2007 SEMA - TomTom 920 portable GPS

As competition in the GPS market continues to heat up, TomTom showed its first voice-command activated navigation system at SEMA. (We recently tested the Magellan Maestro 4050, considered the first portable unit with voice recognition.) The 920 allows users to enter a street address by speaking it to the unit rather than using a keyboard, which the manufacturer says makes it the first portable unit with this capability. Other recently introduced voice-command units can only take voice commands for pre-programmed addresses or items from their point-of-interest menu. The 920 also can continue to provide guidance when it temporarily loses its signal, such as when going through a tunnel. Another new feature enables users to press one button for their current location in an emergency, or to note where they’ve parked their car to help find it later. Called “Help Me,” this also enables users with a Bluetooth-enabled phone to summon police or a wrecker with one button, akin to a core feature of OnStar. Priced at $599.95, the 920 is in stores now. The 920 adds a traffic receiver for $100 if purchased with the unit including a one year subscription, or $129.95 if purchased later. Annual renewals cost $60 for the service. 

Voice-recognition programming is a big safety benefit for any GPS system. Without a helpful passenger, a driver trying to program a system by hand while driving is a big no-no because of the distraction from driving. While the best factory voice-recognition systems work well and are comprehensive in capability, we found the Maestro’s abilities were limited. Hopefully, the TomTom works better.

No word on whether the 920 could talk to itself with a downloaded celebrity voice...

—Jim Travers

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Comments

[Hector]

Being able to enter addresses through voice commands instead of manually is really a revolutionary feature. TomTom keeps coming out with new products putting pressure on Garmin. I thought it was a great idea when they released the ONE XL-S and made the text-to-speech function available on the ONE line. I'm interested to see how well the 920 sells!

Speaking of the SEMA show, I saw some of the cars from the show and they're gorgeous!!! I was looking at the pictures on the SEMA Insider website... I wish I was invited!

[Charles]

Why doesnt TomTom work on the sorry maps they already have. I am not ready for voice activated JUNK. I have a TomTom and right now if you check their "maps" section you will see it is closed. They have released pretty decent devices but using TomTom on them is practically crippling. GOOGLE please help, release and license a gps product!!! PLEASE! TomTom is not about quality at all, personally I think they pushed whatever was ready out the door and then laid-off the folks that should be developing updates because it wasnt going to increase revenues. Well, I for one am ready for a quality product not a different one.

[Reel]

I usually don't bother with comments but I find Charles' post compelling enough to chime in.

TomTom does make quality products, TomTom is the world leader on the PND market, and the voice-activation feature for GPS systems is not junk but definitely the way to go. Sooner or later, all GPS systems will be voice-activated, thus not only enhancing the GPS experience but reducing the risk of accidents due to driver distraction.

As for Charles' comments on TeleAtlas maps, I have recently tested both Garmin (NAVTEQ based systems) and TomTom, and found them to be equally good in North America. In fact, NAVTEQ had the street numbers reversed on a particular street where I used to live, with the street numbers going up when travelling westward while it should be the opposite. TeleAtlas had it right.

And incidentally, the reason TomTom's maps tab on their web site is closed is that TeleAtlas is currently readying a whole new set of products, some with high-definition maps of major cities that will include buildings and city icons. I am not particularly fond of those, I think the screen gets a little too crowed, just too much noice. But just the landscapes and landmarks add a nice touch.

I hope this sets the record straight. If anyone is interesed in looking at the new graphical interface, you can visit the Navigon and HP (iPAQ 310 Travel Companion) web sites, both of which are currently marketing products with the new user interface that incoporates kind of new graphical interface I've been referring to. I belive the high-end Mio also have the new interface.

Cheers!

[Anthony]

I have to add my 2cents about tele atlas maps. I recently bought a 920, used it side by side my trusty streetpilot 2610 with navteq maps. The two units gave me identical routes and each found the same poi's and address. There was no difference in a 230 mile day with 14 addresses and points of interest, buisness and residential.

There's a big lie that spreads like a virus when the uninformed keep repeating it; that tele atlas is junk. They may very well be a little behind navteq, but not by much.

[John Mallon]

How about the quality of maps in Canada.

