| Tomtom 5 Inch Widescreen Portable Navigator Only $108.03 @ Amazon   Rated 4 of 5 Stars by 2,005 Buyers!   |
Tomtom 5 Inch Widescreen Portable Navigator
I purchased the TomTom XXL 540S a few weeks ago. This gps is the huge brother to the TomTom XL 340S. This gps just has the more prominent and more glorious 5″ screen.
I have very mixed feelings when it comes to the gps. There are a great deal of things that I like with regards to it, but there are as well so galore small details and functions that are lacking on it that TomTom either decisive not to work on or decisive to exclude. These small things that are missing drive me absolutely crazy at times and I don’t acknowledge whether or not I may stand them or not. I may consider returning this gps and getting either a Garmin or Magellan instead. I don’t recognise yet. I in truth hope TomTom starts addressing such a good deal of of these issues.
Some of my masters vs cons are under which I hope will assist others who are attempting to decide on a gps.
Pros:
+ IQ Routes (TomTom uses historical speed info for roads based on the time of day and day of the week, so that it may give you the best possible route)
+ large 5″ Screen, which is easy to see.
+ Very deafening speaker. (Option in Volume Preferences to link the volume to your cars speed whether or not you want)
+ Satellite acquition is fast (less than 10 sec for me). Shows ordinarily around 9 satellites.
+ Map Color may be changed.
+ may alter the color of the car symbol in 3D mode
+ Auto Day/Night mode changes the luminance and color.
+ Ability to prepare a route with any Depart and Destination coordinates.
+ Shows the current street that your on at the bottom of the screen and the next street to turn on in the top right corner.
+ progressed Lane Guidance on the highway is displayed in truth nicely. Shows an arrow with the lane that you need to be in and in addition at times shows a 3D sign for your exit. It is nice and large and it stays on the screen long enough to be viewed so that it is clear to see where you need to go.
+ Status bar may be customized to how you like its It may be displayed either horizontally or vertically. may show the remaining time, remaining distance, current time, arrival time, your speed and the speed limit, distance to your next turn, compass, ect.
+ TTS (text to speech) instructions are very helpful in letting you know where to turn and as well preparing you for your next turn as well. For instance it will say something like “After one qurter mile turn right”. Then as you get closer to the street it will say “Turn right Main St. Then take the second left”
Cons:
- POI (Points of Interest) Map Screen shows the POI name, street and cross street, phone, city, and state. But it gives NO street addresses! So you don’t know the address or what side of the street the POI is on, unless you call the place in front of time and ask. All you get is a checkered flag shown in the middle of the street with TomTom saying “you have reached your final destination”. On the Go model the POI Map Screen has a “Details” button that shows the street address, zip code, and food cuisine type for instance. Why TomTom decided to remove this on this model I have no idea.
- No AutoZoom enable/disable option (like on the Go model). You can manually zoom in or out on the map, but with regards to 5 sec later AutoZoom will kick in and take you right back to what TomTom wants you to see. Its very discouraging and hindering because I like to zoom in and out most times so that I can see more map detail, but TomTom won’t allow me to for anymore then regarding 5 sec. When I turn on the gps the zoom level that TomTom has picked is so bad that most all of the street outlines around me have totally vanished from the screen. All that I see are a bunch of street names just floating around on the map with no streets being shown.
- Doesn’t speak which side of the street your destination is on. (If you enter a street address for a destination however it does show a small arrow on the map pointing to the left or right hand side of the street when you are approaching your destination. Along with a small checkered flag on the side of the street your destination is on.)
- Change Preferences screen is 6 pages deep and only has a button to advance foward to the next page. There is no back button. So whether or not you say accidently go past the screen you wanted to be on you have to then press the foward button 5 more times just to get back to that page.
- No simple way to get into the Browse as Text turn lists display from the main screen.
- Browse as Text route instructions, the text and arrows for the turn list is just way to small. in addition there is no Auto Scroll function. To view the next page of new upcoming turns you have to scroll down the list manually yourself.
- POI Map Screen in Night mode shows the cross street text in black, which is exceedingly difficult to see unless you get very close to the screen.
- 3D mode for the duration of the day the maps background brightness isn’t consistent all over the whole screen. There are noticable lines across the screen where you can see the several brightness stages. Towards the bottom of the map its the brightest and then as you pan up the screen it gets more or fewer darker.
