Plug and Go, the TomTom XL 330 and 330S
are easy to use

TomTom says that the TomTom XL 330 and XL 330s are plug and go units.

I guess you can use them right out of the box, but if you want to take advantage of their custom options, it will take you a little while to set up all the options available to the user.

Equipped with maps of the US and Canada and a bright 4.3" wide screen the TomTom XL 330 and 330s will easily get you to where you want to go. The maps come with a 30 day update guarantee which allows you to download the latest maps free for 30 days after the purchase date.

If you compare GPS systems, you will see the only difference between the XL330 and the 330s is that the 330s includes "Text to Speech". This function enables the unit to tell you what street to turn on in addition to when and what direction to turn. Other than that, the units are the same.

"Map Share" a TomTom exclusive, allows you to update your maps and make corrections to them. To be able to use this feature, you will have to download the TomTom Home software. When you log on, you will be asked if you wish to join the Map Share program. I would recommend you do so. You will then be able to download updates to your maps from corrections other users have made and you can upload your corrections to Map Share.

Creating a route is as easy as entering the address on the touch screen or choosing one of the millions preloaded of Points of Interest. You can select the "Home" icon, which can be pre-programed to any location and your GPS will create a route from your current location to your home location. You can also create a multiple destination route allowing for stops along the way. A nice feature for deliveries.

Both the TomTom XL 330 and 330s are RDS TMC Traffic compatible. It will be necessary to purchase the receiver separately. Prior to purchase check Total Traffic Network coverage to make sure your driving area is covered.

These units come with the "easy port" a foldable mount that easily folds up against the back of the unit to take it with you from car to car. These units also include the "Help Me" safety feature. If you touch the Help Me icon, you get your current location and the location of the nearest hospital, police and fire stations and more. These units seem to offer the necessary basics at a competitive price and the factory refurbished units are really a bargain. To find out what actual owners, who use these GPS systems on a daily basis, have to say read the following GPS reviews and ratings.

Amazon:

By Donald G. Wilson "dman", February 22, 2009

Worked out of the box even for a technophope like me. doesn't have the bells and whistles like some but I didn't want bluetooth, mp3, etc. I just wanted directions. Works great. Found a dept store by name only and a home on a back country road. Sometimes it doesn't take you the way you might go if you know an area but it gets you there. Have no problem sending it with my directionally challenged wife when she travels. No volume problem like earlier reviews.

By M. Booth "Marbooth", February 15, 2009

This is a great Tom Tom. Had an earlier model that used a SD card. Wanted bigger screen and no SD card. This model is great for personal and business use. Great price.

By J. Moore, January 19, 2009

I purchased the TomTom based on its ability to be customized to user preferences, and numerous other features described. Once it arrived, I tried it on various errands around town. Of note:

The mounting system is very clever and easy to use. However, because of the mount design, (very close to the windshield), it does limit where you can mount the unit.
The TomTom XL acquired satelite signals very quickly.
The map was accurate with good routing choices.
The voice was sufficiently loud, but was difficult to understand.
The display was reasonably clear and bright, but it washed out in bright sunlight.

Most disappointing was logging onto the TomTom website, and finding that there was insufficient memory available to download suggested updates without removing other features of the TomTom. There is no provision for adding memory.

Best Buy:

TomTom XL 330

By Marley72, 01/18/2009

I got this GPS as a birthday gift and LOVED it. I have had it for a little less than 3 months and now it is unable to get a GPS signal. I took it on a trip to Canada and it lost the signal for about 45 minutes when we were half way to our destination. On the way home we were unable to get a signal during the entire 5 1/2 hour trip! For the amount of money the unit costs I would expect it to last more than 3 years let alone not even 3 months.

TomTom XL By D618, 10/26/2008

I use this GPS basically to navigate in and out of Boston. I have used it in a few other cities in Massachusetts as well. Boston is one of the hardest cities to navigate and this TomTom make it easier. That said, it could be better. The device does not say street names and if you miss a turn it recalculates the route and tells u to turn when you have already passed the street it wants to suggest. The signal often gets lost in the city, especially around tall buildings. I cannot navigate Bostons Theatre District with this GPS. The screen (touch screen) is large but easily damaged. I put it in my glove box when it is not in use. Within a week or two there was a crack in the screen. It still works just fine but is a noticeable blemish. I got this GPS for under 200. Wait for a sale and this GPS is a pretty good buy.

WalMart:

TomTom XL 330

By Zmanone, 01/13/2009

For what I use it for it works perfect for me. About 99% of the map is correct.

By Sherry59fromOH, 11/30/2008

We purchased a total of four of these GPS's, three of them for Christmas presents and one for us. We wanted to try ours out before giving them as gifts, we went through four states this Thanksgiving break and loved it, loved it, loved it !! I never knew it could do so much, tells you what restaurants, hotels,gas stops, etc. are ahead, how to get somewhere, how many miles to go, what time you will arrive, the speed limit you are going and how fast you should be going! I just wish I had enough money to buy all of my friends this gift, I am that impressed with it!

By njay, 10/07/2008

This is my first gps purchase & I liked it. The only downside is that it does not say the street names, but it gives you quite a distance to prepare. I went to the website to check if I can get an updated map & I was able to get one for free!!! It saved me $$$. All in all, it is worth the price.

