GPS News and Reviews

TomTom has released a US only navigation App in the iTunes store that is bargain priced at $49 through 12/28. The application brings the upgrade features that were recently released, including text to speech and lane guidance in tough highway intersections. I reviewed the earlier version and liked it a lot, calling for improvements that were delivered in the recent upgrade. So far using the latest version I have been impressed.

TomTom for iPhone - US Only - $49 (iTunes Link)

Jim Nardulli – vice president of worldwide sales for mobile navigation software Nav N Go – talks about Google, calls it the advertising company, and the Android phones a Trojan horse. Obviously he’s not very happy seeing Google Navigation in their playing field.

Of course there’s more in the interview: prices, TomTom vs Garmin, iPhone apps, etc. Watch it.

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Brought to you by your GPS navigation site NaviGadget.

NavNGo vs Google Navigation

TomTom is currently running a few specials on some of their GPS navigation systems and carrying cases including TomTom ONE 130. Nothing too exciting to report but we thought we’d let you know.

In some stroke of miscommunication and bad outcomes, TomTom has won the Garmin T3 Gadgets Awards for Gadget You Can't Live without from the Brit Gadget site T3. This stopped me in my tracks this morning as I read it and thought; huh? So it seems the Garmin is sponsoring the T3 gadget awards, specifically the Gadget of the Year category, but TomTom was voted by the generally Euro based readers as the Gadget you Can't do Without - specifically the TomTom GO 930.

Want to learn more about the TomTom GO 930 - check out my Full Review of the TomTom GO 930.

Check out the whole list of awards at T3

Garmin who owns a giant share of the US market, is starting to plan for ways to capture more revenue from that installed base; this time with a Map Subscription. Following on the heels of Navigon's FreshMaps and TomTom's Update Service, Garmin is bringing updated maps to subscribers on a regular basis. I was speculating about a Garmin release in the TomTom announcement thinking that with Navigon also using NAVTEQ maps said to me that it wasn't a map supplier barrier that needed to be broken down; it was an internal Garmin decision based on technical delivery and market strategy. I have talked a lot lately about getting different revenue streams from the GPS after its sale, and map updates have been a good one. The subscription model though brings a large cash flow injection upfront that has marginal costs later on down the line. In these troubled times, it's great to capitalize on the cash flow now. This may also lead to a better marketing position at point of sale, and result in more satisfied users who stick with the brand due to better perceived quality of the product.

The Cost is 119 Euros, which directly translated to the US is pretty high, but my hunch is that the US price will be more competitive with Navigon's $79 price point. The updates are quarterly for the lifetime of your device.

More at YourNav

TomTom's new "Map Update Service", due out later this month, will deliver updated maps to subscribers on a quarterly basis. Subscriptions will cost about $55 per year per country of mapping data for the entry-level TomTom ONE and ONE...

Read the whole entry

As summer winds down, we saw some news of new units pick up for holiday sales planning, while we also saw some nice discounting of older models as they were being squeezed or replaced on the shelf by new models.

GPS Reviews

• Garmin Nuvi 755T Full Review

Garmin GPS News

• Garmin Nuvi 755T Full Review
• Garmin Edge 705 - Team Garmin Edition
• Garmin - Ads on GPS Provides Free Traffic Feeds
• Garmin Oregon 200, 300, 400i, 400c, 400t - Now Shipping

TomTom GPS News

• TomTom Map Subscription Service - Residual Income from PND's
• TomTom ONE XL - $149 Hot Deal - Free Shipping
• TeleAtlas to Incorporate TomTom's Speed Profile Data

Dash News

• Dash Express - Voice Command - TellMe and Dial Directions Partnerships

Mio GPS News

• The (Fun) History of the Mio GPS

Navigon GPS

• Navigon Traffic Deal - 50% off
• Navigon 2000S Announced
• Navigon 2200T - Lifetime Traffic in Entry Level GPS

GPS News

• How to Hijack a GPS Tracked Truck - GPS Spoofing
• LAT LON Sign Customized for Your Town

GPS Rebates and Sales

• Pink Nuvi 250 - Hot Deal for $145
• TomTom ONE XL - $149 Hot Deal - Free Shipping
• GPS Steals and Deals - 9/21
• Garmin StreetPilot C580 with MSN Direct - $149 - Hot Deal
• GPS Steals and Deals - 9/14
• Garmin Nuvi 650 - Widescreen Hot Deal - $219
• GPS Steals and Deals - 9/7
• Garmin Nuvi 260W Clearance at Target - No Bargain

Mapping News

• TeleAtlas to Incorporate TomTom's Speed Profile Data
• TeleAtlas Maps India

About GPSLodge

• GPSLodge On Kindle

Sex and the City star, Kim Cattrall has recorded voice commands that can be downloaded onto your awaiting TomTom to coo and offer a little more color to your commutes. Fans know her as Samantha on the show and will get treated to a few sayings that will make things a little more fun while driving.

Her voice and others can be bought ($12.95) and downloaded at TomTom's website

Making a bold move forward, TomTom is essentially launching a map subscription service with quarterly updates, it was announced today by TomTom and can be read about at GPSBusiness News. Like the Navigon FreshMaps service that offers quarterly updates with NAVTEQ data, TomTom is now starting to offer quarterly updates with its TeleAtlas data. (Humm, if TomTom is doing this, and Navigon is using NAVTEQ quarterly updates, then the barrier for Garmin may just be internal, and you've got to wonder that if this is a lucrative idea, they will bust it down and bring it to market too.)

Blades and Razors
If you follow the blades and razor approach that Gillette uses, you start thinking about the hardware as the entry point and the maps as the money maker. When you start to consider that these units are now starting to ship with ultra thin profit margins the idea of selling a map subscription may effectively double the profit per unit given enough time. Big opportunity to get residual income from your installed base too. That 3 year old TomTom ONE is dead to TomTom unless they can sell it maps, and maybe a map subscription at that.

Garmin is starting to use small ads on their devices that are delivered through the TMC data feed from NAVTEQ traffic. When I used the new Garmin Nuvi 755T, I thought the ads were a decent trade-off for the free traffic service that comes with the unit as a result.

I tell you, with the markets fast approaching saturation (in Europe at least), the GPS makers are going to have to strive for something to keep the business models afloat, and grabbing an income stream after the sale could be big when you have millions units out there.

Thanks Jim for sending this in.

Want a new (not refurbished) Widescreen GPS for $149? The well-known TomTom ONE XL is on sale for a pretty hot $149. The unit is being superseded by the TomTom ONEXL 330 these days, but it is still a reliable navigator. While it is a widescreen, it does not have Text to Speech.

At Amazon - TomTom ONE XL for $149