Customer Reviews

TomTom ONE 130 3.5-Inch Portable GPS Navigator

5 star:		(51)
4 star:		(34)
3 star:		(21)
2 star:		(8)
1 star:		(29)

 

 

Here is the latest in TomTom technology. The TomTom 130. This latest development from TomTom will be perfect for first time GPS buyers who are looking for something simple, compact, and accurate. For previous owners of the TomTom One however, this is no reason to upgrade.

The product itself is as close to perfection as I've seen in a basic GPS device, hence the five star rating, but then again so is the TomTom One 3rd edition that was released late last year. The TomTom 130 model is basically the TomTom One with a few minor upgrades. The most notable would be the new flip and fold mounting capability. Instead of the standard suction cup mount that TomTom owners are used to owning as a separate component (one that slides in and out of the back custom grooves of the TomTom itself) there is now an attached mount that folds into the unit for easy storage. This is convenient but in my opinion and like the other minor upgrades, no reason to toss out your old TomTom One in exchange.

iPod has set the standard for a lot of electronic thresholds, none being more noticeable than the size and depth of its products. To some it up...slim is in and the TomTom 130 is even slimmer than its big brother the TomTom One weighing in at a 6.1 ounces and only 1 inch in depth. Here are the some minor specs:

Unit Size: 3.8"H x 3.2"W x 1"D
Display Size: 3.5" (Diagonal)
Weight: 6.1 oz

Also worth noting is the TomTom 130 now boasts a 3 hour battery charge instead of the paltry 2 hour that left TomTom One owners completely dependent on the cigarette chargers in their cars. 3 hours isn't exactly a wealth of time but it is an improvement and a little more realistic.

Also included with the product is TomTom's exclusive Map Share feature that allows users to make their own map corrections and share them with other TomTom customers through their online connection using the TomTom Home software on their PC. This service is free of charge.

This has been the subject of some confusion among TomTom users and should be pointed out. Some customers mistakenly think the Map Share updates they receive are entire map upgrades. This is not so. Although TomTom does provide its customers with Map Share updates free of charge these only include minor map modifications, such as dead end streets that weren't marked properly or points-of-interest that were marked out of place. These Map Share updates do not include the miles of new roads being built every year across America & Canada. In order to receive these major map updates customers will have to pay for them.

Of course the TomTom 130 will already come included with the latest Tele Atlas which is now version 720.1802, and although TomTom has major map upgrades throughout the year most customers (including myself) will be content with just paying for an upgrade once a year. This guarantees that you will always have the latest maps with the newest roads.

Like the TomTom One 3rd Edition the TomTom 130 comes with a "Help Me" button which when pressed opens features such as "Phone For Help" which displays emergency numbers for the current location (such as and typically 911) "Drive To Help" which show you the quickest way to the nearest police station or hospital and a "First Aid Guide" which is provided by the British Red Cross.

Also included in the safety features is an option to sound a custom alarm if any of the following occur:

1. When approaching a school or church
2. When driving faster than a set speed
3. When driving faster than allowed

The 130 still uses the same TomTom touch screen user-interface so prior TomTom users will already be familiar with the controls but with such a user friendly design even new customers will have the hang of it in no time. The screen is a bright 3.5 inch full TFT color LCD with 320 x 240 pixels that supports 64K colors.

For first time GPS buyers this unit is perfect because of its price, portability, latest maps, outstanding user-interface, and simplicity. For someone looking to upgrade to something a little more advanced try the TomTom 130S with text-to-speech capability (verbal pronunciation of street names).

I really liked this GPS at first, esp. the ability to download updates, pictures and even voices all for free. However the speaker quality was very poor, tinny, and hard to hear, even after I made adjustments in the menu.

I called Tom Tom, hoping that I had a bad unit and it could be swapped for one with better speaker quality, they said, unfortunately, due to the compact design, all the speakers in that line are the same quality. Reluctantly I returned it.

Amazon has a great return policy.

I then bought a Garmin Nuvi 350, and wow, the speaker quality is much better.

I recently bought the Magellan Maestro 3225 and, after 5 days, returned it because it was really user unfriendly. I then got the TomTom for the same price and I love it! So many more features than the other one. One thing I love is that it gives you a choice of route and background colors so that you can decide what color scheme works best for you. Also, gives you several choices of voices to choose from, which is nice. The British one is so polite! HA HA! I would highly recommend this device, and at $150, it's a good deal. One thing -- I highly recommend downloading the Mr. T voice ... There's nothing better than to be told to make a left up here, fool! I pity you!