- Can’t enter the street name untill after you have entered the city. Its bad news whether or not you know the street but unsure of the city. You ought to be competent to search for the street in any city near you or near the city that you entered (if it was incorrect).
- TTS (text to speech) of multiword street names sounds once in a while garbled.
- TTS pronounces such a heap of words and streets beauteous poorly.
- Can’t change the color of the car symbol in 2D mode.
- Can’t search restaurants by cuisine type.
- No MicroSD memory card slot for expansion. Room is finelooking tight with only 2GB of internal flash memory. After removing all of the voices except for computer voice Susan and removing most of the car symbols. I still only have 105mb of space free remaining.
- Only supports USB 1.1 transfers. So when you install maps or performing backups its very slow.
Miscellaneous info: gps chipset on mine was a GL2 BCM4750 (Global Locate 2), The CPU speed is 266MHZ. 64MB of RAM.
This is a good product, that is reliable, works as expected, and comes with good client support. After I purchased and tried out this TomTom XXL 540S, I promptly installed and employed TomTom Home to update it, and used the Map Guarantee for my free full updated All this worked incisively as expected. Once I had the device and started using it, I noticed how easy it was to operate and configured It does a better than expected occupation of routing, and map accuracy is as well beauteous good. The Text to Speech function works beautiful good, this is what gives you spoken street names, places and addresses. The voice is clear and piercing piercing had to turn down the volume a bit from maximum). It does fumble such a lot of odd or alien street names.
More not so long ago I got a detect of new maps available in TomTom Home, and attempted to buy and update while signing up to the Map Update Service, which is an excellent value, as you get 4 more map updates for the duration of the next year, and you do get those, as TomTom releases 4 full map updates per year, each year. This is where the help comes in. for the duration of this update I was offered 1 full map update for regarding $12 when combined with the Map Update Service for regarding $52. This is for the North America Maps which include the US+Canada+Mexico. It let me buy the full map update, but not the Map Update Service, and it would not let me download and install it is I called TomTom client assist line on a weekday regarding 10AM, got a client aid representative in just minutes, and when I explained my issues to him, he was ready with a solution. It involved TomTom correcting a problem with my online account so my buy registered correctly, and manually deleting galore files from TomTom Home and the TomTom device, after which the update was successful. We in addition figured out that this same issue was preventing QuickGPS selective selective information from updating, and that was corrected as well. Over all I expended regarding 40 minutes on the phone. Excellent and polite service.
I also had ordered a Magellan 4700, and this device was equated to that. After 2 software updates, no map updates, and no map updates expected for 12-18 months (as per Magellan documentation), their map guarantee is worthless. Also, in the fewer than 30 days I had that unit, I applied 2 software updates to correct issues with crashing, performance, satellite acquisition, and position accuracy, it still did not work correctly and I returned it.
There are such a heap of things I wish they would bettered On this 5″ unit it becomes evident that their display is low resolution. I like the Magellan display much better. However, the Magellan is much slower to power up, and seems much less responsive. The TomTom turns on and off very quickly. And as long as QuickGPS information is current (a QuickGPS update is good for in regards to a week), it gets a repair in less than 15 seconds. In 3D view, which is normal for navigating, you can see such a good deal of color banding as the shading goes off into the distance. The TomTom is a little thicker than the Magellan, but such a heap of of that is due to the more prominent speaker the TomTom uses. I like the compact windshield mount, but it is a little tricky to snap on and off the appliances The windshield mount has a somewhat stiff swivel joint, so you need to change it with care using two hands or with the device detached. The joint being stiff is a good thing, as there is little flex, vibration or bounce for the duration of driving. But if you undertake to adjust it with your hand on the TomTom, you will just detach it from the mount. I believe this is intentional, so that the mount does not move when you attach or detach the device for theft or break in deterrent. The device reminds you to remove it on the shutdown screen for this reason, the reminder can be disabled. I wish they would make a more feature rich version of this widgets It is their greatest display, but only has the most basic features. This is equal to the ONE series. It does not have bluetooth, live services, or any extras except for an optional traffic receiver/power cord. I tried the traffic receiver, but coverage is spotty, and updates take too long to be actually usefull. A TomTom GO Live edition with an internet connection through a bluetooth connected phone is much better, but also pricier. I got this for it’s large display, as my folks are going to be using it, and they have upset seeing, and operating a small touch display. More room for fingers and bigger text. One last issue, this unit has 2GB of memory, and it is just enough. There is little room for extras. I have got rid of foreign language voices, peculiarly the text to speech, and all extras I did not need to maintain numerous free space, and allow the few customizations that I installed. I installed a vehicle cursor that matched my car, and custom shutdown and startup screens. This issue is limited on the TomTom XXL 540S World Traveler model, which has 4GB of memory, to load further and added maps for more countries. This model does not have a SD card expansion slot for additional storage. I wish I could get terrain/elevation mapping, and 3D landmarks. Watch the sky above the horizon in the display, it changes from day to night. There are clouds in the sky during the day, and twinkling stars at night.
