TomTom GO LIVE 1535M 5-Inch Bluetooth GPS Navigator with HD Traffic, Lifetime Maps, and Voice Recognition

by TomTom

Product Features

• Shorten your commute with revolutionary TomTom HD Traffic, the most-accurate, real-time traffic solution available.
• Enhance your driving experience with connected travel apps including, Yelp, TripAdvisor, Expedia, Twitter, Local Search powered by TomTom, and fuel prices.
• Drive safer with Intuitive Voice Recognition, Bluetooth Hands-free Calling and the integrated Fold & Go Mount.
• Navigate with ease using premium maps of the United States, Canada, and Mexico with Lifetime Map Updates.
• Benefit from unique TomTom features like the smart user interface on a bright 5-inch touchscreen, IQ Routes Technology, and Advanced Lane Guidance.

› See more product details

Product Description

From the Manufacturer

TomTom GO LIVE 1535 M

Your Journey…faster with HD Traffic. Plus, the GO LIVE 1535 M makes navigation easy to see thanks to its 5'' screen.

Arrive safe, fast and on time

The GO LIVE 1535 M gives you instant traffic information when you need it. You’ll arrive even faster with HD Traffic. Once you drive with a TomTom device, you’ll never want to drive without one. TomTom created the first digital maps for drivers; we are a world leader in navigation. At TomTom, we realize that the best in-car navigation should be easy to use and have the best quality maps. We’re here to ensure your journey is smooth, from start to finish.

Bigger. Better. Best. — GO LIVE

The GO LIVE 1535 M is perfect for anyone who wants to arrive on time. We can’t stop traffic jams but the award-winning TomTom HD Traffic can get you to your destination faster. TomTom HD Traffic covers most roads with the highest level of accuracy. The 5″ touchscreen on the GO LIVE 1535 M provides a better view of the road ahead.

Access to up-to-date resources like Trip Advisor, Yelp and Expedia, help you to make informed decisions en route. With Free Lifetime Map Updates, your map will always be current, which means HD Traffic can do a better job.Every device in this series includes our TomTom Maps with IQ Routes and Map Share technology. These devices keep you up-to-date with dynamic road changes on a daily basis, with maps that cover the US, Canada and Mexico.

HD Traffic— Trusted by millions, award-winning HD Traffic can get you to your destination faster.

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Includes Free Lifetime Map Updates

Free Lifetime Map Updates

Get the best directions possible: your TomTom device will receive free updated maps, for the life of your device. So you'll know where there are new roads, or road changes—on an ongoing basis.

Getting you there faster. Proven.

HD Traffic

We can't stop traffic jams, but TomTom HD Traffic can help you arrive on time. Trusted by millions, award-winning HD Traffic can get you to your destination faster.

Instant information when you need it

LIVE Services

Choose the best route, by accessing the latest information. Find out what's happening on the road from HD Traffic. Use TripAdvisor®, Yelp® and Expedia® to find destinations and attractions in your area.

Don’t touch. Just talk.

Voice Recognition

Tell your TomTom device where to go—so you can keep your hands on the wheel and your eyes on the road. With Voice Recognition, your TomTom device can understand your spoken commands, even if you use different variations—like “Drive to an address,” “Navigate to an address” or “Go to an address.” All you have to do is speak and drive.

Bluetooth® hands-free calling—keep your hands on the wheel.

Hands-free Calling

Keep your hands on the wheel with Bluetooth® hands-free calling: connect your TomTom device via Bluetooth™ to a mobile phone, and it will show incoming calls, make and answer calls, and let you talk hands-free.

Know which way to go—in advance

Advanced Lane Guidance

Never miss your exit or turn with Advanced Lane Guidance. It shows you exactly which lane to take before you approach an exit, turn or difficult intersection—so you can stay on the right path.

Local information—at your fingertips

Points of Interest

Your pre-installed map has Points of Interest, from gas stations to hotels, so you're sure to find what you want.

Help when you need it

Roadside Assistance

Need help? TomTom’s Roadside Assistance connects you to a specialist—wherever or whenever you need one.

