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TomTom for iPhone Appears in New Zealand App Store

Well, I fell asleep waiting for TomTom to download onto my iPhone, but I have a 75 mile drive to school so I'll be testing this out today.

Btw, there is a youtube review up that I noticed no one has posted up yet. Check it out (btw, it took more like half an hour to download, not 8 minutes like this guy):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dyFjpVIC5qI

+1 for this guy's original dock, lol.
 
TomTom Customer Support is quite clueless about the iPhone App

This morning I wrote an email to customer support (Netherlands) with the following points (I´m not going to bore you with the full dutch email I sent ;)):

Question: Why did subscribers to the newsletters not get a notificiation (not even after everyone woke up and started the day)?

TomTom´s Answer: we are very sorry that we can´t give you any information regarding the introduction of the app. Usually the information is distributed through media before emails are sent out to subscribers.

My comment on this: Although I accept that the media is informed first (this is quite ususal), I do not have any sympathy towards the fact that about 13 hours after the introduction in Western Europe people still don´t know that it is available. Not all customers browse macrumors, engadget and search iTunes for the app every day. Very sloppy is my opinion of this as a customer and shareholder.

Question/Comment: the information on the iTunes site about the app is very limited as far as the functionality of the app is concerned. I´m sure that a page on TomTom.com has been prepared with more elaborate info on the functionality. When is this going to be available?

TomTom´s answer: I will forward your comments about the app store information. I agree that the information should be elaborate.

My comment on this: some essential features (to most people anyway) have been omitted from the description in the app store. I would really like to know if the app also takes traffic jams etc into account. TomTom did not answer this.

Question: Is there any information about the cradle. Will it be sold as a bundle with the software? Will this be more cost effective than buying the software separately from the cradle? Many people are holding off from buying the app because they expect something like this. It would be very helpful that some information about this would be distributed now the app is being sold already.

TomTom´s answer: I have no information about the cradle, but since the app is out now, I expect it to be released soon.

My comment on this: so, customer support has no information about the app or is not allowed to give it. It sounds to me a bit like the former.

I personally think this release is quite disappointing. I haven´t downloaded the app yet, because I want to know if traffic jams etc are taken into account. I was already disappointed that the app is released at such a late moment. After all TomTom was already bragging that they had the app up and running when the iPhone 3G was introduced last year. What have they been doing? I think TomTom really missed the momentum they received when they were invited to present at the Keynote. For a few weeks I was assuming that TomTom was waiting to see the price points for Navigon et al. to introduce their app at a later date with competitive pricing. I was wrong after all.

I´m sure many people will still buy the app, since the market penetration of TomTom is quite high in Europe, but I cannot shake the feeling that this release could have been handled better.

As far as the TomTom media event is concerned: I cannot imagine that they stage a media event to promote a single accessory (the iPhone cradle) to a product that is already on the market. It must be something else.

edit: TomTom services are as yet not available (according to the support site). This means no live traffic information.
 
There should soon be a first update, apparently for the iPod Touch, as in the next generation iPod Touch will have GPS (you've heard it here first).

"Binnenkort ook compatibel met iPod touch en andere iPhone modellen." which translates to: "Soon compatible with the iPod Touch and other iPhone models". Huh? Other models? Which other iPhone models?

Source: TomTom press news.
 
NoExpectations said:
....Apple didn't force the use of the App Store (and their 30% cut of the price) on the developers. Why couldn't TomTom sell this from their own servers and let everyone save 30%?

Anyone else mad about this price gouging from the App Store?
Click to expand...

For 30% of the retail price, Apple :
- Distributes the application everywhere in the world
- Collects the payments
- Produces true invoices

Believe me, that's why the AppStore is a success. How much do you think it costs to a company to sell a product everywhere in the world and manage the payments ? It means servers to buy & maintain (or pay a hosting company), web site to create & maintain (in multiple languages), link with the bank for credit card debits (generally you have to pay for that), ability to produce an invoice with all legal mentions for all the countries in which you sell your products, etc.

30% is not a lot for all these services.
 
I haven´t seen anywhere whether the iPhone cradle has a TMC antenna for traffic information. Does anyone know anything about this? If so, the app would not need any function to acces the TomTom live services that provide traffic information by a phone connection.
 
peterdevries said:
I was already disappointed that the app is released at such a late moment. After all TomTom was already bragging that they had the app up and running when the iPhone 3G was introduced last year.
Click to expand...

