Can a European* navigation system help you find your way in the United States? That question got a straight YES when TomTom entered the market and while not perfect, it sure gained the respect of mostly PDA users in both camps PalmOS and PocketPC. In its latest incarnation, Navigator still supports both systems (plus Symbian smartphones) and comes with a small Bluetooth GPS receiver. (A wired version is available too.)

* ... TomTom is located in the Netherlands

Note: For updates on Navigator 5 on Palm's LifeDrive please skip to the end of the review


TABLE OF CONTENTS

1. In The Box
2. TomTom in PDA Usage
3. In a Nutshell
4. Installation
5. Main Features in Detail
6. Lost or found?
7. Online Resources
8. Updates



IN THE BOX (US)

- TomTom wireless GPS receiver
- Application CD (PalmOS, PocketPC, Symbian)
- Eight CDs containing USA maps
- Printed Quickstart Guide
- Printed GPS unit overview
- Cigarette lighter charger cable for GPS receiver
- Product Code card
- TomTom PLUS information
- Installation poster

Note: Despite most pictures on the box and in advertisement, the package does not contain a PDA, smartphone, or holder for your car.

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PDA USAGE

Until the late 90s, PDA stood mostly for public display of affection and with the introduction of the Palm V the acronym morphed into a similarly passionate relationship ... to a personal digital assistant. It wasn't until recently that the storage capacity and computing power of any PDA made it possible to provide directions in competitive manner to the dedicated GPS devices.

In fact, palmOne's LiveDrive even provides the capacity to store all included maps on the 4GB hard drive, and a hires screen to display it well. However, most other (high-end) PDAs offer similar features within the scope of GPS usage. Compared to dedicated solutions the PDA GPS is very flexible and universal as far as switching between cars and even using it on a motorcycle. All this comes at the price of having to deal with individual devices (charger, PDA, receiver). Further, integration in the car's audio system is virtually non-existent and updates regarding traffic jams etc. require an internet connection (add a bluetooth enabled phone to the list).

Dedicated GPS navigation devices are typically between $1000 and $1800 (when integrated in a car stereo). Should you already own a PDA, it's more cost efficient to simply buy the software and a proper receiver. Functionality is typically the same with a few shortcomings of PDAs compared to integrated systems mostly found in today's top-of-the-line cars. Namely, the audio integration that allows voice announcements via the sound system and (in Europe) the use of RDS data to download traffic information and ultimately eliminate the need for internet access.

Nevertheless, handheld GPS devices like PDAs and Smartphones are increasingly popular due to portability and maybe even TomTom Navigator.

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IN A NUTSHELL

Okay, almost everybody with a PDA or Smartphone might have heard about TomTom, be it for the funny name or the raving reviews in the press. By the way, the name truly was inspired by the native American drum by the same name. Nevertheless, the previous version received mixed reviews specifically in regard to the performance of the GPS hardware. Further, the Palm version was significantly lacking behind the PocketPC in features. Navigator 5 changes all that ...

The new GPS receiver sports a much more powerful chipset and is poised to eliminate the bad image with a bang. The biggest news for Palm users is the use of a common navigation engine for both PalmOS and PocketPC. Finally both versions are virtually identical -- only to be different in platform specific aspects like menu structure and so on. (Palm users will find the PocketPC implementation slightly cumbersome and vice versa.)

The software received several updates which are more significant for Palm users and relatively minor for PocketPC users (compared to Navigator 3). Version 5 now fully supports TomTom PLUS, an internet (and fee) based service to get updated traffic reports, weather information as well as new maps, updates and even new announcer voices (if you find the ones included to be boring). Most PDAs will need access to an internet enabled phone to use this functionality on the go. Exceptions are smartphones like the palmOne Treo 650.

I will focus on my setup, which is a PalmOS handheld (LiveDrive). Most features are directly applicable to PocketPC and smartphones with little or no differences.

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INSTALLATION

The included instructions were not too helpful and the vital so-called installation poster can be easily missed since it's folded together to a credit card sized piece of paper (poster?). It should take about half an hour to complete the following procedure ...

1. Install software from Applications CD
2. Install at least one map or region from Maps CD1 (!)
3. Sync handheld to transfer software
4. Turn Bluetooth on and find GPS receiver (!)
5. Startup TomTom on handheld and follow initial setup
6. Open map and select "Activate" for device code
7. Register product code and device code at www.ttcode.com
8. Enter returned activation code in handheld
9. Follow final setup procedure and done!

With those steps the application installed just fine onto the expansion card of my palmOne LiveDrive (recommended).

