Comments on: Hands On: TomTom GPS navigation for the iPhone

By: NilsP

NilsP — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 16:48:21 +0000

I had the same issues as you regarding the loss of signal. I have the 3G. I lost the signals in good weather and with no overhead obstructions too. Tomtom was showing me where I had been, not where I should go. At work I found a spot where Tomtom reported no signal. One of my co-workers, also with a 3G, started Navigator and had signals… Is Tomtom forcing us to buy the whole car kit?

By: Will A

Will A — Tue, 18 Aug 2009 08:04:46 +0000

It just says: “The address for this contact cannot be understood.”

By: Jim Mahoney

Jim Mahoney — Mon, 17 Aug 2009 23:27:30 +0000

I’ve had the same problem with G-Maps Northeast on both the iPhone 3G and my new 3Gs, where it would just decide to lose the signal for no apparent reason. Now I can see if I was in the city with lots of tall buildings or bad weather, but this is just driving along on a suburban highway in good weather and no overhead obstructions. I bought a dash mount that gets the phone out under the windshield to see if that would help and it did a little.

The signal loss happens often enough that I feel like I can’t rely on G-Maps only to get me to a strange location. So far when it has cut out on me I’ve known where I was driving. I am awaiting G-Maps new version update to see if the situation improves. plus I will be most interested to see your review of the car kit.

By: Jim Dalrymple

Jim Dalrymple — Mon, 17 Aug 2009 22:53:41 +0000

That’s interesting Will. Does it say anything or does it just sit there waiting for you?

By: Will A

Will A — Mon, 17 Aug 2009 22:50:55 +0000

I have bought this – generally good. However, the link with contacts seems to be v hit and miss. It only recognises about 1 in 10 contacts which is v disappointing!

By: S R Khan

S R Khan — Mon, 17 Aug 2009 18:31:05 +0000

I tried Tom Tom on iPhone 3g and works like charm. I used this fir last 4 hrs in San Francisco traffic and it was ver accurate. Need to wait for others to report in other us cities.
Thx

By: D Hahn

D Hahn — Mon, 17 Aug 2009 17:09:07 +0000

Jim,

Could you try it out on a 3G for those of us that don’t have a 3GS? That could make another difference in the purchasing decision.

By: Jim Dalrymple

Jim Dalrymple — Mon, 17 Aug 2009 15:33:08 +0000

It was a new 3GS

By: Steve Basile

Steve Basile — Mon, 17 Aug 2009 15:20:29 +0000

Jim,
Didn’t read if you were testing it on iPhone Classic, 3G or 3GS. This could be important.
Look forward to your next report on same.
Steve

By: snowy

snowy — Mon, 17 Aug 2009 15:07:12 +0000

You can’t rely on two separate tests each done a single time to come up with a conclusion about either of the apps. There is no validity in that. You should run the two apps at the same time and make notes of which is dropping the connection and when.

By: Eric

Eric — Mon, 17 Aug 2009 14:41:22 +0000

At $99 that’s a bit high unless the hardware kit isn’t that expensive. Looking forward to your next test. I’m not paying $99 for an app that’s slow and loses connections.

By: Jim Dalrymple

Jim Dalrymple — Mon, 17 Aug 2009 14:30:03 +0000

True Eric, but my big question is why did TomTom lose the signal when the other one didn’t. Seems strange to me. I’m going to give it another try today and see what happens.

By: Eric Ullman

Eric Ullman — Mon, 17 Aug 2009 14:16:35 +0000

Thanks for sharing your experiences with the TomTom, Jim. I have a question: Isn’t the car kit going to have it’s own GPS receiver to mitigate the poor accuracy inherent in the iPhone’s internal unit?