TomTom XL 340M LIVE 4.3-Inch Portable GPS Navigator (Lifetime Maps Edition)
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The TomTom XL 340M LIVE is complete widescreen navigation featuring lifetime map updates and so much more. Real-time information saves you time, money and stress. The TomTom XL 340M LIVE automatically accesses live traffic feeds, updated fuel prices, local search powered by Google, weather and more so you can stay in the know on the go. Real-time LIVE services work right out of the box via a built-in, wireless data connection (includes 3 months of service). With lifetime map updates, you’ll always drive with the latest and most accurate maps. On average, 15% of the road network changes each year, so it’s important to have the most up-to-date maps. Outsmart road changes and stay current with the XL 340M LIVE. Spoken turn-by-turn instructions, including street names, will guide you to any address in the US, Canada and Mexico—including more than 7 million preloaded points of interest.
Features
- Includes three months of LIVE Services–TomTom Traffic, Fuel Prices, Local Search powered by Google, Weather, Safety Camera Alerts
- Preloaded with maps of the US, Canada and Mexico with Lifetime Map Updates
- Preloaded with more than 7 million points of interest in over 60 destination categories–gas stations, restaurants, hotels, ATMs and more
- IQ Routes Technology calculates the fastest route possible based on time of day, saving you time, fuel and money
- Advanced Lane Guidance indicates exactly which lane to use, so you can go confidently
- Dimensions (W x H x L): 5 x 3 x 1 inches
- Weight: 0 pounds
Great GPS hampered by TomTom Home software
I bought this GPS (XL340TM Live) for two features:
1) IQ Routes
2) MapShare corrections
The GPS itself is great, but the TomTom Home software was unable to download the Latest Map Guarantee (the GPS was new and not refurbished) and neither was it able to accept and process the lifetime maps activation.
Several calls to TomTom tech support were unable to fix the problems with this unit. The TomTom tech support was polite, responsive but not very useful.
I ended up returning the unit and purchasing an XL350TM for $20 less. That unit was able to get updated maps and lifetime map code also worked.
The LIVE service is SLOW and with the lifetime traffic and my iPhone, it is quite useless.
TomTom no match for Garmin Nuvi
This is my second GPS (third if you include the Garmin Forerunner 305 GPS Receiver With Heart Rate Monitor). I compared this review unit with a Garmin nüvi 855 4.3-Inch Widescreen Portable GPS Navigator with Speech Recognition that I purchased earlier in the year.
I ran around town with both the TomTom and Garmin giving me maps and directions, and found the TomTom’s timing and prompts much less useful than the Garmin’s. The maps had much less detail – the Garmin shows bodies of water, side roads, etc., none of which appeared on the TomTom. The icons to locate nearby services were not easily discerned while driving. The menus and functionality were awkward.
I was not able to test the traffic feed, as my city is too small, so will have to post more on that after my son in Los Angeles tests that out later.
For many things, the weaknesses of the TomTom are addressed by the Garmin, but the weaknesses of the Garmin (and there are some) are addressed by the TomTom. But, overall, for maps, POIs, navigation, voice prompt quality, easy of use, total number of features, features of the web site for updates and interface with Google maps, etc., I think one would do better looking at the Garmin line, even with its faults.
Posting some photos comparing the two units.
Garmin is sadly better
I was debating on getting this because there are so many options but the reviews led me to tom tom. after using it for a few months the tom tom is nice and easy however searching locations is troublesome. Because the touch screen needs work. It is more like a palm pilot touch screen then an ipod. I used my step dad’s garmin nuvi and it was much easier and much better because it searches locations as you write so it is much easier. the touch screen is much more responsive. If you are iffy get Garmin.
Suction Cup + Warranty is the only flaw
I loved my TomTom initially. The problem I encountered was ultimately with the warranty & the suction cup. After a few months, the suction cup failed, the device fell and the screen cracked. The touch-screen no longer worked with a large crack in it, so I called TomTom since I thought it would be under warranty.
Their customer service is poor when it comes to questions regarding warranties. I spoke to a handful of people and they kept repeating the same thing “I can’t help you, the screen is not under warranty.” It’s an awful policy to have the only fragile exterior portion of the device not under warranty. I tried to explain, that my real issue was with the suction cup and the crack in the screen was just a side-effect of a failing suction cup, but they wouldn’t help. “I can’t help you, the screen is not under warranty” made up 75% of the sentences that they used when talking to me.