The fastest routes and most accurate arrival times

IQ Routes

The world's biggest database of real travel times is built into every TomTom device. Which means you'll get the fastest routes and most accurate arrival times. It's genius!

Integrated mount with flip screen attaches easily to your windshield or dashboard.

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Hardware

5″ Touchscreen

With a bigger 5″ screen, you can see your TomTom maps clearer than ever. Our touchscreen technology makes it easy to plug in a new destination, pull up a point of interest, or get extra information. So you can sit back and enjoy the ride, knowing that you've got the world's best navigation at your fingertips.

Integrated Mount

Your device has a folding mount on the back, so it attaches easily to your windshield. You can also use the optional disk, included, to attach it on your dashboard. If turned upside-down, the screen automatically flips itself to show the right side up.

Specifications

• 5″ (13 cm) 16:9 Resistive Screen
• Screen resolution of 480 x 272 pixels

Map Coverage

US, Canada & Mexico

Your device comes with the latest map of the United States, Canada and Mexico installed already, so you are ready to navigate.

Map Share

Free Daily Map Changes from the Map Share community. Includes dynamic changes like new speed limits and blocked roads. Some things change overnight and can delay your journey. Map Share helps you deal with the more frequent road changes. Avoid detours and get to your destination even faster.

What's in the Box

• TomTom GO LIVE 1535 M device with preloaded maps
• Integrated Mount
• Car charger with integrated traffic receiver
• USB Car Charger
• USB cable
• Documentation
• Adhesive Disk

Compare the full line of TomTom products

Product Description

TomTom GO LIVE 1535M 5-Inch Portable Bluetooth GPS Navigator with HD Traffic and Lifetime Maps

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

The manufacturer commented on the review below

139 of 146 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A plethora of features, fast boot, amazing clarity, lousy website. October 25, 2011

By Richard C. Drew TOP 500 REVIEWERVINE™ VOICE

Amazon Vine™ Review (What's this?)

I've updated this several times: After unpacking, you'll see that this is a cool looking GPS. It's patterned to look like carbon fiber, and is all black and sleek. The suction-cup is attached and features TomTom's locking wheel - this also doubles as a place to wind the USB cable (provided.)

So I opened the box while in the car and took it for a test drive. The 12v plug (what we older drivers still call a cigarette plug) has a standard USB outlet - so it can power other devices as well. The TomTom uses the smaller USB port common to cell phones and newer devices - so it will also charge and power my Droid. I plugged in the power, stuck the GPS to my windshield (It includes a dash mount, but I prefer windshield) - and was stuck. It would not turn on. Time to open the manual. Turns out the power button has to be held in for 10 seconds. That solved, I was ready to go.

The opening screen looked like a mini-hidef TV intro. After the opening screen closed I was given the option of taking a short intro/tutorial covering navigation. I took the tutorial. It only covers the very basics and takes about two minutes. I added my "home" location - took another couple of minutes and drove around. The GPS starts up and finds satellites blazingly fast - only a few seconds. While it discovers the satellites the GPS shows tips on using the GPS.

It's highly accurate - more so than my previous TomTom or two year old Garmin. The large screen is gorgeous and crisp. It's less cluttered than other GPS unit's I've used. The new interface is akin to the minimized Google maps you see - smaller icons that expand when you touch them. There are no buttons except the power - everything else is touch-screen based.

The features list goes on and on and on. Voice commands, traffic avoidance (updates every 2 minutes), built-in Google places, Expedia, TripAdvisor and Yelp, instant twitter updates and more. The "live" services are included for one year (currently $60 a year.) One big reason to take a serious look at this GPS - FREE LIFETIME MAP UPDATES ($100 value! That's worth the price of the GPS alone. If you keep it plugged in, the unit will turn on and off automatically. It also pairs with your phone via BlueTooth - it acts as an extension of your phone - displays caller ID and can even place calls. HOWEVER: The volume is terrible. Even at 100% the car would have to be parked to hear anyone.

