Tom Tom satnavs being 'end-of-lifed'

[Gaggsy]

Well it seems TomTom have had second thoughts and their website has been updated.
If your device has Lifetime Maps you will continue to receive updates.

This pops up:

MAP UPDATES FOR OLD TOMTOM DEVICES
IS MY DEVICE AFFECTED?

Only a LIMITED NUMBER of devices manufactured pre-2013 will no longer receive map updates.

Newer devices and devices with LIFETIME MAPS ARE NOT AFFECTED.

Customers owning devices that will no longer receive updates have been contacted, but concerned customers can check their device serial number against the list of affected devices.

Then on to the website:
https://www.tomtom.com/en_gb/obsolete-products/
where I notice that their definition of 'lifetime' is as it was before:
*Lifetime means the useful life of the device, i.e. the period of time TomTom supports your device with updates, services, content or accessories. A device will have reached the end of its life when none of these are available any more. You need a PC with an Internet Connection and a MyTomTom account to download new maps and updates. For more information, visit tomtom.com/lifetime

[didds]

A solid recommendation from me for Waze, sat nav on a phone. I use the Android version and it is spot on. I do not know if it is available for Apple phones since Waze is now a Google product. I think you can download the maps before you leave a WiFi zone too to minimse 3G/4G bandwidth. Highly recommended.

general FYI - there is a windows phone version of waze but the last time I tried it on a windows phone 918 months?) it didn't give voice commands (ie it was quasi-broken) so pretty useless for solo use.

didds

[didds]

One answer would be to put up notices to tell drivers where they may and may not go. They could be called "Road Signs". A standardised set of signs bearing pictograms could be devised so that drivers could instantly recognise them.

It#ll never catch on

didds

[DrFfybes]

Well it seems TomTom have had second thoughts and their website has been updated.
If your device has Lifetime Maps you will continue to receive updates.

This pops up:

MAP UPDATES FOR OLD TOMTOM DEVICES
IS MY DEVICE AFFECTED?

Only a LIMITED NUMBER of devices manufactured pre-2013 will no longer receive map updates.

Newer devices and devices with LIFETIME MAPS ARE NOT AFFECTED.

Customers owning devices that will no longer receive updates have been contacted, but concerned customers can check their device serial number against the list of affected devices.

Then on to the website:
https://www.tomtom.com/en_gb/obsolete-products/
where I notice that their definition of 'lifetime' is as it was before:
*Lifetime means the useful life of the device, i.e. the period of time TomTom supports your device with updates, services, content or accessories. A device will have reached the end of its life when none of these are available any more. You need a PC with an Internet Connection and a MyTomTom account to download new maps and updates. For more information, visit tomtom.com/lifetime

If you've ever updated a TomTom map you'll realise 'lifetime' refers to the time it takes, not how long you get the maps for.

Paul

[XFool]

If you've ever updated a TomTom map you'll realise 'lifetime' refers to the time it takes, not how long you get the maps for.

This has been a constant complaint of some on the TomTom Forum over many years. I can only say it has never been a problem for me using standard WiFi to an ordinary Windows laptop with standard Broadband over a copper landline.

It surprises me that no general answer has apparently been found as to why some do have this problem.

[bungeejumper]

This has been a constant complaint of some on the TomTom Forum over many years. I can only say it has never been a problem for me using standard WiFi to an ordinary Windows laptop with standard Broadband over a copper landline.

It surprises me that no general answer has apparently been found as to why some do have this problem.

I've had that issue too, with the added fun of downloads that fail when I'm already an hour and a half into the interminable update process. For me, the answer was to do the download with a freshly-rebooted laptop that had no other tasks upon its little mind.

BJ

[killergorilla]

This is Schumpeter's creative destruction in action.
Portable satnavs....even in car sat navs were a temporary aberration until the mobile business sorted itself out.
If you buy a new car with Android Auto (currently better than the Apple version IMHO but if you're a fruitphone user you'll use car play) and have an moderately up to date phone you'll get Waze, Google maps, Spotify, Amazon music, Tune in Radio and the whole thing works with Google's voice assistant which is excellent.
I upgraded my car last October and it was transformational. Vague voice commands for navigation. Just say where you want to go in your own words and it pops up the most likely options. Fast, efficient and accurate. Waze then routes you around any unseemly traffic and updates in real time whilst you're listening to whatever you want on the radio or Spotify (or audiobooks from Audible...which are excellent).
The level of concentration it returns to the driver not having to worry about routing or traffic or fiddle with buttons and controls or swear at an idiotic voice recognition from the past which only works about 50% of the time means It's also a little safer (again IMHO).
Eventually it'll do the driving bit too...but all in good time.
I'm sure a bunch of people will say 'piff and triple piff. I'm an excellent navigator'. I say in return.....no you're not. Not compared with the combined might of the internet. A London cabbie may be able to best Waze but us mortals have no chance. Once you've finished washing your dishes by hand and wringing your laundry with a mangle come and join us in the 21st century. The future is bright
KG

[Slarti]

Another vote here for Google Maps as the directions are good and good at taking the traffic into account.
Also, depending on the size of your phone memory, you can pre-download a large chunk of the country (London to Newcastle has been done) if you want to save on phone charges or think you might be going to an area with limited signal.

