TomTom VIA 1405M 4.3-Inch Portable GPS Navigator with Lifetime Maps Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)I bought this to replace my 2-year-old TomTom XL 340S, mainly because I wanted lifetime map updates which were not available when I bought my XL. I hooked both units up in my car and drove around for an hour to compare them. A couple obvious differences are that the VIA units are slightly thinner and lighter than the XL series, and the VIAs have a slightly better screen, although honestly I could barely tell the difference. Diagonal lines are a little less jaggy on the VIA if you look closely, but the increased resolution does not make much difference. The font size is slightly different as well. The font for the current street is a little larger on the VIA, but the font for the next street to turn onto is slightly smaller, which you can see in the screen image on this site. The street name is green and white and meant to look like a highway sign. The fonts were perfectly fine on my XL, and they are fine on the VIA as well. One thing that they changed, and I think this is new for the VIA line, is that when you are approaching your destination it will tell you if it's on the right or the left. With previous generation TomToms you could see which side of the street your destination was on by looking at the screen, but it didn't announce it audibly. It's a slight improvement, but not a big deal in my opinion.
As far as navigation, the two units were pretty similar when giving directions. I noticed that in some places the Lane Guidance screen would kick in on the XL while it did not on the VIA. I think they have tweaked the software a little after realizing that there were times when Lane Guidance was coming on when it wasn't really needed. Also, I noticed at one exit that the XL said to exit and "go straight on," (although the screen showed a left turn with an arrow) when in fact it should have said exit and turn left. The XL got it wrong, the VIA got it right. Again, that was probably just the result of improvements that have been made to the software in the last two years. Also, the XL would say "take the exit toward Erie, PA" (spoken as "pa" as in "papa"), whereas the VIA just said take the exit toward Erie, and didn't mention the state. It's kind of pointless to say the state in that instance, so just saying a city and leaving it at that is fine.
And now for the best feature. The reason I would not consider any other brand of PND right now is because TomTom is the only brand with the excellent EasyPort Mount. I only use my PND when I travel by air and then rent a vehicle. In my opinion, having the mount built-in to the unit is great. It is much easier to pack and carry than it would otherwise be with a mount that is a separate piece of hardware. I've had no problems with the EasyPort Mounts on both of my TomToms. They work great!
I didn't want the traffic or Bluetooth options, so I went with the "M" instead of the "TM" and the 1405 instead of the 1435.
Overall this is a great PND. I highly recommend it to anyone who takes along a PND for use in rental cars. The EasyPort Mount is excellent and makes for a compact and easy to transport device, and TomTom is the only company that offers it.

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TomTom VIA 1405T 4.3-Inch Portable GPS Navigator with Lifetime Traffic Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)I bought this to replace my 2-year-old TomTom XL 340S, mainly because I wanted lifetime map updates which were not available when I bought my XL. I hooked both units up in my car and drove around for an hour to compare them. A couple obvious differences are that the VIA units are slightly thinner and lighter than the XL series, and the VIAs have a slightly better screen, although honestly I could barely tell the difference. Diagonal lines are a little less jaggy on the VIA if you look closely, but the increased resolution does not make much difference. The font size is slightly different as well. The font for the current street is a little larger on the VIA, but the font for the next street to turn onto is slightly smaller, which you can see in the screen image on this site. The street name is green and white and meant to look like a highway sign. The fonts were perfectly fine on my XL, and they are fine on the VIA as well. One thing that they changed, and I think this is new for the VIA line, is that when you are approaching your destination it will tell you if it's on the right or the left. With previous generation TomToms you could see which side of the street your destination was on by looking at the screen, but it didn't announce it audibly. It's a slight improvement, but not a big deal in my opinion.
As far as navigation, the two units were pretty similar when giving directions. I noticed that in some places the Lane Guidance screen would kick in on the XL while it did not on the VIA. I think they have tweaked the software a little after realizing that there were times when Lane Guidance was coming on when it wasn't really needed. Also, I noticed at one exit that the XL said to exit and "go straight on," (although the screen showed a left turn with an arrow) when in fact it should have said exit and turn left. The XL got it wrong, the VIA got it right. Again, that was probably just the result of improvements that have been made to the software in the last two years. Also, the XL would say "take the exit toward Erie, PA" (spoken as "pa" as in "papa"), whereas the VIA just said take the exit toward Erie, and didn't mention the state. It's kind of pointless to say the state in that instance, so just saying a city and leaving it at that is fine.
And now for the best feature. The reason I would not consider any other brand of PND right now is because TomTom is the only brand with the excellent EasyPort Mount. I only use my PND when I travel by air and then rent a vehicle. In my opinion, having the mount built-in to the unit is great. It is much easier to pack and carry than it would otherwise be with a mount that is a separate piece of hardware. I've had no problems with the EasyPort Mounts on both of my TomToms. They work great!
I didn't want the traffic or Bluetooth options, so I went with the "M" instead of the "TM" and the 1405 instead of the 1435.
Overall this is a great PND. I highly recommend it to anyone who takes along a PND for use in rental cars. The EasyPort Mount is excellent and makes for a compact and easy to transport device, and TomTom is the only company that offers it.