Correction: TomTom simply said they'd played with the SDK and had compiled a small piece of code, so they thought they could do a full port. And that tiny, tiny announcement was made BEFORE the 3G went on sale.

It was the braindead bloggers and pseudo-tech-reporters who took that announcement and made up the fake stories that the app was all ported.

What have they been doing?
Click to expand...

My guess is they first had to wait until Apple said that TBT apps were okay. Then they had to figure out whether to go with monthly payments, or one price... and having to give Apple 30% when they were used to selling from their own website.

And THEN I bet that they came up with a dock so TomTom could work on the original iPhones and iPod touches... but Apple has made them keep quiet about it.

The point is, if Apple wasn't so controlling, I bet TomTom would've been out a long time ago.
 
The Live services work very well on my recently-bought Tom Tom. When going home on a Friday night, it will keep track of changing traffic situations and recommend quicker routes to you, or you can specify you want a potentially slower traffic "free" route for example.

Of course this comes at a cost.... the first few months are free but then its an £8 a month subscription option.

The major benefit to relacing it with the iPhone is that it becomes an all-in-one as bluetooth pairing has been flaky at best on the Tom Tom.

But the Tom Tom as a unit does work well and has obviously been refined over the years, so I'll have to wait for more feedback about the iPhone solution as a whole in terms of cost (with the mounting kit, subscription etc) and useability to see if its genuinely a replacement for the current unit.
 
Tiffy said:
For 30% of the retail price, Apple :
- Distributes the application everywhere in the world
- Collects the payments
- Produces true invoices

Believe me, that's why the AppStore is a success. How much do you think it costs to a company to sell a product everywhere in the world and manage the payments ? It means servers to buy & maintain (or pay a hosting company), web site to create & maintain (in multiple languages), link with the bank for credit card debits (generally you have to pay for that), ability to produce an invoice with all legal mentions for all the countries in which you sell your products, etc.

30% is not a lot for all these services.
Click to expand...

I would just add that most phone companies charge 50% for this type of service - that is one of the many reasons developers have flocked to the iPhone.
 
peterdevries said:
I haven´t seen anywhere whether the iPhone cradle has a TMC antenna for traffic information. Does anyone know anything about this? If so, the app would not need any function to acces the TomTom live services that provide traffic information by a phone connection.
Click to expand...

In the support section of Tomtom's site, they say :
Question
Cartes et Services pour iPhone 3G

Réponse

Cartes
Les cartes sont fournies avec TomTom app for iPhone via l'App store d'Apple. Elles ne sont proposées par aucune autre source.

Services
Les Services TomTom ne sont pas disponibles pour le moment pour TomTom app for iPhone.

Translation in English :
Question : Maps & Services for Iphone 3G
Answer :
Maps : The maps are provided with TomTom app for Iphone via the App Store. They are not provided anywhere else.

Services :
The TomTom Services are not available at the moment for TomTom app for Iphone.


I think it's clear : at the moment, no TMC. Maybe later ?
 
Master Chief said:
There should soon be a first update, apparently for the iPod Touch, as in the next generation iPod Touch will have GPS (you've heard it here first).

"Binnenkort ook compatibel met iPod touch en andere iPhone modellen." which translates to: "Soon compatible with the iPod Touch and other iPhone models". Huh? Other models? Which other iPhone models?

Source: TomTom press news.
Click to expand...

This is more likely to be proof that the Car Kit will add GPS functionality to the iPhone OS devices that don't have a GPS chip (Original iPhone, iPod touch), via the 3.0 dock accessory APIs. Which is good news, since my original iPhone will be able to use the software as well, should I decide to plump for the Car Kit.
 
Quick question:

When I press the ' locate; button on Maps ( the Apple App ) it does not located me properly i.e it will be a few streets off. With the Tom tom app is there any guarantee that it will be accurate, does it use a different GPS receiver or whatever?
 
kdarling said:
Correction: TomTom simply said they'd played with the SDK and had compiled a small piece of code, so they thought they could do a full port. And that tiny, tiny announcement was made BEFORE the 3G went on sale.

It was the braindead bloggers and pseudo-tech-reporters who took that announcement and made up the fake stories that the app was all ported.
Click to expand...