Any info on that?

John@

[Jerome 67]

FYI . . . .

NAVTEQ was purchased by NOKIA recently. GARMIN was NAVTEQ'S primary customer and able to call most of the shots. NOKIA being a European corporation is probably change that. I expect parity between the two mapping services. Both services will bwecome commodities. The product differentiation will be the quality not the accuracy of the mapping.

[Peter]

I own a TomTom and I feel that I should chime in. I bought a Go300 a few years ago. The maps were hopelessly outdated when I got it. The did have a map upgrade late last year and that helped a little (at a cost). The problem with TomTom is they are a Europe based company. The American market, while probably their most profitable, is their lest supported. The rate of map and system updates are terrible. They did start a new program to have users update maps, but that is only for the newest model. Over the years I learned that TomTom is the least responsive to its US costumers. I am in the market for a new PND, I will look at Tomtom as well as Garmin, but Tomtom will have be be much better to sway me back!

[Bruce]

I bought the TomTom GO 920 last week with high expectation after readng up on what I thought would be the best choice between the Garmin 760/770, Magellan 4250 and the TomTom 720/920. I'm not intending to go Europe in the near future, but because of the 4 gig internal memory, I thought I could put Australia and maybe New Zealand on it, as that would be more use to me. Anyrate, since I purchased it, I have been avendated with constant problems. I have had a Garmin 660 and Magellan 4250 and wanted the TomTom 720/920 because my inlaw had the 910 and 0ne in Australia and seemed to like it. Basically because I liked the Garmin 660 a lot and wanted the street spoken features of the Garmin 760/770 I should have gone with that. The Magellan 4250 shoken POI was great. Completely hands free. Does not have the spoken street reconition though. Its split screen was really great. Easy navigation. The blue tooth phone was easy, but does not have reconition of the music files of my phones mini Sd or the Sd card you can instale in the GPS. If it had that it would be a serious contender of Garmins 760. Anyrate to get back to the TomTom 920 the unit has turned off three time and I had to do a softstart(Taking the Sd card out, pressing the reset button install the Sdcard ond turn it on.) The unit doesn't speak the road I'm turning into and when I try to change to a computer voice there's none. Also coming down a street it will stay turn right numerous times. Also going along the freeway it wll tell me to stay to the left before every exit. Even when three or four lanes. When a destination was programmed it when put on simulation mode went in circles. Support was contacted within a minute or two but the music and bluetooth wasn't resolved until I worked it out. Also the maps in my area are not as coplete as Garmins and Magellans. Many of the roads that have been here for two to over three years are still missing. I will try again tomorrow, but this is it. If it is not resolved back it goes

[Curt Ansell]

Am looking to purchase my first GPS and would like to hear others comments as to experiences and ease of use. I work in a large Canadian city making daily deliveries and often would like to take trips in other North American areas of both Canada and the U.S. I have been told that Garmin has the most up to date maps using Navtech and that there is no charge for updating them. Tom Tom was another unit used by some other drivers but a store rep. informrd me that Tom Tom now charges for any updates. I think the new voice recognition sounds like a safer and faster way to go. Any ideas?

[Drew]

I have owned two (2) other GPS units (both Garmins -- a 360 and a 660) and am now looking for one for my wife. I've never had a complaint other than having to update the maps and the questionable TRAFFIC broadcasts. Usually its right only about 50% of the time, but it is nice to have an OPTION to route around traffic when that becomes an issue.

I have friends who have a Magellan, but it seems 10-15 seconds slower than Garmin when drawing maps and/or "re-calculating" routes when you've missed a turn or were two far to the right and couldn't get over for a left-hand turn in time.

I've been relatively happy with the Garmins and I think people are lucky buying now if you're a new purchaser. Competition from cellphones and other form-factors has made the price plummet from $850 to $600 now down at about $300 (on-line) for a unit with a ton of features. However, after reading this board I'll stick to the Garmin line of products.

[Janet]

I recently bought a TomTom 920T and a Garmin 660. After doing tons of research and talking to various people I am still no closer to deciding which one that I want to keep. Can anyone tell me which is really better?

