TomTom puts drivers in control of their journey with ‘connected’ TomTom GO x40 LIVE series

New navigation devices offer dynamic route guidance, real-time traffic, fuel price search, mobile safety camera alerts – plus free fuel card

29 October 2008 – TomTom, the world’s leading navigation solutions provider, has announced the UK launch of the TomTom GO x40 LIVE series – three high performance, connected satellite navigation devices with a package of ‘over-the-air’ live services that are set to take the chaos out of everyday motoring and change the driving experience forever.

Aimed at high mileage and daily drivers, the TomTom GO 940 LIVE, TomTom GO 740 LIVE and TomTom GO 540 LIVE come with a new and extended version of TomTom’s innovative IQ Routes™ technology, which is now based on historical travel time information for every road, every hour, every day of the week.

Furthermore, the devices deliver smart, dynamic navigation and route guidance that continuously adapts to changing road conditions, always giving drivers the fastest route to a destination. The products also offer enhanced advanced lane guidance as well as full voice control.

Products and pricing

TomTom GO 940 LIVE (European + US maps) with £50 fuel card - £449.99
TomTom GO 740 LIVE (32 European maps) with £40 fuel card - £349.99
TomTom GO 540 LIVE (UK/Ireland maps) with £30 fuel card - £299.99

Three months LIVE Services trial included, £7.99 per month thereafter.

Andrzej Kasprzyk, senior vice president sales, UK and Ireland, TomTom, said, “We believe the introduction of the TomTom GO x40 LIVE will mean a dramatic change in the way navigation devices are used. As well as assisting drivers in getting to a destination in the fastest and most efficient way, the device will become a daily ‘driving companion’ that will keep the motorist informed of all the known factors that relate to, or could affect their route, and put them back in control of their journey.”

TomTom LIVE Services
The TomTom GO x40 LIVE series comes with a range of essential information services for motorists, delivered directly to the devices ‘over-the-air’ via a built-in SIM card:

TomTom High Definition Traffic™
According to recent research, 49% of Britons say that traffic jams are the most frustrating and stressful part of their day*. The TomTom GO x40 LIVE models automatically connect to TomTom’s exclusive High Definition (HD) Traffic service for the most accurate and detailed live traffic information, which is updated every three minutes. If the measured traffic conditions differ from the expected traffic flow, the TomTom GO x40 LIVE will automatically calculate a better, alternative route if one is available. The expected time of arrival will also be adjusted accordingly.

TomTom Safety Alerts with mobile camera data from Road Angel™
With an average of £60 in camera fines received per driver in the UK every year, accurate safety camera data is becoming more and more vital. As well as a comprehensive fixed safety camera database, users will have access to the most accurate mobile camera data, supplied in partnership with Road Angel (UK only). In addition, the service will include real-time safety camera reporting and sharing, meaning users can keep each other informed about mobile safety cameras. Drivers will also receive warnings about unmanned railway crossings, schools, places of worship, and other potential accident blackspots.

TomTom Fuel Price Search
With 66% of Britons concerned about the cost of fuel more than any other modern-day issue, including the failing economy and knife crime*, TomTom has included one of the most useful features for drivers today – a fuel price search to allow users to locate up-to-date pricing information from 12,000 fuel stations across the UK, and guide them to the cheapest fuel stations along their route or in their local area. TomTom has calculated that high mileage drivers can save up to £250 per year in fuel costs using this service**. As well as saving money with the Fuel Price Search function, TomTom customers in the UK will also benefit from a free fuel card included with each purchase.

Local Search with Google
Google Search gives TomTom users access to information and location details of more than 11 million businesses and turns search results into a destination with the press of a button. Results show the location name, a user-generated rating (if available) and phone number, so drivers can call ahead to book a restaurant or hotel of their choice, for example.

TomTom Weather
The TomTom GO x40 LIVE devices also provide five-day weather reports in the local area, or for the chosen destination, allowing users to plan their journey according to road conditions.

TomTom QuickGPSFix
Allows drivers to begin their journey immediately, by locating satellite information – now updated ‘live’, rather than via TomTom HOME.

