TomTom iPhone Dock, anyone?

#1

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6/9/09 at 5:30am

Sam Posten
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As posted in the megathread, TomTom has pre-announced their new Dock based car connectivity kit for iPhone 3GS. Edit: looks like it will work with the stock 3G too!

TomTom for iPhone

The announcement text is here:
TomTom?s announcement at WWDC

No pricing has been announced and availability is listed simply as 'later this summer'

The TomTom app itself should ship next week however!

I know it's a dumb thing to be excited about but I was really impressed with the dock Ron has for his car and I think this will be an inexpensive but elegant way for me to integrate these capabilities into my own car. If it launches at $49 or less I am in for sure day 1, $99 and I will probably bite, over that and I'll wait for sales. Anyone else looking forward to this guy?

Sam

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#2

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6/9/09 at 5:49am

Sam Posten
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Re: TomTom iPhone Dock, anyone?

Tech roundup:
Video: Apple partners with TomTom to bring "real" navigation to iPhone

Check the comment on this year old post from yesterday:
http://www.mobilewhack.com/tomtom-ex...one-situation/

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#3

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6/9/09 at 8:29am

Ronald Epstein
Ronald Epstein
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Re: TomTom iPhone Dock, anyone?

Thanks for the compliment, Sam.

Uhm....

You know what? My situation probably differs from yours.

I have a Garmin unit which is certainly portable enough for me
to move in and out of the car. Take it with me when I am flying
and renting a car at my arrival location.

I would guess that the Tom Tom iPhone app may be limited in
features compared to a Garmin (or Magellan, etc.) device.

Also, within the past year I thoroughly researched that Garmin and
other nav devices before the purchase and as a whole the TOM TOM
devices were not rated as well.

Ronald J Epstein
Home Theater Forum co-owner
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#4

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6/9/09 at 8:32am

Sam Posten
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Re: TomTom iPhone Dock, anyone?

I use a TomTom now, and am happy with them. I have gotten decent results with it and the UI is different on the Garmin and Magellan but they are all pretty much the same to me.

I meant your iPhone dock tho, not your GPS! I thought it was pretty slick mount set up.

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#5

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6/9/09 at 8:35am

Ronald Epstein
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Re: TomTom iPhone Dock, anyone?

Quote:

I meant your iPhone dock tho, not your GPS! I thought it was pretty slick mount set up.

Oh I knew what you were referring to.

I remember you looking at it when we drove to the airport.

Ronald J Epstein
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#6

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6/9/09 at 9:00am

Michael_K_Sr
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Re: TomTom iPhone Dock, anyone?

I already have a TomTom GPS unit that I am happy with, so I will almosy certainly take a pass. Not sure how well iPhone functionality will work if say, you are driving somewhere and you have to take a phone call or play a quick game of Flight Control. JK on the latter.

As for a Dock setup...I prefer my regular old run of the mill charger that uses a regular dock cable. When I occasionally leave my dock cable at the office, I can just go unplug the one in the car and use it at the house.

#7

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6/9/09 at 10:08am

Ted Todorov
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Re: TomTom iPhone Dock, anyone?

Quote:

Originally Posted by Michael_K_Sr

I already have a TomTom GPS unit that I am happy with, so I will almosy certainly take a pass. Not sure how well iPhone functionality will work if say, you are driving somewhere and you have to take a phone call

If it is properly designed, you should be able to answer the call and immediately switch back to the TomTom app while continuing to talk in the background.

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#8

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6/9/09 at 10:45am

Todd H
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Re: TomTom iPhone Dock, anyone?

I don't own a GPS unit so this interests me a great deal. Can't wait to see some of the first reviews.

Middle Georgia Storm Chasers

#9

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6/12/09 at 11:46am

Sam Posten
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Re: TomTom iPhone Dock, anyone?

The plot thickens, no way this guy is gonna sell for below $99, i'm guessing $149 now.

Mac Forums - View Single Post - TomTom and Navigon Bringing Turn-by-Turn GPS Car Navigation to iPhone

The whole thread is interesting actually
http://forums.macrumors.com/showthread.php?t=716277

Sam

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#10

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7/13/09 at 6:50pm

Sam Posten
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http://www.9to5mac.com/tomtom-ipod-touch

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#11

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8/5/09 at 9:11am

Michael_K_Sr
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Yowza...the dock has shown up for presale in the UK for something equivalent to US $175.

#12

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8/5/09 at 2:27pm

Ted Todorov
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Quote:

Originally Posted by Michael_K_Sr

Yowza...the dock has shown up for presale in the UK for something equivalent to US $175.

£99 (without the VAT) = $168
If I had to guess the US price will be lower than that.

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#13

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8/5/09 at 5:32pm

Sam Posten
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http://www.daniweb.com/blogs/entry4607.html

http://www.appleinsider.com/articles/09/08/05/web_site_lists_tomtom_iphone_mount_for_99_00_168_50.html

http://www.tuaw.com/2009/08/05/tomtom-for-iphone-pricing-leaked/

http://www.macrumors.com/iphone/2009/08/05/uk-retailer-offering-tomtom-car-kit-for-pre-order/

I'm cautiously optimistic tho

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#14

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8/16/09 at 10:20am

Sam Posten
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It's starting to go live. $70 - $85 for just the US/canadian maps in the australia/NZ stores:
http://www.macrumors.com/2009/08/16/tomtom-for-iphone-appears-in-new-zealand-app-store/

I'll wait for the bundle.

