Tom Tom GPS Navigation

Why the Tom Tom system may be best for city travel.

 You may want to consider the Tom Tom GPS navigation system if you do most of your travel in dense urban areas.  The one great feature which sets this GPS system apart from the others is the ability to share information with others. 

Tom Tom has a Wiki feature.  It works just like an ipod, in that you simply take the unit and plug it into your computer and it updates itself with information other drivers have shared about your local roads.

For example:  Our city is going through the annual summer road patching along with a major subway construction project.  Every week there are lanes closed and intersections under manual control.  It is hard to remember what streets to avoid, because everything keeps changing.  Even listening to the radio station doesn't help because they will advise going down streets I'm not familiar with.  Also there are many small construction projects going on that the radio stations don't bother reporting.

With a Tom Tom unit I can get updated information before I head out and be guided along unfamiliar streets without worrying.

And, if I happen to spot an area that is blocked off, I just hit a button and my unit records that information.  The traffic problem is then shared with others when I plug the Tom Tom unit into my computer.

This also means that I can get more out of the mapping software.  Other GPS brands stay the same until you buy an upgrade.  This can make those GPS units' data a year or more old.  Tom Tom's Wiki sharing feature gives you new information daily.

Various Tom Tom GPS models also have other essential features for the urban traveller. 

There is a computer which allows the unit to estimate your location when you are in areas that block the satellite signals, such as tunnels or other underground areas.

The voice feature can call out street names for you instead of distances.

You can subscribe to the new urban traffic monitoring services, which more and more cities are installing.  And Tom Tom has enhanced these with its own HD technology.

This means that you can be alerted to accidents or traffic snarls and  your Tom Tom will find another route before you get caught in the mess.  No more stressful listening to traffic stations and trying to visualize exit points and alternate routes and wondering about times and distances, and worrying if you will get caught on some strange street going who knows where! Whew!

Another great thing about buying a portable GPS unit is that you can take it with you on vacation.  This means that you will be using something you are familiar with, rather than having the stress of learning a whole new system.  Also you can download updates from fellow Tom Tom users from around the world.

European travel is made easier, because of Tom Tom's 3D feature, which automaticaly switches your screen view to 800 meter 3D guide with flashing arrows.  This simplifies those complicated interchanges.

I have one word of caution about buying a Tom Tom GPS navigation system.  Don't buy the cheapest model.  If all you want is the equivalent to the old standard road map, you can find something a lot cheaper which works fine.  But if you are travelling a lot in cities and want the best way through the daily mess, then buy a full featured Tom Tom.  The difference in price in not all that much when you consider the value extra features. 

Let's face it.  One big part of buying a GPS unit is to take some stress out of your life.  The makers of the Tom Tom navigation systems seem to have figured that out, better than the other brands.