TomTom U.S.A. Review: A Great Way to Get to Where You’re Going

App Name:	TomTom U.S.A.
Platforms:	Universal (Optimized for Both the iPad and iPhone)
Publisher(s):	TomTom International
Version Reviewed:	1.5
Genre(s):	navigation
Release Date:	October 15, 2010 (updated)
Price:	$49.99
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I recently found myself up against a 22-hour drive going from Florida to Indiana. I’ve had an iPhone for several years, but not until this trip did I use it to its full potential as a navigational tool. Splitting the trip into thirds, I tested three different navigation apps including TomTom U.S.A., Magellan RoadMate U.S.A., and CoPilot Live USA. We’ll be bringing you reviews of each in the coming days, but let’s start with TomTom U.S.A. And before going into detail, rest assured that TomTom International has brought us a great iPhone app, one that’s worth the steep cost as an alternative to a standalone navigational tool.

Right from the start, TomTom offers a slick presentation that closely resembles their handheld units. In fact, if you have any experiences with one of those devices, then you’re not in for any surprises. The TomTom software performs very similarly on iPhone, and that’s good news for us. You’ll start by telling it where you want to go in the “Navigate To” section. Choose from your favorites, input an address, or find a point of interest. It’s definitely worth loading in your favorite locations at some point, so that you can fire up the app from anywhere and begin guidance within seconds.

Once your destination is selected, you still have several options for determining your path. Logically, “Route Options” are next on the menu. You can view a route demo, see the directions in text instruction form, or view a map of the route from a zoomed-out perspective. Lastly, share the route via email to anyone who might be undertaking the same journey.

Getting away from the basic functions, TomTom offers some nice features. Toggle between night/day visual mode; mute the sound from an easy-to-find switch on the menu, and select 2D or 3D map display. You can also experiment with “Advanced Planning” if you’ll be departing from somewhere other than your current location. In the “Navigate To” section, it’s worth experimenting with the “photo” feature, which allows you to set your destination through use of a picture. It might have limited usefulness, but it’s a neat addition that works well. Who knows, maybe it’s intended for recalling locations visited in a drunken state, where all you have for reference is an embarrassing photo. In which case, it’s perfect.

Considering how full-featured the app is, the other consideration is how it looks; and luckily, the display is one of TomTom U.S.A’s greatest strengths.  The 3D display is colorful and polished, just like the handheld counterparts. The lane previews that jump onto the screen before a lane change offer a nice change of pace, and make you feel like the app is right there with you and not going to miss a beat.

This sort of app that tries to do so much unavoidably has a few downfalls. In the case of TomTom U.S.A., you might have difficulty finding points of interest while on the go. Too often, I would search for, say, a Starbucks, and the results would bring up locations that were somewhere along my previous path. I wasn’t about to pull off the highway and backtrack 10 miles just for a tall Americano. In addition, once in awhile the app would go on the fritz, displaying screenshots from entirely different cities than where I was located, or just whirling around in a circle like I was driving through some kind of vortex. This stuff is weird and acts as an interruption, but in my example, the timing was never too unfortunate, and I continued my smooth travels.

For my purposes, TomTom U.S.A. is a success. However, many will surely be turned off by the price. It’s really only going to work for someone who is considering buying a handheld unit. For that individual, cutting the price by more than half to simply get the same functionality on your iPhone should be a very appealing option. I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised by what your iPhone can do in this regard. It’s more than capable of bringing you the peace of mind that comes with knowing you don’t have to flip through pages of a map or follow printed MapQuest directions. TomTom U.S.A. does all the work for you, and it does a very good job.

About the Author

Devin Wieland

 

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