TomTom ONE XL – For easy navigation

Category: Review on TomTom ONE XL Regional GPS

Posted by: 7-May

Strengths: Superb navigation features, wider screen display, optional traffic receiver connectivity

Weaknesses: Connector slots at the bottom is a little inconvenient for mounting in a car, absence of Bluetooth for hands-free calling, no text-to-speech for street names, short battery life

The Tom Tom ONE XL regional GPS has a 4.3-inch wide screen display, which is a full inch larger than the Tom Tom One. With this big, bright display, one can easily view maps and text clearly even in bright light. The touch screen facility and the user-friendly interface make Tom Tom ONE XL easy to operate.

The Tom Tom One XL inherits all of the great navigation features of the Tom Tom One which includes routing, detour and the itinerary functions. So, if you have already used Tom Tom One, you will not find it difficult to use the new version. One major inconvenience is that majority of the connectors like the SD card slot and the USB/power connector are placed at the bottom of the product. This makes it difficult to access these connectors when the Tom Tom ONE XL is mounted on a car’s windshield.

There is the option of attaching an optional traffic receiver to the Tom Tom ONE XL. This is a very convenient feature which helps avoid getting stuck in the traffic but the traffic receiver and the traffic subscription has to be brought separately. This unit only has the port where the receiver can be connected. The integrated Bluetooth will help get real time updates, but unfortunately it is not for handsfree calling. Similarly, the absence of the text-to-speech for street is another major disappointment.

Due to a short battery life of just two hours, it can’t be used outside a car in pedestrian mode for a long time.