Built-in Nav vs. TomTom for Palm

Very interesting. My original plan was to get a #5 package and get an portable GPS (although not necessarily a TomTom). When that fell though I had to "make do" with a #6.

There's a dance you can do to override the NAV defeat so that's OK, but I've heard the upgrade for the built-in is about half what you said. Even so it's still more than a TomTom upgrade.

 

I have an 06 Package 7 on order but, my wife and I have a built in NAV on my wife's RX330(DVD based NAV) and have tried a friends Pocket PC based GPS unit. We frequently take lots of road trips and found that the Pocket PC based GPS unit frequently can not hold ALL the POI and detailed street information of the places we will visit or pass by. The DVD holds over 8 GB(dual layer) of map and POI information and we don't have to worry about pre-loading the needed information, unlike the Pocket PC based systems. I also found that the "dead reckoning"(when sattelites can't be accuired) of the OEM systems to be DANG GOOD! It takes a while for the Pocket PC based GPS unit to accuire the needed satellites. The OEM NAV does not have a "dead spot" and will always track, unlike the Pocket PC based GPS.

IMHO, If one can afford it, nothing beats the OEM NAVs.

 

Strong agreement from me. I do not like a sting of wires around the car... nor do I want to deal with portable devices in the car.

I already have an extremely nice portable GPS system that I can use... but now whenever I buy a new car, it will have a built in navigator. I really dislike having to put the portable away every time that I stop.

/Jim

 

WARNING FOR TOMTOM GO'S:

If you have SprintPCS and would like to use the Bluetooth capability (you can do hands-free through the TomTom Go and call POI's if the number is recorded), SprintPCS is completely not supported (grumble). If you hit TomTom's website and go to a specific product tab, under specifications, you should see the list of compatible bluetooth phones.

 

I just bought my 06 with HK package simply because I hated the OEM GPS interface. I would have gone with the higher package if the Prius GPS had a better user interface. I have used many brands of built in GPS (Honda, BMW, Acura), and the one in the Prius (at least the 05 I tested) and in the Lexus Hybrid are the worst. I can figure it out, but when I return to it a couple of weeks later, nothing seems familiar and I have to fumble thru it again. This is the sign of a non-intuitive interface.

On the other hand, the TOM TOM Go 700 I picked up is so easy to use! The layout of the menu makes so much sense that my mother was able to use it after only 5 mins of couching from me. I highly recommend it. The screen is bright and the glass mount works well. Yes, the extra power cord dangling is the downsize. But the positives more than make up for that. I also travel to other cities once in a while. It's a huge plus to be able to take the svelte TOM TOM with me and use it in rental cars in cities across the US.

 

I've used both integrated and standalone units, and some of the standalone units are very good- better than a lot of the integrated nav units, but I will always go for an integrated nav (note, this does not necessarily mean OEM) for the larger display, larger, on-line databases, greater security (ie, not a module on the dash that you have to disconnect and take with you/hide every time you leave the car) and clean installation (no extra modules and dash/window brackets and lighter/antenna cables).. In terms of price, once you get all the same kinds of features (extra large screen, external antenna, dead reckoning piezo gyro, large memory capacity/hard disk, voice recognition), the price range of the standalones are in the same ballpark as the integrated..

I think the ultimate navigation system should be a combo unit- small built-in touch screen and large internal memory/hard disk but with a video out option so that the system can be mounted in a hidden location (under the seat or in the trunk, etc) for integrated applications. I'm assuming that most standalones already use an RGB video system, so an output and a few lines of software code should be a cheap addition..

 

Hmmmm....I have the opposite experience. The Toyota/Lexus NAV(Gen 2+) is probably one of the best OEM NAV's I used, with the Honda/Acura a close second. All other NAV's I tried(Nissan/Infiniti; BMW; certain Mercedes) were NOT touch screen but rather used a "toggle/joystick" type UI. I does take a few minutes in the Lexus/Toyota NAV to enter in the City, Street, Address, etc., but once entered, the voice prompts, and re-routing are rock solid. Oh yeah, the Lexus/Toyota re-routing takes about 1-4 seconds, while some of the other NAV's I tried took much longer to re-route. Also, when I get into the vehicle, I don't have to wait for the NAV to acquire the satellite signals, and when I do loose satellite signal, like when your are in the city with lots of tall buildings, or in the woods with lots of trees, or in a tunnel, the "dead reckoning" will track the streets until satellite signal is regained. In other words, the NAV still tracks and works even if you loose satellite signal. The Pocket PC based NAV's I used go into an "acquiring" mode when satellite signal is lost and they do not have any "dead reckoning".

