Are we there yet? TomTom device gets the skinny on traffic
With the outrageously high price of gasoline today (hovering at $4.70 a gallon), who can afford to idle in traffic?
Today, most car navigation devices will direct you to the shortest route to your destination and some of the newer devices will even alert you to traffic jams in your path.
But the newest device from TomTom, the GO 930, uses traffic data that can calculate the average speed of traffic on your route to give you a more accurate estimate of your travel time. Where does that info come from? Other TomTom users whose devices are anonymously sending the information to TomTom central (this occurs when you hook your TomTom to the Internet for downloads, etc.).
Another cool upgrade: The device points you to which lane you should drive in for merges, exits, etc.
The suggested retail price is $500 and is available at Best Buy, Fry’s Electronics, Office Depot and other electronic retailers or go to www.tomtom.com.
– Hugo Martin, Los Angeles Times staff writer
[Image: www.tomtom.com]
6 Comments on “Are we there yet? TomTom device gets the skinny on traffic”
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July 3rd, 2008 at 11:42 am
I’ve actually used this device in Europe (when we’re filming our Jet Set Life shows). It’s fantastic and very affordable. I really reccomend it. Thanks for the post!
July 5th, 2008 at 6:16 am
It’s $449 at Office Depot…
http://www.officedepot.com/a/products/590830/GO-920-Portable-Navigation-System/
July 30th, 2008 at 9:11 am
i got my tomtom at http://www.consumerdepot.com
July 30th, 2008 at 11:42 am
I bought the 930 for the features that were praised in this article and many others. However, reality in the real driving world is not the same. Another feature the 930 is advertised as having is a Bluetooth speakerphone which is invaluable since the new state law requiring drivers use their phones handsfree went into effect. However, the 930 has a very limited list of cellphones it is compatible with other than AT&T. Those of us with Verizon, Sprint and T-Mobile combined don’t have half as many options and TomTom tech support was polite but didn’t have an explanation why a corporation like TomTom couldn’t go to the trouble of making more phones compatible with their GPS units. Everyone considering the 930 should dig through TomTom’s website and be sure their phone is compatible. And if it isn’t Garmin or Magellan may be a better choice.
August 5th, 2008 at 7:38 pm
Emily and Cassie: the TomTom’s you point us to are the 920 NOT the 930.
August 11th, 2008 at 3:47 pm
Their list of Bluetooth compatible phones is not complete. I have a Vrizon Blackberry that works perfectly well with the hands free function. It’s not on the list of phones compatible with the traffic. I suspect it will work so I wrote tech support and asked if there was anywat to cnofirm before I bought the service and they said no! You would think that they would provide a free 30, or even 15 day trial.