Disgruntled Navman owner thinking of moving to TomTom3

yorkshiremark

I have been an owner of the Navman 3450 for 7 months now and im really annoyed at the way Navman has treated its customers. Charging £139 for an upgrade its daylight robbery!!!

I like the features of the TomTom products but was wondering if anybody out there has also jumped ship and their thoughts on the tomtom products compared to Navman Smart St Pro.

Im thinking of going for the Navigator 3

icsys · Posted: Sun Mar 28, 2004 11:59 pm Post subject:

Well I would be lying if I said I hadn't thought about switching to TomTom. However, as I have only had my Navman gear for six weeks I can't justify spending another £110 or so on Navigator 3 just yet! In any case, there is a possibility that the maps are no better than SmartST2 as they both use Tele Atlas. As the upgrade is not on general release yet only time will tell.

Yes TomTom has much better features, you only have to read through these forums to see evidence of that. And I know that SmartST has European coverage but considering the amount of time I expect to drive abroad, the V2 maps would suffice.

All I can say in summing up is that when future Navman upgrades are released, if they are priced more than current TomTom upgrade offerings then jumping ship will be a viable option.

I hope the people at Navman are taking heed. 'The ball' as they say 'is firmly in your court!'

De-ja-vue 8O

gambitgander · Posted: Mon Mar 29, 2004 10:16 am Post subject:

I've used both packages, and can say that both have their problems. One of the reasons I've stayed with Navman is because of the pan-euro coverage. And, you need to rid yourself of the word "upgrade." V2 is not an upgrade, it is a new release. There is a big difference. Service packs are an upgrade, but a new version is just that.

I do not think that paying £139 for FULL European coverage, and a few new features is unjustified. Granted, if you have only had the system for a couple of months, then I can understand why one would expect the new version at a discounted price, but if you've had the system for 6 months to a year, and you expect the new version to be free, then you're just being "silly." If you had problems at the beginning, you shold have returned it. When Windows ME was first shipped, I had HUGE problems with it. Microsoft promised service packs, which when released, made the system worse. Then, when Windows 2000 was released, I tried to get a free/discounted copy. Microsoft were very short in their answer (not a chance), and there was no room for arguement. The fact that Navman are willing to listen and consider providing a free version is a breath of fresh air.

At the end of the day, we are going to feel hard-done by at some stage. Companies cannot keep everyone happy all of the time, but so long as they can make up for it at some stage, and we're willing ot be patient, then everyone is going to win.

gracar · Posted: Tue Mar 30, 2004 6:13 pm Post subject:

I believe there are two seperate issues here.

The first is whether or not SmartST is a viable system or not - in my opinion the answer is yes, and with full European coverage it has many advantages. I accept that as with all software there will be others who prefer tomtom. Reading these forums over the past 18 months it seems that in general most people post when they've got a problem and the problems are fairly equally divided between both systems.

The upgrade cost is another matter and I remain convinced that Navman will have a change of plan, in particular if tomtom price aggressively and take market share. I'm sure the upgrade offer from V1 to V2 will be time limited but if there's little or no uptake will there be a change of policy I wonder? I'm not reading of major routing or map improvements so I'm assuming I'm really paying for some relatively minor tweaks - or is there a compelling reason I'm missing - apart from it being unlocked?
_________________
Graham

icsys · Posted: Fri Apr 30, 2004 11:58 pm Post subject:

DavidW · Posted: Sat May 01, 2004 7:50 am Post subject:

TomTom Navigator 3 is a new release - to which you can upgrade from Navigator 2.

David

icsys · Posted: Sat May 01, 2004 3:22 pm Post subject:

Just to put this thread to bed...

What I failed to add in my above post was "to registered users of the previous release at a discount."

Conor · Regular Visitor Joined: May 01, 2004 Posts: 73

PLEASE read my posts in the "Navigator 3 places not in database" thread.

I used a VDO dedicated SatNav system FOR ONE DAY ONLY prior to getting the TT3/PDA package I bought so I'm an absolute beginner.

TT3 has disappointed me beyond belief. It actually would appear TT2 was better!!! WEll at least in so much that it had towns with populations exceeding 50,000 in its database. Not being able to put in the town name of the place you want to go to but instead having to put in a postcode or county and pick from a list of streets with the same name is ridiculous. FYI at least two of the towns completely missing in the database are seaside resorts.

It looks like I'm going to Mapopolis. The software is free, you pay for the maps but you can download timelimited demos. Give it a try.

MickH · Occasional Visitor Joined: Dec 23, 2003 Posts: 22

Hi,

I have been demoing the Mapopolis app during the last week and have been very impressed.

It is extremely stable - hasn't crashed once yet. Has a very responsive interface with lots of user configurable options and offers good value for money - all European maps for around £70. It can also handle long/lat searches so I can finally start doing some Geocache walks with the kids.

Some negatives are: The graphics arn't as 'pretty' - although IMO there is a lot more useful info displayed. The way it handles the county maps and also the population limitation of open maps may frustrate users that regularly travel long distances.

Rgds,
Mick.

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