Hello. For the past 14 months, I've used a basic TomTom satnav, with an RDS-TMC receiver connected for traffic re-routing, and I've been very pleased with it, until recently.

 

To me, it looks like the TMC service is being phased out, as I've noticed coverage is no longer good on many major routes (M1 between Sheffield and Nottingham, A57, M67, M60). I've noticed TomTom are now pushing new devices that connect to your smartphone via bluetooth for traffic info.

 

When it did work, I found the re-routing invaluable, so I'm currently looking into alternatives, including the TomTom android app. I know traffic routing and speed cameras are an extra charge in this app, but there's no info as to how much they cost anywhere.

 

Do any of you use this app? if so, how does it perform? are the extras expensive?

 

I know there is Google maps navigation, but I don't like it losing the map when you run out of phone signal, same goes for Waze, so ideally I need a dedicated satnav, or an app with downloadable maps.

 

Any info/help/suggestions will be much appreciated!

Edited 31 May, 201412 yr by inventory-photo

I'm in a similar situation so I had a good look into the Tomtom app for Android as it seemed an ideal replacement for an older Tomtom XL but reviews for it didn't seem that great which was offputting so I decided against it.  I'd be interested to hear if anyone here has used the software and what they think of it.

 

I've seen recommendations for a free sat nav called Navfree which allows you to download the maps offline so that may be worth a look into, it won't cost anything to try it at least.

 

I've not found anything to route as well as Tomtom (tried Google Maps, Nokia Here Maps and Garmin alongside it) does but the unit I have is getting pretty out of date, I've been reading reviews for the most recent Tomtoms which are not good either so unsure what to go for.

 

John

The TMC setup is also used by the Columbus etc but TT also have HD Traffic which is a lot better. Maybe that is what you'll be paying for as the add on?

Google maps gives the option of downloading areas of the map to your phone so you don't need a signal.

I'd be interested myself in the TomTom app. 

 

Although Google navigate has some quite nice features (satellite view and street view of destination), it is woefully bad at recalculating if you have to go off your route.....in fact I don't think it can recalculate.....it just blindly tries to get you back on your original route. It's certainly not to be trusted in a crisis!  

It took me around the A1 closure just fine yesterday. I didn't even know there was one, I just wondered why it'd taken me on such a strange route until I read the news this morning. I have a TomTom but don't use it at all an more, far prefer Google Maps on my phone.

Hmmm, well as I normally do, I've ended up buying the app to try (lack of patience). Tried Google Maps today and had to completely ignore it after it attempted to direct me through a bus gate. Tried Waze as well, but the map froze on that, so I only had voice guidance.

 

From fiddling about, the tomtom app looks good. Not used it out on the road yet. For those interested, HD Traffic add on is £18.99 for 12 months and speed cameras are £16.99 for 12 months. I'm not sure I'll add the speed cameras, as it gives a speed limit readout on the screen anyway, just in case I'm unsure, for whatever reason. At £18.99 per year, I'll get 7-8 years use out of the app before it becomes as expensive as a Tomtom with HD traffic built in. I just wish my phone had a larger screen for it.

 

Menus are very simple, and should be easy to navigate from the drivers seat too, which is another criticism I have of Google maps. The menus are just too fussy. The voices on the Tomtom are very clear too compared to Google maps or Waze.

 

I'm driving to my folk's on the other side of the Pennines early this week, so if it directs me into a ditch, or freezes, or something worse, I'll report back here.

I've used Google maps for years and have never had a problem with it. It's up to date, finds places very easily and is usually spot on at predicting the time added due to traffic delays. It offers alternative routes and in my experience is very patient if I choose to deviate, recalculating instantly. I can think of no reason at all to pay for an alternative.

Edited 1 June, 201412 yr by Mister Paul

I've used Google maps for years and have never had a problem with it. It's up to date, finds places very easily and is usually spot on at predicting the time added due to traffic delays. It offers alternative routes and in my experience is very patient if I choose to deviate, recalculating instantly. I can think of no reason at all to pay for an alternative.

 

Good for you.  All I can say to that is, each to their own, I suppose.  :p

 

I think the phone you use Google Maps on may have a large bearing on how successful it is as a sat nav. On my phone, speech is muffled, menus are complicated and today it insisted I drive through a bus gate. Lucky I knew where I was going, as it took a good 5 mins to recalculate. My phone is a Samsung Galaxy S3 Mini.

