Tomtom announces the XXL with a 5" widescreen

[mvl]

does anybody know the quality of the mexico maps?

You'll probably get better answers in your other post.

 

[mvl]

I just noticed that the 540s is in stock in all my area best buys. I'll see if they have a demo on display so I can post some specs.

 

[mvl]

I played with a 540s for a few minutes at Best Buy. Menus seem identical to 340s. App is 8.550, map usa/can/mex v835 (August 09), has Loquendo voices. It's light for a 5", seems to weigh less than my 720, even with the easyport mount attached.

Doesn't have bluetooth/handsfree preferences, I forgot to check for Tomtom PLUS services.

 

[dhn]

What's the price for a 540, mvl?

 

[mvl]

Best Buy charged $299. Same as MSRP here.

 

[mvl]

I spent some more time with a 540s at Best Buy.

The device looks just like a 340s in hardware and software, just bigger. It has 64mb of ram.

There is no bluetooth handsfree, and no PLUS. The bottom of the device only has the USB jack, nothing else.

Without plugging into a computer, you can't tell how big the internal flash memory is. But my guess is 2GB. Tomtom "played it safe", only loading one computer voice (Susan) so that there wouldn't be problems with the USA/CAN/MEX map 835.

 

[dhn]

The bottom also has a very tiny power indicator, I believe. Almost unnoticeable. And only usb 1.1 compatible.

 

[mvl]

I saw an XXL 530S in Target today.

It has North_America_2GB map 835. That means it has the mid-range POI file, vs the high-end POI file on the 540S. So it's another point of difference in the two models.

I'm starting to realize, no store carries both a 325 and a 330, or a 335 and a 340, or a 530 and a 540. I'm thinking Tomtom launched the dizzying array of products this fall so that each store can have a slightly different model, so that stores can't compete with each other on all the "lowest price guarantees".

Tomtom may have stolen a page from mattresses company marketing...

 

[theparson]

I picked up a 540S model at Best Buy today for $149. The screen is almost twice the size as my 140S.

 

[theparson]

As previously noted, the software and features are the same on the 540S as the 340 and 140 models. The screen is brighter on the 540 than the 140, and the sound is louder and fuller.

 

[theparson]

I called TomTom support today (for the first time ever) and asked that my map update subscription be changed from my 140S to my 540S. The rep indicated that the subscription could not be transferred because the models used incompatible maps. When I expressed some skepticism about this, he said that he would check to be sure. After I was put on hold a bit, he came back on and indicated that his original answer was correct.

This strikes me as strange. According to the TomTom web site, both the 140S and the 540S use the USA, Canada, Mexico v8.40 map - 1688.8 mb.

I have posted a question on the support web site, asking for additional confirmation as to whether or not these maps are incompatible.

 

[gatorguy]

More to the point, he should have been honest and told you that map subscriptions are not transferable, TomTom policy, except for very specific circumstances such as a warranty replacement..

 

[theparson]

I had gained that impression from other posts; however, when I connected my 540S to Home it gave the option of linking my account with the new device. TomTom Home also stated:

Any services you may have will be transferred to this newly linked device but you will not be able to use them with your old device anymore...

Your TomTom services, such as Maps, Safety Alerts and Traffic, will be transferred to your new device....

Depending on which new device you have, some of your services might not work on the new device.

They specifically state "services, such as Maps...will be transferred to your new device" with the caveat that some "services might not work on the new device."

This implies that services can be transferred except for reasons of incompatibility.

TomTom is making a lot of extra money off of me. This is the second time I have upgraded to a new device within 3 months of buying a map subscription. My 130S maps were certainly not compatible with my 140S (IQ routes) but the 140S and 540S maps should be the same.

 

[theparson]

To make a long story short, TomTom did transfer my map subscription from my 140S to my 540S.

It is also notable that when I made my last phone call to technical support, I was only on hold for about 2 seconds. I was also connected to someone in the U.S. They seemed to have beefed up support staff for the holiday shopping season.