The Tom Tom GPS 130 and 130s
Features, Ratings and Reviews
The Tom Tom GPS 130 and 130s are only differentiated by the fact that the TomTom 130s has "Text to Speech"<> This feature enables the Tomtom 130s to announce street names, as well as, when and what direction to turn. Other than that, they have the same features. These Tom Tom GPS units come with a 3.5", daylight viewable, touch screen and are preloaded with maps of the US and Canada. The maps are viewable in 2D and 3D and come with TomTom's 30 day guarantee. This allows you to upload the most currents maps from Tele Atlas within 30 days from the purchase date. "Map Share", another TomTom exclusive, allows you to correct or change your maps and update them online. You will have to download TomTom Home software to your PC or Mac. When you log in you will be asked if you wish to join "Map Share". This is a free service and is recommended. Joining "Map Share" will allow you to upload changes you have made to your maps and download changes other users have made to their maps. TomTom Home will also allow you to add Points of Interest to your Tom Tom GPS, in addition to the millions of Points of Interest preloaded by TomTom. Planning a trip is as simple as entering your destination address on the touch screen or selecting a previous destination or one of the millions of Points of Interest. Unfortunately, IQ routing was not included with the units. You do have the ability to set custom detour distances for roadblocks, being able to avoid a specific road or town, offset routing to start a route from a location other than where you currently are, etc. Traffic is optional with these Tom Tom GPS units. They are RDS-TMC traffic compatible, however you must purchase the receiver separately. A one year subscription to the service is included with the purchase. The TMC receiver connects to the unit via a USB port splitter requiring two cables coming out of the unit and laying on your dash. Unlike the Garmin, the traffic receiver does not power the GPS and a separate power cable is required. The GPS systems include speed limit warning and if you exceed the speed limit, the posted limit will appear on the screen in a red box. TomTom advertises that you can get up to date fuel prices, but this is only available through your PC or Mac. With prices changing daily, this may not be as big a deal as they make it out to be.  These Tom Tom GPS units come with the "easy port" mount and include a very loud speaker. There shouldn't be any complaints about not hearing the instructions.
The TomTom safety feature "Help Me" will instantly give your current location, and the location of the nearest hospital, police and fire station and more. It also will provide the phone numbers to those locations. "Quick Fix" a TomTom download, will help avoid "building fade" where the signal is blocked by tall buildings or other structures. To work efficiently you need to update Quick Fix weekly on you PC or Mac. Although TomTom One voices are included with the unit, there are several 3rd party vendors that provide other "fun" voices for your Tom Tom GPS. Some of these new voices are even free. Check out TomTom One Voice for more information on this subject.
Owner Reviews - Tom Tom GPS 130
Amazon:
By R. Williams "MBH", March 3, 2009
I purchased a TOM TOM GPS 130 from a retail chain on Feb 27, 2009 while visiting family and friends in Upstate NY. The unit was easy to get up and running, and worked well enough. The manual implied that I could easily hook it up to my Mac and update the interface. After installing the TOMTOM HOME software (directly from the TOMTOM itself) I was prompted by the system to update my software. With the new Tom Tom GPS HOME software installed and running I was prompted to upgrade my GPS unit with the latest "version" of its' operating system. I allowed it, and was rewarded with my actions with a TOMTOM ONE 130 that would not boot. It did, however, flash a menacing red "X" on its' screen while the software on my Mac told me to unhook the thing and restart it. I called the customer support line and was told that "these things happen". I'm a pretty technical guy, and I know that you can sometimes get a bum steer. I asked him if I had purchased a $200 "brick" and the guy told me it sounded like my TOMTOM was beyond hope. No problem. The next morning I headed back to the retail store where I purchased the unit and I exchanged it for a duplicate. This time I decided NOT to update my Tom Tom GPS or let it get close to my computer until it had gotten me home. 13 hours and 920 miles later, the TOMTOM led me flawlessly to my doorstep, where I promptly booted up my computer, uninstalled all existing TOMTOM HOME applications, reinstalled a fresh version of TOMTOM HOME from the website, and plugged my GPS unit into my computer... looking forward all the while to downloading turn-by-turn instruction by good 'ol Mr. T once my system was updated with the latest maps, POIs, and doodads. Same thing happened. I was instructed to unplug the machine and restart it. When I did, I got a blinking "X" and no way to fix it. Oh, sure... I went to the TOM TOM GPS site and followed the step-by-step troubleshooting tips to wipe out the system and start fresh. And four hours later it was doing the same thing. A second call to tech support revealed that this was incredibly common, and my support analyst even tried to make me believe that it was MY fault that the unit bricked because I was the silly sap who tried to update the stinking thing in the first place. What a waste! If the sole highlight of your product is its' flexibility and ability to interface with your computer for updates and customization, then how can you justify such an unbelievably delicate framework that is so prone to critical errors?! This was a fiasco. I couldn't believe how I was treated by Tom Tom GPS support and I couldn't believe that the simple act of plugging the unit in and downloaded the recommended updates could destroy it so easily. By Philip L. Stern "Phil Stern", February 15, 2009
We bouught two TomToms. One for my wife and myself. I found them easy to set up and the software was easy to use. It was easy to show my non-technical/geographically challenged wife how to use it. She loves it. No more getting lost for her. I like it because I can find points of interest in my area that I did not know even existed.
