great last night. It was a route we already knew, so a good first test. It even has lane views heading out towards Stratford, which surprised me.

Is there a way to plan a route / itinerary on the computer (bigger screen, mouse, keyboard) and copy it to the GPS? I didn't see one, but might not have looked in the right place.

 

[canderson]

There are several ways to create an itinerary file (*.itn) for your TomTom, but to ease the pain just a little, try using TomTom Home to operate your unit, go to "Itinerary planning" and "Add" points either from addresses, POI, points on the map, coordinates, or whatever. I do find that it's easier to use a mouse and keyboard than to use my fingers on the touch screen.

I often plan massive itineraries (maximum is 48 points per itinerary) for geocaching where there may be as many as 60 points to visit in a day. When I do so, it is MUCH easier to "Add" all of those POI when I can just do the search by typing in the names on my keyboard instead of on the face of the unit.

 

[DancingSpotlights]

Thanks, I'll try it again once the backup's done (and lunch). I didn't see the option last night.

It estimates an hour to copy a mere 2GB for the backup. Any ideas why so slow?

 

[dhn]

The 540 is only usb 1.1 compliant, not 2.0. Thus very slow read/writes........