Just when you thought it was safe to remove the wrapping off your GO 920T, TomTom have launched their new 930T model, which features the much hyped IQ Routes Technology and the Navigon inspired Advanced Lane Guidance feature.
Box Contents
Inside the box you get a familiar USB cradle that you use to link your TomTom to a compatible PC (for TomTom Home), a car cradle, Bluetooth remote, TMC RDS cable, car adaptor and a User Manual with CD.
Spec
- Software: TomTom Navigator
- Map coverage: UK & Ireland + Maps of Western/Eastern Europe, North America, Canada and Russia
- Installation: Pre-installed on internal flash memory (4GB).
- Additional storage: SD Card
- Dimensions: (H/W/D) 83 x 118 x 24 mm
- Weight: 220g
- Display Size: 4.3 inches (480 x 272 pixels)
- Additional features: RDS TMC receiver, FM receiver, Bluetooth, text-to-speech, Plus Services
Design
The first thing you will notice about the GO930T is its change of colour, this now sports a rather nifty black finish and it certainly is a vast improvement over the dull grey colours of the 920T.
Apart from the above, cosmetically the 930T remains the same, only internally have there been some major changes, including a couple of icon tweaks and additional options for turning on/off some of the advanced features (Advanced Lane guidance and IQ Routes technology).
The Bluetooth remote control - for controlling your TomTom without having to touch the screen whilst driving - is also identical to its predecessor.
IQ Routes
Without going into too much scientific depth the IQ Routes that adorn the 930T are calculated based on actual average speeds, rather than static sign-posted speeds, which in English means that it takes into consideration how many traffic lights, steep slopes, roundabouts and speed bumps are likely to be on route and then plots a course that is the most efficient.
We decided to test the above by plotting four identical routes, with and without IQ Routes technology activated. Out of the four, only two of the routes benefited greatly from the technology, by plotting a course that we ourselves would have used to bypass some local bottle neck hotspots.
Obviously we cannot vouch for all areas, especially as the database is still relatively young, but it should improve as more IQ Routes are embedded into the platform.
Advanced Lane Guidance
The Navigon inspired Advanced Lane Guidance, gives you a representation of your Junction/Exits on major motorway junctions.
Essentially when you approach one of the junctions it will switch the display and flashing green arrows will point you to the correct lane to be in - including a verbal message.
At the bottom left hand corner of the screen you will find a dinky version of the lane guidance, which is used for smaller junctions/exits.
In reality both options work well and prove useful - rather than distractions - when trying to navigate complex junctions.
On with the Show
Going back to the remaining features you will find this is basically the same as the 920T, its interface as mentioned has a few cosmetic tweaks and it remains as fast as ever.
Text-to-speech is used throughout for reading back traffic reports, safety cameras, SMS messaging and of course voice directions.
Voice recognition remains from the 920T and can be used for plotting destinations (alongside the standard Qwerty keyboard entries), with the option to speak back your requests.
The technology we have to say works remarkably well - even from a driving position.
Plus Services
TomTom Plus services are included within the device and provide subscription/free based services for enhancing your driving. This includes QuickGPS fix for speeding up local acquisition time, weather forecasts, Speed cameras, TomTom Buddies (for finding your fellow TomTom users) and you can take advantage of the useful Map Share technology (via TomTom Home) to keep your maps up-to-date.
A data connection is needed for the above and this can be gleamed either from a linked mobile phone via Bluetooth or using TomTom Home.
The Home software is an essential part of your TomTom as it can be used to gain updates to your product, perform backups/restore and utilise your PC's broadband connection - which will cut down on your data costs.
Testing
During our tests the GPS receiver performed well and it benefited of course from its QuickGPS fix utility to speed up our location fix.
Also to boost the latter you have TomToms new Enhanced Positioning Technology (EPT), which comes into play when GPS reception is poor or when navigation in tunnels or near high rise buildings.
It essentially estimates your direction based on a number of calculations - don't ask us how - and will show you a small icon down the bottom to indicate that the option is kicking in. When you pop out of the tunnel, normal GPS reception will then take over.
The TomTom maps are rendered well, but are still not as detailed as they could be (3D perspective could be better, more street names displayed on the map), but we found the voice directions - with its text-to-speech - was more than enough for navigating from A-to-B.
Linking up your device to a spare FM frequency is also possible, so you can get your directions routed via your cars stereo speakers. There was a touch of interference in the background, when voice directions were not speaking, but generally it was acceptable.
The supplied TMC RDS receiver can automatically or manually plot around traffic problems, though it’s a pity that the antenna is not yet built into the car cradle.
Finally you have a safety camera database (with updates available from TomTom, price is normally about £20 per year for updates).
In action the database gives you visual, audio warnings and the option to add your own text-to-speech warning. It could pick up cameras that have recently been installed as well (on our test route that is) which shows its default database is relatively up-to-date.