Two thumbs up from us.
By Jacquelyn M. Blades, January 23, 2009
I am no longer in love with my Tomtom. Here is why:
1- Sometimes it tells me to take a left when the screen clearly shows a right turn
2- Sometimes it shows me a wrong exit
3- The free maps are not up to date. I have a friend who lives in a fairly new subdivision that was created in 2006. It still does not show up on the map.
4- The true up-to-date maps cost money. It was advertised as having free updates. I updated my maps and software with the free update 2 months ago and it is still not showing my friends subdivision that is over 2 years old.
5- I emailed TomTom to ask about this over 6 months ago and have still not received a response.
The things I like are that you can customize your splash screen, coming on and going off, and download famous voices. It does allow you to search for things by name such as Bank of America ATM's, hotels, gas stations etc and interestingly enough the new ones show up even though the new roads don't. I have not been able to find a Walmart or mall by name though. Not sure if you can do that with others but what is a map when you can't got to a different city and find the nearest Walmart? I think that should be a given! Tom Tom GPS
By Nasir Jones, January 6, 2009
After reading several reviews, I found that almost everyone liked this GPS EXCEPT for the fact that the volume was low. On the contrary, the volume is exceptional; in fact, I actually find myself turning it down. This GPS is everything I was looking for; I would recommend this product to anyone looking for a inexpensive GPS. WalMart:
Tom Tom GPS
By rblakefns, 01/21/2009
Excellent GPS for the price. Has great update site. Gets me everywhere I need to go.
By BIGCharlesO, 12/27/2008
While the product works and gets you where you are going, when we tried to download the latest updates they kept locking it up. When we got another unit and tried it on a different computer we still had the same problem. By TomTomFan626, 09/30/2008
This was a great buy. The voice is very clear and the directions are easy to follow. It is also very user friendly. I only wish that it had bluetooth capability, but for the price, this was a good buy. So i recommend to own this GPS. VEry useful for trips. Best Buy:
Tom Tom GPS
By nate23453, 01/23/2009
What's great about it: I really liked the way it worked
What's not so great: It only worked for 2 months and the warranty was useless
After two months of use with no complaint, my Tomtom was sitting on my desk (not turned on or plugged in) and I heard a loud pop. I looked at the Tomtom and underneath the screen was cracked and the touch screen would not work. Nothing even touched it. Tomtom has refused to honor the warranty, but could not tell me why this was not covered. Just that I was out of luck. The product was good while it lasted, but the company will not stand behind it and it breaks for no reason. Not worth it. Buy something else!!!!! Tom Tom GPS
By sindee, 11/26/2008
What's great about it: User friendly, simple to use. Ready to use immediately.
Got this for Christmas last year and we love it. Easy to use and set up. Not complicated. We can understand the voice on the device (unlike my friend who has taken her Garmin back 3 times because they can't understand the directions/voice.) I'm buying another one for my older brother (aged 74) so he won't be calling me for directions all the time. Tom Tom GPS
By Allyecat, 11/13/2008
What's great about it: Extremely easy to use. I had it set up within 5 minutes out of the box.
What's not so great: Short battery life.
