Review: TomTom GO 940/950 Live
The company has improved basic functionality but the bells and whistles are nothing special
The latest TomTom satellite navigation device is slimmer and has an improved cradle for attaching to the windscreen. This made for a more solid and manoeuvrable base but it did take a few attempts to get the “sucker” to do its job and stick there. A welcome improvement is the “plug & play” aspect – all services and features work from the get-go without any need to connect to the internet or download software from your computer.
The new features – which come predominantly as a result of the increased connectivity of the 740 – feature “High Definition Traffic” (for accurate and current travel information); real-time safety alerts; up-to-date fuel information in the local area or along your route; the ability to undertake a Google search; a five-day weather forecast to give you the heads-up of potential adverse weather conditions and “buddies” – the ability to keep in touch with other TomTom users along your journey.
So, all very impressive. In practice the TomTom did the basics as well as it always has done: the route was quickly and efficiently displayed. The spoken instructions were actually much louder than my current TomTom, which was welcome. The display has also been improved and along the way one very useful aspect is when approaching a complex junction TomTom displays a more detailed view of the lanes with the lane you are supposed to be travelling in clearly highlighted. This was extremely useful and made me more comfortable when entering the motorway.
The main display also now has an icon to notify TomTom (and therefore other users) of speed cameras. This was simple to operate, but it's not clear whether this data is then verified. There is also now a side bar which highlights potential interruptions to your journey and the estimated delay to your journey. Unfortunately I did not encounter any delays but I can see how this will be a useful feature.
The ‘live’ petrol price information worked in the sense that it displayed clearly the price of petrol at various petrol stations within the vicinity. The problem for me was that I did not how TomTom obtained this information and therefore did not feel confident enough that I could follow the recommendation. What if TomTom is incorrect? Will it refund me the difference? I certainly could not be bothered to go off my chosen route to find out...
Similarly the Google search was easy to operate but the display of the results was rather basic and therefore I did not have confidence in the results. For example, my search for Waitrose produced “Waitrose Ltd” and “Waitrose Supermarkets” as different results. As you cannot get any more information on the search results (other than the location), I again was not confident that the Google search had returned actual stores. As with the petrol price scenario, I was not prepared to go off my route home to find out.
Hotel booking via Expedia is now possible through the TomTom GO 740 Live, but this feature either was not activated in my test model or was too hard to find. It did recognise local hotels and display their telephone numbers, but it was not clear how to book. As per the older model, TomTom can direct to nearby attractions or points of interest and the variety seems to have been expanded.
Speech recognition was patchy and therefore frustrating so I quickly gave up and resorted to the fail-safe finger prodding method. The “IQ Routes” technology, which gives you the best route depending on the time of day and other factors, did produce different travel recommendations and is a welcome improvement on previous models.
Overall I was left loving the improved basics – the stuff you expect TomTom to do, it now does better – but the added extras left me a little confused and cynical as to what I could trust. Since I use TomTom to get me more efficiently from A to B I just was not convinced when I would really want to go off route for cheaper petrol or book a hotel at a moment's notice, though perhaps a road warrior would appreciate this service.
The hype
They say: “Unique navigation experience for high-mileage drivers”.
The reality
We say: Much improved basics from TomTom make the travelling experience clearer with useful real-time travel data. Do I really need all the other options and can I trust the information provided?
The bottom line
The TomTom Go 950 Live, which has replaced the 940 Live costs £299.99. It has pre-installed maps for the US, Canada plus 45 countries in Europe and has been engineered to work in tunnels. The Go 750 Live costs £249.99 and offers navigation for 45 European countries, whilst the Go 550 Live costs £229.99 and features maps of the UK and Republic of Ireland.
The verdict
I'd be unwilling to part with the money for this upgraded model because my current TomTom gets me from A to B already. However, if I was a higher mileage user, and a gadget junkie, the appeal of the added features might justify the cost.
The roadwarrior rating
6 out of 10
Ginny Light, Times Online 05-03-2010