TomTom has grasped the opportunity to announce another new generation of GO's at the annual consumer electronics fair IFA in Berlin. This new generation consists of the GO x40 series which is shipped with the new LIVE services. As well as this new model, there's also the new entry level GO, the GO 630.
Device
The new GO x40 LIVE series, which will be available as the GO 540, 740 and 940, features a new look, but the difference between the x20 and X30 series are not Earth shattering. The light sensor and the opening for the microphone are fitted to the right of the screen, instead of on top. This makes the x40 somewhat wider than the first GO models. On the other hand, the new series is also a bit thinner than its predecessors. TomTom also added a new, less sensitive on/off button to the devices. The x40 LIVE weighs 220 grams, which is just a tad more than the x30 series.
Technical
Technically, the new GO x40 LIVE is different from the x20 and x30 series. The newcomer in the GO family features a new take on connections. There's no direct connection with USB cable, RDS/TMC antenna or iPod, and the SD card slot has been replaced by a micro SD card slot.
The x40 is shipped with an entirely new active car mount. The X40 sits in this mount. The only connector on the X40 is the docking connector that it slots into when attached to the mount. This mount is, in case of the GO 940 LIVE, equipped with connections for the 12V power supply, RDS/TMC antenna and iPod. This way, TomTom is making life easier for the motorist. There will be no need to keep connecting and disconnecting cables. The active mount of the 540/740 LIVE models do not feature the RDS/TMC and and iPod connections. The mount is attached to the windscreen or the dashboard of the car by means of a suction cup with a turning knob.
For home use, TomTom GO LIVE is shipping with a docking station. This is for the charging of the unit, connecting it to the computer and using it with the desktop application TomTom HOME.
The new GO models feature a new, larger speaker on the back of the device. The space taken by the speaker seems 50% bigger than that of the previous models. The new speaker should provide more volume and better sound quality.
Software
Also with regards to software there is news to report. The x40 is shipped with the new 8.2 version of TomTom's NavCore software. This version features new, fresh icons and the option of controlling the software with your voice. Combined with the new v8.10 maps, the owner of an x40 can use the next generation of the IQ routes technology. When calculating a route, this technology takes historical data into account on each roads that lies on the route, every day of the week, every time of day, with an interval of 5 minutes. Depending on the predicted road congestion on the different roads, the optimal route is calculated.
The new NavCore version contains improved and expanded functionality for the lane guide assistant ('Advanced Lane Guidance') and Map Share. The GO 940 LIVE features EPT, an FM transmitter and an MP3 player. These features are not available with the GO 540 and 740 LIVE.
LIVE
An entirely new feature with the GO x40 LIVE are TomTom's LIVE services, a package of services which should lift the navigational experience to a higher level. For the LIVE services, the GO x40 uses a built-in SIM card which downloads the necessary data automatically via GPRS.
An important part of LIVE is the HD Traffic service, which is already operational in Holland. An entirely new service is Safety alerts, a service for real-time information on safety cameras, with which users can keep each other up to date. Other new LIVE services are Fuel Prices (up-to-date information on fuel prices) and the option of searching for destinations with Google, after which a simple tap of the screen is enough to plot a route to this destination. Already existing features like Weather and Buddies are now also a part of LIVE.
The TomTom GO x40 will appear in the shops this autumn. First in the Netherlands, Germany, The UK, France and Switzerland for the price of £ 349 for the TomTom GO 540 LIVE. This is including three months free use of LIVE. After this period, users can pay for a monthly flat-fee subscription of £ 9.95.
TomTom GO 630
Another surprising introduction at IFA is the TomTom GO 630 which is meant to be the new cheap entry-level model within the GO range. The device is more or less equal to the GO 730, but it's shipped with the maps of 22 Western European countries. The 630 also does not feature an MP3 player or FM transmitter. Depending on the country where the unit is bought there will be three different versions of this SatNav: one without traffic information (GO 630), one with RDS/TMC antenna included (GO 630 T) and one with a HD Traffic receiver (GO 630 HDT)
The GO 630 is also expected in the shops this autumn. The recommended retail price for this model is £ 299. The (HD) Traffic version will be £ 50 more expensive.
Other news:
March 2
Posted on: August 29, 2008 - 00:26 hour
By:
Wishlist
The problem with the bulky mounts is where to stuff them when you stop the car. I thought we had got over all that with the X20s and 30s which have a really solid, simple and yet tiny mount. Having an active mount is of no use to 99% of us because we still have to disconnect it all anyway to hide the mount from the toerags who think they have some right of ownership over anyone’s property. So smaller is better.
Also the love for my gadget that I used to have has gone. I wouldn’t want to swap it yet as it still does the job it should do. I just feel ripped off by TT and their money grabbing ideas of launching a new product, which is really the old product with a software tweak that either wont work or is of no practical use at all... but still denying the tweak to the people that have already donated to the TT coffers in the first place. They used to be such a customer friendly company. Maybe it’s just me, Dunno. I am not the fan I once was and am wandering further away almost daily.
Posted on: August 29, 2008 - 01:12 hour
By:
sgould
I really agree with you. I am happy with my GO700. It's far better than the built-in DVD based system in my car.
I have all the CD/radio/handsfree phone already. I just need a navigator with downloadable PoIs. The only real drawback of the 700 was the size of the hard drive. But that has been solved by swapping it for an 8GB CF card, which is faster and has loads of room for the W&CE map and the North America one I bought in the "sale"
Why anyone wants to play mp3 through a 2 inch speaker is beyond me.....
And the new 940T has the hidden cost of a working SIM card for GPRS in addition to the traffic subscriptions.......