I searched long and hard for the perfect GPS system and narrowed it down to this particular one. The GPS was super easy to set up right out of the box. The style is small and compact (which I like), but the screen is not hard to read at all. The sound is great and it gives you an option to turn it up really loud so you don't miss a beat. It is really easy to put in your location and find service areas along the way. I went on my first long road trip a week after purchasing it and it got me there with no problems. I also really enjoy its walking feature. I live in between two major cities and it was really helpful when I had to find a location on foot. Some cons about this particular GPS: The suction doesn't work too well and it often falls off my windshield. Also I feel like it takes a little too long to receive a signal. I live in a pretty open area so I'm not sure why it takes as long as it does. Once I have received a signal however, I've never lost it. Overall I would recommend this GPS. It is a great choice when shopping on a cheaper budget. Tom Tom GPS Owner Ratings - TomTom ONE 130
Amazon:
76 Reviews
5 star = (29)
4 star = (23)
3 star = (7)
2 star = (5)
1 star = (12)
Best Buy: 36 reviews: 4.5 out of a possible 5
Tom Tom GPS
WalMart:
17 Reviews
5 star = (8)
4 star = (8)
3 star = (1)
2 star = (0)
1 star = (0)
Tom Tom GPS Specifications - TomTom ONE 130
Introduced: April 2008
Unit dimensions: 3.8"W x 3.2"H x 1.0"D
Display size: 3.5" diag
Display resolution: 320 x 240 pixels, 64,000 colors
Display type: full color TFT LCD touchscreen, QVGA
Weight: 6.7 ounces
Battery: Rechargeable Internal Lithium-ion
Battery life: Up To 2 hours
Built-in Memory: 1 GB
Accepts Data Cards: No
High sensitivity: Yes
What's in the Box:
TomTom ONE 130 portable GPS receiver
Preloaded maps for the United States and Canada
Easyport™ mount
Adhesive mounting disk
USB Car Charger and USB cable
Vehicle power adapter
Owner's manual
Tom Tom GPS Owner Reviews - TomTom ONE 130S
Amazon:
Tom Tom GPS
By C. Crouch, February 25, 2009
Loses GPS signal frequently, and it stopped working for a while. I also tried to download the updated maps, and it told me there was not enough memory. However, I do like the text to speech component. By J. Villacres "givingrief", February 19, 2009
I've had my TomTom for about a year now, having been on several road trips, it's been pretty good. This being my first GPS, I was very happy at first but alas, the honeymoon was over pretty quickly. Several complaints: * It takes FOREVER to get a GPS signal.
* There seems to be a disconnect between avoiding "some" toll roads, versus avoiding ALL toll roads.
* There also seems to be a lack of understanding what a highway is.
* My TomTom has a bad habit of what I call "floating off" the road, especially, and much to my dismay, during exits when I am confronted with 5-6 off ramps in front of me. The navigation arrow will just decide to float off the road into a river or field, leaving me in a state of panic as I try to figure out which ramp to take. (I once even threatened to throw it out the window for this very reason).
* My mount broke within about 3 months.
* The battery life on my TomTom is not really good. And if it's kept off and unplugged for more than 2 days, it won't even start on unless plugged in.
* I think this is just a feature of most GPS's but, I don't always know the name of the town. I may have a street name, and know it somewhere near a certain area of the state, but you cannot navigate ANYWHERE unless you have a town name. This is especially annoying in the suburbs, where certain streets run through several towns.
* The "Street Name" feature only works with 3 of the voices available. Of the 3, none of them seem to be able to pronounce well.
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By Cynthia C. Jones "donjon", January 17, 2009
This GPS is loaded with many practical features. The only negative that I could mention is that some of the onscreen buttons are too close together and I find myself activating keys that I didn't mean to. But I'm sure this problem is inherent in all 3.5 inch GPS systems due to space restrictions. Best Buy:
Tom Tom GPS
By CatPlano, 01/30/2009
Despite other reviews, the speaker volume on this unit is more than adequate. I'm hard of hearing and can hear the directions just fine at 65% volume. It also adjusts the volume along with the vehicle speed so I can hear it even when driving down the highway with the radio on. My favorite feature is the traffic updates. Buying the adapter is well worth the investment. It uses FM Radio updates so there are no recurring subscription costs like most other units. The traffic is extremely accurate. It has cut my daily commute by about 1/3 by constantly guiding me away from traffic. It dynamically changes the route as it performs traffic updates about every 4-5 minutes. The only downside to this is that some cities don't offer great FM traffic service. Be sure to read reviews on the traffic adapter regarding your location before buying. In Dallas, TX, it is nearly flawless. This is a great purchase for the price. It contains all the features that high end units have for a low price. The only two downsides are the small screen size and occasional delays. With the traffic adapter turned on and currently following one of its routes, the unit is slow to react to the user activating any of the other features. For example, map browsing, POI searching, and traffic browsing are all fairly slow during that period. This is probably due to the TomTom recalculating the route frequently due to traffic changes. Despite its slow-down, it is still functional and just a minor annoyance. By waynesworld, 01/19/2009
I am unhappy with my choice to purchase a TomTom as follows:
1. Maps did not include major road changes in my area that are over a year old. When I asked how to check the contents of a map update (so I would not purchase what I allready don't have), I was told that it is a non-refundable shot in the dark (my words, not theirs). How's that for customer support? 2. The routes that TomTom choses rarely prove to be the quickest routes. I travel Washington DC routinely and know some of the quickest routes. I was amazed to find that TomTom almost always avoided them and chose routes that added 15 or 20 minutes to my trip (I tried them out of curiousity). 3. You can only reprogram one leg of a trip that you don't like. I have tried to program in routes for my wife to use and have found that is not really available on this model. I guess I misread the brochure. 4. The speaker is cheap and breaks up a little when volume is maxed out. When the volume is maxed out, I can barely hear it over the normal cabin noise (no radio) of my RAV4. TomTom will get you where you want to go, but so will other GPS units.
