Singapore: Women can’t read maps and real men don’t ask for directions. It’s a much-quoted general observation that’s been attributed to more than a few disastrous road trips.
In more recent years, the situation has been mitigated somewhat by in-car navigation devices, riding on the free U.S. space-based radio navigation system known as GPS (Global Positioning System) that offers everyone positioning information.
Among the plethora of in-car GPS navigators available in retail outlets around Singapore and its neighours, TomTom is one new kid on the block that’s worth checking out.
iPhone users may already be familiar with the name, being one of the few driving apps that takes drivers happily around Singapore and Malaysia.
But now you can travel as far as Thailand with the in-car GPS from the European company that prides itself as the world’s leading provider of location and navigation solutions.
Although the TomTom GO 750 as well as the XL 250 and XXL 550 costs way more than the near-$60 iPhone app, the upside is your iPhone is freed for other essentials such as playing music or keeping the kids (or adults) busy with other apps like the contagious, hilarious Talking Tom.
That is not to say that the GPS navigator isn’t entertaining while getting you to your destination in the fastest time.
Unlike other navigation devices, the TomTom offers a series of voices that users can download, from rapper Snoop Dogg to cartoon favourites SpongeBob and Dora the Explorer, and evergreen icons such as Star Wars’ Darth Vader and Yoda, Loony Tunes’ Bugs Bunny or Daffy Duck and even Homer Simpson.
These premier voices cost Euro 4.5 - 9.95 and are available online alongside a slew of free voices which are not in any way sub-par items.
When testing out the TomTom GO 750, driving was a pleasure with many light moments from the Dalek of Dr Who that threatens to exterminate the human.
As you can download as many voices as your device can handle and change them at whim, there were driving trips with the Alexander Technique teacher who reminds “you have arrived, so get out, lie down and breathe gently…” and the old English army Sgt-Major (complete with bugles) who tells the driver to get on the motorway and “when you see a tank, wave and say ‘hello tank!’”
If English is not your strength, you could even get help in Afrikaans, Nepali and Zulu , or create your own set of voice commands by following the clear and simple instructions.
Plugging the navigator into a PC (Windows or Mac) will launch the TomTom HOME software where other forms of personalisation is possible along with the more essential downloads – this is especially for map updates which are free for 12 months.
The panel is fairly simple to navigate and the download process is quick and painless once the device is auto detected.
Resist the temptation to take your TomTom for a long test-drive. It is important to plug it in after purchase to enjoy the one-year bonus on maps since the TomTom GO 750 and TomTom XL 250 and XXL 550 come pre-installed with maps of Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia and Brunei, and updates are available every three months.
Through the TomTom HOME application that launches when a device is connected, users can also tap on the Map Share technology, to send and receive map corrections submitted by other TomTom users around the world.
Unfortunately as the TomTom is new to Singapore, no correction was yet made to a short-cut used on one trip, resulting in the warning “Turn around, you’re going the bl**dy wrong way!”
Any map correction made on a user’s device will be immediately reflected and the next time the navigator is linked to the online system, the amendment will be sent to map provider servers and then shared once its verified by TomTom.
However, to make an accurate correction it seems almost necessary to be on or near the road in question – that’s quite a hassle especially if you’re at the wheel.
The TomTom GO 750 and Tom Tom XL 250 and XXL 550 are comparable in size to other devices on the market but the screen is clear even under bright sunlight.
The touch screen facility can be a little temperamental but all will be forgiven when the Advanced Lane Guidance comes on to clearly indicate which lane to keep on when approaching a multi-road intersection or highway turn-off.
The devices also offer guidance through spoken street names, along with standard search functions such as postcodes and points of interest that include shopping centres, schools and offices.
While the TomTom is a clever device, it doesn’t warn of speed cameras.
It will however indicate within a red warning bar if you’re driving over the speed limit of the road you’re on - but the driver will only notice that warning if he happens to look at the device.
What would make the device perfect is an option to store a preferred personal route. Right now you can only choose routes such as those that avoid road tolls, which in the case of Singapore is the ERP (Electronic Road Pricing) system.
Like other in-car navigators, the TomTom is best powered by a car charger and can serve a drive of up to three hours if it runs unplugged but fully charged via USB to a computer or an optional home charger.
One big plus point for the TomTom is that the one device can serve users both at home and abroad.
With the TomTom XL 250 and XXL 550 offering 2GB of in-built memory and the TomTom GO 750 offering a micro SD card slot you can purchase other maps to add to the four already available.
While a map can set you back only some S$50, the real cost outlay is in time and patience.
Experimenting with a smaller capacity TomTom purchased several months earlier in Australia, there was much fussing around online before a Singapore map could be downloaded.
After that, it was just a case of switching between maps.
If over time you acquire a number of maps, and some can be rather large files, the advice of Nick Saisanas, TomTom’s Marketing Communications Manager( Asia Pacific) is to store a copy of your regular maps to TomTom HOME and install the new country map onto the device.
Compared to the XL 250 and XXL 550, the TomTom GO 750 holds the greatest appeal as it can be paired with a phone via bluetooh so as to make calls which are clear on both ends of the conversation, through the GPS device.
Unfortunately, there is no option to send and receive SMS which would be a great plus since many drivers have been spotted dangerously texting while driving.
Using the TomTom for the very first time will require time as it takes several minutes to get its GPS fixing, which is best not to do so inside a building.
Thereafter the QuickGPSfix will handle route planning, although not always as quickly as someone in a small hurry might appreciate.
With the Chinese New Year coming up and the list of relatives and friends to visit grows, it might be worth considering a GPS navigator to avoid unpleasantness or quarrels during the auspicious period.
Better yet, forget about the Valentine Day’s dinner and splurge on one of the three TomTom navigators priced from S$269 to S$399 … just make sure you set your place under Favourites before getting it gift-wrapped.
