Nuvi 360 (310) and TomtomONE review and comparison

[geemangps]

Hi all,

I've been reading these forums for a few months now, and I'm a recent GPS owner and new member on this site

I've only used two GPS systems (Tomtom ONE and Nuvi 360), and felt it would be good to do a quick review of some major features between the two. I think it may help people who are looking at these two types of units and help them pick the most suitable one.

I've only had the Nuvi for a week, and this review is not meant to be comprehensive at all (although it does seem like a big review!).

Ok here goes:


Nuvi 360 (310) vs. Tomtom ONE (UK review)

Yes I know the Nuvi 360 includes European maps and is a more expensive system, but that's what I own and so value and spec-wise it would be fairer to match the Tomtom with the 310, which only has UK mapping like the Tomtom and does not have the Text-To-Speech feature like the 360 has. So the only extras the 360 has over the 310 is: Text-to-Speech engine (reads out road names and POI/Place names), European Maps and more build-in flash memory, oh and also some little extras like the travel mains charger. But both Nuvi's are physically the same in size and weight.

So, for a little background experience, I've been using a Tomtom ONE at work for over 5 months (my first ever use of a GPS system) and it was a good first impression on this technology for me.
5 months down the line I've been considering my own for personal use and have seen its price drop quite a bit (from £280 to around £200 in some places). To say the least, I could easily afford one or consider a more expensive one. So about a couple weeks back I did my own research into what GPS systems were available. The only other one I found which related to my preference was the Garmin Nuvi.

I read alot of reviews and comments on forums on the Nuvi's, and finally decided to do a blind purchase (without physically testing it). My first impressions was I loved the size, and size is a major factor to my requirements. Also the bluetooth handsfree calling was a real bonus so I don't need to use a BT headset anymore. I didn't really care much for the MP3 player or Picture Viewer, but the additional option of the Language Guide pack was something I look forward to purchasing when I start my travels in Europe.

As I was use to the Tomtom's interface, I was a little disappointed at some of Nuvi's lack of features and options in comparison. First things I noticed was no traffic data or other option downloads via mobile phone. 3D map display was inferior and updated at a slower framerate than the Tomtom. Volume wasn't quite as loud and didn't have speed-link volume option. Text inputing wasn't as clever and didn't take into account your spelling mistakes. No real-time predictive text inputting. No options to avoid roads of your choice on route or detour certain distances i.e. for 1 mile or for 500 yards etc. No option to pick totally alternative routes, I mean you can pick detour on the Nuvi but this only detours your route on the first couple of roads then puts you back on the same route. While the Tomtom is more clever in that it can totally re-calculate an alternative route with your current options and have you go on totally different roads if you get bored of the same old route!


But I want to make a list of the pros and cons.


GUI:
Tomtom has better features in its software, with more options and display data. But both are easy to use with its touch-screen feature.

Touch Screen Input:
Tomtom has better text inputing in that it predicts in real-time what road/town etc., you may be entering in. Incorrect spelling is also taken care of as the Tomtom tries to match the correct spelling for you. This is a great advantage over the Nuvi. Tomtom also has a little 2 or 3 line display of your recent entries too to save you from re-typing them in. Nuvi can only show you this via its Recent option. So therefore Tomtom minimises your time in finding locations.

Bluetooth:
Nuvi has handsfree calling, but doesn't have traffic or data updates through bluetooth mobile GPRS like Tomtom does. But the TomtomONE cannot be used as a handsfree kit.
As a handsfree kit the Nuvi is very excellent, picking up your voice very well and sounding very loud, although max volume tends to distorts, so I recommend one notch from the top to be perfect.

Traffic Info:
Tomtom bluetooth download updates via mobile phone
Nuvi need optional TMC receiver which costs over £100.

Routing Options:
Options such as vehicle type, walking or pedestrian option, avoiding ferries or tolls, shorter distance or faster time routes etc., is a major factor in GPS routing for most. So which one does what?
Well, both pretty much have the same options. Although the Nuvi doesn't (I may be mistaken) seem to take into account London's congestion charging where the Tomtom does, it does have an option to avoid tolls. Both devices automatically reroute if you go off route, and do it quick enough, but Tomtom seems to have a faster processor and does it that little bit faster.

Waypoints/Via points:
Nuvi can only set one Via point on your main route. And can only have one main route so to speak.
Tomtom you can set multiple waypoints on your route.
But both can save tons of "favorites" so you can just select them when you need to get there, or presave all destinations before hand and select as you go.

POI:
No camping/caravan POIs on Nuvi. But this can be added in via third-party downloads etc. Also the Nuvi doesn't display POI icons whilst on your route, but only when you are browsing the map.
Tomtom has options to display them or not and whichever ones you may choose while on your route.

