TomTom ONE 3rd Edition 3.5-Inch Portable GPS Vehicle Navigator

Christmas is here again and that can only mean one thing...the GPS market is introducing new toys for consumers to play with. What we have here is the newly updated TomTom One (3rd Edition) which is the exact same dimensions and weight as the regular TomTom One ( 3.8" x 3.2" x 1.0" and 6.1 ounces ) with added features and of course newly updated Tele Atlas maps. Lets start with the basics, for consumers looking to upgrade from the prior released TomTom One, the cosmetics of the product have changed slightly. The thin black plastic that outlined the screen has been replaced with the ever popular color silver. This gives the TomTom One a new space-age look that may appeal to some people while others (myself included) will find the new look cheap and clichéd. The SD card slot on the bottom of the unit has been replaced with an RDS-TMC antenna connector which is used for traffic reports. The antenna itself does not come with the unit and is available separately for roughly $129.00... more >>

I replaced a Magellan 4040 with this. The Magellan had text to speech - wide screen - blue tooth and AAA guides. Cost much more. In my opinion the inexpensive Tom Tom beats the Magellan hands down, even without text to speech. Text to speech is a great concept but seems to strain the processor to the point that it would sometimes forget to give you street names OR directions. Very bad. I had 2 Magellan's ( I thought first was defective and returned it ) and both would do this. I would much rather hear "turn right in 500 feet" than no instructions at all. Many times I was blocks past my turn before Magellan would announce it. Not good. Both Magellan's got flaky on me as well. One would need an occasional reboot for a frozen screen, the other would occasionally tell me I had reached my destination when it was still miles away. Tom Tom has been rock solid. Tom Tom NEVER misses a turn voice command. They are quite detailed as well unlike Magellan. Magellan says "turn right at Blair... more >>

I have been using this one for only 2 days, but having used previous GPS (Garmin Nuvi 350, Mio C310x and Magellan 4050), I can say my navigation experience has been very good so far. I agree with other reviewers that even without text-to-speech, the voice directions in combination with looking at the map will work just fine. My first trip today went smoothly with the following caveats: 1-When you make a wrong turn (which I did intentionally to test the device) , it tries very quickly (within 5 seconds) to re-direct you in the correct direction. However, unlike the other devices I have tried, it does not notify you that it is "re-calculating" . I personally don't believe it is a big deal as long as it does a good job at putting you back on track. UPDATE 11/27/07: Even though you do not get a "re-calculating" voice indication, it does put a message on the screen (2 seconds long) to that effect. I personally think this is fine since I used to hate having to hear the... more >>