Oh, and unlike my experience with Waze, if it does lose contact with the outside world, it keeps on working. Waze just went "Bing, lost contact with server" and forgot my route. I also couldn't stand all of the bings and beeps that it kept making for random stuff.

Oh and the one built into my Toyota is now a good few years out of date, but I won't be updating it at a cost of £130. It is amusing when it shows you driving over fields as you are on a road it doesn't know exists.

Slarti

[richlist]

Will I need one of those smart phones to get all this waze stuff ?

[swill453]

Will I need one of those smart phones to get all this waze stuff ?

You could probably use a tablet, if it had GPS. Oh, and tether it to a smart phone for its data feed

Scott.

[XFool]

Will I need one of those smart phones to get all this waze stuff ?

Can't seem to get it on my Nokia 1100...

[Slarti]

Will I need one of those smart phones to get all this waze stuff ?

Waze, Google Maps, Here, even TomTom, are all smart phone apps, so yes you would need a smart phone with GPS and enough data for your needs.

I use mine about twice a month, round the M25 and back each time and the £5 100mb data plan from giffgaff more than covers that. Say about 8 or 9 hours live navigating.

Slarti

[stooz]

I have a Tom Tom because I use it's portability from motor bike to car. I can't take the car sat nav on the bike...

I thought phone but I find the screen gets so hot it can cause the phone to shut down as a safety trigger, and means I need a power supply to keep it running.
Having said that the TomTom only lasts an hour on battery anyway.
And it doesn't do traffic anyway without a phone link.

I think I will look at Garmin next time. They seem generally more expensive but maybe the updates are more reliable?

[bungeejumper]

I'm still making up my mind about whether to dump my end-of-lifed Tom Tom and switch to a smartphone app instead, or whether to buy another five inch dedicated satnav that doesn't have too many expensive bells and whistles. I still prefer the Tom Tom's graphics to the rather coarser graphics on the wife's Garmin, but that would come second to the functionality of the thing.

More to the point, I realise that I am courting ridicule here, but I really don't get on with multi-tasking gizmos very well. I like my buttons to stay right where they are and not move about "dynamically". Especially when I'm driving. I am also a complete disaster zone when it comes to bluetoothing things together - I have never succeeded in keeping two devices in synch for more than two minutes at a time. It must be my magnetic personality or something?

Either way, the jury's out. Will see what comes up, price-wise. When I get round to it, that is.

BJ

[Slarti]

Another vote here for Google Maps as the directions are good and good at taking the traffic into account.
Also, depending on the size of your phone memory, you can pre-download a large chunk of the country (London to Newcastle has been done) if you want to save on phone charges or think you might be going to an area with limited signal.

Oh, and unlike my experience with Waze, if it does lose contact with the outside world, it keeps on working. Waze just went "Bing, lost contact with server" and forgot my route. I also couldn't stand all of the bings and beeps that it kept making for random stuff.

Oh and the one built into my Toyota is now a good few years out of date, but I won't be updating it at a cost of £130. It is amusing when it shows you driving over fields as you are on a road it doesn't know exists.

Slarti

For Waze, the "trick" to minimise or eliminate mobile data usage is to determine your route in the Waze app before leaving a WiFi connection behind. Provided you keep the app open when you get in your transport, the Waze app will use the already downloaded route data. It downloads data on the fly for traffic or accident alerts etc. but if no data is available, it just uses the route it already has.

OK, it was a couple of years ago when I was trying Waze, but I don't think that there was the option to download route data then.

Slarti

[Slarti]

To clarify, it's not actually what I'd call an "option" as in something you elect to do. Just that if you set the route before you set off the app just downloads the maps from WiFi and remembers them.

OK, but have you ever been somewhere with no phone signal when using Waze?

I don't think that it was an issue with the maps, more that it didn't like not being able to call home, because the map was still showing the correct location when it cut out.

Slarti

[bruncher]

A solid recommendation from me for Waze, sat nav on a phone

Why isn't it called App Nav?

I was a printed map user, but now use Waze, having skipped the built-in Sat Nav devices and Tom Tom.

Waze will change the route according to traffic conditions. I use it for medium journeys 30 - 60 miles, as well as long-distance e.g. I recently drove to NE Scotland and back using Waze.

The main issue for me was on long stretches, when coming up to junctions, wanting Waze to tell me what to do. I have now relaxed and accepted that if it doesn't tell you to turn off,it means you should keep going ahead.

Sometimes it makes mistakes. A few weeks ago in Essex I was instructed to come off the A12 but once off I was instructed to go straight back on!

Can't see why anyone would buy a Tomtom - with possibility of no updates - when you can have Waze for free with live data.