Concord, Mass.
– TomTom is adding a midpriced Internet-connected portable GPS to its lineup,
with the XL 340S Live at $299.
The price includes
three months of free service that is provided by AT&T for Google local
searches, real-time traffic delivered every two to five minutes, fuel prices
and weather forecasts.
TomTom’s first
connected portable navigation device (PND), the Go
740 Live, shipped in April at $399 using Jasper Wireless as its service
provider.
While ABI Research
said sales of the original 740 were lackluster, TomTom president Jocelyn
Vigreux said, “I’m happy with the results.
There’s a lot of learning … For me the real question is, is the
technology sustainable and can we take advantage of it, and the answer is a
resounding yes.”
The new XL 340S
LIVE also includes IQ Routes, which calculates the best routes based on past
traffic patterns for the time of day.
TomTom claimed the feature is able to provide a faster route in 35
percent of cases, when compared to typical PNDs that calculate routes based on
the posted speed limit.
The unit includes
maps of North America, 7 million points of
interest and lane guidance at complex highway intersections.
Garmin recently
announced its first Internet-connected PND, the Nuvi 1690, will be
available in the fourth quarter at $499, including two free years of wireless
AT&T service.Also today, map maker Tele Atlas, owned by TomTom, announced a new map database that includes 1.25 million validated map updates from user input.
User input has helped identify changes in the direction of roads from one way to another, from when a street crossing turns into a roundabout and in pinpointing exact locations of addresses. It also helps correct street names.
User input has also helped Tele Atlas use anonymous GPS measurements gleaned from its users to more accurately position roads on a map, within 16 foot accuracy, said the company.