Voices:
No Chinese/Asian voice prompts for Nuvi. But I'm sure these could be found on the net and added in, but it is not officially available.
So if you really want Cantonese voice prompts, the Tomtom does this officially and is included on its disc software or free download via its site.
I found that the Nuvi voice prompts without TTS sounded a little louder and clearer than the ones which speak road names. Although British English Daniel TTS sounded a little clearer and louder than his female counterpart.

Mountings:
Nuvi is excellent, with quick releasing cradle for one-hand operation. It has a compact windscreen mount and is easy to adjust with no switches or knobs. Power cord plugs into the back of the mounting cradle so no wire pulling at all needed when Nuvi gets inserted or removed. Tomtom's power lead needs to be plugged into the device itself, so it needs to be pulled/plugged if removed from its mount.

Physical Dimensions and weight:
Nuvi is very compact and light and is ideal to take with you. Tomtom is also quite compact but not as small as the Nuvi.

Speaker:
TomtomONE does manage to give more volume and also has a link-speed option that increases the faster you drive.
Nuvi does the job, although I don't recommend to have your in-car music up very loud.

Map Display:
Tomtom ONE looks and updates alot better and clearer, giving all road names and having a set 3D perspective so you really know how sharp that bend is coming up on the country road.
Nuvi does not give all road names even on Most detail and its names are written by the roads and not within the roads like the Tomtom. Also Nuvi does not give an accurate display or scale of the road ahead as it pans in and out and kinda has a "rolling sphere" effect.

Mapping:
Tele-Atlas versus NAVTEQ. In my opinion I haven't really noticed much difference within the short time frame of using the Nuvi. But I do like how the Nuvi tells you which side of the road your destination is whereas the Tomtom doesn't. Which helps in the dark especially. But it isn't a necessary feature for me and sometimes not always correct.

Connectivity/Desktop Software:
Tomtom has the upper hand, with easy to use PC software included which has options to backup, put voices on etc without needing drive/desktop file navigation. With the new Tomtom HOME software (free download) it is now even better to manage and update your Tomtom.
The Nuvi has no software included at all, but inc USB lead which also charges the Nuvi too. You have to manually copy/drag the Nuvi's flashdrive or files to backup yourself. You also need to be familiar with its files and folders to know where to add your POIs, files, voices, maps etc when needed.

Value:
I managed to buy my Nuvi 360 for £400 inc Vat, which I believe is reasonable value for such a device with the included maps. Otherwise the usual price for this system is at least £500 RRP.
To be honest, the value difference between the Nuvi 310 and 360 is considerable. Because if you were to get a 310 and add European maps and buy the mains charger you are looking at an extra £250 (Garmin's extra maps seem alot more expensive than Tomtom's). But for £100 more you can just get the 360 which also includes TTS and more flashdrive space but at the same size and weight.
On the TomtomONE. If I wanted to add European mapping I would of needed a 2GB SD card and would of bought the downloaded maps of Europe for it, which would of cost around £120-£150 (£82 for Euro Map download from Tomtom, plus around £40 for 2GB SD Card). This would be around £320~£350 for a Tomtom ONE with European maps, which is about £50+ cheaper than a Nuvi 360.

Conclusion:
Basically it boils down to compactness, which both offer. Reason for this review is wanting the most compact GPS from two well known companies. Tomtom only offers the ONE being its smallest model while Garmin has the Nuvi in two variants. If handsfree calling is going to be a needed feature for you then the Nuvi is the best as the ONE doesn't offer this at all. Also if size and ease of mounting/dismount the GPS is a major factor the Nuvi is also a hands down winner. But, if you are really looking at more variable options and features in your routing such as avoiding certain roads on your planned route, or detouring certain distances due to traffic, or needing multiple waypoints along the way, or better 3D realtime display then the TomtomONE is the one for you. But if you want to keep things pretty simple and are not gonna be bothered much with such options then the Nuvi is for you!

If I was able to have my way, I would of loved Tomtom's software on the Nuvi's hardware. But you can't have everything! Either way, the Nuvi does the job well and it was the form factor and ease of mounting/dismounting which finally sold it for me.

[RDS]

Obviously a well considered post and I appreciate the reasons why the TomTom One and Nuvi were reviewed but I don't believe they are models which can be fairly compared with each other.
I'd say the TomTom 510 and 910 would be more appropriate comparisons to the Nuvi 310 and 360, both in price and features.Also the TT equivalent to the Nuvi 310D would probably be the 710.

At present the best GPS for me would be something like a TT910 in a Nuvi body.

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