TomTom GO 600 review: Your in-car GPS data gets crowdsourced

SINGAPORE — With the right apps, smartphones can do almost anything, including help you with travel directions. Is there still a place for the dedicated in-car Global Positioning System (GPS) navigation system? We took a test drive with the new TomTom GO 600 GPS to find out.

TomTom is a well-established name in the navigation systems market. Its GO 600 features lifetime map updates and provides traffic jam alerts and detailed reports of traffic incidents, as long as it is connected to the user’s smartphone data plan.

Installation was a breeze, while pairing it with Bluetooth needed to be done only once, with the unit seamlessly connecting with my Android phone every time I started the car.

I found using the 600 easy, enjoyable and fuss-free. The beautiful 6-inch touchscreen is definitely much easier on the eyes and more comfortable to use than a smartphone, especially if you do not mind having an extra device on your dashboard.

When you approach major junctions or slip roads, the unit will indicate the direction each lane goes off towards and which lane you should stay on. The device also indicates your current speed, as well as the speed limit.

The system can execute voice-activated commands and springs to life when you say: “Hey, TomTom”.

For its live traffic updates, the 600 integrates data from the Land Transport Authority’s traffic feed to augment its crowd-sourced data, the firm said.

But that is where the service hits a snag, as the number of TomTom users on Singapore roads is likely to be smaller than those who use, for instance, the popular Waze smartphone app, which also crowdsources its traffic updates and is free to download.

Overall, the 600 is a step in the right direction for dedicated in-car navigation systems, catching up with smartphone apps in its ability to provide on-the-fly traffic updates.

Unfortunately, even with this gap plugged, the only edge the 600 seems to have over your regular smartphone-and-app combo is a larger screen, which you really should not be staring at so often while driving anyway. And for a fraction of the price, you could buy professional GPS navigation apps for your smartphone that replicate most of the 600’s functions.

It is also a little ironic that you would need your smartphone to make this GPS navigation device function more like, well, the navigation app on your smartphone.

The new TomTom GO 600 is available at retailers at S$349. The 5-inch TomTom Go 500 retails at S$299, while the 5-inch TomTom Go 50 that comes with a resistive touchscreen retails at S$249. All models come with lifetime TomTom Traffic and Maps updates.