Initially missing the "installation poster", the www.tomtom.com website only provided the European version (with SD memory card instead of CD) which skips over the map installation since it's all already on the SD card. A map is needed to enter TomTom's activation screen and provide the device code.

Next stop is the registration website www.ttcode.com, where both the product code (in the package) and the device code (from the PDA screen) must be entered in order to obtain an (instant) application code. That is needed in order to finally activate the software. The only 2 steps left are specifying your home address and selecting the type of GPS receiver. The latter promptly resulted in a reset due to a "fatal exception" (crash), apparently since the Bluetooth connection was still off. This turned out to be not the last hurdle, but for now it was TomTom's time to impress.

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5. MAIN FEATURES IN DETAIL

- Documentation ***--
- Hardware ****-
- Bluetooth *****
- Battery ***--
- Startup ****-
- Signal Quality ****-
- User Interface *****
- Maps ****-
- Route Planning *****
- Directions *****
- Audio / Voice ****-
- Contacts ***--
- Technical Support ****-
- TomTom PLUS *----

Documentation: Biggest problem turned out to be that the setup software is not descriptive enough to explain the installation options. Bad! Once installed, the software provides many mini guides upon first use of every feature. Nice! The printed manual (also called Quick Start Guide) is reasonably helpful and illustrated, but by no means comprehensive or even "fool-proof". It gets only slightly better once everything is installed as the electronic manual on CD covers the basics but does not help in anyway with tasks that should not be a problem but somehow manage to be anyway (like installing additional maps).
Rating: ***--

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Hardware: The new Bluetooth GPS receiver replaces the previous troubled version. It's small and the use of the SiRF Star III chipset promises top-of-the-line tracking performance and battery life. In fact, in an odd kind of way the housing goes well with the design of the LiveDrive -- both are somewhat boxy minimalistic. The silver plastic isn't as classy as the metal cladding of the LiveDrive but overall they're a good match. The top and bottom surface are made of a non-slip material for good position, but teflon treated surfaces easily overcome that.
There is one power button and two LEDs (one for the GPS status and another for the battery and charging). Both are virtually impossible to see in bright light (outdoors), but reasonable inside the car. The button has very subtile tactile feedback and the only sure way to know that it's on is the LED -- if it's not too bright outside.
Rating: ****-

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Bluetooth: has become increasingly popular to communicate between electronic devices like cellphones or handhelds and their peripherals. The wireless interface of TomTom allows to use the receiver with any device (including laptops) that supports Bluetooth -- without any specific adapter or cable! Hence, even if you switch devices (i.e. to a smartphone) TomTom goes with you. Signal strength is great and even several yard away (>5), my LiveDrive still got a good connection with TomTom's receiver.
Rating: *****

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Battery: The integrated Li-Ion holds up to 10 hours under normal use, which is less than other top receivers with the same chipset, but still quite passable considering the small size of the device. Recharge time clocks in at 4 hours. There is no battery status for the receiver other than the bi-modal LED on the device. Navigator's GPS sub-screen is the only place to show the PDA's battery condition. Neither PDA nor receiver battery status can be displayed in the map view.
Since there is only a car charger included, the wireless idea of Bluetooth is somewhat defeated as one has to charge it while in the car anyway. I found one compatible 5V/1A wall charger at Radioshack (plug size B) which would be essential if you plan to use the TomTom receiver predominantly outside a car. However, the $25 kept me so far from going that route.
Rating: ***--

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Startup: Time is "money" and due to the high-performance chipset the startup time is relatively short (for a GPS receiver). Cold start takes less than 1 minute and warm starts are complete in about half that time. Hot starts even clock in at below 10 seconds and all that is due to the used chipset which is currently one of the most powerful in the market. Yet, it's not instant either! With the GPS receiver turned on, TomTom automatically enables Bluetooth if needed and connects reliably. The exception of the rule is the case where you turn the PDA off with TomTom running (which ultimately turns Bluetooth off too). Now the application must be exited and restarted in order to "find" the receiver.
Rating: ****-

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Signal Quality: While mostly due to the chosen chipset, the GPS signal is very reliable and in many situations stays rock-solid. Exceptions are coated windshields and very thick tree crowns as well as indoor use. Coated windshields are relatively seldom in the US, and even if you should end up in one of the select few, the signal strength in otherwise unobstructed situations is still surprisingly solid and should that fail, one can still put the receiver in the back window. (Ragtops have a natural advantage.) My reception usually stays right at a full 5 bars (or 9 satellites) when in the car and even indoors at around 3 bars (3 - 5 satellites) near the window. Natural enemies of any satellite signal are tightly spaced high-rise buildings (NY anyone?), thick tree crowns and of course buildings inside. Fortunately the TomTom receiver is far more powerful than Garmin's Forerunner 301 and the GEX-P910XM xm radio receiver. However, it can't do magic either.
Rating: ****-

