TomTom XL 340s

[PathDetector]

You may have seen the advertisements for it here around Nico. What are you guys opinions on this TomTom and this style GPS in general? Reviews are coming out pretty solid. While the price at TigerDirect is pretty awesome I think. Just worried it won't get used enough to justify it.

[PathDetector]

[300ZXttZMAN]

I am not very familiar with them

[sbird1]

Something to think about:
http://www2.newsadvance.com/business/20 ... ar-220120/

This may not be the time to purchase standalone GPS units.

[sivartk]

Phones are an interesting idea, but in GPS mode they can suck battery. Some can suck the battery faster than the car charger can charge it. Plus, stand-alone GPS's have features that phones don't have yet (Traffic, multiple voices, routes with multiple stops, lane guidance, etc).

I bought a TomTom 335S in December 2009 and while I don't use it a lot (not a lot of room for road trips in my 2002 Frontier XE), I do find it useful around town to find food, gas, etc and explore new places. The 340s sounds very similar. I would go with one with lifetime maps updates if it is only a few dollars more.

I did download "Diners, Dives and Drive-ins" for free to my GPS and it alerts me when a place that was on the TV show is nearby. Kind of a neat feature. I have mine "hard wired" in my truck so I don't have wires hanging around, so that probably makes me use it more often.

[PathDetector]

Thanks for the article and opinions. I guess I might just check out my phones GPS options. Never really looked into it.

[Kompresshun]

I use my phones GPS(HTC EVO - Sprint) for everything. I haven't had the need for a standalone GPS in over 2 years now, but especially since I purchased this phone. It's included in my plan and it's been reliable every time i've used it, so i've just always stuck to it. I've never had any battery draining issues as mentioned about either... I just plug it in to the car charger and let it do it's thing.

I have recently considered getting another standalone for long trips though, just so it doesn't tie my phone up the whole time and I would like a larger screen. If you do end up getting a stand alone model, then look at something with "Lifetime Map Updates", because that was a huge frustration I had with previous models, my old TomTom included. I find it ridiculous to pay $99-200 for a basic GPS and then have to spend $50+ for a map update the next year. I'd rather spend a little more cash and not have to worry about that.

[PathDetector]

Yea, If I do go the standalone route. I'll definitely go with the map updates, it does sound like a pain.

[Jesda]

I used to rely on phone-based GPS, but when you get to a remote area with spotty data coverage (I do that quite often), the map goes blank and you're stuck with nothing. Phones don't have the map database built in, so data service is required.

I also had battery drain issues, so I upgraded to a 2.1 amp car charger, one intended for an iPad.

Additionally, phones tend to lag at updating your location, so navigating in urban center like downtown Chicago can prove challenging.

It's also nice having the GPS up on the dashboard, constantly updating my ETA, reporting my speed, counting down my distance, and showing icons for gas stations and other services. It frees my phone up for music, calls, iPad data service, or whatever.


My $30 TomTom GPS from Woot stays in my center console, ready to go when I need it. It's not very sophisticated and sometimes it isn't very accurate, but it gets the job done. If it gets unusably outdated, I'll throw it away and buy a newer one for under $50.




For serious travelers, a standalone GPS is necessary. For everyone else, it depends.

[Bubba1]

For serious travelers, a standalone GPS is necessary. For everyone else, it depends.

I agree. I actually got my little Garmin regifted to me. I gave it to my wife for Xmas a few years back who later got an iphone with that GPS package, so she gave it to me. I love it. The stand alones are most convenient if you're on the cell phone a lot. Somewhat of a pain to be on the phone right when you need instruction from the GPS.