TomTom VIA 1535TM 5-Inch Portable Bluetooth GPS Navigator with Lifetime Traffic & Maps Reviews
TomTom VIA 1535TM 5-Inch Bluetooth GPS Navigator with Lifetime Traffic & Maps and Voice Recognition
- Get over 1 million more miles of mapped roads in the US
- Drive safely with Bluetooth hands-free calling and one-shot address voice recognition
- Outsmart delays with Free Lifetime Traffic Updates, without advertising
- Stay up-to-date on road changes with Free Lifetime Map Updates
- Navigate with ease using premium maps of the US, Canada & Mexico
The VIA Story Hit the road street-smart and style-savvy. The new, super-slim TomTom VIA series holds the latest navigation technology, in a fresh, sleek design including an integrated Fold & Go EasyPort Mount. Travel confidently with superior routing and the most accurate, dependable maps in the GPS industry. In fact, TomTom gives you one million more miles of mapped roads in the US**. The VIA range of
Misleading advertising, problematic sync software, but splendid GPS unit – TomTom VIA 1535TM,
Update on 4/20/11:
I nonstop to have noteworthy issues with the TomTom contrivance, and with absolutely no help from TomTom, Amazon allowable me to chat the manufactured goods (which was very simple to do!). The substitution contrivance works MUCH best — I’m not experiencing the bugginess or lack of openness I had with the previous contrivance. I’m high and mighty my original had a defect with the touchscreen. I’m practically lucky with the contrivance itself, but I left the rating at 3/5 stars for 2 reasons:
1) My assess of the MyTomTom software as of April 2011 and the flawed advertising (see not more than) stands.
2) TomTom Support does not seem equipped to support the new manufactured goods or software yet.
For those who care most in this area the GPS unit itself though, I’m very lucky with it — intuitive, responsive, wonderful interface, and more capable than previous TomToms. Once TomTom fixes their software and support, I’m sure a assess could basically give it 5/5 stars.
Original Assess on 4/14/11:
I was excited to buy this manufactured goods just, and receive it on 4/12/11.
Though, I have to warn everyone considering any of the newer TomTom VIA line to be cautious.
At the start, TomTom just retired their ancient “TomTom Home” software for new “MyTomTom” software. Many of the facial appearance on this Amazon page and on TomTom’s page are NOT available since the new software is incapable of supporting those facial appearance. This includes map allotment (allotment updates), QuickGPSFix, alacrity camera updates, voice buys, fiscal help up your contrivance, etc. I confirmed this via send by e-mail and via a buzz call with TomTom Support. Online forums seem to suggest that it could be months or longer before the software provides this. The buzz support rep said that I don’t know some of the facial appearance would be offered in 30-60 days.
Secondly, the contrivance I received has a slow-moving interface most of the time, and the interface will freeze (especially if here’s no GPS signal) the rest of the time. The routing functionality is very quick, but it’s not helpful if you can’t in fact interact with the contrivance. I received a bit of a runaround from TomTom Support, and even sent them a record I recorded of the harms — they had no suggestions and not compulsory I wait for the next attention release to fix the bugs.
Finally, the TomTom support site and reps are not equipped to support these new devices. Their online support site has articles which fail to even list the new VIA line and their buzz support menu doesn’t even include it. When by send by e-mail support, the support rep kept sending me articles on additional TomTom models.
Just to pr?cis, you won’t receive the facial appearance advertised (this is confirmed), and my experience with the contrivance was poor from the start. I can’t timely how disappointed I am — this looked an brilliant manufactured goods, and the interface is wonderful… but unusable.
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|Garmin Faithful Converted. TomTom is the New King of the Dashboard.,
I’ve tried them all, and Garmin has everlastingly been the apparent winner–in anticipation of now.
If you’re conception this you’re doubtless wondering if that huge five inch screen makes up for the fact that this is not a Garmin. After tiresome it out, cold failure, didn’t even result in the Garmin with me, I can confidently urge you not dredge up in this area even an equivalently sized and priced Garmin. The TomTom VIA is best in each accept.
It starts up and finds the satellites near aptly away–quicker than my Garmin by a long shot.
At the start I horde out to an take up I’d by no means been to in Elaborate Park from Astoria, Queens and that proved that the TomTom is just as excellent. But it was the second drive of the day, from Elaborate Park, all the way in a roundabout way New York City and over the George Washington Join to Edgewater, New Jersey–all owing to New York City rush hour–on a Wednesday, which really blew me away.
At the start it warned me that here were tolls along the send and offered an uncommon, toll-free send. I chose to pay the tolls. Then, a bit before I encountered gray transfer it confirmed which lane was clogged, manifest the spot where the disabled car was, showed the quantity of delay time, then offered an each second send which was 33 synopsis quicker. (The each second was also the only transfer free send. It was shocking.)
Add that here is a sight in the decrease center of the screen which tells you which lanes you should be in and which ones you should avoid so that you don’t end up taking an accidental exit or building a unsafe go abruptly turning into a additional lane. This should preclude many expensive accidents.
