TomTom Upgrades Midline Portable GPS Units

By Amy Gilroy -- TWICE, 4/6/2009

CONCORD, MASS. — TomTom unveiled two portable GPS models that expand the use of “smart routing” to TomTom's midline products.

Both the new TomTom One 140 and TomTom XL 340 select the best route based on historic traffic patterns for the hour and day of the week. So the devices “know” that traffic is heavier on a Monday at 5 p.m. than on all day Sunday, and it routes users accordingly.

This IQ Routes feature was previously available only on top-end TomTom models.

TomTom president Jocelyn Vigreux said the IQ Routes gives users a faster route in up to 35 percent of all cases.

Most personal navigation devices use posted speed limits to determine a fastest route.

TomTom's new models also offer advanced lane guidance and add maps of Mexico for full coverage of North America. They have 7 million points of interest and map-share technology so users can make changes to their maps and share the changes with others. The devices also use a foldable mounting system that can be placed in a pocket, as was first introduced on select TomTom models last year.

The TomTom One 140 has a 3.5-inch screen at a $179 suggested retail, and the One 140S ($199) adds text-to-speech pronunciation of street names. The TomTom XL 340 and 340S offer similar features, but with a 4.3-inch screen, at respective $229 and $249 retails. All ship this week along with the Go 740 Live with local Internet search that was unveiled in January.