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TomTom XXL 540TM World Traveler 5-Inch Widescreen Portable GPS Navigator (Lifetime Traffic & Maps Edition) | 
| Brand: TomTom
Category: CE
Buy New: Too low to display
as of 9/4/2010 23:13 CDT details
New (5)
Seller: Amazon.com
Rating:  21 reviews
Sales Rank: 334
Media: Electronics
Edition: 540TM World Lifetime Traffic & Maps
Batteries Included: Yes
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.6
Dimensions (in): 0.9 x 5.2 x 3.5
MPN: 1EP0.001.05
Model: 1EP0.001.05
UPC: 636926040389
EAN: 0636926040389
ASIN: B003B3P2D8
Release Date: April 26, 2010
Shipping: Eligible for FREE Super Saver Shipping
Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours
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| Features:
| • | Maps of the US, Canada, Mexico, and Europe with Lifetime Map Updates | | • | Lifetime Traffic Updates included***--outsmart traffic and avoid delays for life with real-time information via your TomTom | | • | Preloaded with more than 7 million points of interest in over 60 destination categories--gas stations, restaurants, hotels, ATMs and more | | • | IQ Routes Technology calculates the fastest route possible based on time of day, saving you time, fuel and money | | • | Advanced Lane Guidance indicates exactly which lane to use, so you can go confidently |
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Amazon.com Product Description
Get street smart with the TomTom XXL 540TM World Traveler Edition--complete, 5-inch 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 XXL 540TM World Traveler Edition, you'll always stay current.  Five-inch widescreen navigation plus Lifetime Traffic and Map Updates for the U.S., Canada, Mexico, and Europe. |  Expand your horizons with a 5-inch extra-wide touchscreen. |  The award-winning Fold and Go EasyPort mount folds into the back of the device for maximum portability. | Switch on and it's ready to go right out of the box. Spoken turn-by-turn instructions, including street names, will guide you to any address in the U.S., Canada, Mexico, and Europe--including more than 7 million pre-loaded points of interest. The TomTom XXL 540TM World Traveler Edition 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 the time of day you are traveling. You'll always drive the smartest, most efficient route and save 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. TomTom has the most accurate maps, and 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 and Go EasyPort mount folds flat against the device, making it easy to take with you from car to car. Maps of the U.S., Canada, Mexico, and Europe
Pre-loaded with maps of the U.S., Canada, Mexico, and Europe. 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, as well as receive daily verified updates from TomTom. Spoken turn-by-turn instructions and 3D graphics will guide you to any address in the U.S., Canada, Mexico, and Europe, worry-free. Lifetime Traffic and 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
Pre-loaded 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. 5-Inch Touchscreen
Expand your horizons with a 5-inch extra-wide touchscreen. A widescreen allows an expanded driving view and easier menu operation. Fold and Go EasyPort Mount
The award-winning Fold and Go EasyPort mount provides maximum portability. It folds neatly onto the back of the device, so both are small enough to fit into your pocket or bag, and makes your device even more portable so you can take it with you wherever you travel.
*Feature only available in the U.S. and Canada
**Feature available in the U.S. only
***Lifetime Traffic and Maps: You receive non-transferable traffic data and up to four non-transferable map data updates per year until the product's useful life expires or TomTom no longer receives map or traffic updates from its suppliers--whichever is shorter. Lifetime Maps available for the U.S., Canada, and Mexico only. Lifetime Traffic available in the U.S. and Canada. Details and terms at www.tomtom.com/legal.
All TomToms Feature  Plug and 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 other users' 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 TomTom XXL 540TM World Traveler Edition device, EasyPort mount, USB cable, adhesive disk, car charger with integrated traffic, and user's guide with lifetime 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 and innovations to make life easy.
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| Customer Reviews:
Showing reviews 1-5 of 21
Great GPS September 3, 2010
Falconeer (Little Rock, AR)
Love my TomTom. This model is a geat improvement over the TomTom XL, the larger screen is nice and the lane guidance makes driving on freeways in unfamiliar places much easier. Voice directions are clear and precise. The one thing I don't much care for on this unit is the mounting system. The integrated mount which comes with the unit is next to worthless, so if you buy one, get an aftermarket mount at the same time.
Also recommend buying a refurbed unit. MUCH less expensive, and works as good as a new one.
 Lifetime maps, but no room in GPS to store them! September 2, 2010
S. Joshi (San Mateo, CA United States)
This is a device for the person who likes to get into the insides of the system ( I believe its called hacking). For such a person, the device is great. I would not recommend it for a novice. Here's why:
1. The text to voice pronunciation is terrible. The words run together, for example, 'San Jose' is pronounced sanozay, San Francisco sounds like 'sunfrinCISco'. Now, the interesting bit is that this issue can easily be fixed by someone who can hack into the system and make a few small tweaks. I wonder why TomTom cannot just do is in the devices they ship out, or as a software update to those already sold.
