TomTom Car Kit for iPhone review

Will this drive you down the convergence path?

TomTom Car Kit for iPhone . Car And GPS, GPS, TomTom, TomTom Car Kit, TomTom for iPhone, iPhone, iPhone accessories, Apple, Mobile phone accessories 0

Reviewer: Chris Hall
Review Date: 20 November 2009
Manufacturer: TomTom
Price as reviewed: £99.99
Latest price: £0.00

Our score

7/10

Full Review

We looked at the TomTom iPhone app a while ago and that application has just received an update to bring along a few more functions. But the elephant in the room is how you attach your iPhone to your car to use the application. Of course, the TomTom Car Kit for iPhone.

The Car Kit features a number of elements that make it appealing. First up is TomTom's EasyPort mount, so you just have to offer it up to your windscreen and twist and it is secured. You need to know this is going to stay put, as the last thing you want is to see your iPhone heading into the footwell when you hit the first speed bump. Fortunately, TomTom know what they are doing in this area.

You are then presented with a slidey-swively mount in which your iPhone will be held. This bracket means you can have your phone either in landscape or portrait, with the sliding aspect letting you adjust the position relative to the rest of your car, so you don't have to worry about the angle of the windscreen to the dashboard.

Connecting both pieces is a hinge so you can set the phone at the best angle for viewing.

It still sounds expensive for £99 however. But the TomTom Car Kit for iPhone does bring a little bit extra. It's a Bluetooth device, so you'll need to pair it with your iPhone on first use. Once connected it will act as a handsfree kit with an onboard speaker, as well as giving commands using this speaker, rather than the iPhone's built-in one.

The results are much louder audio commands whilst you are driving, with the added advantage of being able to take calls whilst motoring. Incoming calls break through the TomTom app, although unfortunately they don't appear in landscape if that is how you happen to be using the phone.

There is also a rocker switch which can change the volume, although once your iPhone is mounted, it's tucked around the back and not within safe reach to use whilst driving.

The Car Kit is hiding another secret, which is its own SiRFstar III GPS receiver chipset, so you don't have to rely on the one built-in to the phone. This is designed to boost the performance and help clear up troubles encountered in built-up areas. This it certainly did in our tests, however performance will depend on a number of real world factors as it will with all satnav devices.

We found that it noticeably boosted the GPS reception staying in touch whilst in multi-storey car parks and the like, making it a much more seamless experience, avoiding the "Poor GPS reception" notification.

As the Car Kit contains these elements that need power, you'll have to plug it in to benefit from them. A Mini-USB on the bottom of the cradle arm connects to a 12V power supply in your car, cable provided. This sits next to a 3.5mm audio out jack, so you can connect to a car stereo, if you have a 3.5mm input that is. Unfortunately the Mini-USB only provides power and you can't use it to connect to any other devices, i.e., you can't sync or get access to your music through it.

Once connected you have the added benefit of your iPhone being connected to the power all the time, so you aren't depending on the iPhone's battery to run the show. Whether you are using the TomTom application or not doesn't matter, you still get a decent mount and charge for your phone.

Verdict

Overall it is difficult to fault the TomTom Car Kit for iPhone on anything other than price. The TomTom application for iPhone is good too, except that it does come in rather too expensive. Once you've paid for the TomTom mount and the application, you feasibility could have purchased a standalone unit, so don't think that adding TomTom to your iPhone is a way to save money.

For those that must follow through with convergence, this does its part to overcome the GPS reception and small speaker problems that you encounter without it. But once you've parted with the cash, we'd have rather bought an independent TomTom unit with greater functionality.

Read our TomTom for iPhone review here.

Full tags

Car And GPS, GPS, TomTom, TomTom Car Kit, TomTom for iPhone, iPhone, iPhone accessories, Apple, Mobile phone accessories

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Amazon.co.uk, play.com, pixmania.co.uk, Currys.co.uk, Dixons.co.uk, 7dayshop.com, ebay.co.uk

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Comments

Being an iphone owner thou like myself I'd rather have the iphone providing the navigation other than a standalone because:
- one physical device
- provides handsfree
- provides stereo integration
- charges the iphone
- etc

And I haven't even got one yet:( Posted by Neil Taylor, New Zealand
I have the tomtom app, I have a holder that cost £20, I also have a Sony car stereo with a USB input and 3.5mm audio in which cost £50 (last years model on eBay).
I can:
charge my phone, in combination with a cable with a mic I can use it as hands free integrated with my stereo.

I haven't had much trouble with the GPS reception, it gets a bit confused occasionally but it's okay because I can read a map! Posted by Kieran, UK
Got one for Christmas.

Love it. Excellent quality. Extra features make it well worthwhile. Have been looking for a dash mount for some time. Everything considered, there wasn't one that had all the features of the TomTom car kit minus the GPS chip that I saw worthwhile, especially quality, and they cost in the neighbourhood of $80.

This kit is well worth the price. If you already have a stand-alone GPS, it is another matter.

However, considering that the TomTom app can be loaded on every iPhone and iPod touch (model considered) in the family, on our 4 devices it really only cost $17.50 each. Noted that at this writing, the TomTom US/Canada app is on sale for $69.99. and the US only map app is just $49.99.

I was also considering Magellan's but my beautiful sister-in-law's Christmas gift choice negated the idea completely.

Now I am waiting for the new 'Apple' iSlate. At the rumoured 7" or 10" screen and the fact that all iPhone apps will be able to run on them, all I can say is. "WOW." Posted by DanielMD, Canada
Even though the official line is that the iPod Touch will not work with the iPhone car kit, and you should buy the iPod touch model, will it work? I can't see why not.

I know the touch is slightly shorter and thinner but if plugged in to the car kit with the app running, will it all communicate and give gps to the Touch?

Question aimed at DanielMD as he mentions something to the affect that he is using one of the families devices (maybe a touch) as well as his iPhone.

I have an iPhone, my wife has iPod Touch, don't want to buy to different mounts for obvious reasons. I can see why you wouldn't buy the touch mount and try to fit the iPhone in (+ lack of bluetooth et) BUT surely we can buy the iPhone mount and somehow make the touch work with it???? Anyone done this? Posted by Joe, UK
I'm also interested in knowing if the iphone tom tom carkit will work with the ipod touch?

From reading other posts sounds like a physical issue and if you use a different case it will work. Have iphone and am just about to get ipod touch for other family member and assumed I could use the same carkit.
Posted by Bec, australia
I completely agree with Neil, the sheer convenience of having your GPS, within a device that most people have with them whenever they are out is priceless. Sure i could have bought a standalone for the same price, however the fact that it works as a hands free device, a charger, and increases your GPS signal is well worth the money.

Also the stand is compact enough to fit in your glove box, eliminating the fact that it could be stolen if left on your dash or attached to your window. Also there is no worry about leaving your GPS in your car, or forgetting it, or even needing it unexpectedly.

Bec, they make a kit for the iPod touch and one for the iPhone, the difference being the thickness which the clip on the mount holds. Posted by David, U.S.A.
Surely its cheaper to have a dedicated tomtom for the car? I've got the app on my touch, what a waste, poor gps reception all the time and why should I pay another £70-£100 for a cradle that will make it work? why don't tomtom just sell the app with the craddle? its going to cost me around £140 to get my ipod working properly! I can by a tomtom one for less than £100! THANKS FOR RIPPING ME OFF! Posted by Stewart, UK