Full FeedAppletell reviews TomTom’s car kit for iPhone
Provides: Enhanced iPhone viewing, audio, and GPS
Developer: TomTom
Minimum Requirements: iPhone 3G(S) and TomTom app
Price: $119.95
Availability: Now
TomTom might be the first and last name you think of when you consider guidance of the GPS sort, but is the TomTom car kit for iPhone—along with the TomTom app for iPhone—the holy grail of iPhone GPS navigation? I know you’re thinking the TomTom app with car kit for iPhone is overpriced, and honestly, I can’t blame you. But let me get to the review before you dismiss this combo as being too expensive, because there are at least a few reasons why the combination might not be so expensive after all.
I’ve reviewed the TomTom app for iPhone in the past, so I won’t repeat myself. Suffice it to say it’s a great navigation app, even though it’s been playing catch-up with Navigon ever since it was released. At the time of this writing, both apps have more or less the same set of features, but Navigon has real time traffic data for an extra $20. TomTom has IQ Routes, which are basically stereotypes for roads and traffic from past data, but it’s hard to beat real time data. But enough of this, let’s get to the car kit.
The car kit is a very nicely designed cradle. You can tell this is a quality product when you use it. The way the cradle clicks while rotating from portrait to landscape is satisfying. The bottom of the cradle has a iPhone docking cable which connects the dock’s speaker to the iPhone and allows the car charger to do it’s thing. On the left side there is a volume switch that obviously controls the speaker for TomTom’s voice guidance, but it also turns on the bluetooth speakerphone. That’s right, you might not have known that the car kit also has a built in microphone, and I’m happy to say it’s a good one. I was told numerous times that it was the best audio quality my iPhone has produced while using a speakerphone from any brand I’ve used. So, this is a very nice cradle, and I haven’t even gotten to the GPS.
The TomTom car kit for iPhone’s biggest appeal is supposed to be its enhanced GPS receiver. If you’ve used any of the iPhone GPS navigation apps, you might have noticed that the iPhone was never really fine tuned for this sort of use. Sure, it works fine, but the GPS reception could be better at times. Sometimes GPS apps will recalculate your route because it believes that you’ve mysteriously been transported from the highway to one of the nearby roads. Thankfully, this kit fixes that GPS jumpiness. I’m yet to have the TomTom app jump around while using the car kit, and this alone might make this purchase worthwhile for you.
Okay, so what do you get with the TomTom car kit? A car cradle, a speaker, a bluetooth speakerphone and enhanced GPS reception. Although you can’t buy all of these things separately, you could imagine they would be significantly more expensive than the TomTom car kit. But then again, to get full use out of the kit, you’ll need to have TomTom’s iPhone app, which isn’t exactly cheap. If you already have the app, I’d highly recommend you treat yourself to the cradle. If you have neither a cradle nor the app, you could do a lot worse than invest in both, but it’s quite a purchase at over $200. That’s why the TomTom car kit for iPhone (or iPod touch) gets a 4 out of 5, it’s simply a lot of money, though it comes with a lot of functionality.
Of note. There’s a special version of the TomTom car kit for iPod touch. Apparently the two versions are not the same and will not function correctly without the specified device. What’s odd is that the iPod touch version is cheaper, dropping in at $99. So for around $200, you can turn your iPod touch into a great GPS navigation system, among other things.
Appletell Rating:
Subscribe to keep up with the latest Apple news and rumors! - 
Subscribe to our feed
iPhone App Reviews
iPhone Apps. They were great when the App Store was first announced and we could all pick and chose what we wanted, but the number is now overwhelming. Here at Appletell, we'll detail the great iPhone apps we find, and steer you clear from those that aren't worth it even if they're free.
iPhone Game Reviews
As Apple turns the iPhone into one of the most popular gaming devices, the staff of Appletell--gamers and Apple fans alike--are here to help you get the most entertainment value out of your app store purchases.
Does this cradle support other GPS apps? Specifically NAVIGON?
on December 7, 2009 at 09:40 PM - LINKThis version only supports TomTom’s own app. Their iPod touch version is the same way. I have heard that TomTom was intending to support other apps with this, but I haven’t heard anything to that effect in a long time so I wouldn’t count on it. Magellan’s cradle is supposed to support more than just the Magellan app, but I’m yet to test the cradle or its ability with other apps.
on December 7, 2009 at 10:33 PM - LINKI have now used the TT car kit for a week or so, and it works very well.
My only disappointment, and I’m not over it yet, that that the hands-free function for phone usage requires that your iPhone is physically docked in the holder. Mind you, although instructions from navigation apps, from iPod music, and from other sources are channeled to the Tomtom car kit via the multi-jack on the holder, voice from your phone.app is not. The iPhone’s phone.app uses the car kit’s Bluetooth connection to stream your phone conversation to the speaker built into the car kit. Why i don’t know, but you pair the two units to get it to work.
Well, it would of course make sense to use Bluetooth if one could leave the phone in your pocket or bag, which is where it would end up staying 90% of your trips (when you don’t need GPS navigation aid—i.e., to-and-from work, grocery shopping, visit friends). But somehow, Tomtom, in yet to be understood Dutch wisdom, has decided that a physical mount of the iPhone with the car kit should be necessary.
Does this make sense? Jake, can you perhaps enlighten us on any rationale I fail to see?
I have asked Tomtom, who says that “unfortunately” un-docked use of the wireless Bluetooth is not possible. A Dutch oxymoron. I would think simple programming, not “fortune”, is the culprit.
on December 8, 2009 at 09:30 AM - LINKI believe Apple is to blame for the Phone.app’s inability to use the dock connection for audio out. As far as undocked Bluetooth use, that sounds like a programming issue. I’m not certain that it’s actually good for your car to leave the dock plugged in 24/7 but I would think this issue could be remedied in a future car kit firmware upgrade. Of course, I don’t work for TomTom so I can’t say for certain if they’ll address this in the future, but I’m fairly certain that they are able.
on December 8, 2009 at 09:52 AM - LINKThanks, Jake.
Since the power outlet in my car is “off” when there is no key in the ignition, power to the car kit would still only be when I’m driving; so not a strain I would argue. Yes, Tomtom should able to program un-docked Bluetooth capabilities either by software or firmware, so I’ll bugging them. You would think Tomtom have made firmware updating feasible via use of an iPhone app.
For me, the not-so-low price of the Tomtom car kit was justified by the hands-free capabilities (since my car’s built-in car radio is too old-school to allow for Bluetooth and other auxiliary input). But being required to dock, defeats the purpose of Bluetooth implementation.
(from Madrid, Spain)
on December 8, 2009 at 10:17 AM - LINK