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Interface: Upon startup, the user is presented with an icon based interface that resembles the Palm launcher. It provides easy access to the wealth of functions via large icons which invite finger navigation rather than dictate the stylus. It sure looks good in hires and a little stretched in hires-plus, overall user guidance is very good. Both PocketPC and Palm version function and behave virtually identical. The standard sequential keyboard can be replaced with a Qwerty layout and even night driving sports specific color scheme though there is no automatic preset based on time of the day. The preferences and menu are easily accessible by tapping on the main screen and then the subsequential icons which are large enough for convenient finger use. The only inconvenience is the sequential navigation through menus that often requires flipping through pages to get back to the previous one.
Rating: *****

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Maps: Once installed, you can route between states as long as they're in the same region of the chosen set. Beside the standard regional division, one can choose to install specialized combinations of neighboring states via "Others". For longer trips (i.e. coast to coast), TomTom requires switching maps at least between start area, major highways USA and the destination area. It does not automatically switch between loaded maps based on position. Overall accuracy is great and up-to-date at least from what I can tell in my region. Maps with 1 to 3 states (30 - 130 MByte) load relatively quickly and especially if you can narrow your region down, route calculation and scrolling is near real-time on my LiveDrive. (Not sure how that translates to other PDAs, but the LiveDrive has an inherent delay due to hard drive spinup time.
Rating: ****-

[Note: The following is a PalmOS problem.] Hotsync's limitation in file size may be good as a safety net, but due to the large file size of TomTom's maps (20 - 80 MByte / state) installation turned out to be a major hurdle at first. PalmOne even recommends to use the LiveDrive Manager instead -- if you're using the LiveDrive of course. Simply install maps onto the PC's hard drive and transfer them via LiveDrive Manager (PalmOS) onto the handheld harddrive. Other devices often allow a "drive mode" for the memory extension card too.

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Route Planning: The heart of any GPS based navigator, and TomTom is well equipped in this area. Of course you can route between 2 points. Since barely any trip is a straight A - B, it also allows to route via defined points as well as avoid pre-defined areas. With TomTom PLUS you can even take the traffic situation into consideration for possible detours before getting stuck in traffic. Should you change your mind or miss a turn, TomTom proposes within a very short time (about 50 - 100 yard) an alternative route or simply prompts you to turn around if there is no good alternative. Points of interest (POI) can be found by address or name, though the included database is not very extensive.
Rating: *****

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Directions: Once the route has been laid out, instructions are very clear and mostly detailed. You get to choose between a map view in 2D or 3D. Either zooms automatically depending on the map situation and whether it's more important to see the intersection detail or look ahead on a straight section. Alternatively one can turn the map mode completely off and rely on arrow diagrams to guide you. It can even be defined to automatically switch to this mode when reaching a definable speed (for safety). The graphic representation works mostly well, with a few exception where some guess work is required since the picture doesn't fit the actual intersection. This seems mostly relevant for intersections that recently have been changed. Further, backroads that have a history of changing names may not be represented correctly in TomTom as a recent trip to nearby Saluda revealed. In the end, TomTom supposedly found the address but about 11 miles away in a different town. (It never alerted us that the address was actually in Hendersonville.)
Rating: ****-

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Audio & Voice: Despite the "whimpy" speaker in my LiveDrive (which is still better than most PDAs) and the noisy interior of my car (S2000), the spoken instructions are very easy to understand. Granted it does not have the ooomph or quality of an integrated Car stereo with GPS, but it is good enough to skip the idea of adding more clutter to my car in form of an external speaker. Instructions are limited to directions and distance. So far TomTom does not "speak" street names. Often small roads are listed by their generic description and not the name (i.e. NC1701 instead of Springs Road). Should you not like the voice, you can choose between 5 (American) English speakers alone. All those are of great quality, though checking the two German voices was less impressive - neither sounded native to me. Anyway, if you like it more cheesy you can also buy a themed (American) voice online via TomTom PLUS services. However, all those 4 voice-overs are getting old quickly. Would you want a GPS talking to you with a Granny voice all the time? On the contrary, John Cleese's voice sure is one of the highlights in the British voices with the wit of Monthy Pyton. No matter what voice, TomTom speaks to you well. Unlike some integrated (high-end) solutions, Navigator does not listen to your voice commands. Bossy little thing! ;-)
Rating: ****-