I don’t know how their competitors are, but if I decide to buy another GPS, I am going to stay away from TomTom. The internal parts are good, but the external hardware is a joke and the fragility of the device, coupled with a poor suction cup, and a warranty that doesn’t protect the consumer very well made me want to share my story.
Very good GPS for the price.
I had a Garmin. I happily gave it up for this simple TomTom GPS. I live in New York City and very much appreciate the IQ Routes (especially going through Brooklyn), Lifetime traffic (no added fees) and Lifetime map updates (again no added fees). The destination time accuracy is almost always on the mark. That is the most important aspect for me.
Some things I don’t like are: the touch screen (feels flimsy and sometimes hard to input data), the low memory (huge flaw but I guess that’s why it is priced the way it is), the lag in pulling up trip map details, unable to build multiple stop route with final destination time calculation (i.e. it can do an itinerary but will not calculate whole trip time, just each leg at a time), and unable to see new alternate routes before agreeing to be rerouted on them. I am sure there are more but they are small.
Overall the GPS gets me where I need to go and I usually trust the fastest routes, unlike my old Garmin. I highly recommend for those in New York City who are on a budget.
Generally, it is a good choice.
When I was in NYC and Washington DC, it seemed not very easy to navigate when walking. Sometimes, I cannot even get signal when I really need to use it. However, when drive the car with it, it works awesome.
Easy to Use and inexpensive.
I travel to various regions of the country (US) and normally rent a gps through the rental car company. Rencently though I bought a TomTom XL 340TM 4.3-Inch Portable GPS.
It was inexpensive so I was somewhat pensive on its ability to be an effective navigation device. Here are some thoughts on the device:
Pros
-The unit is fairly intuitive from entering and address to reading the display information to changing volume.
-Volume control is speed sensitive so when you enter a freeway the volume increases accordingly
-The Advanced Lane Guidance feature makes it easy to determine exits off of freeways. The proper exit is shown with green arrows on the screen so if there are multiple lane exits you have ample time to merge
-On the top right of the screen it shows you the next intersection that coincides with your exit/turn and displays it in miles and minutes.
-On the bottom of the screen a display shows you how many miles and how much time you have left in your trip
-Your speed limit and the posted speed limit is shown on the right/bottom of screen
-Voice controls are clear and give you ample time prior to a lane/change or turn.
-Adding an itinerary was easy once I understood how to add waypoints to make the most efficient trip possible. This took me about 10 minutes of playing with the device but was easy to do once the process was understood.
-When searching for an address, you can click on the “State” Icons and choose which state where your destination is to help search for the city faster.
-Traffic Delays were nice to have and were fairly accurate when I was driving in the DC/Virginia/MD areas
-The 4.3″ screen display was ample in terms of size and readability
-The Fold & Go EasyPort Mount was simple to use and easy to attach to the windshield.
Cons
-Volume control, although intuitive can be a little touchy when increasing or decreasing the volume.
-Touchscreen is sometimes not super responsive
Overall, this was a great unit and I highly recommend it!
Works great, but touch screen sensitivity and speed a little lacking
Have owned TomTom GPS in some form or another since 2003. I bought the software to install on my Windows PDS and my wife’s Palm PDA. I bought the GPS mice separately and it worked great. One Christmas my wife bought me a TomTom One basic model after my GPS mouse got a broken USB connector. Routing was great, as time went on the Maps got old. I got to be a hassle to shuffle it back and forth between both vehicles. Still use it today. The new one was purchased on a deal of the day. Great Price and reviews mentioned people having issues with updating the maps and running out of space on the device. Simply deleting a few unused voices and then updating was the fix.
My main problems are the touch screen and processor speed. It is slow in responding compared to my past version. You really need to press and wait for the input to take. Also the zoom in and out on the map is real slow if there is a lot of detail. So if you are trying to look around the map by moving the center point and zooming in and out a bunch, you will be annoyed. Great price, but beware the limited processor speed.
Would I do it all again….YEAH. It works great. The new features are awesome.
Buggy software makes Live features unreliable
TomTom offers a free trial of its Live cellular feature. In the week I owned this unit, I got Live to work half-a-dozen times, getting server connection and other error messages during most other attempts. TomTom’s support was unhelpful in resolving the issue.
