TomTom GPS navigation devices now in Malaysia

TomTom may sound like the name of a native tribe but according to Wikipedia, it’s the name the British give to a toy drum. You probably didn’t know that and those interested in portable navigation devices (PNDs) would know TomTom as a leading global brand, right up there with Garmin and Magellan. Though cumulative sales numbers of units sold to date are not available, TomTom, which is headquartered in Holland, says that ‘over 45 million people around the world use a TomTom PND daily’.

While Garmin and Magellan are better known to Malaysians, TomTom has not been well known because they have not had official representation locally. But from October 1, 2010, the company is starting up its business here and will initially offer three models - the GO 750, XXL 550 and XL 250.

TomTom’s entry into the Malaysian market occurs at a time when interest and demand for PNDs is increasing, especially since prices have gone down. While Magellan claims to have marketed the world’s first commercially available portable device that could receive signals from the GPS (Global Positioning by Satellite) network orbiting 20,000 kms overhead, TomTom claims to be the first to sell a mass-market portable PND.

The company has been around almost a decade and claims to be the world’s leading provider of location and navigation solutions. While its PNDs are its core business, TomTom also supplies customized navigation systems to carmakers like Toyota, Fiat, Alfa Romeo and Renault in Europe.

“We are very excited to bring high-quality navigation products to Malaysia and we are confident Malaysian drivers will embrace the ease of use, superior mapping, safety features and the quality navigation experience of TomTom PNDs,” said Chris Kearney, TomTom’s Vice-President Marketing (Asia-Pacific).

All the devices sold in Malaysia (through official channels) will come with pre-installed maps of Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, Brunei and Indonesia. Customers are assured of the latest map available at the time of purchase as they can use provided software to connect to the TomTom website and download the latest map (within 30 days of first use).

The maps are the most important part of a PND for most users since information on them is crucial to ensuring correct route guidance and identifying destinations or locations. TomTom uses maps developed by TeleAtlas, a company which it acquired in 2008. TeleAtlas has been in the digital mapping business since 1984 and has mapped some 200 countries, including Malaysia. So its base map for this country would already be fairly comprehensive and would cover the most important areas in detail. In fact, TeleAtlas maps (on CD) are already supplied to customers of one of the German luxury brands for use on the car's navigation system.

However, with constant development in the country, especially in major cities, the maps need to be constantly updated. TeleAtlas does this all the time and every three months, it issues an updated map that users can download onto their PND. For the first 12 months after purchase, the updates will be available at no charge but after that, there will be a charge. This charge is unknown at the time of writing though purchasing a map of Australia on the TomTom UK website, for example, would cost the equivalent of RM270. However, that’s for a new map and updates might be cheaper.

While TeleAtlas does its own updating, TomTom also invites its customers to participate in the updating process using the Map Share feature. If permission is granted by a user, TomTom downloads the changes that users may make on their own devices (it is possible to make changes to maps or input new information) and then uses the information, after verification, to update its own maps.

Mr Kearney said that the Map Share community is over 45 million strong worldwide and TomTom constantly gets information that is a valuable complement to its own mapping activities. “Our users are the best source of updates as they are travelling in their own localities daily, so they will be able to note changes. There’s no charge to participate or access Map Share via the internet,” he added.

TomTom’s PNDs, like other similar devices, fix their exact position by triangulating signals from the GPS network. With some units, it can take a long time to pick up the signals from the satellites and this can be inconvenient to motorists who are eager to get moving. TomTom’s PNDs are said to get their fix faster as they have a feature called QuickGPSfix which speeds up the time that the device acquires the first 4 satellites (eight are usually visible from any point on the planet). The claim is that a fix can be obtained within 30 seconds, even when the signal is weak or partially blocked.

QuickGPSfix is not a hardware-based feature but more to do with software as TomTom provides a special GPS data file which knows the position of every satellite over every region for 7 days. This means that rather than searching the skies for any satellite, the device can pick up signals from satellites known to be overhead a specific area. Updating the file periodically via an internet connection to the TomTom website is said to maintain the speediness of the fix.

Incidentally, contrary to what some dealers incorrectly tell customers, there is no charge for receiving the GPS signals from the satellites which are maintained by the US government. However, for certain handphones, there may be a charge when using Assisted-GPS (A-GPS) which makes a connection to the internet to enhance and speed up location fixing. This connection is a data connection that your handphone would be making so there would be a charge. PNDs usually do not have A-GPS and if they do, then the user would need a cellphone account.

With long experience in making PNDs, TomTom has come up with an interface that is simple but informative and it starts up with just two things to know: where you want to go and where you are. After that, the vehicle’s movement is presented on the bright display screen (5 inches wide for the XXL 550; 4.3 inches wide for the XL 250 and GO 750) with a graphic display occupying most of the screen and running information on a band at the bottom.

Besides visual directions, there are also synthesized voices (which can be set to speak in Malay and 8 Chinese dialects as well) to tell you where to turn in case you are too busy watching the road ahead. It’s also possible to get ‘celebrity’ voices at extra charge so you can have Yoda or Darth Vader of Star Wars giving you directions! “Turn left, you must!” from Yoda would sound cool for a while but might become monotonous and you would probably switch back to the standard ‘voice’.

 

Other features include Advanced Lane Guidance for some junctions where a photo-realistic image of the junction is displayed with arrows indicating which lane to follow. The GO 750 also has Bluetooth connectivity so you have a handsfree facility for your handphone.

As with other such devices, there are numerous Points of Interest (POIs) and users can also add their own favourites. There is also ‘Help Me’ information that provides the nearest emergency services and it’s possible to set speed limit warnings for certain areas. For Malaysian maps, there is a search facility by road name and commercial buildings and for Singapore, it is also possible to search by postcode. All inputs are made via the touchscreen.

The unit runs on power supplied via the vehicle’s cigarette lighter or accessory power socket but if disconnected, it is claimed to be able to operate up to 3 hours on the internal battery. It’s also possible to recharge at home but the home charger kit only comes with the GO 750; for the other two models, you’ll have to pay extra.

The TomTom PNDs are designed to be easy to mount on the windscreen with integrated suction cup holders. There are also accessories from the company which allow mounting the units elsewhere on the dashboard but these have to be purchased separately. The mounts that come with the package are only for the windscreen. This would be the most practical position except that such devices are now targets for thieves who know their value. Mounting on the windscreen, though ideal for viewing, will make them very visible to people outside, even when the vehicle is moving.

Mr. Kearney said that the nature of the devices makes it hard to provide any security features to prevent them from being stolen but emphasized that the mounts make it very easy to detach the unit for safekeeping out of sight. He suggested that the PNDs should be treated like other valuable electronic devices and should not be kept in the car when parked. He also recommended that owners wipe off the circular mark of the suction pad on the glass which is a telltale sign to experienced thieves that there might be a unit in the car (and most people would probably just stow it in the glovebox).

So if you have a PND, make sure it’s out of sight when you park and if you don’t want to carry it with you, at least hide it under the floormat or seat. Thieves break in to steal the SmartTag units so PNDs would also be a draw. Losing the device may be annoying but the bigger hassle will be a broken window glass or a damaged door lock, both of which may cost a fair bit to replace.

Recommend retail prices for the TomTom units are as follow:
XL 250 – RM649  |  XXL 550 – RM799  |  GO 750 – RM949

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