TomTom Buddies
With Buddies, drivers can link their TomTom device to those of their friends so they can locate each other on the map, share favourite locations, as well as exchanging and sharing location information and messages.

Additional features
Updated design and user interface
The new TomTom GO x40 LIVE series has a new, streamlined body and a newly-designed user interface with optimised icons for even easier navigation through the device menu.

Voice command and control
With safety in mind, the TomTom GO LIVE series features voice command and control in addition to existing safety options. For the first time, users can plan a route or make a phone call just by using their voice. Around 140 tasks can be activated by voice, so drivers can keep their eyes focused on the road ahead.

Even more benefits
All products come with TomTom’s wide range of award-winning navigation features, including TomTom Map Share - TomTom’s unique map improvement technology, as well as enhanced advanced lane guidance with more detailed instructions, and an Active Dock including a system connector, for semi-integration into the car, while ensuring easy docking and charging.

The TomTom GO x40 LIVE series also comes with a full range of accessories to match the design and finish of the new range.

Availability and pricing
TomTom GO x40 LIVE will be available from leading electrical retailers in the UK from mid November 2008, starting from £299.99. A free three month trial period for TomTom LIVE Services is included. Following this, users can register for a monthly, flat-fee subscription of £7.99 with no hidden costs, so they can continue to receive all LIVE Services directly to their device. Each device also comes with a free fuel card to the value of £30 (GO 540 LIVE), £40 (GO 740 LIVE) and £50 (GO 940 LIVE) while stocks last.

Finally a date!!! Thanks for the info Darren!

The full press release is provided here:

Is there any reason why the press release says mid november for release as opposed to this weekend you stated?

Will the new services be available to owners of x20 and x30 devices if they purchase the HD Traffic module as a new accessory?

The surprising omissions on the x40 range are the .mp3 player functionality and the FM Transmitter, both reserved for 940 only.

I will need to seek clarification on the mount as a technical spreadsheet suggest all models get only the basic mount in the box. I was under the impression the 940 would have the full function mount. This has line out/headphone and iPod connectivity port.

Also it is worth pointing out the the LIVE services will function ONLY in the country of purchase. There is no roaming agreement so they will not function if you venture outside the UK.

Darren Griffin

The 940 price of £450 is nearly half the cost of a years worth of fuel for most people.

edit; it was reported to be £550 on The Register this morning.

Most people use less than that so their target audience must be very small. So is the X30 series discontinued now?

It's definitely a step backwards to take away the FM transmitter and MP3 functionality. These were features I used on the 530 and quite liked. I was able to simply bluetooth podcasts and music from my phone to the 530 and have it on the car speakers. So a shame they have removed it, probably just to entice people to buy a 940. Instead I've just bought a new car cd player with USB input. So I've connected a 250GB hard drive with all my music. If I want to listen to something from my phone, I stick the memory card into a USB adapter and plug it in. It has an audio in at the front, which brings me to my question..

I liked the way I could have the instructions read out to me on the car speakers. Do you know if there is an audio out jack on the 540 active dock? Or is there a separate accessory for it?

I've noticed sites cropping up with the new press release, all of them stating mid november launch.. I guess tomtom should have fixed that before sending out the release! Hopefully retailers will be quick to stock the item and I can get my hand on it in time for the monday morning drive to work.

The device is definitely for the high mileage users as tomtom have said themselves. I personally spend do 100 to 150 miles a day all during rush hour which is why I'm so eager to get my hands on this..I had a 530T (returned it as soon as heard about the 540). It did certainly help me skip some traffic, but only if I forced it to avoid a route despite it recommending me to stay in traffic.

Through the trials you have done for the HD traffic, did you find the timings accurate for the delay? Did it re-route you more often than x30T? Does it notify of traffic one would already expect? For example a route I took would always be congested with a 15min delay. It was guaranteed to be everyday and the 530t never informed me once of a traffic report.. Does the x40 series overcome this and tell you of daily congested routes which are actually congested every working day?