 

In my case, I like my current Tomtom Satnav, but the TMC traffic service is patchy at best... I'm really just looking a this as an alternative to forking out for a new standalone satnav. In the past, re-routing due to traffic/roadblocks has saved me hours, so it's a must have feature for me.... so much so, I don't mind paying a bit for it. If it helps others sharing my experience, then hopefully it'll save them the expense and bother of finding out for themselves.

 

Folks I know can't understand why you'd ever drink beer in a Brewdog, or similar type luxury craft ale type pub, when there's a Wetherspoons in every town that will get the job done cheaper (that is, if the 'job' is to get absolutely mullered at 11am). Same thing really 

Good for you.  All I can say to that is, each to their own, I suppose.  :p

 

Agreed. Google maps has the potential to be really good, and 95% of the time it works fine. It's the other 5% of the time when the watsits hits the fan that it tends to fail you.....just when you absolutely need it to work. 

 

Google's user interface is a major pain to use on the move......with Tomtom if you hear that a road has just been closed you can easily tell it to avoid it with a few touches. This type of thing is not very easy to do in google. 

 

I'll be interested in your findings with the Tomtom app.

The problem I find with Google Maps is that it gives too much priority to shorter routes over faster ones, after it let me down with a route it took (it took a shorter A-road, I thought given both were A-roads that would be fine but it was a much slower road) I tried testing it a bit on areas I did know and it frequently made errors such as routing me through an access only area and taking me along a back road beside a dual carriageway.  In each case the Tomtom unit routed correctly, last week I was coming up fro Huddersfield to Edinburgh and both Google maps and the Nokia maps gave a route up the east coast.  I checked with the friend I was staying with and he recommended going up the west coast as being quicker, checked with the Tomtom and it set a route up the west coast itself.

 

I'm a bit disappointed the Nokia doesn't seem to route as well as the Tomtom as I like its interface, it's clean and simple plus the way the map pans in and out to show you the rough road layout to the next maneuver is handy.

 

John

I've been using the TomTom Android app for about a year now and can't fault it. Simple to use, clear and concise.

With maps loaded on the phone memory there's no issue with patchy signal and data usage. All good.

I use Google Maps for the most part, and if it fails to find me where I want to be, I have Co-Pilot on there too.

Bought Co-Pilot over Tom Tom back when I had an iPhone 3GS and have used it without additional cost on every device since then. Maps are stored locally, up to date and it's never let me down. Apart from when it decided music and guidance via bluetooth wasn't a good idea and froze the phone. Just me that one.

inventory-photo, the S3 mini isn't particularly powerful so that maybe the issue.

JohnMcL7, it does favor faster routes over shorter ones. It'll send me the longer but quicker way home over the 8 miles shorter but longer time wise route.

I think you can also change this in the map options too

Good for you.  All I can say to that is, each to their own, I suppose.  :p

 

I think the phone you use Google Maps on may have a large bearing on how successful it is as a sat nav. On my phone, speech is muffled, menus are complicated and today it insisted I drive through a bus gate. Lucky I knew where I was going, as it took a good 5 mins to recalculate. My phone is a Samsung Galaxy S3 Mini.

 

In my case, I like my current Tomtom Satnav, but the TMC traffic service is patchy at best... I'm really just looking a this as an alternative to forking out for a new standalone satnav. In the past, re-routing due to traffic/roadblocks has saved me hours, so it's a must have feature for me.... so much so, I don't mind paying a bit for it. If it helps others sharing my experience, then hopefully it'll save them the expense and bother of finding out for themselves.

 

Folks I know can't understand why you'd ever drink beer in a Brewdog, or similar type luxury craft ale type pub, when there's a Wetherspoons in every town that will get the job done cheaper (that is, if the 'job' is to get absolutely mullered at 11am). Same thing really 

Maybe it is the phone. I use it on an S3 and a Nexus 7.

I drink my Brewdog in a lovely local pub that's cheaper. Not many people go there because they think cheap means rubbish and they've always drunk at the more expensive place. To continue the analogy. I hired a new 308 a couple of weeks ago and used Google Maps as the fitted satnav was dire.

inventory-photo, the S3 mini isn't particularly powerful so that maybe the issue.

JohnMcL7, it does favor faster routes over shorter ones. It'll send me the longer but quicker way home over the 8 miles shorter but longer time wise route.

