Apple Begins Shipping TomTom Car Kit in U.S.

[ticman]

I can't believe your BlueAnt is working for you. Yes my phone is a 3Gs. I had other replies to an earlier post that indicated that Apple did not allow some of the BT technology to work on their phone.

I will try and "pair" again to iPhone and see if it works. I agree with you re hitting a button on the visor.

 

[3GEE]

Has anyone been able to find this kit in Canada yet, I very much want to get one? The Apple Canada website says not yet available. I called the local Apple Store today and they told me that they don't carry it, but the Apple guy did say that they wouldn't be told about it until the day it becomes available.

 

[wclyffe]

I can't believe your BlueAnt is working for you. Yes my phone is a 3Gs. I had other replies to an earlier post that indicated that Apple did not allow some of the BT technology to work on their phone.

I will try and "pair" again to iPhone and see if it works. I agree with you re hitting a button on the visor.

I've had no issues with the BluAnt at all. That said, Voice Control occasionally comes up with some pretty funny ways that it pronounces names, and you have to pronounce it that way if you want that particular name to come up.

 

[Regul8tR]

Does TomTom car kit work with Barely There Case 3g?

Is there really no wiggle room?
Has anyone tried to use the car kit with a Case Mate Barely There Case?

 

[EDH667]

Sound Quality

can anyone comment on the sound quality when playing music on the iphone via the tomtom kit when it's connected to the car's sound system?

reason for asking: when i use a standard audio cable from the headphone output of my iphone into my car's aux in, the sound quality leaves a lot to be desired. i basically have to crank up the volume all the way on both my car system and the iphone to hear anything, and even what i hear isn't all that great.

The sound quality of the Car Kit going through the aux jack is excellent. Much better than coming from the headphone jack.

 

[EDH667]

Does TomTom car kit work with Barely There Case 3g?

Is there really no wiggle room?
Has anyone tried to use the car kit with a Case Mate Barely There Case?

There is absolutely no room for any case to work with the TomTom car kit.

I stand corrected. I purchased the Case-Mate Barley there case and it works great with the TomTom car kit.

 

[wclyffe]

There is absolutely no room for any case to work with the TomTom car kit.

I'm guessing you could have a clear protector application like Invisible Shield to prevent scratches and that would fit fine.

 

[marvel2]

I can't find the TomTom kit on BLT's site anymore.

 

[Regul8tR]

@marvel2:
BLT told me that they are waiting to receive the shipment to fill the current orders. (ETA 12/2/09)
After that, they will post the kit back on the site.

 

[Jape]

I wonder if it will actually come this time

 

[Blinkwing]

What's the sound quality like? I've noticed that a few people have complained about a buzzing sound.

EDIT: What car you've got plus any modifications relating to sound system (speakers, amps, etc) would help greatly.

 

[wacky4alanis]

I used the Tom-Tom mount for our trip from Boston down to Maryland over the Thanksgiving holiday. It was great! I found it extremely useful to simply use the standard iPhone maps to show traffic conditions. We saved many hours by avoiding traffic back-ups with real-time dynamic routing (using our eyes and brains). I found that I was able to re-route myself by simply looking at the maps, so a navigation program was not really necessary.

I also loved the fact that I could play music through my car stereo. It was also very easy to pop the iPhone out of the mount when we stopped at rest areas. To be honest, I don't think we really needed the improved GPS functionality of the Tom-Tom. The mount itself was the most useful thing (power, music, hands-free phone).

I think the GPS navigation functionality will be more useful for local trips where I am trying to find a place I've never been to.

 

[ticman]

Well it's 12/2 and I am anxiously awaiting an email that BLT has received their order and MY order is on its way.

LOL don't think I can stand another delay.

 

[Jape]

Well it's 12/2 and I am anxiously awaiting an email that BLT has received their order and MY order is on its way.

LOL don't think I can stand another delay.

Yea I agree, I emailed them and they haven't responded yet. Sigh hopefully we get something

 

[TalonFlyer]

TomTom Car Kit - Returned

TalonFlyer..
Here is how I grade the Car Kit (1-10):
Mounting: 8
Rotation: 7
Articulation: 3
Hands-Free: 4 (Weak, speaker is facing away from you, VOX'ing problem)
GPS: 6 (Only very slightly better that the built in GPS)
Compatibility: 3 (Can't use iPod Touch)
Bluetooth: 2 (Phone will not pair until docked, can't pair with other devices)

Overall it's a $79.00 retail mount with a questionable hands-free, only a small incremental change in GPS accuracy and a useless bluetooth implementation. I'll give it a generous 5 out of 10 for now.

