hdtvcamera wrote:GPS stand alone units zzz. Why not use a smart phone?

GPS are soon to be found in a box of cereal, as a prize.

Because SmartPhones are dumb. Not that this model of GPS is any better.

BUT. Most SmartPhones don't work (for GPS) if they can't pick up the tower. Smartphones are expensive. Smartphones are not very robust (my cell is MilSpec). I don't want to lose the GPS display just because the phone rings. Don't want to go hunting for a way to keep a phone stuck to the dash or what have you. Smartphones are expensive, even if you ignore the data charges. Smartphones may do more than just make calls, but they don't do anything particularly well. Smartphones have teensy screens - find me a Smartphone with a 5.5" screen. That doesn't cost the moon, should one actually exist.

My cell phone should do a few things but should do those things extremely well, the vast majority having to do with making PHONE CALLS. Period. If I could get the same model of Nokia I had 7 years ago, I'd still be using it. It picked up signal darn near everywhere. There is NO PHONE made today that has the reception of the early Nokias, before the whole industry went frickin' nuts trying to make things smaller, thinner, lest robust, less able to pick up a weak signal. Before they became more concerned with the capability to play Angry Birds in color over things like, oh, I don't know, having better CALL FUNCTIONALITY AND SIGNAL RECEPTION.

I don't NEED an "ap for that", including the vanilla GPS that you have access to through some cell phones. When I want a phone, I look for a PHONE, one with the most features and functionality related to actually making PHONE CALLS and the least nonsense clutter possible.

If I want a GPS, I buy a dedicated GPS, one with the most functionality related to ACTUALLY GETTING AROUND and being able to SEE the maps. That's not this GPS. Aside from it's lack of functionality, as others have noted, that screen is way too small. It doesn't matter whether or not you can "zoom" it, the small screen will severely limit how much of the map you can actually see, ESPECIALLY if it is safely dash mounted. It reminds me of a SmartPhone. I want better than that for a GPS.

Its because you had the Adventure mode set to "On"!

mbmanaus wrote:I would never buy another TomTom after mine took me down 50 miles of insanely dangerous old mining roads in northern Idaho when there were two perfectly good freeways that would have taken me to my destination two hours faster. If this had happened in the winter I likely would not have survived to tell the tale.

On the plus side it saved me from having to pay to go to a zoo since I got to see my fair share of wild bears that day.

DaoudaW wrote:Can I use this for geo-caching? It's small enough and a two hour battery could allow me to walk/search for awhile. My question is does it have an appropriate display for use while walking/mapping in unknown terrain.

I not familiar with this specific model, but most TomToms assume you want to stick to a road.

stevef2222 wrote:drive into an area without cell coverage and you'll soon find out

Well you could go with Verizon and you will have better coverage. On another note I took my Android Smartphones GPS work without cell phone coverage. I drive with 4G turned off and it works fine.

mattlscc wrote:Too small of screen... gotta go larger for GPS these days.

The wider screens are silly---more bulk, less battery time, and the same info on both. You don't use the sides, your vehicle stays in the middle of the screen---if anything, you need a taller screen, not a wider one!

mbmanaus wrote:I would never buy another TomTom after mine took me down 50 miles of insanely dangerous old mining roads in northern Idaho when there were two perfectly good freeways that would have taken me to my destination two hours faster. If this had happened in the winter I likely would not have survived to tell the tale.

On the plus side it saved me from having to pay to go to a zoo since I got to see my fair share of wild bears that day.

How long did it take you to realize you were on an old mining road and not a freeway. Hint: three point turn.

For someone that does alot of travelling via airports & rental cars, like me, I like this A LOT!

I can save the hassle of packing my Garmin everywhere I go.

No more worries about hoping to get a rental car with GPS.

kliu0x52 wrote:Are you sure about that? The photos seem to suggest otherwise...?

Edit: I mean, why can't I just stick that big suction cup on my windshield?

Edit 2: TomTom's manual says that you can just stick that big suction cup on the windshield...

As an owner of a TomTom 1535TM with the same mount here is how it works. It's folded into the back of the unit. You fold it out push it against the window and turn it to "locked". This holds it to the windshield.

When it's time to remove it you twist it to "unlock" and pull on one of the two tabs on the side of the mount. It pulls off without any issue.

Thats how the mount works

I have a much older TomTom 3.5" model.

Yes, it's small. But it's not BAD. Don't get me wrong, the 5" widescreens are awesome-possum. But the 3.5" isn't unusable. I don't have to squint at it day or night, and it's not that much harder to read, really - it shows you less of the surrounding roads, but the center driving line isn't that much smaller than on the larger models.

If you're considering buying a TomTom, it's worth comparing this and the larger models and making your own choice - there are merits either way.