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Contacts: Navigator 5 allows to retrieve an address directly from your contacts (address book), but not from within the program. A small program allows you to select an entry by name (not address) and transfers the street address etc. to TomTom while launching the Navigator. Hence, once in the program one has to quit it and restart via this little helper. The only benefit of doing so is that one doesn't have to remember the address when looking it up in Contacts.
Rating: ***--

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Support: Mostly during the installation, I had a few questions that neither manual nor FAQ could answer. Finding the proper page on www.tomtom.com to submit a technical question is not easy and follows the same confusing structure as the whole website. Nevertheless, I opened four cases and all of them were answered in less than 24 hours. However, in two out of four cases the only feedback was that TomTom is currently in the process of testing Navigator 5 with the LiveDrive and no further information is currently available.
Rating: ****-

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TomTom PLUS: is an online service that will allow to download map updates and even new maps via either PC or internet enabled phone. However, this service is currently only partially available and only traffic information and additional voices can be downloaded so far. TomTom is relatively guarded on the pricing and no good information is available at this point. However, apparently maps for Western Europe will be available end of July 2005 and American city maps in August. Considering the effort needed to have access to traffic data on the road, and the partial availability of the service, I'll give it 1 star for the idea. (I might come back later to revise.)
Rating: *----

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LOST OR FOUND?

After intial confusion due to the installation difficulties as described above, Navigator 5 is now a very helpful device with accurate directions presented by a high quality voice that you can choose. Maps include the US only right now but will eventually be available for Western Europe as well.

The little receiver knows to impress with excellent signal stability and good design. The drawback of a car charger only arrangement may be forgiven in most cases, but not if you don't plan to use it in a car (ever).

Overall software is excellent regarding accuracy and ease of use. The maps look awesome, customization of map color and appearance along with the famous 3D mode make it easy to love Navigator at first sight. But it's more than that, as routing functions are powerful and adaptive to the situation.

Points of interest are relatively scarce and certain businesses seem to receive preferential treatment. (On my road to work with an old Route66 gas station and a new Exxon, only the latter is actually listed in TomTom.) Of course you can define your own and once that's done, they're very easy to navigate, and can even be used to include detours in your route planning.

Due to the use of a PDA, a major shortcoming is driven by that. The display (in-)visibility in bright sunlight (i.e. in convertibles) makes the Navigator's map display virtually useless, but voice directions are still helpful. Convertibles are excluded though at higher speeds as the wind noise easily overrides the capability of a PDA speaker and feeding into the car's stereo may be necessary (typically AUX input). Further, the necessary holder adds clutter to the car, not to mention one or two power cords. (That's where the integrated car system by default is a lot nicer!)

At $299.- MSRP TomTom offers a great receiver and software to match, but unfortunately without proper documentation. The first shipment to the US seems to have sold out quickly and that limits bargains. The best offer today was $234.- (my price) and that is certainly a proper amount for this little gem (receiver and software alike). However, this is most likely not the only expense since a PDA holder for your car doesn't come with the package. Further, make sure to have enough storage place available.


© 2005, theuerkorn


ONLINE RESOURCES

- Product home page
http://www.tomtom.com/products/product.php?ID=103&Language=4

- GPS general information
http://www.gpspassion.com/

- Purchase additional maps (Western Europe)
http://www.mobileplanet.com/product.asp?pf_id=MP731625%AC&dept_id=2320

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UPDATES

[19-Apr-2006] - TomTom recently published update 5.201 for Palm devices which will cause a "Insufficient DB Cache" error and exit the program. It turns out that this update is for the Treo 700w only (Windows Mobile) -- despite the claimed update for PalmOS devices. (Typo?) When reverting back to the previous update 5.12, Navigator crashed right after the splash screen. Technical support basically responded: "If possible, it is best to install all Navigator files and map data to the SD card rather than the internal memory of your LifeDrive. This problem occurs every so often and not with every device. To avoid any future problems, please reinstall Navigator and the map data to a clean SD card." Indeed, moving the files to the SD card fixed the problem with update 5.12. (You might have remove and try a fresh install to the SD card if you're unclear on how and where to move files.)

[23-Oct-2006] - The new Navigator 6 is awaiting its commercial release and first information revealed that TomTom dropped support for most Palm handhelds and only the latest Treo's are listed. Whatever the reason, that makes Navigator 5 the only choice for owners of the LifeDrive or the TX.

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Recommended: Yes