2. This device - 540 World Traveler Edition - is pitched as having complete US, Canada, Mexico and Europe maps. Truth is, this GPS does not have room for the newest versions of these maps. You can have all of North America, but not all Europe, only bits of it. For example, you can have Western Europe, but then you cannot have southern Europe - because there is not room on the device to accommodate that particular map. Same thing for Eastern or Central Europe.
This would not be such a big deal if you could be selective about which N. AM. country maps you needed, so you could leave out Canada, or Mexico or US, and make room for all of Europe. But you cannot do that.
3. The worst thing is that it takes ages to upload maps, or swap out between the regionsl European paps. We are talking hours.
If I were to travel to Europe, I would therefore have to lug along my laptop and flip maps back and forth every time I wanted to go from, say, the UK to Italy, or from Sweden to the Czech Republic. And wait around for a few hours while the GPS sat around uploading the right map. I think that if TomTom does not fix the map problem within a reasonable time, I will probably send it back, since the device does not function as advertised.
Having said all that, once you hack it and set it up properly, it works well (except for the map problem).
 Gets you most of the way to where you're going, but... September 1, 2010
game warden (Ellicott City, MD USA)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
For the most part, the TomTom XXL 540TM has served us well. In general, it has been very good at plotting reasonable routes to where we've needed to go, and adapting to situations where we've elected to use an alternate route.
However, the ability of this unit to locate a specific address leaves much to be desired. The destination point for the address to our house, for example, is plotted well within our back yard. More significantly, in most other cases the TomTom has directed us substantially beyond the entry point to the parking lot for our destination address.
Another area of concern is with highway divides in the middle of a long travel segment. On at least one occasion, the TomTom has failed to provide warning to bear left in the case where one highway split in two. It should be noted that this has only occurred when we were in the middle of a 40 mile segment of our trip. When the need to change roads came more frequently (i.e., within 3 miles), the TomTom handled highway divides well.
As others have noted, this unit is prone to becoming easily dislodged or coming apart when handled. It is hard to tell which problem is worse for the unit as-provided -- the suction cup on the mount, or the weak metal clips holding the GPS to the mount. A bit of velcro applied to the suction cup and a wider dashboard mount has solved the issue of getting the mount to stay on the dashboard. I am not sure if velcro or a double sided adhesive is also in order for having the GPS unit stay on its mount.
Establishing our account for the lifetime updates was easy. The first update took unexpectedly long -- nearly an hour to download the changes from the web to our computer, then approximately double that time to push the changes from our computer to the TomTom. On the plus side, subsequent updates have been much quicker. Also on the plus side, even though we lost our network connection in the middle of the first download, the TomTom update tool was able to resume downloading where it left off rather than having to start over again.
In summary, the TomTom XXL 540TM is a driving aid that we're glad to have, but there are still some significant weak points to the product.
 Solid navigation: easy to use, excellent routing. August 31, 2010
sebastian z. (Flushing, NY USA)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
This is the 3rd tomtom that I use, the first was tomtom software loaded on a Palm Pilot, very ancient and crude navigation solution, then I had a tomtom ONE 3rd edition, a basic GPS solution that served me well for roughly 4 years or so, and now I bought this (a "basic advanced" navigation unit I may say).
I only tried Garmin briefly on loan from friends, and they were models from a few years back: I generally liked my old tomtom better than those. It also means that I will not be able to compare this against the new garmins.
However, as a purchase decision I can make a comparison between the 2 brands. As I wanted a new GPS with better routing and with traffic (I moved recently to NYC), I thought to buy a Garmin this time, as they seem to sell so well in the US and I have had rather a love and hate relationship with my tomtom ONE 3rd edition. I eyed Garmin nüvi 265W/265WT 4.3-Inch Widescreen Bluetooth Portable GPS Navigator with Traffic as it had lifetime traffic and it seems to be a very decent unit at a relatively low price. I changed my mind because this particular tomtom offers free lifetime traffic (with no advertisements, unlike the Garmin) and free map updates, it has the IQ routes, and some reviewers have noted that the IQ routes and the traffic based rerouting of tomtom are outstanding. In order to get similar features for the Garmin I would have had to pay $80 more for the "free" map updates, and the traffic would have come with advertisements anyway. Plus, for only roughly $10 more than a comparable tomtom, I got the world traveler edition, so basically Mexico and Europe maps as a bonus.