[david]

hey i just got a tomtom go 920 and when i did the start up with the instructions it was in a nother lang how do i fix it

[Dan]

I have the 910 and unless something earth shattering happens I will not be buying another TomTom. It has numerous mapping/routing issues that I can not get resolved through TomTom.

The unit insists the dead end street I live on is a one way. It refuses to route me down the largest surface road in the area even though it the the street at the end of my dead end street. It will plot me a route that is 10 miles long to get me to a destination that is 3 miles away because it wont route on this main artery. Even after the update about 20% of the addresses I type in it can't find. It has a bug where if I need to navigate to an address on a numbered street, like Route 68, it wont do it. I am supposed to know the local street name, which as you can imagine changes from town to town, as opposed to the one assigned it by the government. I used it side by side with a Roadmate 700 driving from West Palm Beach FL to Chicago and it was inferior in every way.

I have submitted numerous requests for map updates and called customer support for assistance. I just wish I had not waited for the promised map update which happened about 10 days after my window of opportunity to return this unit. I am stuck with it until my wife calms down, after I wasted $500 on this unit, and believes me when I say it is this specific unit and not all GPS units that don't work.

[J Bretz]

I had aMagellan Roadmate 700. After about 6 months while travelling in southern california it died on me when I really needed it. Really liked i and they sent me a another ne. About 6 months later while travelling in New York and relying on it to get me back out west it again quit. It was great when it workdbut will go with something else due to reliability.

[Mary]

I just got the TomTom 920T and like it so far. But, I keep having problems with it shutting down while I am driving and following it's direction. I can't find anything about it in the handbook. As a matter of fact I can't find any section called troubleshooting in the handbook. Any ideas?

Thanks

[Jo-Ann Paul]

I just recieved a TomTon ONE LE for christmas, before I open it and charged a restocking fee if I need to return, does anyone have any comments about it. Is it ok or should I return it now? Thank you for your advice.Jo-Ann

[Audrey]

In a HURRY to RETURN my Tom-Tom. My family and I traveled to Oralndo this week and Tom-Tom was a HUGE disappointment. Many Stores & Outlets were missing from GPS. If you don't follow its direction it will tell you to "Turn Around" if you choose not to turn around it leaves you hanging. The Garmin will re-calulate a new direction, but not Tom-Toms.

My Family member and I traveled with both Garmin & Tom together. The Garmin 200 did excellent, The Tom-Tom was a continuous FAILURE.

[FredR]

I just bought a TomTom One and am taking it back as soon as the lines shorten. It was only $150 at WalMart but I am not happy at all with it.

I was driving down the interstate with no exits anywhere around and suddenly it said "turn left." On a 6 hour drive it would often say "in 600 yards" and then nothing. It is difficult to understand the routing on a long trip, and if you don't like the route you can't add intermediate stops, you need to program each individual leg.

I also could not trust it, it was often telling me to turn when there was no road near.

Finally, it kept losing satellites in wide open areas.

I agree with the junk comment above.

This pig is going back, even though Ihad to destroy the plastic clamshell to get it out.

Frerd

[Darin]

I just got a TomTom 920 for Christmas. I'm returning it to the store and buying another product because it is awful. I tried it around town using common routes I use, and this unit consistantly chooses the wrong route, usually a winding, cockeyed course. Just setting it up presented many problems - the unit did not display the start-up menu, it was stuck in the wrong language, I could not set my "home" waypoint, the default map was set to Guam, it has problems connecting to the computer, the website it uses for downloads is very slow to load, my promotional code for free maps does not work, it could not connect to my cell phone (a supported phone according to their website), along with many other issues. Oh, and a comment on that "slick" voice recognition feature? It works very well...BUT you still have to page through menus and read the screen as you use it. It's just as easy to type in entries. With with either method, you must pull over to the side of the road to use them. So, what's the advantage of voice recognition?

[Scott]

WOW - Well I just bought a 920T and was anxious to receive it. I think I might refuse delivery and go with the Garmin 760...Any thoughts?