I really don't know what more you could expect for the price. First, the sound. I'm partially deaf, and the unit set at 85% volume, it is just fine. At 100%, it's too loud. There must have been a bad productin run in the earlier ones, because mine is just great. Second, it will snap out of it's mount when adjusting...unless you also also hold the mounting part while adjusting the position of unit. No big deal and problem solved. Third, all maps, everybody's, are out of date the moment they are created. That's the nature of growth and constant change. However, I'm impressed as to how current this unit is. I did update it right away from the Tom Tom web site and got a later version map from the one originally installed. It has interstate off ramps and shopping centers in my area that were only completed 6 months ago. Forth, finding a location. Remember, it is intended to locate a place that is unfamilar to you, find it for you. It does that nicely. However, it may not follow the same routing to get you there that you might choose otherwise for yourself. You might like using some back streets, neighborhood streets that would maybe work better you think. But, if you already knew how to get there, why are you using the GPS? If you are unfamilar with how to get to your destination, it will take you there. If you do however wish to take alternate routing, say you know basically where you are going, but just can't find the particular address, then go your way and it will constantly update new routing until you get to the destination, and it will tell you when you have arrived. I am impressed with the detail of the maps. It has service roads in some of our shopping centers, pavement that is almost part of the parking lot. It locks onto you location very quickly and is very accurate in positioning you at locations. I did notice in a couple of cases, street addresses (my street and house) are a few hundred feet from there actual location. However, MapQuest and others have the same errors. Again, this level of technology for this price, unbelievable.

Several other reviewers have mentioned that the unit becomes inoperative when updated online. That happened to me too. I should have listened. Out of the box the unit worked so-so, seemed to make a 15 minute trip out of a 5-minute one. I decided to update online. It took a while to get that going, not user-friendly at all. First of all I made a backup of the software on my computer (that took 30 minutes). After installing the updates, the unit could not connect to the Internet. I tried another computer, did the update all over again. When I tried to use the unit I got a flashing X across the screen. Spent the next 6 hours trying to fix things as suggested by the Tomtom help files. Nothing worked. Tried to reinstall the backed-up software. Did not work either. Thank heavens Amazon lives up to its reputation and makes my return easy.

I purchased a TOMTOM ONE 130 from a retail chain on Feb 27, 2009 while visiting family and friends in Upstate NY. The unit was easy to get up and running, and worked well enough. The manual implied that I could easily hook it up to my Mac and update the interface.

After installing the TOMTOM HOME software (directly from the TOMTOM itself) I was prompted by the system to update my software. Okey dokie.

With the new TOMTOM HOME software installed and running I was prompted to upgrade my GPS unit with the latest "version" of its' operating system. I allowed it, and was rewarded with my actions with a TOMTOM ONE 130 that would not boot. It did, however, flash a menacing red "X" on its' screen while the software on my Mac told me to unhook the thing and restart it.

I called the customer support line and was told that "these things happen". I'm a pretty technical guy, and I know that you can sometimes get a bum steer. I asked him if I had purchased a $200 "brick" and the guy told me it sounded like my TOMTOM was beyond hope. No problem. The next morning I headed back to the retail store where I purchased the unit and I exchanged it for a duplicate.

This time I decided NOT to update my TOMTOM or let it get close to my computer until it had gotten me home. 13 hours and 920 miles later, the TOMTOM led me flawlessly to my doorstep, where I promptly booted up my computer, uninstalled all existing TOMTOM HOME applications, reinstalled a fresh version of TOMTOM HOME from the website, and plugged my GPS unit into my computer... looking forward all the while to downloading turn-by-turn instruction by good 'ol Mr. T once my system was updated with the latest maps, POIs, and doodads.

Same thing happened. I was instructed to unplug the machine and restart it. When I did, I got a blinking "X" and no way to fix it.

Oh, sure... I went to the TOMTOM site and followed the step-by-step troubleshooting tips to wipe out the system and start fresh. And four hours later it was doing the same thing. A second call to tech support revealed that this was incredibly common, and my support analyst even tried to make me believe that it was MY fault that the unit bricked because I was the silly sap who tried to update the stinking thing in the first place.

What a waste! If the sole highlight of your product is its' flexibility and ability to interface with your computer for updates and customization, then how can you justify such an unbelievably delicate framework that is so prone to critical errors?!

This was a fiasco. I couldn't believe how I was treated by TOMTOM support and I couldn't believe that the simple act of plugging the unit in and downloaded the recommended updates could destroy it so easily.

I returned the second faulty GPS unit to a local branch of the retail outlet and purchased a GARMIN NUVI for $50 less. Guess what? It updates flawlessly, tells me where I need to go without a problem (so far), and makes me feel like I spent my money on something worthwhile.

I purchased this product last week. The volume emits from the rear of the device. Simply stated: it cannot be heard. The mounting device is cheap and poorly designed (suction cup, device separates from mount when attemting to adjust the unit).
Upon testing, it led me astray, telling me to turn at cow pastures or non-existent roads (rural setting).
I returned the product for a store credit. I would not purchase a Tom Tom product again. The website appears to be equally poor.