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#15

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8/17/09 at 4:55am

Sam Posten
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It's out:
http://www.iphonesavior.com/2009/08/tomtom-navigation-makes-us-app-store-debut-for-100.html

http://www.engadget.com/2009/08/17/tomtom-navigation-for-iphone-3g-and-3gs-arrives/

http://tech.yahoo.com/news/macworld/tomtomreleasesturnbyburnnavigationappforusandcanada

http://gizmodo.com/5338746/tomtom-iphone-navigation-hits-us-and-canadian-app-store-for-100

Video:
http://recombu.com/news/tomtom-for-iphone-3g-and-3gs-satisfied-nav_M11050.html

I LOVE that video's DIY dock!!! =)

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#16

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8/17/09 at 6:15am

Sam Posten
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Not so flattering review:
http://shiftsolutions.net.au/2009/08/17/review-of-tom-tom-for-the-iphone/

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#17

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8/17/09 at 10:32am

Ted Todorov
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Quote:

Originally Posted by Sam Posten

Not so flattering review:
http://shiftsolutions.net.au/2009/08/17/review-of-tom-tom-for-the-iphone/

One should point out that the complaints are specific to Australia. It remains to be seen if the US version is plagued by any similar problems.

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#18

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8/17/09 at 11:01am

Sam Posten
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Epistime discussion.

http://episteme.arstechnica.com/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/8300945231/m/213002101041

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#19

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8/17/09 at 12:37pm

DaveF
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iPhone as GPS is intriguing to me. I disagree with most every complaint from cheapskate, forum-kids. I'm quite willing to spend $100 to replace a $200 GPS unit. It would be a benefit to me to *not* have a separate, physical GPS unit, and instead have it rolled into an all-in-one unit; especially a phone that's always with me. Having dabbled with the iPhone and used my Garmin GPS, I expect the iPhone interface to be smoother and easier to use than the Garmin's.

My concern is still how these hyper-integrated devices work when I'm driving with GPS and music and phone all at once.

But I think turn-by-turn GPS is a big deal to the iPhone.

#20

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8/17/09 at 1:06pm

Ted Todorov
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Quote:

Originally Posted by DaveF

My concern is still how these hyper-integrated devices work when I'm driving with GPS and music and phone all at once.

But I think turn-by-turn GPS is a big deal to the iPhone.

Agreed. I saw a forum post on Macrumors from someone who already has it -- Phone calls work as expected -- they kick in automatically, & return you to GPS when done, or you can background the call and stay with the GPS while talking. No voice instructions from the GPS while you are on a call. He didn't say anything about the iPod, but one would think it would behave similarly.

Yes, I see this killing the stand alone GPS industry. If you can buy an iPhone ($99) plus Tom-Tom ($99) (other brands start as low as $29) for the same price as a stand alone Tom-Tom or Garmin, why would you even consider a stand alone GPS??

Now where the &*^*(^(*&?!? is the universal remote industry? Do we need to wait for iPhone 4G when Apple builds in an IR transmitter for developer to get off their butts and start competing in that space?

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#21

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8/17/09 at 3:28pm

DaveF
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I realized I do have one caveat on a phone-based GPS: sharing. I have a regular GPS that my wife and I share, as needed. But If I pay $100+ for a GPS on my phone, then it's mine and mine along. No more sharing. So I'd have to buy two, so she can have one as needed. And that's wasteful, since we don't need GPS's normally.

So for me, the GPS app may need to be twice as good or half the price of the comparable hardware to make it worth buying. :)

#22

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8/17/09 at 6:14pm

Ted Todorov
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Quote:

Originally Posted by DaveF

I realized I do have one caveat on a phone-based GPS: sharing. I have a regular GPS that my wife and I share, as needed. But If I pay $100+ for a GPS on my phone, then it's mine and mine along. No more sharing. So I'd have to buy two, so she can have one as needed. And that's wasteful, since we don't need GPS's normally.

So for me, the GPS app may need to be twice as good or half the price of the comparable hardware to make it worth buying. :)

You do realize you just need to buy one copy and you can -- legitimately -- run it on two iPhones? As you know, iTunes authorization for DRMed stuff works thus: up to 5 Macs or PCs and unlimited number of iPods/iPhones that synch with one of those Macs/PCs. This most certainly works for Apps -- so this is indeed an advantage for families over a stand alone GPS.

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#23

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8/17/09 at 8:36pm

DaveF
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I had no idea that iPhone apps were a "family pack" licensing. I'll have to learn more when the time comes; we wouldn't synch off the same computer so that might be an obstacle. And for apps that do data-synching, I don't know how a shared synch works.

But that's definitely worth learning more about.