[Bob]

I got a new Tom Tom 920 for Christmas. First issue out of the box was that I couldn't connect to their web site to register or to update the software (kept timing out before connecting). After tearing my network apart, I finally came to realize the issue was on Tom Tom's side; their servers were being overwhelmed with new users all trying to do the same thing I was trying to do. For a company who claims to be a worldwide player and spends millions on marketing, this was very disappointing (Note to Tom Tom CEO - Fire your Chief Information Officer; this was a rookie mistake). I tried to call their help desk number only to get a recording to say they were closed - on Christmas, when thousands of new, impressionable customers were opening their new Tom Tom's and unable to connect. (Note to Tom Tom CEO -If you were hesitating on firing your Chief Information Officer, don't; he/she really has to go).

On to functionality. I live the National Capital Area (Washington, DC) and have found the maps to be fine. They don't always route the way I want to go, but quickly re-route when I choose a different direction.

I was disappointed in the Bluetooth Phone - It doesn't work with my LG cell phone from Verizon, even though the phone is Bluetooth enabled and works fine with other hands free devices. Also doesn't work with my wife's Motorola Razor. Go figure.

I also was disappointed that you can't easily add a route entered as a "Favorite". Instead you seem to have to re-enter the address all over again to make it a favorite. What's that about?

By the way, the documentation provided with the Tom Tom 920 was abysmally lacking. It only covers the absolute basics, so don’t expect much help there.

One final note to the Tom Tom CEO. Here’s the formula for success – give your customers what they want: #1. Accurate maps. After all this is why we buy a GPS in the first place. #2. Functionality and ease of use. Those little touches – like being able to add a route as a favorite – make a difference. #3 Customer Service. Get someone to answer your help desk lines – especially on Christmas day.

[Lou]

I'm certainly no expert when it comes to GPS systems, but I don't get all the negative TomTom comments. Maybe the lower models have issues, but I just bought a 920 and it works great. I love the voice recognition feature! It get it right almost all the time! I live in the Philadelphia area, but I am planning on using it all over Florida next week...Let's see if my good luck continues!

[Lou]

Which models are we referring to? If you're referring to the $150 model...that's what you get for $150. The comments on this thread are SUPPOSED to refer to the TomTom 920. If you are having trouble bith a 920 or 920t that is a problem, but common sense would dictate that you can't compare a $150 unit with a $500 or $600 unit. As I said before, I've only had my 920 since yesterday, but it it seems to work great....The voice recognition actually works MUCH better than I expected. You just have to speak clearly. I'll see if I feel the same way after taking my 920 to Florida! So far, so good! All that and maps of Europe, too! It's a bargain! By the way, everytime I'm in Europe I notice that most everyone seems to have a TomTom. I realize that I will be using mine mostly in the US, but it's great to know it is loaded with some of the very best European maps as well. And how about that remote control...

[Mark Simmons]

I've used several GPS units going back as far as 1995, and the Garmin NUVI 660 is the best I've ever owned. I can't say enough good things about this unit. Quality, features, size, ease of use - all top notch!

The Nuvi 660's immediate predecessor was a Tom Tom Go 700 that was virtually useless because (a)the screen washed out completely in daylight (think laptop in direct sunlight); (b)the screen font was unreadable at any size or unit position (I wear glasses for distance); and (c) polarized sun glasses caused the screen to black out with slight head movements left or right. (I don't know why the reviewers don't test for these kinds of things, but they ought to.) I also have had annoyingly unsuccessful interactions with TomTom customer support. They generally seem to assume their customers are idiots by responding to specific queries with scripted (i.e. useless) answers. One specific example: the screen of the TomTom 700 was damaged - I had a simple question: how do I get it replaced, and how much will it cost? After several uninformative e-mails back and forth to TomTom customer service, it finally came down to: we really don't know - send it to us and we'll get back to you. The "estimated" cost, excluding shipping and insurance...? Well, let's just say I could buy a brand new unit for about 100 bucks more than the cost to replace the LCD screen. I wouldn't go near any TomTom again.

The Garmin Nuvi 660 has *none* of the above flaws. The Nuvi 660 has just about the best screen I've ever used. Garmin customer support is GREAT! I would buy any Garnin product again in a New York Minute :-)

[not pleased]

went through 2 920's in 9 months without any mishandling, just practical use. I'll never buy another one. 2 BIG THUMBS DOWN!!!