Pretty much every feature can be customized, so you can tailor the GPS to your tastes and needs. You can mount the GPS right side up or upside down - the display flips automatically. There's even an area where you can create a custom menu. Other settings include removing non-essential items from the display, selecting what is spoken (signs, text messages from phone, etc.), call answering options and more.

Pairing with my DroidX took moments (after I made the Droid discoverable.) The GPS supplied step by step instructions - nice. After pairing, the GPS had my phone book, calling history, etc. Great! Now I have a new hands-free device to try.

One thing to be aware of - the TomTom website is quirky. You can't hook the GPS up to a hub (no idea why) - it has to be plugged directly into the computer. If the update hangs it WILL lock-up the GPS. The software does not provide this warning - but if you contact TomTom support, it's the first thing they'll tell you. Speaking of support - TomTom uses volunteers for the majority of their support (this is according to the couple of TomTom tech support people I have dealt with.) I went through this with my TomTom Ease. The software turned it into a paperweight and I had to do a factory reset (easy once tech support told me how.)

So when you hook it up to your computer, use a port ON the computer. Don't use a hub!

This part I'm entering/editing while using the TomTom website, a work in progress...

The "My TomTom" website: Still needs a lot of work. I already had an account. It took a five (yes, five) logins to work. I would login, click a link and had to log in again. Every time I clicked a link, I had to log in again. The next thing I knew I had 6 browser tabs all open to the same page. This is the only way to update your GPS and add custom content.

Once I was finally logged-in, updates were detected. I downloaded the three updates and watched the status portion of the browser flash, change size, disappear, and finally stop with the blue status displaying only the top half, stating "Your navigation device is up to date. There are no updates waiting for installation." All the while in the other part of the screen displaying pending updates.

The included instructions for activating the lifetime map updates did not work - again, website issues. There is no place to enter the code! Plus the help screens sometimes calls it an activation code and other times a promotion code. The option is missing from the menu. I'm also forced to update my profile every few screens. It looks like TomTom has two different sites they are trying to merge and all the links have not been updated. After clicking on the "MyTomTom" menu literally 50 times, the "Activate Code" finally showed up - and the other screen issues cleared up as well. Time to enter the code. Or so I thought. I had to "connect the device" - although it was already connected because of the previous update. So I unplugged the GPS and plugged it in again. I was then able to enter the code. After doing this, I was forwarded to the update detection screen. It displayed the "No Updates" message and a status indicating the device needed updating and that updates would be done in 4 minutes. 5 seconds later, that message was gone. Sheesh.

I still give the device 5 stars, but the website gets 3. They really need to update it. Since they use the website to communicate with and update the GPS, this is no little thing. My other issue with this is that the TomTom software (even though it's web based) takes up 4meg of RAM whether the GPS is connected or not.

OK, back to the software update. It started at 24 minutes remaining. 5 minutes later it was at 6 hours and change. A couple of more minutes and it was at 1 hour, 15 minutes. Then it moved around between 45 minutes and 2 hours. I'm on a business class broadband connection - this bizarre download estimate is not from my end. The total time was closer to 30 minutes. After this was complete, it displayed that the update would take 2 hours and 22 minutes to update the GPS. Then it displayed 44 minutes. Then 22. Then 35. As I watched the display on the GPS (and monitor) it would constantly jump up and down. Really bizarre and very annoying. this is over a period of 20 minutes) It in fact took 1 hour 11 minutes. At the end it jumped from 8 minutes to 0.

Hopefully not everyone has these issues. Once I was past all these problems everything worked fine.

If you do have issues:

First try unplugging and plugging the GPS back in (as long as no updates are installing.)
Try a computer reboot.
Try a GPS reset - hold the power button in for 20 seconds.

The manufacturer commented on this review (What's this?)

Community Manager, TomTom saysFebruary 22, 2012

Richard,thank you for the positive and detailed review.

Steve, we saw your comment as well - we're sorry you've had a poor experience - should you still be facing the "No maps" issue you might find some tips here: http://bit.ly/xkVgKt.