I agree that the PORTABILITY of the Pocket PC units are cool. However, given the choice between a Toyota/Lexus, Honda/Acura OEM NAV and a portable unit, IMHO, I would get OEM. Given the choice between ALL OTHER OEM NAV's and a portable unit, I would go with a portable unit.

 

I'm not sure it was real fair to compare an 1st gen Nav system to any system that is currently sold, but I understand you can only compare what you have. Would have been interesting to see an '05 v5.1 compared, or an '06 with its enhanced display. Also, the current price for Nav is $1900 and upgrades are $350, although even with the revised numbers I certainly see your point about cost.

I own both a portable and a built-in Nav, and I prefer the built-in for car use. I think the portables are great, it's just that I have to remember to bring mine, and most of the time I'm using the Nav to get to where someone just told me to be on a cell phone call. Just today I used it to bypass an accident. I just told it to "Go Home", then started driving through subdivisions. I just don't want to fiddle with anything on these little quickie needs. If cost is important though, portables win hands-down.

Nice write-up -- learned a LOT about the Tom Tom!

 

Thanks for the review, Jim. A point of clarification to those commenting about TomTom Go---that is a standalone system which is different than what Jim is comparing here. He is comparing the TomTom software used with a Palm device which is then connected to (wired or Bluetooth) a GPS device.

I'm a current Treo 650 owner and former 2005 TomTom Navigator owner and was trying to decide this very question for my upcoming '06 Prius (Seaside #8--I decided on the navigation package). A few comments on your review:

RE GRAPHICS: I don't know if you've seen the new hi-resolution screen that the Prius navigation comes in, but given the clarity and size, I think the OEM has TT beat now. It's stunning! Also, I found the Treo 650 display a bit small visually and for easy use (especially when tapping through menus).

RE VOICE PROMPTS: I respectfully disagree on giving the advantage to TT. Yeah, John Cleese is nice, but having the prompts come out of that small T650 speaker does not compare to it coming out via the car's speakers. I also found that the baseline volume is very high when compared to the volume required to play the Treo's MP3 player---the result is, when playing the MP3 player at the same time as running TomTom, the voice prompts were almost deafening!

RE USER INTERFACE: As someone else mentioned, there is an override for the OEM nav, so TT does not seem to have an edge here, either.

RE UPGRADABILITY: You are right that if you have TT Navigator 2004 and want to upgrade it to version 5, it is $50 (free for me when I did it!). But you cannot assume that will always hold true for future upgrades. Also, as someone else mentioned, you overestimated the upgrade cost for the OEM (not sure of the exact cost, though).

RE POI: I'm glad that TT worked for you with regards to your local area. Here in Denver, the POI DB was sorely outdated. I would think this would be regionally dependent (there are probably areas where the Prius nav POI DB is better, also remember that your nav is from a 2003 Prius). Again, not fair to give TT the edge here.

RE PORTABILTY: Agreed that TT obviously has the OEM beat here, but to be clear, the GPS unit is either like a LARGE pack of gum or just smaller than a deck of cards.

RE OTHER FEATURES: I again have to respectfully disagree with your conclusion in this area. I think the Prius voice recognition is a HUGE usability upgrade compared to TT, not to mention a LOT safer! As for the TomTom Plus services (weather and traffic), I tried it multiple times unsuccessfully. When it did work, I wasn't impressed with the traffic information. Lastly, the latest (not sure about 2003) Prius nav will also reroute automatically. Again, I don't think TomTom necessarily deserves the edge here, maybe a draw.

As a former TomTom user, I felt I had to clarify some of these points for a clearer overall view. When considering the above issues, I don't think the choices is as clear as you initially presented. In fact, it's a toss-up and it depends on your overall preferences.

One last issue that I was concerned about is the lack of stability of the Treo 650 when multi-tasking (playing MP3s, using TomTom, making/taking phone calls). Soft resets were a part of life (especially when traveling where the phone is out of cellular range for some reason). Also, I'm not sure how the Bluetooth functionality of the phone would work with the Prius if the Treo were also linked to a BT GPS.

I'm looking forward to being able to listen to MP3s from my Treo and take calls using the Prius Bluetooth option while being able to independently use the NAV system. In the end, I also wanted leather so the choice was easier from that standpoint.