TOMTOM Navigator USA Bluetooth GPS for Palm T3

Rating:
Summary: Good but can not active the major us road
Review: Bought from amazon but ran into the following problems:
a. The external antena was missing. (friends version from j&r has it)
b. Cannot active the major road (anyone actually activated it)
c. Sometimes the software doesn't recognize the bt gps and I had to delete it from bt pref and add it back in.
d. Cannot seem to find a user group for this.
e. GPS loses the signal when crossing lower deck of Geroge washing bridge (between ny and nj) this is probably expected.
f. The software has been updated on the web but still there is no walk mode as in the ppc version.

Software 3-D display is very good and maps are accurate. but if I have a ppc i will probably get the ppc version.


Rating:
Summary: Avoid this product
Review: I also just received this product and it was missing parts for the mounting cradle and the attachment cables. Also it appeared to be a previously opened item as there were loose packing materials in the box and the manual was scuffed and dirty. There appears to be a problem with Amazon or this supplier. Either way I would avoid them both as there are many other reliable etailers on the web.

Rating:
Summary: It works
Review: I bought this product in June 2004 and used it regularly since then. I had a rough time installing the program and activating the maps but with the help of customer service I got through it. Simply stated this product works. I live in Miami and travel extensively locally and in other states. While it may not always provide the shortest route from point A to point B, it always gets you there which provides great comfort, particularly when you are travelling in unfamiliar territory. I had a problem with the mounting hardware however it was promptly replaced after I advised customer service via the Tomtom website.

Rating:
Summary: Buyer Beware; Amazon is selling opened units (missing parts)
Review: I have a long history of ordering items from Amazon - and have always been more then happy. However, my most recent order arrived today and I am very disappointed. When did Amazon start selling - previously sold - items as new? The package I received had obviously been previously opened; The SD card is missing; The GPS unit was not secured inside the package; Other parts were freely scattered about; I assume there should be a manual; The CD package containing maps was opened (and came complete with smudged CDs). I could go on. I paid for a new item, paid extra for 2nd day shipping (so it would arrive in time for an upcoming trip)and instead got a totally unusable product.

Rating:
Summary: Great product, used it for four months now
Review: I purchased this just after getting my Tungsten T3. On line reviews suggested it would be good and it is.

I live in New Jersey where the road signs are almost useless (you are constantly directed to the parkway but not to where you are trying to get to!). This makes all the difference. Simply put in a street address and it gives you clear turn by turn directions (audio and picture). It never gets upset if you make a wrong turn - just relentlessly keeps directing. Recalculation is a couple of seconds. Storing frequently used locations is easy too.

To use it you need to have a PC, not a MAC (or at least to borrow one to download the maps) as the tomtom download software will only run on a PC.

The first one I got wouldn't connect reliably to the T3 and I would frequently have to reset the palm to make them work together. Online tomtom help were great and they replaced it by return of post. New one works perfectly. They claim this is unusual and in this case I believe them!

Things I think you need to know!

Get an SD card when you get this - there isn't one in the package. I got a 256Mbyte one, you could get away with 128Mbyte s but 256 lets me get NY, NJ, VA and CA all on one card <160 Mbytes.

Don't throw away the plastic that the CDs are wrapped in away as the tiny sticker on it is very important when you install the software.

Don't leave your T3 running the software when you aren't using it as if the T3 comes on accidentally because of an alarm or an accidental button press it won't turn off until the battary is almost completely flat! - The T3 doesn't turn off with the TomTom application running which is good as it would make navigation difficult

Be patient with the map download or use a USB->SD card widget for your PC (supported by the tomtom software) as otherwise map download can take 25 minutes or so!

Do upgrade to the latest version of the TomTom software if you don't have it - free download from TomTom.com

hope this is useful!

Dan

Rating:
Summary: Great GPS
Review: The TomTom bluetooth GPS receiver for Palm T3 is small and easy to carry. The map is clear and have all the information that you need. The voice is clear and it can guide you to wherever you want to go in North America as long as you have the address of your destination.

Rating:
Summary: Excellent navigator with a few minor quirks
Review: This navigator works very well. It is aware of nearly all roads I have come across in the UK and London. I can't imagine needing anything more and I'd recommend it. However, there are a few minor issues of which you need to be aware:
1) Tall, close buildings will cause the GPS receiver to report its position incorrectly leading to erroneous navigation directions. Beware in 'urban canyon' areas!
2) The GPS unit has a single button to turn it on/off. A short press turns it on, a long press and hold turns it off. So its easy to turn on, harder to turn off. If you place it in your pocket or a bag, it invariably gets turned on and the battery runs out after a few hours. Very frustrating if you only find out when you want to use it!
3) The navigation software seems a little erratic sometimes. Choosing to navigate to a given favourite location can often get it navigating to another. You can work around this but it is odd and frustrating.