If this does not resolve your problem you can visit our discussion forum (discussions.tomtom.com). There are some very knowledgeable people there who might be able to help you.

The manufacturer commented on the review below

80 of 85 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars Touchscreen isn't as responsive as I'd like but there is plenty to like about the 1535M October 28, 2011

By M. Erb HALL OF FAMETOP 10 REVIEWERVINE™ VOICE

Amazon Vine™ Review (What's this?)

Length: 5:37 Mins

Since submitting my original video review and accompanying narrative, I discovered that I had a defective unit and have therefore removed much of my original narrative. I've added to what remained to reflect the current state of affairs.

The touch-screen was out of calibration on my first 1535M. By that I mean that if I tried to touch directly on an on-screen button or make an on-screen selection, the screen registered my touch as if I were touching the item above what I wanted. The unit was also very sluggish in responding to on-screen touches. The replacement 1535M which I received after waiting for almost a month has none of the calibration issues but is still not as responsive to touch as I am accustomed to on my iPhone 4 or my Garmin GPS. You have to really make a deliberate jab at the screen for it to register your touches. It's aggravating and made all the more aggravating since trying to touch the screen deliberately when it is mounted on your windshield is next to impossible. You really need to remove the mount from the windshield each time you need to program in a route and that is my next issue with the 1535M.

At first I thought the integrated windshield mount was good but now that I've used it I can say that I dislike it greatly. It is not convenient to remove from the windshield once it's attached. Since the touchscreen requires such a deliberate touch, you need to remove the device from the windshield each time you need to enter in route information which is frequently for me. And usually my navigator (my wife) is the one who has to enter route info while I'm driving with her. Needless to say, the inconvenience and hassle of trying to release the mount every time you need to enter info into the device is a great nuisance. My Garmin Nuvi had a simple clip that easily allowed the GPS to be removed from the mount, leaving the rest of the mount stuck on the windshielf. Not so with the TomTom mount. I also find it very difficult to remove and remount the windshield mount on my windshield. It's extremely awkward. I'll be looking for a beanbag dashboard mount in the near future.

Prior to this TomTom, I have used Garmin devices. Consequently the TomTom menu system and the entire way the TomTom is designed and the way it works is quite different from what I'm accustomed. In other words, if you are coming from the Garmin world, you've got some adapting to do... in a big way. That's not necessarily a bad thing, but be forewarned that they way you used to do things will be much different with the TomTom.

Upon unboxing, I was immediately struck with how elegantly designed the TomTom 1535M was. Surprisingly thin, nice rounded edges and and gently flowing curvature on the back side. The USB port is recessed which is nice and the GPS has what I consider to be a somewhat novel mounting arrangement. The swivel and suction cup is integrated with the GPS itself. You can swivel the GPS 360 degrees and as you do so the display auto-rotates. That was not expected but was pretty cool. It's similar to how an iPod touch or iPhone display rotates when you turn the device to a different orientation. However even though the screen re-orients itself, it is only doing so at 180 degrees (it's always going to be in landscape mode.)

The on/off button on the back is a nice size, not too small, not too large and is also recessed so that it flush with the back panel. Aesthetically it was very pleasing. To turn the unit on, you depress the button and hold it for a few seconds. The manual says 10 seconds but I never hold it that long, usually only about 3 seconds. Startup is quick speedy especially compared to my Garmin Nuvi which takes much much longer to start up. The TomTom also seems to acquire satellites much faster than the Garmin.

I think the way that TomTom displays routing and maps in general is superb. It is such an improvement in the way that my Garmin Nuvi displays maps. TomTom has a really cool 3D look and arrows to indicate turns are huge, well-positioned and make it so much easier to read on-screen.

The manner in which spoken routing cues are delivered is also way different that the way that Garmin does it. And I much prefer the TomTom method.