Disappointingly, the Live feature does not work out of the box. To get the unit to connect at all to TomTom’s cellular server, I had to install TomTom’s Home application on my computer and upgrade the unit’s firmware. Prior to buying the unit, I learned of the problem with bricked units caused by map upgrades during software installations, and was able to avoid this issue during my first firmware upgrade of the unit.
Once the unit was upgraded, the Live traffic and Google search services worked about half the time. When they didn’t work, I would usually get an error message stating that my free trial had run out and I needed to reinstate my account by purchasing a Live account renewal. Other times the unit simply couldn’t connect to the server even though I was attempting a connection from the middle of the LA Basin. A hard reset of the unit would always correct this issue, but it would inevitably reoccur.
To attempt to make the spotty Live service more reliable, I upgraded the Home app software and again upgraded the unit’s firmware. This led to the unit permanently refusing to make a connection to the Live server. I could have monkeyed more with TomTom’s support at this point, but I gave up and sent the unit back.
When the traffic service worked, it was much more detailed than what is provided on units with FM traffic receivers. I could not get the Live service to work enough to judge whether the traffic information was more reliable than FM traffic. The Google search feature also resulted in more detailed search results than a typical unit-based directory, but it did suffer from some of the typical issues that online Google searches suffer from. Several restaurants in my area that closed six months to a year ago still came up on searches.
I might have gotten a bad unit, but given that the connection errors correlated with firmware changes, I doubt it. If you have the patience to spend at least two hours with TomTom’s support, you may get the Live service to work reliably.
In my experience, the GPS guidance on Garmin units seems to be a little more intuitive than on TomTom units. This TomTom unit did not change that experience. This unit had fewer streets with identified speed limits than my older Garmin unit. POI and address entry were slightly more cumbersome on this unit as well.
Panicked in the beginning, happy at the end
There are many mixed reviews about this product. Still, none fit my experience. Yes, initially there is not enough space for the US, Canada and Mexico map. There are partial parts of the map in the GPS that should not be there taking up 300 mb roughly. I also got NO MAPS FOUND. There is no need to worry with the message. I called Tom Tom and they instructed me to delete the partial files of the map (I cant remember exactly what they are called but I believe there are 2 of them in my documents and somewhere else on the computer-I’m not good with computers). Basicly you have to remove chopped up pieces of map and install US, Canada and Mexico when space is freed up. When the space is freed up the Us, Canada and Mexico map may not be in TOMTOM HOME. In that case, go to Tools, then Use latest map guarantee and you will get the map back. That is for Internet Explorer. TOM TOM HOME is compatible with mac but you have to download it off the internet. My GPS went from what I believed to be useless to be up and running. I did not back up the unneeded voices so I am stuck with Bonnie and Susan. It is definately true that you have to remove unneeded voices and languages but you should save them because by taking off the 300 mb off chopped up maps and installing the US, Canada and Mexico map you will have around 200 mb left. the GPS is worth it for sure, just be ready to run into issues getting it to start. Contrary to popular belief you don’t have to use it right out of the box but USA basic is Okay if you want to not deal with the memory complication.
Great product
This is my first GPS, I shoped for months to find the right GPS for me and for a great price. This product is great and for a great price. I would buy another, if I need to in the future.
Very good maps and live traffic
I’ve only been using this TomTom GPS for about a month but so far, I’ve found a lot to like.
The best feature of course is are the maps and directions right and so far, it’s been dead on every time. I haven’t had a chance to take it on a long out of state trip, but in the city and the surrounding area it’s done well.
I like its turn by turn direction style, especially for giving directions when 2 turns come close together. If you’ve got 2 turns to make it tells you “right turn, followed by a left turn.” I’ve used another brand GPS that didn’t have the sensibility for letting you know what’s coming.
I like its ability to use Google to search for something and the address to go to. That’s another feature that wasn’t on the other GPS I’ve tried recently and I used it almost immediately to get the address and right directions to something an hour away.
The other strong feature is the built in live traffic data. The first time I used it, it save me 10 minutes driving across town keeping me off of a highway construction zone and staying on local streets to get their. Coupled with that, it does a good job predicting what time you’ll arrive and if you put in a needed arrival time, showing if you are ahead of schedule.
