Sat Nav - TomTom Go or TomTom & A PDA

[HedgehogHarvey]

Anyone got any suggestions should I got for TomTomGo or get a PDA and buy TomTom on its own?

Thanks

Richard

[ChicagoGator]

I just got the TomTomGo, and am very impressed. The design of GO is top notch since it is specifically tailored for In-Car Navigation. Biggest reasons to choose the GO route are...

• The screen on the GO is amazing. Very bright with good contrast. Way better than any PDA I have seen.
• Voice assisted navigation. Most PDAs dont have speakers. Even if they do, they are not very good.
• Full screen is dedicated to Navigation (no other controls)
• GO device is meant for landscape (wide) viewing, PDAs are Portrait (high)
• GO has a "dock" which allows for integrated charging and additional accessories such as an external antenna. Hopefully they'll add TMC integration (US Maps CDs come with TMC code info)

Other than cost, the only reason other reason for the PDA route is if you really need a PDA. I have a PDA, used it alot in the first few months, but haven't used it since. Phones do most of what you need a PDA for.

Just my 2 cents.

Dan

[jwardell]

GO is $800. I put together a PDA+tomtom system for just over $400.

Of course the Go is better integrated, offers newer software, gyros, and no piecing parts from ebay to save money mess. But still, twice the price for basically the same thing.

At least both beat the $1700 MINI system hands down.

[MCBert]

I used a TomTom PDA for about 2 years before I got my Mini with Nav.
In response to the comments above:

The screen on my PDA was absolutely fine, even on sunny days.
You do get good voice instructions from my PDA which you can hear at any speed.
I don't like the idea of a landscape view, the portrait view on a PDA allows you to see more of the road ahead instead of to the sides.
You also get full screen navigation on a PDA.
I get TMC now via a bluetooth connection to a mobile with GPRS.
You also get a bluetooth GPS receiver which means that you can use the PDA for other things, like walking if you add some OS maps.
Of course, you get a PDA.

I'm not aying that the Go is not a good solution - it's certainly neater than the PDA, but I think the PDA doesn't really have many other disadvantages - plus it's cheaper!

[TonyM]

Quote: Originally Posted by ChicagoGator

I just got the TomTomGo, and am very impressed. The design of GO is top notch since it is specifically tailored for In-Car Navigation. Biggest reasons to choose the GO route are...

• The screen on the GO is amazing. Very bright with good contrast. Way better than any PDA I have seen.
• Voice assisted navigation. Most PDAs dont have speakers. Even if they do, they are not very good.
• Full screen is dedicated to Navigation (no other controls)
• GO device is meant for landscape (wide) viewing, PDAs are Portrait (high)
• GO has a "dock" which allows for integrated charging and additional accessories such as an external antenna. Hopefully they'll add TMC integration (US Maps CDs come with TMC code info)

Other than cost, the only reason other reason for the PDA route is if you really need a PDA. I have a PDA, used it alot in the first few months, but haven't used it since. Phones do most of what you need a PDA for.

Just my 2 cents.

Dan

I agree totally with these comments.

Also, the Go is totally portable you can move it from car to car in seconds and even carry it with you to navigate you on foot from the car park to an address.

[Jules35]

I have been facing the same dilema for the past week or so but have decided to go for the Tom Tom Go. You can get them online for as low as £412 which is pretty good and they seem like an excellent all in one solution. In the end I figured a PDA set up would not be quite as neat or simple and I probably would not use the PDA for anything else over and above what a half decent mobile phone can do.

[ChicagoGator]

Got mine last week for around $675.00 including overnight shipping from MacMall. Just checked and it is now $813, but there are some others in the mid $600's though. Check online at C-net for price comparisons...

http://shopper.cnet.com/4014-3490_9-30960607.html

[minibee]

hello

I have got the new tom tom 3 and i am very happy with it
Loads more options ,the sound from the ipaq pocket pc is very good.
The total price for the ipaq+tom tom3 car kit (bluetooth) was 495 GBP.

Neil.

[SteveM3]

I prefer the PDA route mainly because you can add a speed/traffic light camera database
to protect you should you stray over the limit. I've got a PDA with integrated GPS so it's
a one box solution like the Go. The PDA is useful when you aren't navigating. Finally it
was £45 cheaper. I assume the Go comes ready loaded so if you have technophobia then
there is less to go wrong and the Go is nicely styled. Not a lot in it, you can't lose.

[TonyM]

The latest software update for Tomtom Go (Ver 4.40) allows you to add your own Points of Interest databases and accepts the same format of files as Navigator 3.

[jon vital]

You can get a Palm Tungsten E with SatNav kit for £330.

[Wobert]

Quote: Originally Posted by minibee

hello

I have got the new tom tom 3 and i am very happy with it
Loads more options ,the sound from the ipaq pocket pc is very good.
The total price for the ipaq+tom tom3 car kit (bluetooth) was 495 GBP.

Neil.

Me too......but I only paid £250 all in.....

[n0uk]

Apart from the cost benefit of the PDA solution, you can also use it as a free MP3 audio player that hooks directly into the Auxiliary socket.

The Go does look very nice, rugged, and portable.

Take you pick!

[MiniBeefy]

Its stating the obvious but ...

I went down the PDA + Tom Tom 3 route as the difference was small and in the end you get a PDA that can do other the functions.

The GO system is only a Nav unit

[Gavwad]

Quote: Originally Posted by wobert123

Me too......but I only paid £250 all in.....

How'd you manage that then? What PDA are you using, and what came installed?

I've been toying with TomTom GO vs a PDA GPS bundle for two weeks, and sill can't decide!

Gav