Review:TomTom Start satnav
Retailing at just $199, TomTom’s latest Start GPS unit is the Dutch giant’s cheapest portable navigation unit released in Australia. Designed for first-time GPS users, the TomTom Start has spoken street names, an EasyPort mount system, IQ Routes technology, and a fresh interface.
The TomTom Start bumps its way into the entry-level point of TomTom’s range, a position previously enjoyed by the TomTom One.
The TomTom Start interface has been revamped, and the result is a simpler and more streamlined feel. Looking remarkably similar to Garmin’s latest Nuvi range, the TomTom Start has just two main icons on its home screen: plan route and browse map. Below on a horizontal bar are options for sound, night, help and settings.
Searching for an address is a similar experience to the current range of TomTom GPS units. You can also navigate to a postcode, a recent destination, a point of interest (POI), or a point on the map. Despite the Start’s small screen, the keyboard is responsive and you can choose between ABC, QWERTY and AZERTY layouts. Searching for an address is a three-step process: city, street and then house number.
What you do get, however, is an easy to use system that poses questions to guide you. The opening question for navigation is “Do you want to leave from where you are?” and once you have selected your destination you are given the opportunity to leave now or on another time or date. These questions may not seem important, but it focuses on how people actually use their devices. It isn’t just about jumping in the car and navigating to a postcode. It’s about planning routes, passing on estimated times of arrival, deciding when you need to leave the house to get to that wedding in Swindon and so on.
Options is likewise “simplified”, presenting just six settings you can change rather than page after page of icons you need to tab through to find the one you want. That said, there is a second page of options, reached by clicking on a button market Advanced.
