Stuart Kennedy | November 25, 2008
GPS systems haven't quite put the likes of Gregory's and UBD out of business, but they are cropping up on more and more dashboards.
The TomTom Go 730 has speech recognition for inputting destinations
The S300T sits at the top of Navman's new Platinum GPS range
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GPS maker TomTom says about 15 per cent of local vehicles have a GPS system these days and the growth is strong.
First-generation GPS systems were large, clunky and single-minded about traffic navigation, but the latest crop can do a lot more than just find your way through unfamiliar territory. Hands-free mobile phone capability over a Bluetooth link is a common feature these days, as are music players and extra traffic advisory services.
We road-tested two of the latest upmarket GPS units, the TomTom GO730 and the Navman S300T.
TomTom Go 730
A STRENGTH of TomTom over the years has been the firm's straightforward touchscreen interface. Simple beats flashy when you are sitting in the car looking for somewhere unfamiliar and we liked the GO 730's accurate, light-pressure, 4.3in colour touchscreen and intuitive menu structure.
The unit weighs 220g and sports a SD card slot underneath for boosting the onboard 2GB memory. The GO 730 has speech recognition for inputting destinations, which worked OK on many destinations so long as the kids weren't in the back raising hell. Try as I might though, it wouldn't recognise my home street (Meehan Road) despite attempting every weird pronunciation I could think of.
Rather than just planning trips straight off the map, the TomTom has a feature called IQ Routes, which uses average speed data collected from TomTom users.
The idea is that the most direct route on a map is often a lurking traffic quagmire and a slightly longer way could take less time.
I tested it on my own 15km, daily peak hour commute from Sydney's northern beaches to News Limited's offices near Central Station.
Once over the Harbour Bridge, I use three different ways depending on traffic and time of day. The TomTom pointed me straight through the centre of town (as did the Navman), the route I never take.
Live traffic updates are available for an extra $100. The TomTom allows user edits of its map data - you can share a spelling correction with others through the device's desktop PC software.
SPECIFICATIONS
Features: Voice input, smart routing, FM transmitter Price: $549
More at: www.tomtom.com
Rating: 8/10
Navman S300T
LIKE the TomTom, the Navman has a 4.3in colour touchscreen but unlike the TomTom, the Navman uses finger-swiping gestures, like the iPhone, to navigate through its menus.
Despite the fancy gesture facility, we found the Navman's interface trickier to use than the TomTom's. The device requires a firm jab of the finger to register, which in turn makes it wobble on the base stuck to the windscreen.
The S300T sits at the top of Navman's new Platinum GPS range and like its lesser brethren comes in a slim and tidy case weighing just 150g. There's a USB interface and power input at the bottom of the case, as well as a slot for a micro SD card to supplement the unit's 1GB of onboard memory. An FM transmitter can beam the unit's audio output through a car stereo (the TomTom has FM too) and there's Bluetooth as well for hands-free phone work.
If you ever go into brain overload driving through critical freeway interchanges in unfamiliar cities, you'll like the 3D junction view feature on the Navman.
The TomTom has a similar function.
On approach to a major intersection the unit switches out of its default moving map view and throws up a three-dimensional picture of the lanes ahead, indicating which one to travel down.
We tested both units side-by-side coming across the northside freeway on to the Sydney Harbour bridge and tunnel entrances and found the TomTom flicked into 3D view a little sooner than the Navman, although both showed essentially the same picture of the road ahead. While it doesn't have the GO 730's IQ Route feature the S300T does have a live traffic update service.
It has spoken street names (as does the TomTom), meaning the unit will tell you to turn left on Smith Street in 150m rather than just turn left in 150m.
SPECIFICATIONS
Features: Live traffi c updates, gesture driven touchscreen, FM transmitter
Price: $699
More at: www.navman.com.au
Rating: 7.5/10
CONCLUSION
THESE two are very close on features but for day-to-day operation I found the TomTom's touchscreen easier to operate accurately than the Navman's. That's a deal breaker for me. Given the choice, I'd have the TomTom.