TomTom Rider - a good thing

[Burfcontrol]

I tried the search but couldn't find what I'm looking for, so please be gentle with me.

Thinking of getting a GPS, fancied the Garmin 2610 but have been taken by the Tom Tom Rider. Not in any hurry so can wait until it's available.
Now it's (reasonably) clear what's needed on the Garmin systems, base map of Europe, City Navigator etc and therefore it's not viable buying cheap in US.

So now the questions....
1. Is it worth buying Tom Tom in US, do they have same constraints as Garmin?
2. Is their a PC based system for map/route planning?
3. Do they cover byeways? (in case I get brave / silly and can't keep up with Fanum )

I like the touch screen, size, blue tooth, general package and technology - but haven't been able to find answers to the above.

Cheers Jim

 

[Kropotkin]

So now the questions....
1. Is it worth buying Tom Tom in US, do they have same constraints as Garmin?

I suspect that it may not be worth buying it in the US, I reckon pricing will be roughly in line with European pricing. There will be no constraints on where you buy stuff, as the TomTom units have no base map. What you get is a map of a particular country. So a US TomTom Rider will be a unit, plus the maps of the US. You will then have to stump up the cash for either the UK + major roads of Europe, or else the full European maps. Which will not be cheap (at least a couple of hundred quid). Or take a chance on eMule.

2. Is their a PC based system for map/route planning?

Not as far as I know. I believe the units will have software for transferring maps to and from the unit, but that's all. If you want to get an idea, go into your local Halfords or whatever and try out the TomTom Go, as the Rider is basically a ruggedised Go.

3. Do they cover byeways? (in case I get brave / silly and can't keep up with Fanum )

TomTom 3 (for the PDA) does NOT have byeways. Most unpaved stuff (unless marked as a road) is not present on TomTom. And if you're off the map, you no longer exist, unlike the Garmin units.

 

[RAM-man]

To anyone buying a gps, I suggest do your homework and look beyond the High Street and online 'bookshop sellers'.

Many 'specialist' gps suppliers have a web links to informed individuals, one in the UK is Pocket GPS, the other is this US based gps benchmark test site, www.gpsinformation.net run by a guy called 'Joe Mehaffey' and he does indepth reviews of GPS units and its the best 'which guide or what to buy before you buy report/review out there'.

A recent report is on screen brightness makes an interesting read. It may confirm your purchase direction or make you think again. Either way its free , so take a look at http://gpsinformation.us/joe/gpscompare/gpscarnavscreencompare.html

RAM-man

 

[Kropotkin]

Thanks, RAM-man! That review of screen readability is a really big help. I thought there had been a few complaints about the 2610 screen in direct sunshine (which is why there are sunshades available for it), but do you happen to know how the 2610 compares with the Quest?

 

[Patch]

With regard to PC planning of routes, it is possible to do the planning in Autoroute and then use a piece of freeware call POI-Converter to convert the .axe file to .itn. I have been using this for a while and it works very well.

 

[(RIP) Shenzi]

A recent report is on screen brightness makes an interesting read. It may confirm your purchase direction or make you think again. Either way its free , so take a look at http://gpsinformation.us/joe/gpscompare/gpscarnavscreencompare.html

RAM-man

Thanks for that Steve. If the TomTom Rider has the same screen as the TomTom Go then maybe they will have a hard time selling it!
Interesting to see how well the 2610 does in this comparison.

 

[Yellow Peril]

Good luck burfcontrol with which ever you choose but learn how to use it well, it was most amuzing in Germany watch riders go up and down the same roads and in cicles slavishly following their GPS's

 

[Burfcontrol]

Thanks to all

Appreciate the feedback and links. Guess the Tom Tom's out and the Garmin's the one to go for.

Cheers Jim

 

[samwise]

Re: Re: TomTom Rider - a good thing

TomTom 3 (for the PDA) does NOT have byeways. Most unpaved stuff (unless marked as a road) is not present on TomTom. And if you're off the map, you no longer exist, unlike the Garmin units.

The Tele Atlas software that TomTom use doesn't have the Isle of Man on it, whereas NavTeq (Garmin's supplier) does - I wonder what other areas NavTeq is ahead in mapping, but that in itself has put me off using a product based on Tele Atlas.

I sent an email to Tele Atlas and they did respond pretty quickly, but basically they don't seem to have any inclination to do the IOM, so

 

[Allroad]

tele atlas does NOT work in Northern Ireland where as Navteq does