If you're one of the people who always comes on to haughtily assert that their phone works just as well, pick this up. For 35 you get all the advantages we've listed (independent device, a backup, freedom of your phone, reliance on satellite instead of cell phone signals, savings on data plans,) and you don't need a large GPS to enjoy these features.

bobberuchi wrote:The days of the portable GPS for cars is dying. My Android Phone with GPS has constantly updated information. Smartphones are going to drive the portable GPS into the ground. However, $30 for this unit is amazing, even if the technology is out of date.

Oh, and the best part is that I get a NEW unit every two years when my contract expires. And the tech on smartphones is only going to get better

But since you pay more for your smartphone's data plan every month than this GPS costs--- is it REALLY a "smartphone"?

that might actually be a great Xmas gift. hmmmm please everyone reading this dont buy this so that i have time to ponder whether or not to purchase one. Thank you.

cole103 wrote:But since you pay more for your smartphone's data plan every month than this GPS costs--- is it REALLY a "smartphone"?

Bravo, BRAVO Good response. All valid points.

chiieddy wrote:Looks like a cute, little unit, but for $30, I'd only get one if you can't afford a $150 unit.

Newer TomTom units have the following in the $150 price:

1. Lifetime map updates at no cost
2. Traffic
3. Hands free mobile

The cost of updating maps negates any savings.

Yeah, there's a big difference between $30 and $150...so I think a lot of people fit into that category (like me).

rocke86 wrote:Check out tom tom maps at

http://routes.tomtom.com/

Thanks so much for posting this - was almost in for one, but based on this will pass. None of the map companies work well here (it's a very weird city to drive in) but the routes this used were more confusing than most.

rustybender wrote:That's not a suction cup in the photo, it is an adhesive disk you essentially glue to your dashboard.

From the item description:
"Includes Easyport™ mount, Adhesive Disk (for dashboard mounting) and USB Car Charger and USB cable"

What kind of car GPS doesn't come with a windshield mount?? I wa about to jump on this one, but that's a deal killer for me.

I agree...I'm out

I had a TomTom ONE 3rd Ed. for three years and eventually got tired of it sending me down dead-end roads, routiong me on "shortcuts" that were actually longer than the road I was on, and not updating street names -- I was updating maps quarterly so it was not a matter of old maps. The biggest issue was that it did not know the name of my street. My street changed its name in 1999 but TomTom's maps still showed the old old name on every update. I even sent a specific request to change it.
I figured maybe they weren't keeping the ONE's maps as up to date as the other models, but when I decided to get a new GPS, I checked the new ones, and they still had my street name wrong. So I got a Garmin and I love it. It may be fine in more urban areas, but in a rural state like Maine, I would not get another TomTom unless it was the only choice.

You normally can't even find an off-brand GPS for $40, much less $29. Nice deal for something to stuff in the glovebox.

I particularly enjoyed the product description for this one.

The way I look at it, it will sit in my wife's car so I don't have to remember to swap my Garmin (if necessary) when we take hers.

The bonus of it all is we get another micro USB car adapter (and PC cable)!

stanlam wrote:Wow, the price is cheaper then my first Thomas Guide map. DOES ANYBODY EVEN KNOW WHAT A THOMAS GUIDE MAP IS ANYMORE?

Yep. And why the map book was so perfectly steering-wheel-sized. Those were the days ... and I'm so glad they are in the past.

Can this be used for geocaching?

Does "3D graphics" mean the map displays in 3D view or just overhead view as shown in the picture?

Does anyone know if you can program this GPS to avoid toll roads? Is that pretty much a standard feature on all GPS's these days?

rustybender wrote:That's not a suction cup in the photo, it is an adhesive disk you essentially glue to your dashboard.

From the item description:
"Includes Easyport™ mount, Adhesive Disk (for dashboard mounting) and USB Car Charger and USB cable"

What kind of car GPS doesn't come with a windshield mount?? I wa about to jump on this one, but that's a deal killer for me.

Wrong. It's a suction cup AND a disk. Like all TomToms (and my Garmin and most others), there's an adhesive disk you can stick on the dash so you can mount the GPS on the dash WITH A SUCTION CUP as an alternative to the windshield mount. Because, like on my car, the dash mount is closer than the windshield, so it's easier to operate while driving. Not recommended, but you know you do it, so why not make it easier?

I would pass on the tomTom if I didn't already have a GPS, for the reasons noted in my previous post.

Picked up two. Plan on using these while kayaking. I won't feel bad if I dunk one on accident.

Not using these for navigating just general placement.

toddinfl wrote:Will this help me finally find Waldo?

Just go west from Gainesville!

No traffic = no buy. I use the free Mapquest app on my iPhone, and it gives me live updating and traffic.

Does anyone know what model this is? What a great deal! Now my teenager will stop stealing mine.

Great deal...I'm in for 2!!! WOOT! WOOT!

rustybender wrote:That's not a suction cup in the photo, it is an adhesive disk you essentially glue to your dashboard.

