It wasn't long ago that I reviewed the TomTom Navigation App for the iPhone. At the time the only other app that I had to compare it with was the Navigon app, which came out first. When the TomTom app came out it really wasn't any better than the Navigon app. Sure there are some things that were nicer like more POIs, but overall the app had basically the same major limitations as the Navigon app. Well Navigon has released two updates since then and in the latest update they gave us TTS (Text to Speech) so that when you're approaching a turn it says the name of the street that you're about to turn on. This plus integrated iPod controls an automatic day/night mode and a few other fixes plus a cheaper retail price makes Navigon my app of choice. Check out the Navigon app here on the App Store:
However, all of these apps have the same problem and that is the relatively weak signal from the iPhone's GPS chip. This can't be fixed by software.
The TomTom Car Kit
I've been waiting for the TomTom Car Kit to ship. I felt that with this mount I would not only get a holder for the iPhone, integrated speakerphone and power, but I would get the much needed GPS signal booster that they promised. I was patiently waiting for the October shipping of this "kit" until I read all the reports that the car kit was going to cost $120!!!! Yes, and you guessed it, that doesn't include the app! I have one question….TomTom are you insane? Sure I know that it would be more convenient to carry one device (the iPhone) instead of two when I travel, but its the principle here. I can get a full blown GPS unit from any of the top GPS manufacturers (including, wait for it….TomTom) for around the same $120 you're charging for the "car kit" alone. It would be one thing if the $120 included a code to get the app, but it doesn't. Did it really require that much of an engineering effort to make an iPhone mount, charger, GPS signal boosting unit that you have to charge almost as much as you do for your own TomTom ONE XL-S that includes a mount AND charger?
A recent email survey - earlier this week I received an email as a registered user interested in their iPhone app. The Survey asked the usual kinds of questions you would expect about how I liked the app, features I would like to see, which ones I use, etc. Then the survey asked a lot of questions regarding the car kit and pricing. So perhaps TomTom is starting to realize that $120 is too much! We'll see.
UPDATE: The TomTom Car Kit has reappeared in the UK Apple Store:
The Bottom Line
I was really hoping that I would be able to just use my iPhone and the Navigon (or TomTom) app for my travel GPS. You can certainly use your iPhone with a standard mount such as this vent mount that I use and it will work! It's just that a mount with a GPS signal booster would make it BETTER! However, at this point I will continue to use my Garmin Nuvi 765t and beanbag mount or vent mount. I will also wait to see what the Navigon mount looks like (hopefully it's more than just a holder) and costs. It's not that I don't have $120 to spend, it's just hard to justify spending that on a mount when you can get a fully functional GPS unit, mount and charger that has more functionally for that price or less!
About Terry White
Terry is the co-author of The Best Selling "The iPhone Book" 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th editions. He has been active in the industry for over 25 years and is the founder and president of MacGroup-Detroit, Inc., Michigan's largest Macintosh Users Group, host of the Adobe Creative Suite Podcast and a technology writer - Terry White Tech Blog.
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