TomTom GO 950 Live, GO 750 Live and GO 550 Live screenshots of userinterface!
September 3, 2009 by Paul Willen
Filed under Navigation
Today TomTom announced its new flagship personal navigation devices in the TomTom GO series: TomTom GO 950 Live, TomTom GO 750 Live and the TomTom GO 550 Live.
The main new unique features for these devices consist of a redesigned and optimized user interface combined with TomTom’s advanced routing technologies. This article will have a detailed look at the user interface as well as the other new features in the new flagship devices. Together with Remo, I’ve tried to point out the new features and screens for the upcomming x50 series.
Redesigned and optimized userinterface screenshots
Main Screen
Main Screen
“The integration of TomTom’s advanced routing technologies into the user interface of the device, makes it more intuitive and easier to operate; giving drivers all the information they need about their journey before they set off.”
After a route is set and calculated there are 2 tabs which display the route-data. In the previous versions only the “Journey” tab was visible, but now TomTom added a “Live” tab.
The tab “journey” tab, which displays the destination, the traveltime, and the distance. And the “Live” tab, which displays Traffic on the route, cheapest fuel prices on the route and fixed & mobile saftey camera’s.
The Pre-setoff “Journey” Tab
The Pre-setoff “Live” Tab
“Once on the road, drivers automatically receive real-time updates on what’s ahead, so they remain informed throughout their journey.”
Harold Godijn explained once that this real time HD Traffic information is pushed onto the device -at least for the GO 940 Live- every 2 minutes.
The screen is updating the real-time traffic information (on the right-side of the screen)
“On top of this, new menus including a frequent destinations menu have been added to calculate a route to a frequently visited destination easier and faster.”
This screen makes it a lot easier to navigate to your most used destinations like home, work, but also a specific contact (like your parents). The major difference from the “favorites” is that these destinations visible within 2 clicks.
Quick destinations
Configure Quick destinations
Quick Quick destinations – select destinations
This is an excellent improvement. Despite that all your last destinations were stored on the TomTom personal navigation device, you could only access them using the “navigate to” menu, with the result that you were 4 or 5 clicks away to re-select one of your last destinations. With the addition of the frequent destionations menu, this becomes much easier and it saves a few clicks.
“Finally, an Eco Routes option has been added to the route options menu, so drivers can select the most fuel-efficient route to help reduce their impact on the environment.”
Good to see some corporate social- and environmental responsibility, but I’m really curious how this fuel-efficient route is calculated, since it could vary on different parameters like engine type, time of the day, route, etc. In practice this would require some kind of extremely clever algorithm, but certainly good to see the trend setting in !!
Technology improvements in the new GO X50 Live series
TomTom claims that the route calculation is more accurate and faster than ever before, mainly because:
“It uses the world`s largest collection of historical speed profiles. This ever-growing database now includes over 800 billion historic speed measurements of 15 million road kilometres in 24 European countries.”
This large database with historical information gives TomTom the ability to develop new technologies and services like HD Traffic. But its not only the large database, TomTom also does some clever combination of services resulting in an optimized route.
“On the road, the device is constantly checking if there is faster route, taking changing road conditions into account by using a combination of IQ Routes technology and real-time HD Traffic information. This continuous optimisation of the route provides shortest and most realistic travel times.”
In the USA and Canada the HD Traffic services isn’t avaiable (yet), but since the TomTom GO X50 Live series come with an Active Dock with integrated RDS-TMC Traffic information, these technologies are combined for optimized routing as well. I’m very curious when TomTom will take the huge step to roll out HD Traffic in the USA as well.
“The TomTom GO x50 LIVE series features more maps than ever before, including Malta, Greece and Turkey for the first time.”
Finally excellent point that TomTom and Teleatlas are continuously expanding the map-material and improving the quality as well, also with the use of the MapShare technology and the TomTom drivers-community. Furthermore TomTom has announced today that the HD Traffic services will be expanded to Belgium and Portugal, while TomTom will bring real time HD Traffic services to Italy as well, with Vodafone as their partner.
Replanning a Route
Pricing and availabilty
“The TomTom GO x50 series will become available this autumn. Pricing will be revealed upon product availability. Availability varies per country.”
For example the TomTom GO 550 Live won’t be available in the Netherlands, so you need to have a close look at the local TomTom PR and sales channels.
Screenshotgallery of the new TomTom Go x50 Geries
His first mobile phone was a Mitshubishi Galaxy and after that the first Orange SPV running Microsoft Smartphone 2002. After owning a lot of devices he now mainly uses a HTC Touch Pro 2 and an iPhone 3Gs 32GB
Paul is employed as an .NET Application Developer with a focus on Sharepoint.
Not sure if you still need a mobile to get traffic or is it built in?
When something is excelent, changes are not always an improvement. Personaly don’t like this change. The interface was great.