auto-zoom dispair

[doctormstein1]

auto zooming

just my opinion but I LOVE this feature. I have the 920 unit. One of the advantages of this unit is that with the remote i can zoom out for a few seconds to see further out and then it will autiomatically go back to the original zoom in picture of the map so I get the best of all worlds. I love the way with auto zooming you get a much better picture of the road that you are turning onto. For me auto zooming is a must.

 

[CynicX]

Umm, kinda disagree on some of that.

If the auto zoom wasn't so bloody slow on my 720, I might use it more. As it is, it's just distracting. I do use it, but have to be very picky about when it's on and off.

Also, the ability to see surrounding landmarks (ie: lakes, etc) helps to orient you on the map. The GPS knows where you are, but I need to know also and the little arrow isn't enough. Landmarks give me that spatial presence to know where that little pointer relates to the real world..

But, then again, I fly helicopters and navigate by landmarks on maps and the Garmin 500 GPS in the dash.

GPS is great and has taken a lot of work (and divorces!) out of navigating, but I need to follow it to make sure it's doing what it's supposed to be doing.

You should never follow it "blindly"....

Well if you are talking about helicopters then I could definitely understand the need to know land marks since you are in no way tethered to a road, or anything for that matter...

Obviously I wouldnt follow it blindly (watch for one ways streets etc), but the mapping information in our devices specific to roads. Lakes, rivers, and etc arent a priority and therefore arent always that accurate. Matter of fact I'm using a 330 with 1gb internal memory and the USA/Canada map. To conserve space things like most creeks and lakes are completely removed from the map, unless they have direct involvement to driving particular roads...

The ONLY device that does not have a "modified" map is the 930's with h the North American map(this only applies to the USA obviously, you can get other countries with unmodified maps). Every other device maps have been modified to fit a 2gb storage space. This includes your 720...

I couldnt imagine a lake for example being an actual benefit to driving, assuming you are navigating a CAR to an ADDRESS and not via land marks. Even still when given directions from land marks its usually something that no GPS would have "Left at the red barn down the dirt road" "Right at the large oak tree", things that can be seen from ground level. A lake would be a pretty bad land mark from a vehicle since you have too look down on it too see it....

As far as checking accuracy is easy. You pass a road, you look to see if its on the device, yep now you know it knows you are in the right place. Lakes and ponds things that are neat too see on a map are usually unnamed unless they are very large, so how does that help you? Even if the lake, stream, pond, creek has a name it wont be labeled on any GPS device from Tomtom...

Thats just my thoughts on it. The little arrow on a road that is named correctly with cross roads that are named correctly and with curves that are correct to the road I'm driving on is as much information as I need to determine accuracy...

 

[SpiritX]

I don't know what they were thinking.

I got a TT One for Christmas and it's going back to the store, if I can't find a way to make my GPS stay at the zoom level I put it at!

Who ever thought this was a GOOD idea, to have it zoom right back to a 1/2-mile (less than 30 seconds at freeway speeds) screen size?

So, in answer to your question, yes, it annoys the heck out of me, too.

For the record, I like the auto-zoom at turns but not the way it zooms back in after I zoom out.

Oh, and CynicX, that's fine if you just like to follow a route without other options. But why force everyone to like what YOU like? I, for one, like a MAP to show me what's around me! What if I want to make a turn? What if there's an alternative route? What if we just want to understand the lay of the land? I wanted a GPS to show me a MAP, not just tell me which turn to make, according to IT'S decisions, 30 seconds before I arrive.

I wonder where we can tell TomTom what we think?

 

[dhn]

You can call them at 866-486-6866 and let them know your feelings but I suspect their answer will be something akin to 'We are a navigational company, not a mapping company'. (which is the same response Garmin gives to their users, btw).

 

[SpiritX]

Not exactly.... it's a big minus for some models from TomTom. Unfortunately you need to do a little research before buying to insure that you get the features which are important

Yeah, yeah, yeah, that's fine.

IF you ever might have guessed ANYONE would have made a feature like this - THAT YOU COULDN'T DISABLE!

I never would have imagined that a GPS manufacturer, which has included many nice features, would ever make a zoom which wouldn't "stick"! It's not even anything that would have entered my mind as something they would do. Any more than I might expect the unit to turn off every 10 minutes, requiring me to turn it back on all the time.

This is just a foolish feature and it DOES reflect badly on the designers.

Regarding Garmin doing this, too - what are these people thinking? How do bad ideas like this get spread around?

 

[paspossible]

Spirit, If I'm right, the zoom will be turned off if you go in 2D mode. In 3D, it zoom in because it shows what's ahead. You should see stuff coming more than 30 sec before you get to them but, I've noticed whatever is out of the route sometime is not shown.
I have a 720 and it never caused a problem even in 3D. Granted, I don't care about what's off-road when I plot a route. What's around the road would, in my opinion, only clutter the screen and be one more dangerous distraction. A car GPS is intended to be primarily listened to, not looked at. Eyes should stay on the road.

 

[SpiritX]

Spirit, If I'm right, the zoom will be turned off if you go in 2D mode. In 3D, it zoom in because it shows what's ahead. You should see stuff coming more than 30 sec before you get to them but, I've noticed whatever is out of the route sometime is not shown.

Sadly, even in 2D, it doesn't shut off the auto-zoom feature.

I find that at freeway speeds, I have somewhat less than 30 seconds to see what's coming up. Which is NOT very much. Especially when options like bypasses, gas and other elements are being considered.

Granted, I don't care about what's off-road when I plot a route. What's around the road would, in my opinion, only clutter the screen and be one more dangerous distraction. A car GPS is intended to be primarily listened to, not looked at. Eyes should stay on the road.

Well, if one is going to be a true purist about it, one might argue there shouldn't be a real-time display at all!

You speak of "clutter", but the fact is, what is to clutter? When on the freeway, you only see a singular line 90% of the time, which is the route you are on. You don't see anything coming up ahead, no alternates, no POI, just a line. Then, suddenly, 25 seconds ahead of time to act, you see a fast-moving intersection (and often not even the entire intersection).


The auto-zoom, being WAY in, seems more a feature of someone who doesn't like maps, is not visual and only wants to blindly follow directions.

 

[DOOOS]

Auto zoom is a gadget killer

This auto zoom is a gadget killer for me too.

I got my Tom Tom for Christmas and used it on a recent trip. I nearly threw it out the window during the trip because the map kept auto zooming in when I was trying to get a big picture view of where I was going.

In my book the feature renders the device nearly worthless.

I will buy myself another GPS (not a Tom Tom) that allows me to zoom out (and stay zoomed out) and then give this Tom-Tom GPS to my kids as a play-toy.

 

[dhn]

This issue has been discussed enough. Locking thread.