TomTom ONE vs TomTom software on a PDA

monterey_2

Hi Guys

Some advice needed.

I've decided I want a TomTom after borrowing one for a journey recently.

Are there any differences in useability or accuracy between using the TOMTOM on a ONE or using TomTom software on a PDA with a bluetooth GPS device?

TIA for any assistance

M-

philnicandamy

Not really, I used a PDA for a while with tomtom then bit the bullett and bought a go 510 to be honest the dedicated tomtom unit was better than my PDA, less hassle to set up & not as many bits needed and the gps in the tomtom unit did seem better than my seperate pda setup, the tomtom stores everything on SD card same as PDa tomtoms screen is bigger than the pda I had so very much easier to read & to use, works out a little cheaper buying a tomtom unless you've already got a pda/gps receiver

Conor_3

They're the same. I used to have a PDA and a dedicated unit is far better if purely for the lack of bits you need to carry and plug in.

wonka

I've got the TomTom ONE and the TomTom PDA version. Functionality is identical, although screen is smaller on my PDA.

Omertron

Echo what other people have said. The only deciding factor for a PDA over dedicated is if you already have the PDA or want one for other reasons, otherwise go for the dedicated TomTom.

basill

I`m now using a PDA and bluetooth GPS unit. It is exactly the same to use apart from the portrait screen.

BUT every now and then the blue tooth gizmo declines to connect or the PDA decides to disable the Bluetooth connection for some reason, sometimes the PDA needs a restart to get it to connect. This does not happen that often but it does make me hanker for my old, rock solid, works every time TomTom Go.

Advantages of the PDA for me are: the PDA is also my phone so its one less thing to carry and I will always take it out of the car. ...er thats it.

B

Little_John

I've been useing tom tom on a PDA for years , the main thing that lets the PDA down over the dedicted tom tom is that the windows software crashes occasionally not really a problem with tom tom just that microsoft can't produce decent software (It is getting better BTW)

As for the quality of the GPS receiver the new tom tom units are useing Sirf star 3 chips for a fast pickup and way more channels than you will ever need or get. you can buy a bluetooth gps receiver with the star3 chip as well they tend to be a little more expensive than the older sirf star 2 receivers but even they perform well enough to work flawlessly I wouldnt worry about it.

If you have a PDA save money and get tom tom and a receiver, I use my Orange SPV M3100. I bought my sister a setup too and she uses it without problems also which is amazing. we both use a Holux GPSlim 236 they are old but are solid and just work some of the cheaper ones feel cheap and nasty.

denny250

basill wrote: »

I`m now using a PDA and bluetooth GPS unit. It is exactly the same to use apart from the portrait screen.

i have changed my pda so the tomtom is in landscape mode it seems better to me

Little_John

I actually prefer it in portrait.

nullogik

I have Tomtom on my Smartphone and I'd definitly not recommend it over a stand-alone unit.

The speaker on my smartphone is pretty weak and the sound quality poor (as is the case with most phones), this makes hearing the voice commands more difficult especially if you're in noisy traffic.

The other problem is that its sloooooooowwwwwwwww. Because the phone is doing other tasks, the software can be hesitant at times, often letting you down when you most need. In some cases, the phone will crash momentariliy (or for a minute of two) which could leave you stranded if you're not sure what road turning to make.

Thirdly, battery life. When running the Tomtom software, it sucks the life out of the battery like nobodys business. I reckon I get 50% less battery life when using the Tomtom software. This means, that if you need to make an urgent call - well you might find you run out of power.

Finally, screen size. In my case I have it running on a candy-bar shaped phone. The screen isn't huge and the contrast isn't great, so its difficult to read the map (or see street names) and in bright sunlight the screen washes out.

A dedicated unit is far better in that it was specifically designed to do that task (ie. bigger brighter screen, better speakers, only runs the one program...). I'd thoroughly recommend you get a standalone unit, the Tomtom ones are the market leaders (go for a midrange 5xx series of higher though).