From the item description:
"Includes Easyport™ mount, Adhesive Disk (for dashboard mounting) and USB Car Charger and USB cable"

What kind of car GPS doesn't come with a windshield mount?? I wa about to jump on this one, but that's a deal killer for me.

The Easy port is the winsheild suction cup. The adhesive disk is for people who don't want to windsheild mount, in which case yes you will need the disk on your dash. BUT the easy port technology is designed to quickly transfer from windsheild to windsheild. I do it all the time with my TOM TOM!

The review here says it doesn't:

http://www.google.com/products/catalog?q=TomTom+EASE+3.5%E2%80%9D+GPS&cid=17605772705636618095&os=reviews&ei=rM9oTpH9BYbywAXZt9iWBg&ved=0CAcQ9AI

Mikeymadness wrote:Anyone know if this comes with maps for Canada? By the video on Amazon and the page at TomTom (which sells the refurb for $90) it does, but I only see U.S. mentioned on woot!

bradfish06 wrote:The Easy port is the winsheild suction cup. The adhesive disk is for people who don't want to windsheild mount, in which case yes you will need the disk on your dash. BUT the easy port technology is designed to quickly transfer from windsheild to windsheild. I do it all the time with my TOM TOM!

Ah.. I see.
Thanks to all who got the info.

Small and cheap, so great for holiday and rental cars.

Pictured with suction cup so I bought one, not realizing that this is adhesion disk :/

Woot shoulda' shot a different pic, (yeah, I read the advert and saw disk but who reads prior to ordering a woot?

Woot charged me tax in NYS. Does woot have sales locations or offices in NYC? If not, I want a refund of the tax so I might pay it myself.

Does anyone know if this is Garmin compatible? Only Garmin works in Peru. Would it accept updates of our maps?

Anyone know if the fact that these are SO cheap...would thieves be LESS likely to smash my window to take it? Does this come with a price tag sticker as a deterrent? My driver's side window costs much more than this device.

In for one.

I have to chuckle at the description of the screen as "too small" - the first GPS I had was a thing called a SatNav. The screen was about 6x12 inches (that is not a typo). It occupied the entire glove box of my truck, had to be wired into the vehicle battery, and spoke exclusively in UTM coordinates.

On the other hand, it would also go "beep!" when one of the navigation satellites passed overhead, and at night, it was fun to try to spot them. Good times.

ZenSojourner wrote:Because SmartPhones are dumb. Not that this model of GPS is any better.

BUT. Most SmartPhones don't work (for GPS) if they can't pick up the tower. Smartphones are expensive. Smartphones are not very robust (my cell is MilSpec). I don't want to lose the GPS display just because the phone rings. Don't want to go hunting for a way to keep a phone stuck to the dash or what have you. Smartphones are expensive, even if you ignore the data charges. Smartphones may do more than just make calls, but they don't do anything particularly well. Smartphones have teensy screens - find me a Smartphone with a 5.5" screen. That doesn't cost the moon, should one actually exist.

My cell phone should do a few things but should do those things extremely well, the vast majority having to do with making PHONE CALLS. Period. If I could get the same model of Nokia I had 7 years ago, I'd still be using it. It picked up signal darn near everywhere. There is NO PHONE made today that has the reception of the early Nokias, before the whole industry went frickin' nuts trying to make things smaller, thinner, lest robust, less able to pick up a weak signal. Before they became more concerned with the capability to play Angry Birds in color over things like, oh, I don't know, having better CALL FUNCTIONALITY AND SIGNAL RECEPTION.

I don't NEED an "ap for that", including the vanilla GPS that you have access to through some cell phones. When I want a phone, I look for a PHONE, one with the most features and functionality related to actually making PHONE CALLS and the least nonsense clutter possible.

Hear hear! Smartphones are sorta fun, but FAR too expensive for a lousy telephone with some toy functions.

SOLD OUT! just before I reset my password and was about to buy.... next time

gtxn3 wrote:Folks are so demanding these days. But does it have live traffic!? But does it have bluetooth!? Gosh the screen isn't big enough!!

It's a $30.00 GPS that will help you find your way to your destination and your way back home. For a practically functional device, the cost is less than you may spend on a single dinner for two. Set your expectations accordingly.

This.

I've been considering buying a GPS for awhile now, but just haven't gotten around to it. This is a great price for RT's First GPS, so I'm in for one.

On edit: fortunately, I bought one, *then* posted! tanuchi can blame me for his/her not getting this GPS. ;^)

Bummer that it's already sold out. I have a Tom Tom and they're great. We take ours all over the country to save money on rental cars.

Usually it costs quite a bit more to get a car with a built in GPS while on vacation.

I just bought two for the teenagers for Christmas! Will write a review afer I receive them...