Owner Ratings - TomTom XL 330

Amazon:

34 Reviews
5 star = (10)
4 star = (10)
3 star = (6)
2 star = (4)
1 star = (4)

Best Buy: 22 reviews: 4.3 out of a possible 5

WalMart:

35 Reviews
5 star = (19)
4 star = (7)
3 star = (4)
2 star = (1)
1 star = (4)

Owner Reviews - TomTom XL 330S

Amazon:

TomTom XL 330s

By Paul G. Atkinson "DadofTwoGirls", March 11, 2009

Pros: Price! Great unit for the money. Many places are selling this thing well under $200. I got mine for $169 brand new in the box. It is a good looking unit. It is light, mounts easily, and is easy to use. The screens are easy to navigate after a few "trial" runs to get it setup the way you want. Another plus is that the "S" model speaks the street names instead of just saying "turn left ahead"... etc... That is a big improvement over my older model. The screen is bright and easy to see in the daytime and it also has night settings, both of which you can adjust to your liking. Speaker is nice and loud. I have had none of the "slow" startup times some have mentioned. I guess it might depend on your surroundings like being in the heart of a big city, mountains, or other things that typically impair things like this. I am not so mine fires right up.

Cons: I really only have two complaints. It has typical TomTom battery life. 3 hours on a devices like this seems a little short given Lit Ion batteries available. The other knock I have is that you have to buy the seperate "traffic" antennae for that feature, weather, and fuel prices. My other model had it built in and 3 years ago it was pretty cutting edge. I know you can buy them with it, but in this day and age it isn't so cutting edge anymore as everyone else offers it. I think it could be pretty much included on every unit, especially considering that TomTom makes money off these extra services.

TomTom XL 330sBy Larry A. Conger "hairking", January 15, 2009

Solution for inability to load current maps

First the old maps need to be deleted (under guidance from TomTom rep, we formatted the tomtom disk) and second you must disable your firewall and virus checker. After doing this the download was successful. It was very frustrating because no one rep understood this. It was very frustrating along the way when I deleted voices, maps, etc and was told that I still needed to clear more room. After formatting the disk and some other steps that I did not remember and was reluctant to do anyway without guidance from the TomTOM rep everything is great now.

Best Buy:

TomTom XL 330s

By Snowtop, 01/18/2009

I have had this GPS for three weeks now. I have had no problems with it. I have had only one address that it could not find, but map quest said the same thing. I learned that you have to download the Tom Tom Home, save all info to your hard drive. If you are installing a new map, you have to delete the old one first and then install the new map. If any problems, you can delete the new map and then re-install the original map back to the GPS from your computer. The best way to keep up with the maps is to join map share. The files are small and they are free for one year. I did it and it only took only 5MB of space to update the map.

By rgr1444, 12/28/2008

I found this very easy to program. Nested menus easy to figure out. I like the wide screen. Mounting was easy. A little trimming on the mini USB connector of an old cell phone charger and you have a home charger. I thought the USB connector is poorly placed and difficult to access. The placement of gas station icons is sometime to late to use. I made several mid route changes to see the results. They came quickly and easily followed. On the whole I thought the unit responded well and was easy to use and see from anywhere in the front of my vehicle. My wife did not like my choice of over speed alarm, but when I made a change it was better. I guess I won't have an excuse to get lost again.

WalMart:

TomTom XL 330sBy an anonymous customer, 01/14/2009

I am enjoying the use of this TomTom greatly. I only wish that it had a SD memory slot like most of the other TomTom products. It is easy to use (for my wife) and gets me to where I want to go. (and does not allow me to get lost). I have only found one problem in the option to avoid freeways (which it doesn't avoid, but makes you get back on them) Other than those two unimportant things, it works like a dream.

By everglades, 01/03/2009

This TomTom XL3305 portable GPS w/4.3" Screen and spoken street names is great for business delivery personnel and for personal use. When traveling it also calculates the milage and re-directs you back to the main highway when you stop for supplies. I bought one for my Daughter. She drove to visit for Christmas what should have taken 7 hours took 9 hours, since she got lost. On her way home with the TomTom she was always safe and on course. This device also gives you a since of security for loved ones. Great!

TomTom XL 330sBy an anonymous customer, 12/10/2008

I found the colors to be bright and plesant and road easy to follow. I did not like the fact that when going into a different state I found no way to change my state and was very confusing. I had to turhn it off as I could not make the GPS to adjust to where I was.

Owner Ratings - TomTom XL 330S

Amazon:

26 Reviews
5 star = (9)
4 star = (6)
3 star = (3)
2 star = (5)
1 star = (3)

Best Buy: 22 reviews: 3.9 out of a possible 5

WalMart:

17 Reviews
5 star = (4)
4 star = (7)
3 star = (3)
2 star = (2)
1 star = (1)

Specifications - TomTom XL 330

Introduced: April 2008
Unit dimensions: 4.7"W x 3.2"H x .09"D
Display size: 4.3 inch diag
Display resolution: 480 x 272 pixels, 64,000 colors
Display type: full TFT color LCD touchscreen, WQVGA
Weight: 6.6 ounces
Battery: Rechargeable Internal Lithium-Ion
Battery life: up to 3 hours

Specifications - TomTom XL 330S

Introduced: April 2008
Unit dimensions: 4.7"W x 3.2"H x .09"D
Display size: 4.3 inch diag
Display resolution: 480 x 272 pixels, 64,000 colors
Display type: full TFT color LCD touchscreen, WQVGA
Weight: 6.6 ounces
Battery: Rechargeable Internal Lithium-Ion
Battery life: up to 3 hours

What's in the Box:

TomTom XL 330 portable GPS unit
Preloaded maps for United States and Canada
Easyport™ mount
Windshield suction mount
Adhesive disc for dashboard
Car power adapter
USB car charger
USB cable
DC adapter
TomTom HOME software
Owner's manual

TomTom XL 330S portable GPS unit
Preloaded maps for United States and Canada
Easyport™ mount
Windshield suction mount
Adhesive disc for dashboard
Car power adapter
USB car charger
USB cable
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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