Aaah, now it makes sense.... I of course read the announcement from the latter group.

Still doesn´t make me very happy though. I want TomTom to do well because I own shares, but I´m also in the market for a replacement of my old TomTo GO700, but I absolutely want and need traffic information.
 
Cousin Dirk said:
This is more likely to be proof that the Car Kit will add GPS functionality to the iPhone OS devices that don't have a GPS chip (Original iPhone, iPod touch), via the 3.0 dock accessory APIs. Which is good news, since my original iPhone will be able to use the software as well, should I decide to plump for the Car Kit.
Click to expand...
Right, because they also stated that the cradle would enhance the GPS signal. That would indeed be good news for some people here!
 
Tiffy said:
I think it's clear : at the moment, no TMC. Maybe later ?
Click to expand...

TMC is not a service. With the LIVE services (that the text refers to) TomTom means the traffic updates over a GPRS phone connection trough bluetooth to the navigation product.

TMC can be received by a special antenna that can be bought separately and plugged in to most TomTom products. It´s the same technology that your built-in car-navigation uses to show traffic info. It doesn´t need a subscription or a phone connection.

I was therefore wondering whether the cradle has such an antenna built in. Would be nice, but I fear it doesn´t have one.
 
tjcampbell said:
Far too expensive for an App. I bought CoPilot last week and have been really enjoying it.

I used CoPilot Live to drive from London to Manchester on the weekend and it was perfect. I really like the lane designation and all extensive ability to customize it.
Click to expand...

Agreed. You can get a TomTom hardware for that price (or even less during some sales), so what's TomTom's justification, given that CoPilot Live can do it for less than half?

I grabbed CoPilot Live for USA/Canada and I couldn't be more than pleased so far. Sure, I like TomTom's UI, but it's not worth the additional $65, definitely not now, and probably not in the future. Blame it on the economy!
 
Forgetting the adapter for the moment I wish to know how this software compares to others. I imagine that only the die-hard TomTom fans have been commenting about how great it is in the reviews and that, similar to Apple fanboys, that even if it was released with marginal functionality they would give four stars or better. So, for the few that have more than one TBT product on their iPhone can we have a review? What features does each have that the others do not? Where does it work best? How does it work in what type of vehicle (sedan, coup, truck, etc)? Try to leave opinion out of it. Thanks.

Now, what about the adapter? The only images I see show it having a line-out. That would assumedly mean you need a newer audiophile system in the car that has a line-in. The only other way would be to broadcast it via FM, no? Are there any tech specs yet?
 
NStocks said:
Quick question:

When I press the ' locate; button on Maps ( the Apple App ) it does not located me properly i.e it will be a few streets off. With the Tom tom app is there any guarantee that it will be accurate, does it use a different GPS receiver or whatever?
Click to expand...
That sound like it is using the closest cell tower instead of the built-in GPS receiver/sat signal. I have the same problem when I'm inside our house – when it is not picking up the 4 sats it needs. Outside is fine however.

p.s. The cradle appears to add an additional GPS receiver, this to enhance the signal.
 
I have heard that the Navigon software makes the iPhone run hot, does the Tom Tom as well?

My concern is that running the iPhone at high temps for long periods of time might lower the useful life of the device - but the appeal of not having to buy a standalone GPS is pretty nice.
 
OasisNYK said:
I have heard that the Navigon software makes the iPhone run hot, does the Tom Tom as well?

My concern is that running the iPhone at high temps for long periods of time might lower the useful life of the device - but the appeal of not having to buy a standalone GPS is pretty nice.
Click to expand...
Hot no. Hotter yes... like many other applications.

I was taking some pictures the other day and noticed that my iPhone was getting hotter, unpleasantly hot even. No warning whatsoever on screen so it should be fine, but it was draining the battery a lot quicker.
 
Wirelessly posted (iPhone: Mozilla/5.0 (iPhone; U; CPU iPhone OS 3_0_1 like Mac OS X; en-us) AppleWebKit/528.18 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/4.0 Mobile/7A400 Safari/528.16)

This is a bit more than I wanted to spend on this but I guess it is what it is.
 
I just paid 88 dollars US for a refurbished TomTom ONE XL2 from Newegg.com, I am glad I bought a standalone with a 4.3" screen instead of just maps and an app for more money :rolleyes: All the nav apps seems to be overpriced IMO.
 
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