Click Here to see more reviews about: TomTom VIA 1405T 4.3-Inch Portable GPS Navigator with Lifetime Traffic

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TomTom XL 340TM 4.3-Inch Portable GPS Navigator (Lifetime Traffic & Maps Edition) Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)just received my new GPS today, plugged it into my mac, and installed tomtom's mac version of their home software. everything has worked well so far and the free map update installed fine. there are two main things that purchasers need to know:
1) space is very limited on the device. there is only 2 GB of internal flash memory and out of the box there was less than 50 MB free. the very first thing you should do is to delete voices in languages you don't use. this will free up a couple/three hundred MB. they can get backed up to your computer so you could always put them back in the future. once a bit of space is freed up you'll be able to update the device without issue. after removing spanish and french voices, running update which installed a new dave voice, and then installing the free map update i was left with 89 MB free. when i tried to run update before removing the voices, the unit warned me about lack of space and aborted without creating any further problems. maybe the mac version of home is more robust than the windows one in this respect.
2) the device only supports USB 1.1 transfers which max out at a bit over 1 MB/sec and can be slower. so doing a full backup or a map update will take quite a while (1-2 hours) and this is normal.
for me, those limitations are more than offset by the large, bright screen, text2speech capability, crowd-sourced map/route updates, and cheaper southern africa maps (we're moving there soon). especially given the cheap sale price i found. i will provide updates as i put unit through paces on cross-country trip and then intercontinental move.....

Click Here to see more reviews about: TomTom XL 340TM 4.3-Inch Portable GPS Navigator (Lifetime Traffic & Maps Edition)

Get street smart with the TomTom XL 340TM--complete widescreen navigation, featuring Lifetime Traffic and Map Updates. Outsmart traffic and minimize delays with Lifetime Traffic Updates. Based on incoming traffic events, your device will suggest alternate routes. And, with Lifetime Map Updates you'll always drive with the latest and most accurate maps. On average, 15% of the road network changes each year, so it is important to have the most up-to-date maps. With the XL 340TM you'll always stay current.


Switch on and go right out of the box. Spoken turn-by-turn instructions including street names will guide you to any address in the US, Canada, and Mexico--including more than 7 million preloaded points of interest. The TomTom XL 340TM is complete, widescreen navigation.

Only TomTom has IQ Routes Technology* which shaves time off even the shortest trips by calculating the fastest route based on time of day you are traveling. You'll always drive the smartest, most efficient route while saving time, fuel and money. Advanced Lane Guidance** uses photorealistic images to bring even more clarity to complex multi-lane exits so you can be more confident on the road.

With TomTom Map Share technology you can instantly modify street names, street direction, POIs, road speeds and turn restrictions on your own device. The "Help Me!" menu provides added safety features so you can easily access local emergency providers. The award-winning Fold & Go EasyPort mount folds flat against the device, making it easy to take it with you from car to car.

