Wondering - does the unit fit into our "glove compartment"? Or is it too big?

Either way it looks great

 

I think it could fit 4.5" x 3.6" x 2.3"

Of course, I have the lil' Glove Box Organizer....so no joy for me parking it there. But it could stow under the seat just as easily. Or in the trunk (I also have Muz' Trunk Saddlebag ).

 

Congrats man...it looks really nice. Almost tempting enough for me to consider it I've always thought that if I wanted a GPS unt or a display I'd have it mounted into the dash, but that looks really nice

 

Had a great write-up from this morning's experiences driving into work...and damn it if Firefox didn't lock up. Before I knew it, I'd clicked "X" and killed the non-responsive program...and lost all my write up

Try again......

Tested the unit out this morning driving into work. Thank goodness I had it or I wouldn't have known how to get to work!!! Just kidding...

Seriously tho', it was a nice experiment. No pressure of a *real* trip...just a chance to feel the unit out, see if there are any quirks to be aware of, etc. Comments offered below:

• Current Maps -- Driving in on I-64, the display does not offer Rt 288 (a recently added piece of highway ~ 6 months or so back). Presently, I would gather from TOM TOM's site that I have the most current software offered to date. I have signed up for e-mail notifications from them...so that should keep me abreast of new updates ready for download, etc. in the future.
• Audibility -- Her* voice (yes, I chose a woman's voice thank you very much ) was audible. I must admit that driving ~ 75 MPH, top-down, windows down, and with the GPS mounted up high on the windscreen near the rear view mirror, I could only tell that she was saying *something* at first. But her voice *does* carry. And by that, I mean to suggest she gets my attention and once she has my attention the visual display is fantastic and easy to follow along with. If I were driving with the windows up (rarely) I imagine I could have heard her fine. Also, I intend to reposition on the Panavise mount eventually...and anticipate better audibility at that time. Still, not bad. Now...as for using it for cellular hands-free with this particular level of audibility and at highway speeds?...well, unless I learn of a way to adjust the overall audibility higher...I'd anticipate that I would not carry on a conversation well at highway speeds and with the top down. But again, there are some relocation issues, etc. that would preclude me from finalizing that judgement call for now. As far as city driving and having that feature...I fully suspect it will work great.
• Visual Display -- SUPERB! The 3-D map presentation was very easy to view while driving. The unit presents the roads in their entirety...but roads/exits that are unrelated to your route are overlayed in BRITE YELLOW (I believe its SPA actually ). The route you're to take is offered in maroon with white dots. Coming into work on I-64 there comes a point where the necessary exit runs as a parallel easement along the interstate...and then on that easement, various exits are offered. The display offered this information very distinctly...and if I didn't know where I was going, I would have had no reason whatsoever to make a wrong turn, or fail to get off the interstate and run along the parallel easement, etc. Excellent!
• Direction Instructions -- Every voice direction was perfectly executed (upcoming announcements as well as immediate turn comments). Only quirk was that at what was to be my left turn into our office complex, the command was to "Make a U-turn and you will arrive at your destination." Well, I suppose I only needed to make a 1/2 U-turn...cuz a Left took care of it . No biggie. I would imagine that, in the tradition of all GPS logic, if I had followed the instructions to the letter "U" , I would have immediately been informed that I'd made a route misjudgement and she would have offered a course correction to get me back to the destination.

Love it!

* With over 30 languages in over 50 voices...I had a choice of ~ 10 English-speaking voices to chose from. I chose a nice British sounding female for now (lets me feel all "James Bond"-like ). But a feature with TOM TOM that I'd not mentioned is that you can download additional voices (Homer Simpson -- "D'OH! You missed the turn!" , or John Cleese of Monty Python fame, etc.). Nifty

 

For a second I thought you weren't gonna have the write up since you lost it.

It really looks like a good gizmo, lol. It really makes me want to get one... if not specifically for me (cuz I cant even drive right now, not like I'll get lost inside my house ) then for my family cuz they like to go drive around every now and then and this could be helpful for them.

Oh, I def Like the ability to download voices! Imagine Stewie from Family guy giving directions .

Congrats again...and thanks for the write up

 

good write up!

i've found i rely more on the voice acting as a sound cue to let me know something is coming up than for the actual directions. My Ipaq speaker is loud enough that I can usually hear it, but not very understandable w/ the top down.

a good picture is important. my last nav program devoted most of the screen to directional arrows, and was really poor at having a visual map that updated fast. Caused me to once lead 4 cars around Jersey for 45 minutes cause I couldn't tell the turn it wanted me to take was in the middle of an onramp. new program (routis) is 99% map on the display, w/ current route highlighted. automatically zooms in/out, makes it real easy to follow.

 

Congratulations on your new toy! As I've owned and used several GPS navigation systems, I thought I'd add a few thoughts:

1. I believe the software updates you refer to are system software/firmware and NOT the TeleAtlas mapping updates. You usually have to PAY for each set of map updates. My Garmin units, for example, require that I pay $150 for each Mapsource North American City Navigator update (usually available once per year). And yes, the "latest" data will be about 6 months old, i.e. any new roads built over the past several months will generally NOT be shown on the "latest" maps.

2. One common criticism I heard about the Tom Tom is that the display is not very bright and subject to washout--a particular problem for S2K owners. I guess you are not experiencing problems reading it under very bright sunlight?

Anyhow, enjoy the new toy--you'll wonder how you ever lived without it!

 

I have this Garmin:

In appearance it appears similar to yours. It is interesting to observe the speed the unit reports and the speed the speedometer reports -- generally it is almost dead on, but at higher speeds the Garmin reports my speed 1 to 2 mph lower than the speedometer. I absolutely LOVE the unit. We interchange it from vehicle to vehicle, the voice (female as well) is strong and quite audible even with the top down, the screen is easy to see and she takes me right to the door of wherever I wish to go. No more digging for maps/directions, etc. Mine has preloaded maps and Garmin sent notification recently that its time to download updates. The unit comes with a usb cable for computer interface. I really don't know how we ever lived without it.

 

Well, no problem thus far with the display. However, you are accurate (and I reckon I didn't do enough homework ) about the purchase of new maps

"...Each new TomTom GO comes with the latest maps, delivered by the best data providers in the world. Maps are available for the whole of the USA, Canada and Europe. ...New maps will be sold via our website www.tomtom.com as of May 2005 and will work on all GO devices, including the original GO.

Oh well .

On another note, unlike an older Dell Axim feature I liked (although I hated the Axim itself ), I don't as yet see how I can plan my *own* route in the TOM TOM. I would hope as I learn more that I'll be able to set waypoints from a given map such that I can route out a back-roads driving course for future S2000 drives, etc. Again, a nice feature I enjoyed in the Axim (all 2 times I tried it before the battery failed, or the map software locked up, or...or... ...I really didn't like the Axim much ).

- Dave

 

Ah-ha! Looks like my waypoints may be covered (just have to RTFM )...

"...Itineraries -- A powerful, easy to use itinerary system is included, allowing the planning of trips with multiple desitinations, optionally including waypoints that you wish to pass. Itineraries can be saved to disk for later use or for exchange with others."