Posted on: August 29, 2008 - 09:44 hour
By:
Julf
I am sticking to my 700 too, mainly because I need to feed the sound output to the car amp and speakers to get enough sound volume (my cars are either rather open and/or very noisy). A FM transmitter won't do, as I want to listen to radio and my existing 240G mp3 player, but still have driving instructions come through.
I also find it rather wasteful to have another GPRS SIM and subscription just for the satnav, when I always have my phone with me anyway.
Posted on: August 29, 2008 - 14:23 hour
By:
Holdfast
I am a TT930 owner, and not very happy. I bought the 930 on the understanding that HD Traffic was to be up and running June this year. It seems that TomTom have duped loyal customers of the TomTom brand into buying a product that they clearly they did not intend updating in the way they stated. I can only assume that we will have to wait until after the introduction of the 940 before we can get the chance to use HD Traffic.
What would TomTom have to say to we 930 owners
Posted on: August 29, 2008 - 21:11 hour
By:
stingray
GPRS is too slow I cannot see these services amounting to much at all. I would have thought a 3G sim at least. I bought an iPhone 3G and use the maps on there and have all the net services one could ever wish for and through a 3G network.
Chalk up another one for the "I won't be buying it" sector
ALways been a TT Upgrader, from TT2 on my XDA thru all incarnations of the GO, just the last few have had me depressed with non working features, and the fix coming as a new product rather than getting the existing products working.
I went from the 910 to the 920 as I wanted a more compact unit. Then there was the farce of the 930 not having HD traffic, and too little memory to have all the maps and voices working properly.
I have gone back to a 920 It does what I need, it has the latest maps it works as a hands free. (I get unlimited Data for traffic at 3G speeds (rather than GPRS on the 940s) for just £5 a month on "3" PAYG.
So there is no way I am paying them another wedge for this pointless upgrade (Google Oh Come on!!!). If it had Google earth with real time maps overlaid with Satnav and the images available to download by 3G anyehere in the world and Pan Euro traffic, then you may have prised my wallet out of my pocket.
Posted on: August 30, 2008 - 11:47 hour
By:
mrsmith
Well I will be getting one! Can we put in a petition for Garmin to change their name to......."We copy every other manufacturers features as we dont have any ideas of our own?" come on, lane assistance, map guarantee....hmmmm fair enough they did pioneer gps (not road) but are getting so left behind by even the "smaller" manufacturers. lol
Posted on: August 30, 2008 - 13:18 hour
By:
Holdfast
I have been advised that it is likely that come the release of the TT 940, they will also release the HD accessory for the 930. So this would go some way to placate the 930 users. I for one feel a little better.
Posted on: August 30, 2008 - 19:48 hour
By:
Colin K
I am going to hang on for the GO 990 - it will have an in-built refrigerated "mini bar", chemical lavatory, and a barbecue.
Colin
Posted on: August 31, 2008 - 10:29 hour
By:
Holdfast
I am with you Colin, its about time we, meat eating incontinent alcoholics got some support.
Posted on: August 31, 2008 - 22:47 hour
By:
CND
Seems poor taste and not that environmentally friendly to force hardware purchase for yet another software upgrade, that perhaps they need only charge £20 to upgrade.
Posted on: September 1, 2008 - 06:39 hour
By:
Holdfast
Lets give them a little time CND, to see if they do release software for the older models at the same time as the release of the 940. Then the only outlay should be for the HD attachment.
Posted on: September 1, 2008 - 15:08 hour
By:
Wishlist
Well, until TT launch the 2010 “black box” with built in video camera and dedicated SD card including a record now button as well for insurance purposes, I don’t think I will be buying another TT. I have bought 3 now and the only advantage apart from physical size between my 730 and the Classic is the voice. And we all know the classic is capable of running Kate with the right err tweaks, cough, its just TT wanted our cash.
The list of features I don’t want or need (and someone is bound to come on now and say that these features are the best thing ever!!) Anyway:
The Help button. Waste of space not used by me, its just a collection of POIs not a fab new sales and marketing tool. If I wanted for example a list of Europe’s dentists or whatever I would have already loaded a POI group of such places. Along with that the where am I button? Jeez that info is already there anyway.
Hands free, it's crap, won't work with most of my phones and the quality is poor. Anyway I have a built in car kit as do most people that drive for a living. Either get it to work with all phones like my Parrot or dump it.
FM Transmitter. Great idea, unusable in reality. If you happen to be in a desert with no other radio stations to interfere with it then its fine. I am not though and have to change the frequencies every 20 miles.
TMC. Waste of money, space and time. Did not work, too slow and inaccurate info. Grrrr
Auto screen brightness-never really worked well, turned it off.
TomTom weather. Inaccurate and who cares anyway.
Buddies was fun but it never really worked well and then only on a few phones. Messages was of no real use either because it just was not as good as a phone.
I dislike that new little compass but do use it.
Photos, you can’t really use it unless you resize all the photos. Waste of space the processor cant cope.
Music-nahhh not as good as the ipod, and would be better if the FM transmitter worked well.
I won’t get started on Home and how naff that is and how much easier it is to drag and drop stuff through Windows.
I could go on but I am boring myself now. So black box and video camera that records the travel data onto an SD card please and stop faffing about with rubbish ideas that we are not going to use just so you can say you have a new product, charge us for buying it and then discover that really the original was better.
Oh and change the exit on motorway warning back to 1.2 miles instead of the 2 + miles it is now. By the time I get to the exit I have forgotten I was supposed to get off
.
Moan moan grumble moan.
Posted on: September 1, 2008 - 15:33 hour
By:
Holdfast
Oh come on Wishlist, get off the fence and tell us how you realy feel.
12-03