Bluetooth connectivity was difficult with my iPhone. It took me several pairing attempts before I was able to successfully pair my iPhone with the GPS. And then once they saw each other, it took several attempts for the TomTom to accept the pairing code. Once paired, the TomTom quickly retrieved the phone book from my iPhone. I have continual difficulty actually trying to place calls though. TomTom will say that the line is in use when in fact it is not in use. When trying to receive a call, the TomTom had difficulty recognizing my touch on the screen and I was not able to easily answer an incoming call. Once a call was answered via the TomTom. the caller told me that my voice was garbled and very difficult to understand. The caller did not sound very loud to me and was difficult to hear through the TomTom speaker. I actually had to terminate the call and call back using my bluetooth headset since I was unable to really use the TomTom for cell phone use and once the call ended, the TomTom continued to display the name of the caller at the top of the screen. Not sure why it didn't just go away after the call ended. When I clicked on the "banner" for the call, the next screen showed an option to end the call and clicking on that displayed an error saying that it was "unable to end the call please check your mobile phone." Oh brother. Looks like a firmware update is needed to get the bugs out of this device.

Once, I entered a route and the TomTom told me to "turn right Route 20, then." Then what? Then nothing. Fortunately I knew where I was going and it wasn't until my next upcoming turn that I was alerted what I was to do next.

The 1535M has some great qualities and features and maybe Firmware updates can fix the sensitivity issue of the touchscreen. Maybe not.

So compared to my original 1535M, I am happy to report that the terrible problems I was having with the touchscreen have mostly been remedied by the new unit. However the sensitivity of the screen still requires a deliberate touch on the screen to register. I still find the touchscreen more difficult to use than any other touchscreen device that I own, such as my iPhone 4 or Garmin GPS. It's way better than the original 1535M, but still not as good as I would like to see.

An unexpected glitch in the return process has rendered my "Live" service as "expired." So now I have to go through the time-consuming process of contacting TomTom service again to resolve this issue. Sigh. This is such a chore. And the TomTom website continues to operate very strangely. After downloading the MyTomTom software and connecting my GPS to my computer via USB, it then auto-connects to MyTomTom website but there are glitches galore on the site. First it says my unit is up to date, then later it says there is a new map update and HD Cameras update. It starts downloading the map update which took over 4 hours... really TomTom? 4 hours on my 10Mbps Time Warner RoadRunner connection? And after downloading the new map, it did it again.
I spent the better part of this afternoon with my Garmin connected to my computer instead of in my car.

So now it's back to getting used to all the differences between how the TomTom works as compared to Garmin GPS's. I'm more of a Garmin kind of guy given all the issues I continue to have with the TomTom. Today I entered a route that Garmin gets me to logically and efficiently, TomTom came up with a "fastest" route that was unusual and not at all intuitive. It may have been about the same mileage as the Garmin route, but from my point of view, I would never choose to go that route. Fortunately TomTom also offered an alternate route that was the same as what Garmin chose but it wasn't intuitive to choose the alternate route instead of the primary suggestion.

On the plus side, I do like the vocal cues better on the TomTom. There are more cues that a turn is coming up and they are given with more advance notice. It's much easier to miss a turn with the Garmin. I also prefer the default female voice on the TomTom. Not all the voices on the TomTom speak street names. In English, only Samantha and in French, only Julie speak the street names.

It's a decent GPS that is very different from Garmin. If you've never had a Garmin, you may not have as many mis-givings about the TomTom as I do. On the other hand I do like a lot about the TomTom. I'll give it some time and see if I adjust and will certainly update my review if my opinion changes in any of the areas I've mentioned.

Until then I've updated my rating to 3 stars. I'm docking it some stars for the finicky touchscreen, awkward windshield mount and flaky website which must be accessed frequently to stay up to date with maps, cameras and other possible updates.

UPDATE: 11/28/2011 - This GPS has some very annoying characteristics. When routing instructions are spoken, it will say something like "In a quarter mile turn right" but as I approach the turn, no further command is given such as "turn right". I frequently fly by my turn because I am not reliably given notice except at the quarter mile mark. And in an area with lots of side streets, this just doesn't cut it.

