TomTom ONE

Price: $135.95 - $359

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SIMPLICITY AT ITS FINEST...01/02/07

Pros:

Compact, simple to use, great maps, bright display...

Cons:

Is non-user replacable batteries the newest electronic fad...?

Being a fan of the old analog GPS systems (that's road maps to you) for years I decided to try my luck on the TomTom One (New Edition). I figured that the price of portable GPS systems had declined enough for the average American to afford, (and with the discount that TomTom is presently offering I decided now was as good as time as any to purchase).

The unit itself is ready straight out of the box. The internal battery comes charged and the package also includes a car charger to your cigarette lighter, a USB cable for connecting to your PC, a windshield mount, computer software that includes TomTom Home for easy organization of your TomTom, an instruction manual with easy start guide, and finally a replaceable 1GB SD card loaded with maps and points of interest throughout America and Canada.

Upon initial use of the TomTom One, I found the unit to be light (approximately 7 ounces) and very easy to set up. The onscreen instructions were clear, precise, and specific. I was asked a series of questions that helped me customize my TomTom...my street address, the voice setting I preferred...etc. The 3.5 inch touchscreen with 320 x 240 resolution is large enough to use comfortably and was crystal clear even in direct sunlight. Within five minutes of getting the unit out of the box I was ready to go.

The TomTom One (using its SirfStar III chipset) found my position on the map within 60 seconds. Very impressive considering the 5 minute wait owners are used to with prior GPS systems. I decided to take a 30 mile drive from within city limits to my parents house, which is located in the sprawling cornfields of Illinois.

Once the route was calculated the TomTom One warned me that exact street addresses (house numbers) located in the country were not included in the directions but it would still take me to the road I was searching for. Fair enough.

The route was calculated within seconds, I was given a choice of using either 2D or 3D onscreen maps, and a female voice started giving me turn by turn instructions towards my destination. This is what I have been lacking! It was like having my own personal tour guide for the entire country.

Somewhere along the drive I decided to test the TomTom One to see what would happen if a wrong turn was made. I made an "incorrect left" down a gravel road and the unit had a new route for me within 25 feet. I was astonished. The country roads in Illinois can get very confusing at times, a driver can get lost quite easy because there are no visible reference points to navigate from. The TomTom One didn't hiccup once, it just recalculated a route and kept right on going.

I arrived at my destination (as promised, the TomTom One took me to the country road I needed but not to the street address itself). I was impressed. With rural Illinois conquered, I decided to test the system's point of interest (POI) database. This seems to be a major negative point with other reviewers but I found the database to be very reasonable considering the fact that places of business close quicker than they open. True...some restaurants weren't included in the system's SD card, but anyone that uses even an "up-to-date" phonebook will tell you they have the same problem. I think the POI database was extensive and as accurate as the driving directions the TomTom gives itself.

What the TomTom One does lack however is any video or MP3 playback capabilities. This, to me, was understood before purchasing the unit and incidentally seemed like an unnecessary feature for a GPS system. Unfortunately, the TomTom One does lack features that I would prefer to have. One of which is text to speech capabilities which would allow the voice navigation to pronounce the names of streets rather than just left or right turns (example: "turn left on Progress Boulevard", as opposed to just "turn right")

Also, I really would have appreciated a user-replaceable battery in