Overall I am very pleased with my purchased The price at Amazon was good during Christmas, and free trial of Amazon Prime let me get free fast shipping on its It meet the needs of my folks, and is easy to use for them. I have pre-programmed their most ordinary destinations into it, and it performs well. With my familiarity of the TomTom interface and its easy operation, the largely don’t need my help, and if they do, I can ordinarily walk them through the menu.
Sorry that this was so long winded, but I hope this provides such a heap of utile information for your decision making. And please understand, that for the aim I purchased it for (my folks) it works genuinely well and I am very satisfied. The issues I fetch up are from my point of view, which would be a more advanced and demanding user. I have looked at a number of Personal Navigation widgets from various manufacturers, and I think the TomTom is the most easygoing to use, with good maps, usual map updates, and good client support.
Falko
I just bought it two days back. I was kind of skeptical with the map updates and activation code not working, after reading through so such a great deal of reviews affiliated with update failure etc.
So I started with a full explorer backup of the device at windows level. It took with regards to 45 minutes. Then I took another backup using Home software. That was another 45 minutes.
Then I deleted undesirable voices to free up some space. It in all probability got rid of some 30-40MB of space. There was close to 400MB free after this step.
Then I entered the activation code for lifespan free map updates using the Home software. It worked fine (at least it did not give me any errors).
Then it detected that there is new versions of map available for download. I downloaded the new maps, which took another 20 minutes or so, and took further 30 minutes to update the device.
The downloaded size of new maps was when it comes to 1.7GB, whereas the former versions of maps occupied 1.43GB. Now my device has close to 60MB free out of the 1.9GB memory it has. I think if I would not have deleted not wanted voices, I would have come close to filling up all the space.
I also downloaded the GPSquickfix.
For the safety camera, when I had entered Canada as the home country, it did not show any information available to download. But after I swopped it to US (from within HOME software), then it showed the data for US-Canada safety cameras, and I was able to download them.
So overall, I did not face any issues earlier reviewers of TomTom XL/XXL series had mentioned.
Regarding performance, I was pretty impressed with the speed it took to acquire satellite signal. I have a four year old HP-IPaq GPS (which runs TomTom software), and this new one is much more immediate than the HP one.
Now before I made this purchase, I had bought Garmin 755T last week. I did not like it for one main reason that it did not have up to date maps of my area (especially it didn’t show my home even after 7 years it is on TomTom maps). I updated the maps to latest, and still didn’t show my home street. Contacting the client help for Garmin was a pain, with 30-40 min. of wait each time I tried to call them. It was a breeze to contact TomTom support. First time I was connected instantly, and each time after that, it took only few minutes to get connected. Finally, I did not like the colour strategies and sounds which came with Garmin. May be that is my personal preferences But Garmin is not too much customizable, pretty basic stuff you can setup So it went back within few days.
Hope this review will be utile to you all.
I am a long time Garmin user. Being too cheap to recompense extra for map upgrades I decided to shop for a new GPS figuring to replace it each three years and live with the aging maps. I saw this GPS with FREE traffic and FREE map updates but hesitated because of the negative reviews about service, maps, etc.
SERVICE: Before I bought this unit I found and called the tech support number for TomTom (1-866-486-6866) to see if I would be on-hold for “6-hours”. It was more like 3-minutes. The tech support rep was very helpful, answered my questions about Garmin vs TomTom (she owned one of each), and talked honestly about the troubles they did have regarding the lifetime map updates.
After purchasing the unit I did have trouble with the lifetime map update codes and had to call tech support again. They picked up without delay this time. The trick is to upgrade the firmware and the one-time map update first- and then enter the code for the lifetime maps. Total time on the phone 10 minutes or less less then it is 6 hours for the download).