I think you can also change this in the map options too

 

I've never seen it favour faster routes, every time it and the Tomtom have disagreed the Tomtom has chosen the longer but quicker route and Google maps has chosen the shorter but slower road.  It sometimes will offer the faster route as an alternative but not as the default, it's perhaps better south of Manchester but after it's completely made a mess of routing a few times I no longer trust or use it aside from short trips where I'm stuck and don't have the Tomtom.

 

John

I'm not sure why this topic has provoked such an evangelical response in favour of Google maps?

The reason I bought the basic tomtom in the first place was because I didn't get on with Google navigation. I just don't get on with it. If you do. Great.

I've used the tomtom a couple of times now. Basically, if you like tomtom satnavs, you'll like the app. It works just the same. Routing is identical to my basic tomtom and it keeps up fine and reroutes well. Speech is clear, fading my music automatically when it needs to speak. Menus are clear and very easy to navigate.

I've got my first longish trip with it today, so I've loaded it with a month's traffic and speed cameras to see how they work.

I've never seen it favour faster routes, every time it and the Tomtom have disagreed the Tomtom has chosen the longer but quicker route and Google maps has chosen the shorter but slower road.  It sometimes will offer the faster route as an alternative but not as the default, it's perhaps better south of Manchester but after it's completely made a mess of routing a few times I no longer trust or use it aside from short trips where I'm stuck and don't have the Tomtom.

 

John

Doesn't yours give you options of shorter or faster routes at the start?

I'm not sure why this topic has provoked such an evangelical response in favour of Google maps?

The reason I bought the basic tomtom in the first place was because I didn't get on with Google navigation. I just don't get on with it. If you do. Great.

I've used the tomtom a couple of times now. Basically, if you like tomtom satnavs, you'll like the app. It works just the same. Routing is identical to my basic tomtom and it keeps up fine and reroutes well. Speech is clear, fading my music automatically when it needs to speak. Menus are clear and very easy to navigate.

I've got my first longish trip with it today, so I've loaded it with a month's traffic and speed cameras to see how they work.

Not evangelical, just adding some balance to previous opinions.

Further to my previous comment, the Tomtom app worked really well yesterday. HD traffic seems to cover more roads than the TMC system and routes are recalculated quickly if required.

 

I'm pretty chuffed with it. For me, it's much better than the other phone-based stuff I've tried, but then I liked my standalone tomtom before. (Obvs, if you like Google Maps, I'm sure you'll be fine with it  :p ).

I've found the TomTom app very good, only a few times where I've ignored it because it thinks that a single track road (NSL) might be quicker than the 40 road near it.

 

I especially like the lanes being shown on major junctions, despite it's not 100% it's a good guide.

 

The instructions are very good, but there are times when I have a quick glance at the screen to confirm what is happening next.

Main difference to many between TomTom Android and the regular GO/PDA/similar version is that POI warnings do not seem to exist in the Android version. Best to stick with dedicated unit for now, at least when in the car.

 

Same on other phone apps (eg Nokia Drive+)  unless someone knows otherwise.

Main difference to many between TomTom Android and the regular GO/PDA/similar version is that POI warnings do not seem to exist in the Android version. Best to stick with dedicated unit for now, at least when in the car.

 

Same on other phone apps (eg Nokia Drive+)  unless someone knows otherwise.

 

Oh, what point of interest warnings specifically do you miss in the app? I can check on mine. So far it doesn't seem any different to my dedicated tomtom, except it actually picks up traffic jams and reroutes 

It's easy enough to get POIs on the android. I have a wide range including MaccyD's, supermarkets, shell garages. Loaded from an external site, but TomTom are happy to advise people to use them.

Pois are there on TomTom Android, just not poi warnings, that is the sound and visual alert when you are nearing a POI belonging to a particular category (which you can select with "warn when near POI" option in the menu on TomTom Navigator/GO, together with a choice of sounds and arbitrary distance to POI).

 

My favourite are motorway tunnels (esp in Germany and Italy, some motorways go from unlimited to 50mph in very short distance, setting tunnel warning to 2 miles lets the car coast down to the required speed), passive level crossings, especially on rural roads in Europe, other dangerous places (many countries have a local list), and of course fixed camera sites.

Edited 5 June, 201412 yr by dieselV6