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TomTom vs. Megellan vs. Navigon

Mad Mac Maniac said:
What proof is there that tom tom-US is using older and outdated maps and POIs?
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None, people are just complaining about it vocally. I actually asked TomTom directly:

Thank you for contacting TomTom Customer Support regarding the Points of Interest on your TomTom device.

The database used for the Points of Interest on the map of USA and the map of USA and Canada is the same one. If there are Points of Interest that are missing, we recommend that you utilize the Map Corrections feature on the device. For assistance with this I have attached the Map Share Manual. When a correction is submitted, there is a process that is followed.
 
andersonGPS said:
careful on TomTom's US-only version, i've read that they used a lower quality map set and POI database to achieve lower cost - you may want to consider the NA version, if that's true ... do the research on this ... unless someone can comment
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Completely untrue. In fact, TomTom OWNS TeleAtlas the map provider, so there is no incentive for them to try to "save money."
 
Mad Mac Maniac said:
does anybody know what the map updates will cost for these gps providers?
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Nope. Nobody does because currently we are in uncharted waters. So far I know TomTom has updated the mapset when they updated the application. Not sure about Navigon.

For both of their PND products they offer subscription plans. Who knows what they'll do on the iPhone where they compete with folks like TeleNav (AT&T Navigator) and google who automatically have the newest maps.
 
Cali3350 said:
None, people are just complaining about it vocally. I actually asked TomTom directly:

Thank you for contacting TomTom Customer Support regarding the Points of Interest on your TomTom device.

The database used for the Points of Interest on the map of USA and the map of USA and Canada is the same one. If there are Points of Interest that are missing, we recommend that you utilize the Map Corrections feature on the device. For assistance with this I have attached the Map Share Manual. When a correction is submitted, there is a process that is followed.
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so why do so many people think the maps are outdated??
 
Excellent discussion guys. I received the Tomtom car mount for Xmas, but am going to go with Navigon for the application. It is $10 more, but it looks cleaner and I like the 1st person view it has.
 
IronLogik said:
Because the US is ever expanding and it's hard to include every little subdivision. People will complain to complain.
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I'm complaining because you said people will complain. Therefore I have to complain! :D
 
Cali3350 said:
This is the biggie. Until someone posts the TomTom US map only map info I would not even consider it. A lot of people seem to be complaining.
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Here is the information from the About screen:

Code: 
TomTom app v1.2

App version 8.150 (462780)
Map: 'United_States_2GB' v840.2569
Language: English US

Hope this helps!
 
jnuzzi said:
Here is the information from the About screen:

Code: 
TomTom app v1.2

App version 8.150 (462780)
Map: 'United_States_2GB' v840.2569
Language: English US

Hope this helps!
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Can anyone with the North America version check this to compare to the two?
 
Redline13 said:
Can anyone with the North America version check this to compare to the two?
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Well, if you go to the TomTom web site and act like you want to buy the latest USA maps for one of their devices the version listed is 8.40. So it looks like this is the latest. :D
 
Redline13 said:
Interesting. So it appears that the two TomTom apps do use different maps.
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I wouldn't read too much into it. This is the standard way that TomTom iterates their map versions has been that way with all their PNDS as well. The 840 is a newer map version, but realistically you probably won't come across any differences.

In their PNDs the only difference between the maps on "high end" and "low end" units tends to be the size of the POI database. If you have an address, navigating to the street will be unaffected. Plus currently I don't think there is a difference in the map or poi db quality being supplied for the iphone.
 
lordhamster said:
Completely untrue. In fact, TomTom OWNS TeleAtlas the map provider, so there is no incentive for them to try to "save money."
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thanks for the reminder and generally agree, however if they are separate divisions w/ separate P&Ls then believe me, there is internal "discussions" around map units sold, version sold, and whether they can drive future revenues on customers who want to upgrade their maps - lifetime value of the customer ... i don't think it's as simplistic as 'no incentive to try and save money' ... i would hope there is an 'incentive to drive future revenue' ;)
 
Redline13 said:
Interesting. So it appears that the two TomTom apps do use different maps.
Click to expand...

lordhamster said:
I wouldn't read too much into it. This is the standard way that TomTom iterates their map versions has been that way with all their PNDS as well. The 840 is a newer map version, but realistically you probably won't come across any differences.

In their PNDs the only difference between the maps on "high end" and "low end" units tends to be the size of the POI database. If you have an address, navigating to the street will be unaffected. Plus currently I don't think there is a difference in the map or poi db quality being supplied for the iphone.
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The real difference is that the US only version uses the "United States" map while the US & Canada version uses the "North America" map. This makes sense to me. Also, I agree that the versions are all but the same, 8.35 vs 8.40.
 
jnuzzi said:
The real difference is that the US only version uses the "United States" map while the US & Canada version uses the "North America" map. This makes sense to me. Also, I agree that the versions are all but the same, 8.35 vs 8.40.
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Exactly.
 
Rural Area Map Browsing

I have both TomTom U.S.A. and Navigon USA + Canada.

My primary need for GPS navigation is in unfamiliar rural areas. Such as rural Minnesota forest roads and state trails (major trails for ATV's, snowmobiles and dirt bikes).

To plan a trip I need the ability to browse the 2D maps.

I found that TomTom is MUCH better for browsing 2D maps in rural areas. In the most obscure and remote areas the maps are perfectly accurate. Items such as forest roads and state trails have clearly displayed names. State borders are clearly labeled. When browsing near a state border the city name includes the state. If you are zoomed out to where an item is not labeled, simply touch it and info is displayed.

Navigon is very, very poor in this regard. Many two lane blacktop roads are not labeled, especially if the road runs in a diagonal course (i.e. SW to NE). There is much less data on the maps. For example, well established state trails are not in the map data. If you see an unlabeled item touching it reveals nothing. The logic that determines how much info is labeled at a given zoom setting fails in sparse rural areas. At many zoom settings you'll see only major freeways, but NONE of the exits! Zoom in close enough to see the exits and you cannot see where you're at on the map. Useless for browsing an unknown rural area.

I hope that Navigon updates the zoom logic and adds the ability to touch an item to reveal information.

If you need to navigate in rural areas go with TomTom.

Can anyone comment about using Magellan for rural areas?
 
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