Not impressed yet? Each once in a while an alarm would sound and a symbol notification that here was a camera alacrity trap yet to be. It would then sight the same symbol on the send screening me exactly where the alacrity trap was.
Additionally, it displays the officially authorized alacrity limit on the piece of road I’m presently on, and my current alacrity just privileged than it. If I exceed the alacrity limit by 5 mph, that part of the sight turns red.
This thing pays for itself in time savings and would-have-been transfer tickets.
Those are the highlights amongst the many PROS.
CON: I will only place forward only one CON. The suction cup mount works splendid but is the only mount available–regardless of whether you point out to mount it on the windshield, the dashboard, or the friction mount (sold separately). The dashboard mount that comes in the box is a plastic disc with a double face mounting check on it–which you have to suction cup mount the unit to. And if you get the friction mount (which I had to buy separately) you still have no extent but to suction cup it to the mount.
So far, this hasn’t been a problem but I wish that the only time I had to use a suction cup mount was if I wanted to mount it on the windshield.
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|Levelheaded manufactured goods — facial appearance still in transition?,
To start with, this is doubtless one of the coolest pieces of equipment that I’ve been able to play with just. I am not really unfamiliar with GPS steering systems, but I have frequently used them for hiking very than pouring directions. For that, I’ve used Google Maps and currently use MotionX GPS on my buzz. This is my at the start dyed-in-the-wool GPS contrivance for pouring directions.
I had no harms being paid the 1535 out of the wrap and powered up. Once I got a MyTomTom tab complex, downloaded the vital software to go updates, and emotionally involved the unit to my computer, I updated my maps to the latest translation and was equipped to go. That took all of 15 synopsis, counting the downloads. In this area 5 synopsis shortly, I had it collectively to my buzz and made a test buzz call by it as a bluetooth speaker/microphone.
Initial complaints are the tiny in black and colorless manual (none available on the TomTom website — the link goes nowhere) and that the ‘lifetime maps’ certificate deliverance instructions were confusing/ill-treat. I was kind of disappointed when I realized that the MyTomTom software that this series uses for updates does not currently allocate the voice post or additional customization (yet?). That’s not really a deal surf, but isn’t really what I probable from TomTom — who doesn’t want Yoda divulging you where to turn?? While by the contrivance for building calls, I was dropped evenly when voice steering was committed and had something to say to me. Basically, the call would go dead and I’d get no voice directions in anticipation of I manually hung up the call. (This wasn’t a cell buzz benefit come forth, here was something interrupting the call and it appeared to be the steering boss lacking to speak.) By and large, relatively insignificant technical glitches with supporting facial appearance, frequently. As one additional reviewer noted, it does feel like this thing is REALLY new: here aren’t even accessories plotted for it in the TomTom online store — I wanted a case to protect it when I wasn’t by it. (I finished up with a 3rd have fun case: Case Logic MGPS-2 Professional GPS Case for up to 5-Inch Screens (Black) and it holds the 1535 snugly, just not the potential adapter)
On the plus side, GPS signal place seldom took longer than a few seconds from potential on. The sight is large, well-lit, intuitive and the defaulting voice is apparent and not too annoying. The online manual is much more caring than the paltry in black and colorless manual, and the molded bump on the potential cord indicates that some plotting went into how the potential cord would hang from the contrivance. Note that the transfer data is received only when the contrivance is plugged in by the supplied car adapter. From a usability perspective, I like the way that TomTom units give directions: “yet to be, turn aptly then get in the left lane.” That style gives me ample information to point out which turn lane I should get into in order to reduce the number of lane changes I have to make. By and large, I establish ample lead time was agreed with the directions to preclude shifty pouring due to last-small instructions. I am now and again told constantly to ‘keep aptly’ when the road continues straight and my next turn is a left (and not for numerous miles). I’d hold reliable the mappers very than TomTom here, but it can be distracting in unfamiliar areas.
I ongoing hard the system by having it plot routes to places I go evenly — and even ignored some of the directions to see how it behaved. Thankfully, here was no voice screaming ‘REROUTING!’ I saw some text on the screen and a silent send correction based on my new place, once it was evident I missed the indicated turn. I establish that the 1535 not compulsory most likely routes; some that I had full myself, but also a few that I by no means really thorough. The transfer notification and delay estimate feature is above all nice for dynamically routing around accidents or additional transfer delays — here was no certificate in the box for ‘lifetime transfer,’ so I am not 100% fastidious how that works. That would be something that I would place into the manual. Here are many facial appearance that I have yet to try out, but I’ve been very lucky thus far.
Before by this contrivance, I was accustomed to searching for destinations in my buzz (which has Internet access and can go an online search), so I didn’t have to place many of addresses in: find Smith Elementary Teach and take me here. The 1535 can do this for predefined ‘POI’ (points of appeal) — and it recognizes numerous restaurant chains I tried (Red Robin, Starbucks, Lime Garden, Fuddruckers) by voice commands. It is kind of cool to push a screen pin, say, “Drive to the next-door Starbucks,” or “Navigate to the next-door gas station” and have it plot the way.
Note: All owing to my at the start day before a live audience with…
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