#24

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8/17/09 at 9:33pm

Ted Todorov
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Quote:

Originally Posted by DaveF

I had no idea that iPhone apps were a "family pack" licensing. I'll have to learn more when the time comes; we wouldn't synch off the same computer so that might be an obstacle. And for apps that do data-synching, I don't know how a shared synch works.

But that's definitely worth learning more about.

You don't have to synch from the same computer -- my wife and I certainly don't. Data can be separate as well. We just both use the same iTunes account to purchase the apps with -- although you could use multiple iTunes accounts and permission computers for more then one account.

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#25

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8/18/09 at 6:56am

DaveF
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Thanks for the tip. I need to learn more. Since my wife and I would be buying a handful of the same apps, like the SplashData line, that would save us $50 or more.

I just have to make sure I understand how to explain that it's wholly legit to my wife. She's a stickler for licensing issues and ignores me on my occaisional hand-waving of such details.

Edited by DaveF - 8/18/2009 at 02:19 pm GMT

#26

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8/20/09 at 3:28pm

Michael_K_Sr
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Quote:

Yes, I see this killing the stand alone GPS industry. If you can buy an iPhone ($99) plus Tom-Tom ($99) (other brands start as low as $29) for the same price as a stand alone Tom-Tom or Garmin, why would you even consider a stand alone GPS??

Maybe to avoid the $65-70 per month cost of ownership that an iPhone is going to set you back.

#27

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8/20/09 at 4:07pm

DaveF
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Quote:

Originally Posted by Ted Todorov

Yes, I see this killing the stand alone GPS industry.

Absolutely! Since the only people who buy and use GPS units also have AT&T and have an iPhone. Noone in the other 70% of the cellphone market has a GPS. None of the AT&T customers using non-data phones or Blackberries have GPS units. And every single iPhone owner will prefer a hyper-integrated solution over a GPS that works by itself or can be shared with spouse and kids.

The standalone GPS market is dead in the water.

#28

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8/20/09 at 7:13pm

Ted Todorov
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Quote:

Originally Posted by Michael_K_Sr

Maybe to avoid the $65-70 per month cost of ownership that an iPhone is going to set you back.

So you think that there are people out there who don't have a cell phone, but do have a stand alone GPS in their car? Sorry, I don't think such creatures exist. So if they already paying for a phone (my T-Mobile dumb phone was $40 a month plus tax) the difference to upgrade is suddenly not so big considering all you get. And of course there is always the iPod touch -- no monthly contract, rumored to work with forthcoming Tom-Tom dock (which has its own built in GPS).

Dave, I know you're kidding but a couple of fallacies in the joke: this won't happen overnight, so by the time it does, iPhone (and other "good enough" Android etc. phones) will be on every carrier. By then there probably will be a contract free iPod Touch or iTablet with built in GPS as well (and no monthly contract).

The second fallacy: of course Blackberries and WinMo's and Nokias have had GPS for a long time. But this goes back to the original iPhone, where a bunch of people who weren't grokking it started saying --but WinMO has had features A -F for years, plus it can do XYZ which the iPhone can't, the iPhone is worthless. Of course the answer is that features A-F + XYZ were unusable, thus the iPhone's success and WinMo's failure. GPS: Blackberry screens are too small and I'll bet the apps are too hard to use (and the Storm is simply a joke -- too lazy to write the story, but we had dinner with Storm wielding friends recently, and they were not pleased). Thus the iPhone is the first phone out there with GPS that is not just usable, but EASIER to use than the dedicated GPS devices.

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#29

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8/20/09 at 8:00pm

DaveF
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I'm not sure what you're saying. That GPS standalone units are a deadend in the long run, several or many years from now? Possibly; eventually all phones could be "smartphones" with integrated GPS voice navigation.

Or that they're dead in the next 12 months? If so, not a chance, for all the reasons I gave. The iPhone and GPS markets are not a complete overlap.

But I think you underestimate the number of frugal / cheap people out there who will buy a fixed-cost product and will avoid premium monthly services for as long as possible.

#30

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8/21/09 at 4:52am

Ted Todorov
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Quote:

Originally Posted by DaveF

I'm not sure what you're saying. That GPS standalone units are a deadend in the long run, several or many years from now? Possibly; eventually all phones could be "smartphones" with integrated GPS voice navigation.

Or that they're dead in the next 12 months? If so, not a chance, for all the reasons I gave. The iPhone and GPS markets are not a complete overlap.

But I think you underestimate the number of frugal / cheap people out there who will buy a fixed-cost product and will avoid premium monthly services for as long as possible.

Yes, I am saying that in several years they will be obsolete. I claim that the frugal people will not purchase GPS units in the first place unless they come built into their car as standard equipment. (And if you want to say: "But I'm a frugal person, and I bought a stand alone GPS" -- you did so before the iPhone etc. option was available and known. If you are considering buying iPhones, you don't enter into mine (or even yours) definition of a frugal person).

I additionally claim that iPod Touch type devices will be available with GPS but without a data contract for those who don't want to pay a monthly contract. If Apple doesn't do it, Android will, but I'm sure Apple will eventually do it themselves.
Edited by Ted Todorov - 8/21/09 at 9:55am

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