By GeekTronics, 12/27/2008
What's great about it: Ease of use, compact, portability
What's not so great: Poor speaker volume, very, very small memory that is not expandable
I was rather disappointed with this GPS receiver. The overall performance is good for a starter model, and satellite acquisition is very quick, but there is not enough internal memory for adding expansion packs, points of interest, voices, etc. Almost all of the internal memory has been used by the pre-installed maps, and it does not come equipped with a data card slot. The speaker volume is so low that the "turn by turn" directions are unintelligible, thereby rendering the "text to speech" feature virtually useless. Spend a few extra dollars and purchase a better model. WalMart:
Tom Tom GPS
By supdawg, 02/26/2009
We just started using the TomTom 130S, it seemed to work well in our first couple of tries. We were very happy with the price we paid and think it was an exceptional value. I wish that there were additional instructions on some of the features we are planning to use. By mamalovesit, 02/09/2009
I WAS NOT HAPPY WITH THIS GPS..I WANTED TO HEAR THE SPOKEN INSTRUCTIONS AND IT WAS MUMBLING AND YOU COULD NOT HEAR THE DIRECTIONS AT ALL. THE SPEAKER IS TERRIBLE. THE GPS WORKED FINE, BUT THE SPEAKER IS REALLY A POOR ONE. IT IS BETTER TO UPGRADE TO THE NEXT ONE AND BE ABLE TO HEAR. I RETURNED THIS THE SAME DAY I GOT IT. I DID PURCHASE THE NEXT ONE UP AND THE SPEAKER IS GREAT...I AM ENJOYING IT. THE XL 30S TOM TOM. Tom Tom GPS
By pianovoce, 02/06/2009
For the price it works fine but you need to have the general idea of your destination. Problems with the design of the suction cup. By Queenbee2009, 01/16/2009
Overall, I am very pleased with the value and quality, but the speaker is very quiet. I had a Tom Tom before (which was stolen) and the speaker was much louder. I thought the first one was defective and sent it back, but the replacement is not much diferent. I plan to contact Tom Tom about this issue. Tom Tom GPS Owner Ratings - TomTom ONE 130S
Amazon:
37 Reviews
5 star = (10)
4 star = (9)
3 star = (9)
2 star = (5)
1 star = (4)
Best Buy: 27 reviews: 3.7 out of a possible 5
WalMart:
Tom Tom GPS
67 Reviews
5 star = (35)
4 star = (20)
3 star = (6)
2 star = (3)
1 star = (3)
Tom Tom GPS Specifications - TomTom ONE 130S
Introduced: April 2008
Unit dimensions: 3.8"W x 3.2"H x 1.0"D
Display size: 3.5" diag
Display resolution: 320x240 pixels, 64,000 colors
Display type: QVGA full color TFT LCD touchscreen
Weight: 6.7 ounces
Battery: Rechargeable Internal Lithium-ion
Battery life: Up to 2 hours
Built-in Memory: 1 GB
Accepts Data Cards: No
High sensitivity: Yes
What's in the Box:
TomTom One 130S portable GPS receiver
Preloaded maps for the US and Canada
Easyport™ mount
Adhesive mounting disc
USB Car Charger and USB cable
Vehicle power adapter
TomTom HOME software
Owner's manual
Note: The state of Minnesota prohibits the installation of portable GPS units on the windshield of your vehicle.
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