186 of 186 people found the following review helpful:
SAME GREAT TOMTOM NAME BUT NO REASON TO UPGRADE
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,...
89 of 94 people found the following review helpful:
Good GPS, Old Maps
This GPS is a good, inexpensive unit that has a lot of nice features, but also has one major problem. That major problem is that the maps are quite old and the free map upgrade from TomTom does NOT apply to refurb units.
Pros:
1) Pretty quick at GPS acquisition
2) Built-in windshield mount is great
3) Loud speaker
4) Screen is very...
This review is from: TomTom ONE 130 3.5-Inch Portable GPS Navigator (Electronics)
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).
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I bought this to replace my TomTom One that was stolen. After the rebate, and including 2 day shipping, it was just $60 which is a pretty amazing price for a nice GPS. Despite the information from another review, TomTom will upgrade your maps during the first 30 days after purchase, refurbished or not. If you've done your homework, you know that this is a basic model. The screen is only 3.5" (which I think is plenty big) and it doesn't speak the names of streets. So, instead of saying "turn right on elm street", it just says, "turn right". If you are driving alone, this is actually a bigger disadvantage than you might think because when streets (or highway exits) are closely spaced it can be hard to figure out when to turn. If you have a companion to look at the GPS while you drive, then it doesn't really make a difference. Still, if you just want a unit that will reliably get you where you want to go, and is easy to use (e.g. entering the destination, etc.) you can't go wrong for[...]
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This GPS is a good, inexpensive unit that has a lot of nice features, but also has one major problem. That major problem is that the maps are quite old and the free map upgrade from TomTom does NOT apply to refurb units.
Pros:
1) Pretty quick at GPS acquisition
2) Built-in windshield mount is great
3) Loud speaker
4) Screen is very clear
5) TomTom Home is a great system for keeping GPS up to date
Cons:
1) 1GB of memory means maps don't have many POIs
2) Included maps are 5 revisions behind (TomTom updates 4 times a year)
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This review is from: TomTom ONE 130 3.5-Inch Portable GPS Navigator (Electronics)
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.
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This review is from: TomTom ONE 130 3.5-Inch Portable GPS Navigator (Electronics)
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!
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If you do not require live traffic or bluetooth and just need guidance, this unit is all you need. Good mapping, compact and very easy to use. In fact my 6 year get's a kick out of entering the routing. Why pay [...] when there is no need? BTW....I was sceptical about the rebate but, I received my check within 4 weeks with zero issues. Very nice buying experience and did not have to step into a retial store.
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This review is from: TomTom ONE 130 3.5-Inch Portable GPS Navigator (Electronics)
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.
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This item does essentially all that a gps unit should. It has more than enough features to make it an excellent choice.
I was able to update my refurbished unit to the latest maps through the downloaded software "tomtom home". The map update was free, same as with the brand new units. You get one for the first 30 days of ownership, and the tomtom home website recognized my refurbed unit as available for a free update. Other posts have commented variably on this.
A comment was made about an poor manual.. In the box is only a basic start up guide, but the detailed and easy to understand manual can be downloaded from the tomtom support website.
The audio and selection of voices are fine. The suction cup is a neat and very usable idea. The unit will recalculate your route if you take a detour, therefore avoiding the endless 'turn around' commands of some. It will also recalculate alternative routes to the end position should you choose.
The screen resolution is fine and bright. There is a choice of map displays for night and day use. 2d and 3d views can be selected.
Entries are made by touching the icons on the screen... really simple. That makes navigation around the menu very easy and the menus are intuitive.
I found that putting in an address is easy: you pick a state, start typing in a city (it will predict which one when you get in enough letters), do the same for the street name, and then touch in the street address.
Points of interest included within the memory are more than adequate for me, and more can be downloaded from tomtom home. That is, the unit has a list of parks, airports etc without typing in their address.
The refurbished price[...] makes it a great deal too. The unit looked perfectly new... no indication it had been refurbished.
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PROS:
-Nice compact unit.
-Good mounting system.
-Unit has a right-angled power connector that attaches to the bottom of the unit. This allows the unit to sit lower on the windshield.
-Loud speaker.
CONS:
-Old map data (mine came with v715.1712 from 2007 and didn't have a street near my work that's been there since Sept 2006.) Despite other reviews here, Tomtom support will NOT allow map updates to refurb units (I know because I called a couple times.) They said there were older refurbs that did allow updates with a promo card in the box, but the newer refurbs require map updates to be purchased. It's unfortunate that they take this attitude in the light of blatant map errors as it really reflects badly on their product.
[WHAT COMES IN THE BOX]
To answer a question posed in the most recent review. The box contains the GPS unit, the suction cup mount, a adhesive disc for optional dash mounting, a USB cable to hook the unit to your computer, and the cigarette power cord. It does NOT include a wall-wart power adapter for plugging in at home.
[July 17, 2009] Okay, some new information - I purchased another one of these as a gift for my brother. I just received it last week and hooked the unit up to Tomtom Home to do software updates, and I was able to get Latest Map Guarantee to download the latest map data to his unit. Some forum discussions have suggested that it may be dependent on how out-of-date your map data is on your refurb. My brother's unit was 2 quarters out-of-date, my unit, which I purchased last month, was 8 quarters out-of-date (and was denied LMG as described above.)
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This review is from: TomTom ONE 130 3.5-Inch Portable GPS Navigator (Electronics)
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.
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