I also can't seem to easily save a destination as a favorite. Just tonight I searched for a destination and then used it as my route. Upon arriving at the destination, I wanted to save it as a favorite but could not figure out how to do that. On my Garmin It's way easier to do this.

UPDATE: 11/30/2011 - As I use this more, I find more annoyances but have also found a few pros. First the cons... Read more ›

The manufacturer commented on this review (What's this?)

Community Manager, TomTom saysMarch 4, 2012

M.Erb, thank you for taking the time to review your GO LIVE 1535M. We're always looking for product feedback and will pass your comments about voice instructions, UI and speed limits internally with the relevant TomTom teams.
As we value opinions related to our products and services we would like to invite you to our discussion forums (discussions.tomtom.com).

106 of 126 people found the following review helpful

1.0 out of 5 stars Of necessity, this review is about TomTom customer support October 26, 2011

By Jerry Saperstein HALL OF FAMETOP 500 REVIEWERVINE™ VOICE

Amazon Vine™ Review (What's this?)

I haven't used any TomTom products for several years owing to an unfortunate incident with their customer support, which - several years back - could be described in one word: awful.

Here we are years later and I am offered the opportunity to review a TomTom GO LIVE 1535M which actually excites me. Hey, all that new technological goodness TomTom claims to have incorporated.

The unit arrives today, I unpack it and read the simple illustrated instruction sheet, bring up their website as instructed, turn the unit on and - oh, oh - the touchscreen doesn't work. Fiddle with it for a while, try connecting it to the computer through a direct USB port, the unit is recognized, but communication quickly fails. Try it on another computer. Nada. Read the TomTom tech support pages on the web, looking for a way to reset the unit. Find Soft-reset instructions, which don't remedy the condition. Can't find hard-reset instructions.

So I called TomTom support. The first woman is clueless, keeps asking me the same basic questions over and over, keeps putting me on hold and simply can't seem to understand that the touchscreen is inoperative. Touching the "Next" button does nothing. She seemed incapable of comprehending that simple fact. She didn't have any troubleshooting steps. She refused my request to escalate the call. She tells me I can return the unit at my expense - and then wait 10 days or more for a replacement. Wow! TomTom really cares about customer relations, don't they? Bizarre.

So bizarre, in fact, that I called back in and spoke with another customer support representative. Again, I spoke with a polite, well-mannered woman who spoke English reasonably well without a difficult accent. But it was obvious that if she couldn't quickly find an answer on a script, she would put me on hold for a minute or two - and then recite a canned, usually inappropriate, response. Once again, I was asked the same question over and over.

After refusing my earlier request to be escalated, she now told me that I could be escalated for further troubleshooting. I should expect to receive a call within 24 to 72 hours.

Talk about abysmal customer support. I'm sitting here with a unit I had been excitedly waiting for. It doesn't work out of the box. Okay, not a big deal and such things do happen. I tried self-help without success (because there appears to be no way to hard-rest the GO LIVE 1535M without being able to reach the main menu, which I couldn't do because the touch response was inoperative). I patiently answered the same elementary questions over and over, dealing with well-mannered women who clearly knew nothing at all about the device and were merely reading from a script or asking other personnel for answers.

Then they want me to return a brand-spanking new unit to them at my expense for a replacement that may take 10 days or more - and that is after waiting another 24 to 72 hours for a hope-for return call, which may or may not come.

This is TomTom support. It remains what it was several years ago when I last had a TomTom product: awful.

If this were an ordinary transaction, I would simply return the product for replacement or refund. But consider this: I spent an hour -wasted an hour - trying to get helpful information from their website and then with two women who are entirely unknowledgeable about the product or how to resolve the problems. And now I am waiting 24 to 72 hours for a call from TomTom customer support that may or may not come.

Given that, would I be interested in getting another TomTom product - considering that someday I might need customer support again?

If and when I get a working replacement, I will amend my review to include product performance (if indeed, the replacement works). But anyone considering TomTom should be wary of TomTom' just plain awful customer support.

Jerry