TomTom One IQ Routes satnav review

20 April 2009 16:00 GMT / By Stuart Miles

You know as well as I do that there are some routes you take in the morning and others at night when you want to get through the traffic in your car, however does your satnav? The TomTom One IQ Routes reckons it does. We see if it's right.

The TomTom One IQ Routes version of the TomTom One is virtually identical (it's black rather than grey), it's still incredibly small (The TomTom ONE IQ Routes has a 3.5-inch screen while the TomTom XL IQ Routes gets a 4.3-inch display), and still really easy to use and straightforward. We won't hide the fact that we like the original TomTom One here at Pocket-lint and so to be honest felt from the get go that we would like the new version.

So why do we like the TomTom One? Well it claims to know the best routes depending on the time of the day, or day of the week. And yes it does offer a different route at 3pm on a Sunday than it would at rush hour on a weekday morning.

What that means in the grander scale of things is that the time to destination is pretty spot on because the info is based on data harvested from anonymous speed measurements, rather than just based on the speed limit. In fact the days of trying to beat the clock are gone, which is a shame because it was one of our favourite geeky games (really).

Of course it's not just about route times, but the software now also includes lane guidance so you make sure you take the right exit off the motorway. As found on the company's more advanced models, it is something that is surprisingly helpful when there is a double junction and you're not sure whether you are going north or south. It's by no means a must have feature, however, as you are probably clever enough to work out whether you want Leeds or London on the M25 junction for the M1.

In addition to lane guidance there are safety camera alerts and fuel price info, although this is a paid for service at just under £3 a month (£34.95 annually); you do get the first 3 months free, but if you're strapped for cash it will only tease you into what you are going to be missing.

Both are worth it for the road warrior as the petrol offering lets you locate by cheapest price and then give you directions to get you there. The software and subscription also gives you access to TomTom's Home desktop software and Map Share allowing you to update your maps easily.

Verdict

There isn't much to say about the new TomTom One that is different from the old one apart from the fact that it's easy to use and will get you to A to B as quick as it can.

With mainly software updates over the original version you would be forgiven for thinking that TomTom is pulling a fast one here and making you buy the same product for what is merely a software update.

Don't worry we thought that too, but it turns out the original version's processor and memory just wouldn't be able to cope with all the extra data and computing requests that the IQ Routes feature uses, so instead of a sluggish unit TomTom has thrown a load more of both at the new model to keep it as zippy as ever.

So there must be some grumbles? Well only that we would have liked the company's HD traffic service feature here so we could see what the traffic is doing in addition to the IQ Routes stuff, but then this is the entry-level model (maybe that is still to come...).

So is it a thumbs up? We like it, we like it a lot, and while you pay a little more than you might for other models it works and for us that is worth the money. Just don't forget that it will cost you an extra £35 for speed cameras and petrol prices.

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Review Recap

Made by: TomTom
Price as reviewed: £149.99
Latest price: Compare prices
The good: Easy to use, IQ routes plans out the best route, small so can fit in your pocket
The bad: No HD traffic, you'll have to pay extra for speed camera and petrol prices, basic
Quick verdict: We like it, we like it a lot, and while you pay a little more than you might for other models, it works and for us that is worth the money
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Winner