Rating:
Summary: Just another fake...
Review: Usually I do not write reviews. This time I decided to make an excpetion.
First about all that people that are rating this product with over 1 star. Pocket PC GPS must serve it purpose.
It should be GPS; it should be Pocket PC compatible; it should have tech support and reliable maps. Neat software with nice features like 3D views and voice are not enough.
I will skip a sad story of HOW i has to pucrhase TomTom (took 3 months; several returns and no repsonses from TomTom tech support).
I will try to review only the functionality and hardware of TomTom itself.

Great software! As a matter of fact one of few I used (using) that is working and unique in terms of features and possibilities.
That is the only good thing I can say about TomTom.
Everything else is a nightmare.

1. Maps.
a. Inaccurate and awkward. Some features do not give you enough flexibility (like favorites. You can't enter or add address to favorites. Instead you have to CLICK ON THE MAP... No comments) Sometimes it behaves extremely annoying. I am driving on interstate 95 (6 lanes one way) and near some (selective) exits, software is warning me to keep left (???) Sometimes software is showing the exit number, but in 90% of cases - no.
b. Some streets in my area (suburb of Baltimore) that are over two years old (still new, aren't they?) are not on the maps.
c. Software inability to compare final possibilities of multiple destinations. We have ~ 10 Greenspring drives in our area. The distance spread is ~ 30 miles. Guess what? The selection of the drive is random!!! No, it is not checking for home address ...
d. Maps update. Unavailable. Isn't that stupid???
e. Map sets. On my vacations I was going to Myrtle Beach, NC. Imagine my surprise when I found that the map set available for MD is covering the area from MD to SC and NO, YOU CAN"T ADD TO THIS MAP. I have 512 MB card on my Dell Axim. The map takes 112 MB, yet software is limiting me in maps selection???
That is the worth feature killing the idea of GPS.
You want to plan a trip from coast to coast? Forget about it. From Nevada to Texas? No way.

2. Software.
a. Current version of TomTom is 3.12 The version that is suggested in US (and still selling) is 2.0. I've sent an e-mail to TomTom in MA. Received a response that this version is for the Europe only. Went to the TomTom Web site. Nope. Nothing about it. Literally, TomTom is asking for a problem. According to the licensing agreement I have rights for the free upgrade. According to their description on the Web site - they have added some neat features (planning of frequent stops). According to the tech support - these features are not for me. Who's lying? I gave up.

3. Hardware.

a. A little cute wireless BlueTooth GPS is extremely insensitive. It was fun driving in downtown Baltimore where it was loosing the signal every second suggesting me to turn around where possible and immediately after that to turn right after 500 yards...
b. The car charger (China?) is axed from one piece of plastic and probably was created for Mac truck.
c. Dell added to the picture creating a most unreliable power plastic adapter for its Axim line.

4. Overall Marketing, sales, support

a. Rookie and unprofessional. I would assume a separation of service based on the country of destination (no way). When you are registering your software (why???), you are suggested to enter a code to the screens that do not exist in your version of software...
b. Marketing and sales. You know my story.


I think other than that, it is working great. I mean when you turn it on it is turning on(not always), but mostly does. It gives you a general sense of direction and you feel protected knowing that you are traveling south or north. It is slightly overpriced for compass, but my previous (and current) experience with something like Microsoft Map and Garmin tells me: "Be happy. You already had (and have) something totally un functional..."


Rating:
Summary: Totally unhelpful customer support & non-sensical activation
Review: We bought Tom Tom & the bluetooth GPS receiver for our company, to do some testing (we write mobile Location-based app's) and also use it ourselves while visiting clients.

The first person to install it was not terribly happy with it and passed it to a colleague, who wasn't impressed either: the mapping software kept looking for the GPS receiver, would not find it over the bluetooth connection and refuse to do anything else - one could not even use the maps to just look up the way.

Also, even when the GPS was 'found', as soon as the connection was lost, the Tom Tom Navigator kept asking "Where is the GPS?" essentially not allowing one to do anything else with the PDA.
This continued to happen even after the software was updated with an allegedly newer version that fixed this very bug.

Things got worse, when my colleague, having had enough of it, passed it on to me: at this stage, as I was the third to install the Tom Tom software, it refused to let me register an 'activation code' - this despite the fact that the two previous installation had long been removed from the respective PDA's.

Quite naively, I thought that contacting their customer support service, this would have been an easy to fix issue: all after all, we are the legal licensees of the software, it's not like we are pirating it!!

Well, their customer support (that can only be contacted online and takes days to get back to us) does not even read the messages, and just refers us to the licensing agreement: that's it! They did it the first time, and when asked to please address the matter, they just sent it in PDF form!!

I can't believe a company can be unhelpful, their customers support is essentially saying: "we have this nonsensical 2-shots and your gone policy, we don't care about what you've done - you can't install it again, tough luck!"

So, if you do buy the Tom Tom, just hope your PDA does not go "off power" (which sometimes it happens) and you have to re-install it more than once, or you're gone!