While there are bigger screen GPSs, I think this is just about the right size for an average to moderately large vehicle. I’ve got it in my Nissan Pathfinder (a mid-size SUV) and it’s perfectly readable up by the rear-view. I think it would work fine in the lower window corner or on the dash too, whatever your preference.
Lifetime maps: absolutely a great feature. My other GPS wants me to pay for map updates after the first few months. Thank you TomTom.
My slight drawbacks for it so far:
It’s a little slow responding to touches sometimes. I’ll touch it 2-3 times thinking I missed then it tries to use all 3 touches and I end up in the wrong space.
Even though it’s about the same size as a typical touchscreen phone, don’t think it’s as easy to touch and use. First, the screen doesn’t seem as sensitive and accurate as my phone screen. second, you’d hold your phone in one hand and touch with the other and for some reason, I think that’s just easier to get the touch right than reaching out at arms length to touch a GPS screen.
As much as a like the traffic data, I don’t know where it comes from or if there are restrictions on when it works. I was on the highway one day last week and it showed clear sailing, “green” full speed and I came up on a perfectly stopped traffic jam behind an accident. The accident had to have been 15-30 minutes old at least because it was in cleanup mode with the wrecker pulling up to the car to remove it and yet the traffic data showed I should have been able to drive 55. I don’t know if this is a TomTom issue or a problem with the data source but it does bring into question the value of paying to get live traffic data.
Based on that, I don’t know if I’ll “upgrade” and purchase the traffic data subscription once the first few months trial runs out. Hard to know if for casual use it’s worth it or for hardcore use, it’s reliable enough.
All in all, I’d recommend this and think it’s a well above average GPS navigation choice.
Tom Tom XL340 excels at almost every area
the GREAT
This was my fifth GPS, all of the previous ones (two Garmins, a Magellan and an off-brands) were either horrible, or in the case of the Garmin i5 worked well until destructing after a couple of years). As the title says, I am a huge fan. I bought this through Amazon.com for about $110 which I thought was very reasonable. The major problems I had with the other GPS units were that occasionally the directions they gave were just weird, meaning that when I wasn’t familiar with the area, I had zero confidence in the routing. This Tom Tom is exceptional in its routing based on my limited (three week) ownership. Additionally, when selecting an address it goes in the much more logical sequence than my last one of “city”, “street” and then “number”. Additionally, it starts with good choices based either on previous selections or current location of what will be entered, saving typing time. Also, “Tom’s” voice is clear, loud enough, and the directions are clear, and well thought out to give adequate notice. The screen is large enough so that the route is easy to see, and the lane assist is pretty good. The mount for the car, unlike any of the other units I’ve owned, stays firmly attached so the unit is not always dropping onto the floor or dashboard, or on a spillable drink. However, it is also easily detached. The on/off button is flush-mounted on the top, so it is reasonably attractive and difficult to hit by mistake. The unit boots up quickly, however, sometimes if it is turned on when driving it can take a couple of minutes to find a satellite signal. This unit does not come with traffic conditions without a separate subscription, however, my experiences with my last unit which had the traffic updates was that they were never current, so I will count on the radio for that part. The unit has a nice way to select the option of detouring around any specific turn in the route which is very nice.
the GOOD This unit features access to IQ routes, so your unit can take advantage of updates entered by other users – I don’t have much experience with this but it sounds good. The battery of the unit is decent (about 4 hours) and it is therefore usable as a carry along to help with walking or bicycling directions (The selection for bike route or walking route is under Planning Preferences.)
The Not So Good
It seems to be pretty good about not losing signal, but when it does lose signal it acts punch drunk with routiung – good to keep in mind. The manual is very limited to basically just how to get started, and does OK with that. Tom Tom’s customer service on the phone, based on my two experiences, is barely adequate. Fortunately, the quality of the unit means that it isn’t necessary to rely on them that often.
Good product, but could be better
This unit was a replacement for my Garmin nuvi 200, and as such is a major upgrade. The updated, and freely updatable maps are the biggest improvement. I have found these maps to be quite accurate. The unit also has a lot more little features and ways to put things on maps such as gas stations. However, like the nuvi, the Tom Tom is far weaker than Google maps on my iPhone 3GS in terms of finding nearby places.
The biggest downside was relative ease of use. Much of this I recognize is due to being accustomed to a Garmin, but the relative lack of screen brightness (even at maximum setting) and thinner map lines reduce readability compared to the the physically much smaller nuvi 200.