I should note that I considered also Tomtom for the iPhone, but it would not make such a lot of sense economically, as the maps plus the car kit come very close to the price of this unit (or even more if you need the Mexico and Europe maps as well). And even with the multitasking of the iPhone, I still prefer having a separate device for the same money. The separate device can go on loan much more easily than my iPhone for instance.
***About the "free lifetime map updates".
I don't want to get too much into the small print details, but first of all it says on the box that "the feature is not available in Europe". This should be noted by Amazon clearly in the description in my opinion, and tomtom should not make it such a small print as they do it on the box. "The most useful critical review" on Amazon does not seem to account for this, so I suppose they did not see it and thus they are a bit misleading.
Once I connected the GPS unit to the computer (using the HOME software), I have been offered a bunch of updates, including 2 giant updates: one for USA, Canada and Mexico maps, and one for the Europe maps. I think this went through the "Latest map guarantee" and not through the "lifetime map updates". As the name might suggest, "latest map guarantee" only guarantees that you get the latest map ONCE, when you buy the GPS unit (or within 30 days after buying it to be more precise).
Now back to the European maps: although I see those as a perk for the small price paid extra for this unit, and I might be OK not to get "free lifetime map updates" for Europe, this latest map update that I have been offered DOES NOT FIT into the GPS unit memory along with the North American maps. They say the new maps are much more detailed than the old ones, thus much larger files. So tomtom offered an option during the update to load only a region of Europe onto the unit (they divided Europe into 4 regions I believe). They say you can switch back to an other region anytime, or, I suppose, if you delete the North American map (you can do this temporarily, as they get automatically saved to your computer, and you can back up the whole unit as well), you could load the whole European map, but only that. If you synchronize the GPS unit with a laptop that you carry you would be fine, as you could switch back and forth between the maps as you please. It is not a very elegant solution though, and I would much prefer having more room to store all of the maps, even if that room would mean an SD card that I insert into the unit.
***About the IQ routes.
So far it seems to work in NYC. For instance I was going from Queens, NY to Lake Ariel, PA, and my old tomtom would route me through Triboro Bridge, 87, George Washington Bridge (crossing Bronx basically). The same route would be chosen by Google maps, both on the computer and on the iPhone, although Google knew that the route meant 1 hour in delays. Granted I took this route once, and we did have about 1 hour delay (3 hours 30, instead of 2 hours 30 or less). Next time we just watched the traffic on Google maps, and we ignored the directions given by them and by my old tomtom. Guess what: leaving at the same time on a Saturday as the previous time, we got there with basically no delays at all: 2 hours 36. Now here is the good part: at the same time of the day tomtom would route me exactly on this fastest route that we found by studying the Google maps with traffic. This means I can probably trust my new tomtom to do all the math and save me precious time with both the route planning and while traveling. 1 hour on such a short trip is a lot in my opinion.
Also something to note is that the arrival estimates are accurate to just a few minutes. (a few minutes might as well be a driver ahead who does not know his/her way and holds out 10 other drivers behind).
***About the traffic.
I used the unit only a few times so far, and none of it at the rush hour. So all the alerts I have gotten yet were like "there is a 1 minute traffic delay ahead, you are still on the fastest route".
The traffic data seems to be supplied by the "Total Traffic Network", as they have a logo on the units' box. I googled them and they have a website where you can check the local traffic coverage for different cities (please google them yourself, as Amazon would not allow web links within reviews). In NYC they seem to cover the highways (all the important ones from what I could gather), but no local/city roads. This is OK I guess, because I hope the IQ routes would know which local routes are generally faster. If there is a temporary closure, accident etc on one of this "non-highway" roads, you might have to reroute manually. I used to do this on my older tomtom: hit the map portion of the screen, then in the menu pick "Find Alternative" and then "Avoid Roadblock". If there is a medium/long term street closure you should get that through the Map Share update program.
***About the hardware.
This is so much improved over my ONE. The unit rather looks like a flat screen TV now, with a huge display and a very slim profile. My wife even teased me as to why I bought this TV set for.
The screen is relatively smudge proof, reasonably responsive to touch (I had to use the word "reasonably" as this is no iPhone in terms of user experience, but decent enough otherwise). I like that they worked on small details like making some sort of funnel in the plastic case that makes inserting the cable so easy. On other units it's very hard to insert the cable blindly.
I would have liked very much an SD card slot, as I could have loaded all the maps onto the unit (see also the map comments). More memory would also be nice, and maybe it should be even a requisite for tomtom to offer, as the "standard" maps don't fit anymore. I would have liked a volume rocker button, but I can live without it. The only time when I really wish it had one is when I am playing with the unit inside and it starts "screaming". But it's easy enough to adjust, just press on the area of the screen where the directions are indicated with arrows.