*************************************************************

Nice review, and thanks. It sounds like you might have gotten a unit that is sub par. The rotation and articulation of the car kit in many of the Youtube videos seems very tight, very solid with strong mounting. Did it just loosen up over that short time or did it start out not so great? Maybe send it back?

I thought I remember reading that the Handsfree Bluetooth is duplex so I'm also not sure where your issue comes from. That said, I may get that as a separate item on the visor of my car if its below quality. I have another car with a BluAnt unit in it and its terrific.

Also, there are now several places where you can order the car kit for much less money. I have an order into BTL for $87 which sounds like a more reasonable price for the unit. I'm sure it will continue to drop.

Thanks again!

I updated my post and yesterday I returned the Car Kit.

This is a slick looking mount with to many functional limitations.

I exchanged the car kit and had the same hands-free issues.

What I noticed after many calls is that there is a GATE circuit (similar to an AGC (Automatic Gain Control) circuit) that is turning off the speaker most likely to reduce background noise. The problem is that this GATING is causing the audio to be choppy making it very difficult to hear your call.

The useless hands-free along with other limitations make it far to expensive to just sit around and charge the phone.

You cannot mount it on you dash due to the off-center swivel making it impossible to rotate it vertical (unless the mount is hanging over the edge a little).

Why the bluetooth does not connect until docked does not make any sense and makes it even less valuable.

Having to remove the case every time is a real pain as well.

Why do you need a different unit for the iPod touch? The connection is the same and if the little pins retracted it would work.

They did a great job getting everyone excited, but then Bernie Madoff did also.

The bottom line, it's not worth it, get something else.

 

[ticman]

Jape,
did you ever hear back from BLT??

I have heard nothing but didn't send email to them. Will do that today.

 

[slombacker]

I have the 'air jacket' case on my iphone 3gs and it fits in the Tom Tom car kit just fine.

The sound quality when using handsfree isn't the best... but its not has bad as some bluetooth headsets I've had. Forget it if its raining out and your windshield wipers are on.

I don't find the kit inflexible at all... I was able to mount it and reposition it exactly how I wanted.

Overall I'm pretty happy with it.

 

[Jape]

Jape,
did you ever hear back from BLT??

I have heard nothing but didn't send email to them. Will do that today.

No I haven't heard back, I sent them another email this morning but they haven't replied

 

[ticman]

Jape,

sent an email this afternoon and received the following:

(tried to cut and paste but it didn't work).

In a nutshell the ETA from manufacturer is past due (gee we already figured that out) and they have requested info from mfger and will send when they get it. long story short nothing yet so just wait and will let u know.

damn

 

[Jape]

What do you guys think, should we wait or go ahead and buy from somewhere else. Or just wait fo Magellans car kit?

 

[wclyffe]

What do you guys think, should we wait or go ahead and buy from somewhere else. Or just wait fo Magellans car kit?

Hard call. I like the idea that I would not have to remove my case to use the Magellan, but that's all I like about the look of it. It looks cheaper to me and I'm guessing we would be waiting until the end of January, or later, before the price would start to drop from $130. From viewing the many Youtube videos on the TomTom car kit it seems pretty great for $90.

 

[Jape]

Hey guys I just called BLT and they said that they do not have an updated ETA on when they will be receiving a shipment. It almost makes me want to just go to the apple store and pick one up, it is just so hard to give up on 30% off... sigh.

 

[wclyffe]

Hey guys I just called BLT and they said that they do not have an updated ETA on when they will be receiving a shipment. It almost makes me want to just go to the apple store and pick one up, it is just so hard to give up on 30% off... sigh.

Are you sure your Apple store has them in stock? I checked one here in LA while I happen to be there and they were out of them, too! On the online Apple store, it still says 7-10 days for delivery so maybe we should all hang in there.

 

[stridle]

I've been looking all over the internet and the stores do not carry them either. Frankly this is BS, first TOMTOM pushes the date of release by over a month and then they cannot even keep up with supply.

 

[ticman]

I have 3 apple stores in my state. One about 25 miles and the others at the opposite end of the state. None have the car kit in stock and suggested ordering online. Last time i checked it was a 2 to 3 week delivery time. Now it appears from above post that 7 to 10 days may be new ETA.

I am thinking of giving BLT another week and then biting the bullet and ordering from Apple.com

Thoughts????

BTW 30% off of something you not receive suddenly doesn't look like such a bargain.