TomTom ONE 130S Car GPS Receiver; Now I Know Exactly How To Get To THERE!!!

I now own the TomTom ONE 130-s Car GPS receiver. It took a while for me to get one even though I was intrigued by them ever since they were first introduced to the market place many years ago.

I also happened to travel a good deal with my business and would have found the devices very useful. One problem though, the prices were prohibitive to what I was willing to spend. I have used GPS devices a few times when in a rental car and also when traveling with others who had them. I liked the idea and wanted one for quite a while.

Money Talks

All changed when prices on these devices started to drop. Somewhat similar units selling five years ago were listing at $600 and $700. As a gift my family gave me one, the TomTom One 130S Car GPS receiver. Before opening it I checked out a few reviews here and elsewhere. It had a three and a half star rating here and somewhat the same in other places. I was quite concerned when I read it was difficult to hear due to a low volume. I have some trouble hearing already. To find out the volume wasn't good made it tough decision on whether to open it or not. The other info I read about the gadget all sounded OK especially one fellow who was kinda shoutin' out, There's nothing wrong with the volume. Interesting that was in response to other writers. On this site some members might have down rated him for being so blatant. For me this guy sold me enough for me to take a chance, and I'm glad he did.

Getting Set

I opened the package, read some of the instructions in the little green book and placed it in my car to charge.

The unit came with a USB cable, a mounting system, and a car charger. The small 3 1/2" TomTom One had a protective paper over the screen. The size is fine too. I am used to watching big screen movies on my iPod so using this wasn't much of a challange.

The price of $200 my wife paid seemed reasonable for what this GPS offered. Once charged I pressed the ONbutton. A window opened and I was prompted through a series of easy set up questions asking for language, left or right hand use, home address, which voice, male or female to be heard, (if I wanted a voice at all). I am kinda expecting my wife to give me direction all the time so I stayed with the female voice. I found the higher voice was more into my hearing range and I hear her fine. I also like being able to talk back to her without any response back. "I got the power!"

Though the window is small my fattish fingers were easily able to navigate the small boxes for numbers and letters on the screen for writing street addresses. I liked that the computer in this thing is intuitive, When I start writing a street address it starts showing like-lettered streets in the town. It is very rare that I have to type on all the letters.

My Experience

After the basic set-up that was easy. Please know I am not a geek when it comes to this stuff but the intuitive structure made this thing a snap to get goin'. The first thing in driving after having a home and starting point I set for a destination. That is easy as I stated. A Driving View is then presented on the screen. It's bright and easy to read. Seeing street names make the navigation better for me. On the border are some informative facts like current position, distance to be traveled, the time and how long it will take to get to the destination.

I have taken "wrong" turns at times when stopping at a store or whatever. It seems to take the GPS about ten seconds or so to recalculate giving optional directions. It doesn't say I made a wrong turn, unlike my wife. It simply gives direction to destination again.

I pumped the volume onto high. Even if it were very loud, I would still pump it up. Perhaps that's why I'm goin' deaf. Navigation instructions using arrows and distances keep me following the guide. It's so easy!

There's another bar on the side that shows traffic problems and gives options to the driver if wanted. The GPS signal strength is also on easy to see. On Long Island I have not has a loss yet. I still have not done out of town driving but will update when I do.

The booklet suggests plugging into my computer often to get the latest updates. I have. The initial hook-up had the information from the device installed immediately after that I just plug it in and all is done. I have not had to use the Help Me function that gets emergency service centers and other special services.

What I really like is getting a heads up about traffic problems miles ahead and how long it would set me back. The GPS also gives alternative routes that are easy to follow. It's also cool to get gas prices but I have to plug this into my computer daily for current updates the way gas prices fluctuate so much these days. I don't update often though. I will do so when I know I'm off into uncharted grounds away from home.

Last Thoughts

The TomTom ONE 130s GPS is priced right and was easy to set up. The window is bright and I can both see and hear this gadget well. The TomTom has all the bells and whistles I want plus many I haven't and may never use. I like the turn by turn navigation using stree names anywhere in the US and Canada. I also like the small size that easily fits in my pocket if going inside.

It's been reliable and listening to the gal tell me where and when to turn gives me the feeling I have my wife next to me telling me what to do. After knowing each other and driving with her next to me for 42 years, I'm used to it.