When I first got this TomTom I was in love with it. I downloaded free voices and thought they funny (especially the Sling Blade voice...ummmm hmmmm and the Austin Powers voice (give me a frigging break will ya!)). Some of the free voices are extremly low and hard to hear though.

I am no longer in love with my Tomtom. Here is why:
1- Sometimes it tells me to take a left when the screen clearly shows a right turn
2- Sometimes it shows me a wrong exit ie 179B- Durham hwy S. but when I look at the sign 179A is actually Durham Hwy S. and 179B is N. I am not sure why this happens (maybe the exits were changed?)
3- The free maps are not up to date. I have a friend who lives in a fairly new subdivision that was created in 2006. It still does not show up on the map. There are other areas where the road has been in place for a couple of years but they are still not showing up on my Tom Tom. When I travel on those roads it warms me I am on a dirt road when I am actually on a 6 lane hwy! I am guestimating the free maps are at least 4 years old. That is not good in a city with a lot of construction going on. The paid updates cost as much as the GPS unit!
4- The true up-to-date maps cost money. It was advertised as having free updates. I updated my maps and software with the free update 2 months ago and it is still not showing my friends subdivision that is over 2 years old.
5- I emailed TomTom to ask about this over 6 months ago and have still not received a response.

The things I like are that you can customize your splash screen, coming on and going off, and download famous voices. It does allow you to search for things by name such as Bank of America ATM's, hotels, gas stations etc and interestingly enough the new ones show up even though the new roads don't. I have not been able to find a Walmart or mall by name though. Not sure if you can do that with others but what is a map when you can't got to a different city and find the nearest Walmart? I think that should be a given!

I brought my daughter a refurbished Navigon GPS and it is great. The free maps show the subdivisions that I found to be missing on my TomTom, it gives the correct exit information, a left is really a left, the hwy instructions are much clearer (true 3-D) and the sound is louder and clearer.
I was disappointed after I found all the quirks with this one. It does not have bluetooth but I was not expecting that for the $175 I paid for it. Also it dedicates a lot of memory to Canadian maps which you can not delete. Canadians maps have to be saved along with the US maps.

If you are looking for a USA GPS system with free map updates this is not the one for you. Trying to find one that fits what you are looking for is confusing, all you can do is read the reviews and narrow it down. I tried to be as clear about the pros and cons I found with this one and I hope that helps!

When I first got this i was excited. It gets a signal right away and is easy to use. I used it find a friend's house and it worked perfectly. After that I began having problems. I tried to find a golf course and it kept sending me around in a nonstop loop. After a little while it just all of sudden gave up and decided it wanted to take me home. I also tried using it to find a UPS center and it took me into the middle of nowhere. It wasn't even close. I thought that if I downloaded the software and updated my TomTom that it might fix these issues. It is difficult to connect to the internet because you do not receive an external plug to charge it from an outlet. You need to charge it in the car while driving around. I ordered the external plug and charged it fully. It didn't begin downloading the software like the instructions said it would. I had to go the website and download it myself. Once I did that I proceeded to download the recommended updates. When I did it instructed me to disconnect the GPS from the PC and then reconnect. I did that and it appeared that the updates were installing but when I turned it off and back on to start using it I could only see a big blinking red X and I cannot get past it. I did some research online and it looks like my GPS is "Bricked" I'm going to have to call tech support and see if they can fix it but from what I have read online tech support cannot fix this particular issue. I waited too long to get the charger and it's too late to return it. My buddy bought a Garmin and he says it works flawlessly. I'm afraid I may have thrown away $200.00 on this product.

Mine broke (frozen after startup) 1.5 months after I bought it, right when I went on vacation. After going to www.tomtom.com/support and installing TomTom Home and following THEIR INSTRUCTIONS it still was frozen, so I called customer support and here is what they told me:

1) The instructions on their TomTom Home software is wrong - you must always turn the product off before unplugging it. They made is sound like it is my fault for following their faulty instructions "do you ever unplug your computer before turning it off". By the way - I do and it still continues to work.

2) Even after phone support the product still doesn't work, and the support person tells me that I must charge the product before use for 4 hours, and then continue to do so on a weekly basis, or this product could corrupt itself. And I should charge for exactly 4 hours - not overnight - because the battery could overheat and it would shut itself down.

This device is too fragile to be used as a portable device. It should be robust like a cell phone if it is to be used as a portable device, not become corrupt on a weekly basis.

Anyway, my device still doesn't work and they gave me the option of sending it in for repair (4 weeks) or returning it to the store I bought it at for a new one.