TomTom GO 930 Traffic review
With the wrapping still clinging to the underside of the GO 920T, some may feel slightly peeved by the 930 Traffic’s arrival. But with the sat-nav world changing rapidly each day, the features are a more natural progression, rather than a stab in the back. Nothing should get in the way of what is an excellent product.
You’ll never get lost again while you’re on your travels with the Go930T GPS from TomTom! It has maps of Europe and North America and a whole host of applications to make your journey easier.
This GPS includes the IQ Routes function, which calculates the amount of time your journey will take according to the time and day you’re driving. For example, if you’re on a fast road but it’s rush hour, the TomTom 930T will suggest another route so you can avoid traffic jams and save on petrol!
The traffic information feature will come in very handy when you’re coming up to tricky intersections and motorway exits, because you won’t need to hesitate before you find which direction you’re heading in. You can even make hands-free calls thanks to built-in Bluetooth technology. The TomTom 930T really does have everything you need to make driving a breeze!
From the outside, the 930 Traffic is nearly identical to 920T. It has a 480×272-pixel, 109mm (4.3-inch) widescreen display and weighs 220g. Plus, it features TomTom Plus services — subscription/data charges may apply — and packs in the same ultra-fast interface.
To give the 930 Traffic some character, it’s coated in a stylish black exterior, with a few cosmetic tweaks to its icons. Its destination input screen now features a handy dropdown box for quickly choosing your country of origin. Entering destinations can also be performed by voice recognition and the accuracy was impressive, even from a driving position.
Route calculations are now blessed with the much-hyped IQ Routes technology, which is based on real average speeds, rather than static maximum speeds by road type. Translation? The system will look at how many traffic lights, roundabouts, speed bumps and slopes are en route and select the optimal path based on this information. In practice, we tested four identical routes with and without the IQ Routes option enabled and while only two benefited from the technology, the efficiency was greatly improved.
Additionally, you can take advantage of the 930 Traffic’s handy Map Share technology, producing up-to-date map corrections. There is now a Navigon-inspired advanced lane guidance system, kicking in primarily on motorway junctions and exits.
GPS signal performance has also been boosted with its new Enhanced Positioning Technology (EPT). If GPS reception is poor — entering tunnels or driving between high rise buildings, for instance — the EPT activates to keep your signal strong.
Voice directions were spoken clearly and its text-to-speech for pronouncing road names was clear. Its RDS-TMC receiver, which seemed to update more quickly than the 920T, was useful for informing us of any traffic problems along our routes. We had the option to manually or automatically re-route around any problems.
While the 930 Traffic’s IQ Routes technology did not affect all routes, we were impressed by its efficiency on the ones it did. Plus, its advanced lane guidance is a key feature for those who struggle with motorway junctions. But there’s no need to panic if you’ve already bought the 920T. The IQ Routes database coverage is still maturing and unless you depend on the motorways for travel, you’ll be fine with the old model, which in its own right is an excellent device too.
Tags: amount of time, character, data charges, GPS Device, information feature, interface, intersections, lane, maps of europe, maximum speeds, motorway, natural progression, stab, subscription data, system, TomTom, traffic information, traffic light, tweaks, voice recognition, widescreen displayRelated posts
Posted on August 18th, 2008 by admin
Filed under: GPS Device
Leave a Reply