Other discontents are a much fancier mount that is in practice harder to move around and gives worse haptics to the unit than the much simpler nuvi mount. I also liked that my nuvi turned on and off automatically when I started and stopped my engine. The Tom Tom can be set to turn off with loss of power, but not automatically turned on.
INACURATE AND BIG MISTAKE
I purchased this product because it was supposed to have lifetime maps and traffic updates. I eagarly set it up to go home from the store, just to check it out. Imagine my surprise when I discovered that not only did it not know about an accident enroute, but it was giving me directions to turn onto a road that has been blocked for months, then recalculated to try to tell me turn onto one non-existant street, and another that was dead end! As though this was not enough, it prompted me to PASS my own road and continue to the next to take me a round-about way home!
As though this were not bad enough, I tried to program it for two out-of-state addresses which did not exist on TomTom’s maps.
The directions that come with this device are nothing better than an overview of the product, with no real instructions.
The next day I went to work early to try to update the maps and get as much in-depth info as to its workings, but was unable to download anything to the unit. This was because my company does not allow downloads to its equipment, and not the fault of TomTom. However, when I called the company to find out if there were some way to download the the unit itself, they told me it could not be done, and as I don’t have any friends with PC’s, the representitive told me it did not matter, as the maps in the unit should be sufficent for years to come. I explained my experiences, and could almost hear the shrug on the other end of the phone just as he hung up.
So now I will have to return the unit whick issubject to a 15% restocking fee (just to keep freeloaders from using it for a trip and returning it), but to me it is worth the loss. I am going to buy a Garmin through AMAZON based to the reviews. Also, I wish I had read the other reviews on AMAZON, as I might have avoided this costly mistake.
This unit is at best just a basic GPS, at worst a piece of junk.
Tom Tom GPS
I got exactly what i thought I would and my boyfriend loved it. anything below a 4 star is because I dont know as it was a gift for my boyfriend and I do not drive so he is the only one who uses it.
Good GPS with lousy mount
I am the owner of a couple of Garmins that have been used for several years. Therefore, getting the TomTom was a bit of a culture shock. The thing loads maps differently and instead of “recalculating” it uses “replanning”. I took a long time to figure out the differences in saving favorites and so forth. That said, the unit works well. I took it with me on a business trip to Houston and it got me everywhere I needed to go reliably. The only real negative I have about it is the mount. My Garmin uses a dash bean-bag type mount. This thing must be suction-cupped to the windshield. For the most part that worked, but it did pop off a couple of times. And in the 90+ degree heat in Houston, being left in the car for a couple of hours, it was hotter than Hades to touch. I started removing it every time I parked somewhere just to avoid the heat factor.
Now I’m going to give it over to the husband for his car and I’m keeping my comfy Garmin. But it is a good unit and I would recommend it.
TomTom XL 340-S
This is the 2nd GPS I have owned. My first one was a Garmin that I bought 6 years ago for twice the price of the TomTom.
I am on the road constantly and use a GPS almost daily.
The TomTom has all of the features that the Garmin had and more. It displays all of the pertinent info on the display at the same time. The display is usually easy to see but when the sun is shining on the screen it is tough to make out the images (I guess this is true for all GPS units).
Just for fun I downloaded the Homer Simpson voice and am still using it. I thought that it may get a little annoying over time but I am still enjoying it after 1 month.
I highly recommend this GPS Unit!
Good GPS if you do what is suggested
I have had this GPS over 6 months. If you remove some of the voices it will update fine. It does not always know the tricks around where I live, but is great when I travel. I plan on buying one or similiar for my college freshman son for Christmas.
It Does the Job But Better Options Are Available
The unit is small and compact. The screen resolution is good. The GPS picks up well. I was able to just turn it on and use it without reading a manual. But the touch screen sometimes responded and other times did not. I found I had to touch it pretty hard. The unit was accurate — about like other GPS units I have used. I own a Garmin that tells me not only to turn left or right but announces the name of the street on which I am to turn. I like this a lot so I can be sure I am getting on the right road without taking my eyes off the road. The Tom Tom doesn’t do this. The Tom Tom has lots of points of interest and seemed accurate within 100 feet. I prefer the Garmin way of doing things. To me it is more intuitive.