Also I think it would need a faster computing processor, maybe more RAM too, for faster map rendering and other operations. It makes a decent device with the current hardware, but there is room for improvement.
***About the software.
I kind of always liked tomtom for the amount of information presented to me while driving, while not cluttering the screen. I appreciate how they use the status bar real estate, and I like to see among other things the distance to destination, estimated time to destination, estimated arrival time, and my speed VS the speed limit. It takes a bit of time to be able to safely read all that information, and you have to figure which one is which, but once you do, it's both safe and useful to have it. Then I like the customization options (like voices, map color schemes, adding POIs, even the car symbol..) At first I know I found the menu not to be very simple, as some options where hidden behind other menu options, but once you learn them you should like them. Plus, you can't have too many options unless some of them are hidden behind others. Otherwise you would have a very long list to scroll through. If you used a tomtom before it should all feel extremely familiar.
The mapping software works I think as an instant drawing software that uses the raw mapping data from a database. You can notice this when you browse the map, as the map is loaded layer by layer. While this can provide I guess the maximum amount of map information with the minimum amount of memory space, it also provides for a rather frustrating user experience, as the maps load rather slowly. The maps are also slow to load when you pan out or zoom in or out. This is annoying, and maybe a fix would be faster hardware. An other would be different algorithms. I do care more about the navigation experience than about map browsing though, so I would not give tomtom a hard time about this.
This type of algorithm must be at fault also when the 3D map shows the curves of the road as made of several straight lines, instead of being seamlessly curved. This latter drawback I don't mind at all, but it has been noted by some reviewers that the tomtom maps look "old fashioned", because the curves are not round as on the Garmin. This is true, but it's such a minor issue and with no functional impact that I think complaining about it is rather snobbery.
***About the "text to speech" (computer voices).
I used Susan, American English, and a bit Simon, British English. For the US at least I like Susan better, just because it pronounces the street names more accurately. Simon pronounced Kissena Boulevard for instance in a way that I would barely know it's that one. Susan did not have an issue with it. However Susan pronounced "Whitestone Bridge" in a manner that sounded a lot like "Whitestone Branch". Because of some abbreviations in the map database, the computer would pronounce those names funny. For instance "Midtown Tun" instead of "Midtown Tunnel", just because in the database it written this way.
Overall I think the text to speech works very nice, and there is plenty of information provided. Also, it does not seem to lag at all, and the instructions are provided in a timely manner.
***Mounting solution
Having had poor experiences with my old tomtom ONE standard mount, and having used happily an ARKON goose-neck mount and a dash bean bag (Bracketron UFM-100-BX Nav-Mat GPS Friction Dash Pad) with that old tomtom for a while, I did not even think to use the stock mounting solution of this unit either. This stock mount is probably better than the old one of my tomtom ONE, but even so, it seems like a small investment to get a strong, new ARKON mount: ARKON TTEP115 TomTom EasyPort Windshield / Dash Mount, and the convenience of not smudging the windshield, nor tipping the thieves that easily that a GPS unit might be in the car (I take it with me anyway, but they can break your window just to search for it). With this new mount and my old bean bag I achieved again a very good mounting solution. My only (little) complaint is that the unit tilts sideways too easily and it would not always stay perfectly horizontal for that reason.
***BOTTOMLINE.
While I need to use the unit more in order to have a more mature opinion about it, I think it does make for an excellent navigation solution for a reasonable price. I am happy with the purchase, albeit I do not think this unit is the absolute perfect one. If you care a lot about the European maps you might be a little disappointed because you will not get lifetime updates and because you can not load all of the European maps at once together with the American maps. It misses some bells ans whistles I do not care about (like displaying photos, playing songs and videos, Bluetooth connectivity etc), and it misses some features I would like it to have but I can reasonably use it without.
Highly recommended! August 22, 2010
VelvetP
3 out of 3 found this review helpful
I received the item last Friday and used it over the weekend. It worked really well and as expected.
Pro:
1) 5 inch screen is easy to use. I had used GPS navigation systems with 3.5 inch screens before, and larger is definitely better.
2) Free software update is good benefit and gives longer life to the product.
3) European Maps in the system is another plus because I frequently travel to Europe.
4) The suction cup actually works on this one. Maybe because I only had it for 3 days. But it never fell off the windshield.
5) Interface is easy to use. I lent it to my parents today and they had no trouble using it. My parents speak no English at all.
Con:
1) could use more language options.
2) At highway speeds, the GPS is not that precise. For example, I see the screen shows a gas station up ahead, but I already drove past it. Sometimes, the screen shows a gas station on the wrong side of the street.
Showing reviews 1-5 of 21
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