Maps of US, Canada & Mexico with Map Share Preloaded with maps of the US, Canada and Mexico. TomTom has the most accurate maps and with TomTom Map Share technology you can instantly modify street names, street direction, POIs, and more on your own device and receive daily verified updates from TomTom. Spoken turn-by-turn instructions and 3D graphics will guide you to any address in the US, Canada and Mexico, worry free.

Lifetime Traffic & Map Updates Enjoy a lifetime of easy driving with two great features from TomTom. LIFETIME Maps guarantees you receive four new editions of your TomTom map each year to ensure that you are always navigating with the industry's most up-to-date map. And, LIFETIME Traffic sends updates to your TomTom every three minutes, so you can always steer clear of traffic delays and take the fastest route possible to your destination.

7 Million POIs Preloaded with more than 7 million points of interest in over 60 destination categories. Easily find millions of gas stations, restaurants, hotels, ATMs and more on your route. Or, seek out a new tourist attraction, nightlife spot, or shopping center and navigate directly to it. Customize by adding your own points of interest.

IQ Routes Technology TomTom IQ Routes Technology puts the driving experience of millions of TomTom users into your maps to shave time off even the shortest trips. Calculates the fastest route possible based on time of day. With TomTom IQ Routes you'll always drive the smartest, most efficient route. IQ Routes saves you time, fuel and money.

Traffic isn't the same during Monday morning rush hour as it is on a lazy Sunday afternoon. Heavy traffic, rotaries, traffic lights, and even pedestrians can slow you down. The route you need changes depending on the day and time, so the shortest route isn't necessarily going to be the fastest. With TomTom IQ Routes you'll always drive the fastest route.

Advanced Lane Guidance* TomTom Advanced Lane Guidance gives you extra clarity when navigating difficult junctions by showing you which lane to take, so you won't miss your turn or have to make sudden, dangerous lane crossings. Photorealistic images and a pulsing green arrow indicate exactly which lane to use, so you can go confidently.

Spoken Street Names Announces turn-by-turn directions aloud, including street and place names.

4.3" Touchscreen Expand your horizons with a 4.3" extra-wide touchscreen. An additional 20% in size allows an expanded driving view and easier menu operation.

Fold & Go EasyPort Mount The award-winning Fold & Go EasyPort mount provides maximum portability. The EasyPort mount folds neatly onto the back of the device, so both are small enough to fit into your pocket or bag. The EasyPort mount makes your device even more portable so you can take it with you wherever you travel.

*Feature only available in the US and Canada**Feature available in the US only

All TomToms Feature
Plug & Go--Works right out of the box.

30 Day Latest Map Guarantee--Up to date, off the shelf.

TomTom Map Share--Modify your own map and benefit from others' verified changes with TomTom Map Share.

Help Me! Emergency Menu--Easily access local emergency providers such as police, fire stations and hospitals.

TomTom HOME--Always up to date.

Fuel Price Service (optional)--Know more, pay less.

What's in the Box XL 340TM GPS device, EasyPort mount, USB cable, adhesive disk, car charger w/ integrated traffic, and user guide + LT maps voucher
About TomTom Founded in Amsterdam in 1991, TomTom has established itself as a global leader in navigation by being an innovative company with a strong brand, clear customer focus, and high quality products and services.
TomTom is the world's leading navigation solutions provider with navigation products sold in 30 countries and in over 20 languages. To further our commitment to car navigation, TomTom acquired Tele Atlas maps in 2008 so we can continually provide the most up-to-date maps and intelligent routing.

We have our own mapping company! Did you know that every year roads change by up to 40% in high-growth areas? Tele Atlas manages this by using the world's most comprehensive systems to identify and incorporate these changes into our maps with unprecedented levels of speed and accuracy. All TomTom devices benefit from the Tele Atlas advantage--more coverage, more points of interest, and more freshness and accuracy.

Why TomTom? At TomTom, we believe that personal navigation should be as easy and safe as possible. We develop smart technology that gives you straightforward solutions, innovations to make life easy.

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