FEATURES: They are covered in the other reviews. I’ll just mention that my older eyes love the 5″ display & the brightness. Sound is nice and loud too.
PERFORMANCE: We took a camping trip to Hocking Hills Park in rural southeastern Ohio this weekend. The unit worked great even in the rural hills. The route put us at the campground 15 minutes in front of our friends who printed out a google map. When you are on a main road the unit displays the speed limit and your speed. When you get more than a few miles above the limit the display shows in red- usefull here in Ohio where they in truth like to write traffic tickets.
VALUE: I don’t talk on my cell phone while driving so I would have no use for bluetooth. Given the free map updates, free traffic, large display, etc. it’s hard to beat the bang-for-the-buck of this unit.
Brief update 7/10/2010:
Likes:
1.) The unit does a much better getting you back on track from a big parking lot than my Garmin did. When I get started out parked in the driveway it even tells me to turn around when possible to get started my trip.
2.) I really, really like the big 5″ screen
3.) Comes off the windshield posing no difficulty than the Garmin.
4.) The “Lane Assist” feature is great when driving in unfamiliar territory.
Dislikes:
1.) When looking for a store it would be helpful if the unit said the destination was on the right or left. In a mercantile area it can be hard to pick up the address.
2.) I have to turn the unit on each time I begin the car. The Garmin started up mechanically unless I turned it off.
3.) The Garmin is much better at picking up Points-of-Interest. The TomTom could not find my Gym (which is over two years old) or a nearby Mcdonalds (about a year old).
UPDATE 8/02- Unit passed from physical life after four weeks (just over the 30 day exchange-ugggh). Ok- that happens. But the Peoples Republic of Customer Service at TomTom are entirely awful to deal with. They are excellent at reading you all the footnotes & exclusions in their customer dis-service policy though. The best thing about my old Garmin unit was that in four years I never had to call customer service. If I could have a do-over I’d buy another Garmin (even without the traffic & maps) and I’d buy it from Costco so I could just interchange it rather of the ordeal of dealing with manufactures.
I really loved this GPS until it was time to update the maps. When I did, the GPS stated it was “unable to use” the new map and since I didn’t backup my maps, there was no way to go back to the old one. Looking through the GPS forums, I ran into this is a problem with Tom Tom GPS devices ranging over the last couple of years. If you decide to purchase the xxl 540, be certain to backup your maps right out of the box. There is a rather convoluted fix for this I found on the web that involves deleting the maps from both your GPS device and computer and then reinstalling from scratch.It did work for me, but before you try it, I would backup your maps to a second computer.
Although I just got this unit, I am very impressed! It’s very quick starting up, very quick in determining my emplacement and seems to be very precise in terms of exits, roads, etc. My only disappointment is that the “lifetime” map feature is based on the “useful lifetime” of the device and TomTom reserves the right to decide what the useful life is and can withdraw support for it whenever they choose toxi That importantly reduces the value of the “lifetime” map offer, but for an extra $30, it’s in all likelihood still worth it, assuming they don’t stop supporting it within a year!
I really like this GPS – I upgraded from another tomtom for the lifetime maps and lifetime traffic feature. Also tomtom has now integrated the traffic receiver into the lighter power plug (much sleeker then pictures I saw of older traffic receivers). The downside is that the lifetime map activation code that shipped with the product did not work. When I called tomtom they had me scan the activation code code and post it to them. After a week of not hearing from them and called again and the support rep told me they now need my receipt (nice of them to let me know). I posted that 5 days ago and I’m still waiting for them to notify me that they either the activation code that shipped with the box is now good or they assigned me a new working code. It appears that tomtom shipped these units BEFORE entering the activation codes in their database. This has cost me hours on the support line (two calls – so far and counting). Another negative was that the mount was defective. To tomtom’s credit they shipped me a new mount right away that works fine. Hopefully, I will have my lifetime activation code soon and all will be good. I just find it pretty lame for any company to advertise some key new feature (like LIFETIME MAPS) and then actually ship a product where the feature does not work out of the box. Come on tomtom you can do better then that. That’s enough to turn-off galore current and future buyers. The performance of the touch screen (both typing and map browsing is very slow and primitive when compared whith an Iphone/Ipad/Itouch). But I wanted a standalone GPS – without the mount and map activation problem this would likely get a 4-star.