# Tell me about TomTom **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [June 11, 2006, 12:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-tomtom/360255 "2006-06-11T00:48:13Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Khadaji](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Khadaji](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Khadaji)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2006, 12:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-tomtom/360255/1 "2006-06-11T00:48:13Z")
I am thinking about buying TomTom for my mother. She doesn’t travel often, but when she does, it would be nice for her to have. Does it require a monthly subscription or is it a one-and-done deal? Do you like it? Is it easy to use? Mom isn’t exactly a tech-phobe, but she isn’t tech-savvy either. ---
**Author:** ![Khadaji](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Khadaji](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Khadaji)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2006, 11:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-tomtom/360255/2 "2006-06-12T11:36:12Z")
I am allowed, if I understand, one bump. Doesn’t anyone here know about TomTom? ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2006, 11:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-tomtom/360255/3 "2006-06-12T11:40:17Z")
I have no idea what Tom Tom is, therefore I have no opinion about it. ---
**Author:** ![kittenblue](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ba8739/32.png) [@kittenblue](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kittenblue)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2006, 11:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-tomtom/360255/4 "2006-06-12T11:48:59Z")
I’ve only heard the commercials for it…haven’t heard any details. It’s a voice navigation system for your car, right? Hopefully with a display. ---
**Author:** ![kittenblue](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ba8739/32.png) [@kittenblue](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kittenblue)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2006, 11:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-tomtom/360255/5 "2006-06-12T11:51:50Z")
Oooh, apparently you can have it give you directions in [funny voices](http://tomtom.com/products/category.php?ID=0&Language=4)! ---
**Author:** ![JohnGalt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johngalt/32/184_2.png) [@JohnGalt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnGalt)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2006, 4:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-tomtom/360255/6 "2006-06-12T16:22:56Z")
Look in GPSPassion’s forums; they have ones for different types, including TomTom. Here’s the TomTom link: [http://www.gpspassion.com/forumsen/forum.asp?FORUM\_ID=167](http://www.gpspassion.com/forumsen/forum.asp?FORUM_ID=167) Good luck, there’s over 600 topics there! (And to answer your basic question, you buy the GPS and can use them for free.) ---
**Author:** ![Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spectre_of_pithecanthropus/32/12343_2.png) [@Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spectre_of_Pithecanthropus)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2006, 4:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-tomtom/360255/7 "2006-06-12T16:45:25Z")
IMHO, unless you’re a true road warrior who has to travel frequently to unfamiliar places, how useful can it be? It’s expensive to buy, and then, isn’t there also a monthly fee? ---
**Author:** ![Troy\_McClure\_SF](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/troy_mcclure_sf/32/4150_2.png) [@Troy\_McClure\_SF](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Troy_McClure_SF)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2006, 5:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-tomtom/360255/8 "2006-06-12T17:18:47Z")
> [@Spectre of Pithecanthropus](#): > > IMHO, unless you’re a true road warrior who has to travel frequently to unfamiliar places, how useful can it be? But it’s _cool_! ---
**Author:** ![Khadaji](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Khadaji](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Khadaji)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2006, 5:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-tomtom/360255/9 "2006-06-12T17:39:00Z")
> [@Spectre of Pithecanthropus](#): > > \ isn’t there also a monthly fee? Dunno - that was one of the questions that I asked… ---
**Author:** ![Uvula\_Donor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/e19adc/32.png) [@Uvula\_Donor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Uvula_Donor)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2006, 6:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-tomtom/360255/10 "2006-06-12T18:21:24Z")
> [@Troy McClure SF](#): > > But it’s _cool_! How can you possibly say the words “TomTom, can I turn here?” without sounding completely _lame?_ No, even a cool gadget like a graphical GPS with “flyover” map mode is rendered instantly and irredeemably lame by such a stupid infantile name. “TomTom, where can I stop to make peepee?” ---
**Author:** ![SuperNelson](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/7feea3/32.png) [@SuperNelson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SuperNelson)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2006, 6:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-tomtom/360255/11 "2006-06-12T18:23:03Z")
I don’t know much about the standalone product, but I’ve got the TomTom Togo software on my Treo 650 bundled with a Palm Bluetooth GPS. I like it very much. I find it very easy to use, and it does not have a subscription fee. I bought it once for $199, and that’s it. It came with a bunch of CD’s with maps I had to load, and that was it. It does maps and driving directions very well, including estimated time of arrival, current speed, and all the other geeky things you’d expect out of something like this. It also has a yellow pages built in, so you can search for things like local restaraunts, including street address and phone number. I justified the purchase because I do a fair amount of travel on business, and always get NeverLost for my rental car. At $10 per day for NeverLost, I figured I’d break even in a year or so, plus get to play with a neat toy. The only frustration I have is there are a couple of new areas where I travel that aren’t on the map yet. I’ve called TomTom about this, and they say there will be a new map set available as a free download sometime this summer. I realize this isn’t quite on topic, but I figured this response was better than none. ---
**Author:** ![Rayne\_Man](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/df705f/32.png) [@Rayne\_Man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rayne_Man)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2006, 6:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-tomtom/360255/12 "2006-06-12T18:40:08Z")
These portable sat-navs ( of which the TOMTOM is one brand) are all the rage here. Everyone seems to be buying them, and all the papers are full of adverts for them. They are also the number one choice for thieves breaking into your car and stealing these highly saleable items. . There have been reports of these devices leading drivers astray, such as to the edge of a cliff, or down unmade country farm-tracks.