For those looking for a new Navigation device living in USA/Canada. I have the EU version (GO Live 1000) and the HD Traffic feature is simply great. It spots traffic jams with great accuracy and in town as well, in small roads. It has "saved my life" several times. Since October I had to "outsmart it" maybe twice a month. Highly recommended - the best money spent on "car stuff" ever. To see what traffic it finds, you can check the HD info, real time, here: Live Traffic PS: please be aware that some software features available via the MyTomtom update software are not yet available - nothing that prevents to use the device regularly. So, please check out the support page before buying the device and saying that it doesn't work... More info here: MyTomTom Update
I agree, an excellent service. It will seem like a huge backward step when I switch from using my Tomtom 740 HD to the factory-fitted nav in my new Prius.
Unless it is standard option or comes with Live at a reasonable price, I don't think I will ever buy an overpriced Navi on any car... This is also why I opted for the normal CD/Radio on my Prius and saved around 2000€ and got this 300€ Navi (2 years Live services included)... Surely an integrated Navi has it's benefits (higher accuracy, tunnels are no problem, it's always there and you don't need to take it out each time), but they are *all* overpriced and you are stuck with them - if they break or buggy you cannot simply exchange them or get something else - or if technology improves, you cannot substitute them. Except, guess what, the Navis built in by Renault supplied by Tomtom with Live services, that cost, I have read but not verified, around 500€...
TomTom Traffic isn't available in Canada to purchase (although traffic is available in Vancouver, Toronto and Montreal if you somehow can get traffic to your TomTom as I did during the free trial period. Even then, only Toronto gets traffic flow and incident. The other cities get traffic incidents only). These companies have to step up their game. Google Traffic covers more cities and includes traffic flows in Canada.
Didn't Tomtom get in hot water recently for tracking users' speeds at various locations, then selling that data to the police so they would know where to set up speed traps? They're not getting my money.
No, this is not true - they provide the data for local governments to improve traffic safety and road/intersections to reduce traffic jams. However, in the Netherlands, the city government provided this information to the police who used it to put speed checks in sections of roads where people where driving on average faster than the speed limit. Tomtom never sold/provided data to the police directly and will not provide it to this scope. This is all I know. And what makes sense. Tomtom would shoot themselves in the feet if they did it. And this is what is officially the CEO of Tomtom has declared: TomTom, portable GPS car navigation systems - Facts A video here:
I have to say the Tomtom service looks way better tank this XM crap. I'm amazed at how spotty the XM traffic coverage is. I'm surprised that Toyota would lock us in with such an unreliable group as XM.
