TomTom ONE XL 330/330S Full Review

The new TomTom ONE XL 330 and ONE XL 330S come to the market at a time of intense competition and high expectations for the major GPS makers as they vie to market share and the attention of the millions of shoppers who are discovering the wonders of not getting lost. When you can afford it, there are some nice bonuses to having a widescreen GPS which include a better overall view of where you are going, easier input of data (i.e. your destination's address), and just pure readability of the whole interface. I'll explore the advantages below. I recommend widescreen GPS units if you can afford it.

The TomTom ONE XL 330/330S are the refreshed face of the TomTom ONE line that continues to bring big player GPS features and quality to the market at entry level prices. The units slim down in 2008 with an ultra thin look, and an innovative mount, dubbed the EasyPort. Fold flat profile and a twist to adhere suction mount make the EasyPort different in the GPS world. So, while a widescreen GPS may take up some more room, you won't be penalized too much considering the thin profile of the unit.

With the addition of the "S" designator, you get a nice bump with Text to Speech on this unit, something that I continue to advocate for if you can afford it.

Design - Thin and Easy[port]

It's all right here, right? Big changes are in the design department, and the TomTom ONE XL 330/330S are definitely a nice modernization of the TomTom ONE design. Thin and more modern looks, the units melt away the extra frame around the screen, shrinking the overall unit size and offering the look of the screen floating in space. Overall the unit is very thin, with the speaker mount protruding from the back to accept the EasyPort onto the unit. See the picture here with the new TomTom ONE XL 330/330S compared to the older TomTom ONE XL.

The top of the TomTom ONE XL 330/330S has a flush mounted power button, that is barely perceptible. The bottom of the unit has a mini-USB input for power, through a cord that has a 90 degree turn to it so the unit can sit flush on the dash. I like the casing on the cord because its very flexible and unlike some stiffer cords, doesn't have a mind of its own as to where it wants to lie, poke or stand in the way. No other buttons, inputs or anything to clutter the look.

The EasyPort is comprised of two basic parts, the bezel based suction cup and the ring that mounts to the GPS with a snap. There are three spring loaded tabs on the side of the speaker to lock onto that ring when you snap it onto the back of the unit. The EasyPort can rotate on the back of the unit as these tabs slide along a channel giving you the ability to position the TomTom ONE in almost any position on the windshield or dash-based mounting system. I tested the TomTom ONE XL 330/330S with the Arkon friction mount and even with this low rise mounting system, the open front of the Arkon friction mount allowed for the TomTom to sit there unobstructed.

Mounting the EasyPort requires a quarter turn to the bezel, clockwise to mount, counter clockwise to dismount. When you do turn to dismount, the unit doesn't fall off the windshield; instead you need to grab the suction cup tabs on the left or right of the mount to break the suction and get the unit off.

In practice, the EasyPort takes a bit to get used to. It's not immediately obvious which way to turn to get it off, and then still needing to pull the tabs on the side to break the suction doesn't reinforce the idea that the unit is ready to dismount. I also would have liked a tactile signal to let me know which way is mounted and which way is dismounted; perhaps a click at the end of the turn when it's fully engaged?

With this said, it is not hard to get used to, and mounting the unit and dismounting the unit become easy practice. I tend not to fold and stow the TomTom XL 330/330S when stuffing it under my seat to hide it from thieves, but leave the EasyPort close to the proper angle for use. Mounting and dismounting is a two handed operation, as most mounts are.

Navigation

Navigating with the TomTom is easy, and continues to demonstrate its ability to get you to where you need to go in short order and with confidence. Buyers often go through several stages of confidence building with GPS units, and unfortunately some units fall off and don't ever really make it to "Trusted Status". While up-to-date maps help, there is some mojo-magic in the navigation algorithm that TomTom has and lower tier brands don't.

Entry of your destination is easy and the keyboards are configurable; ABC, QWERTY, and Large or Small. By setting the keyboard to small, you get to see more of the results that are displayed and its easier to pick where you are going from a list of these results. With the widescreen 4.3-inch screen size of the TomTom ONE XL 330/330S, the keys are a reasonable size allowing you to type in your destination without much concern for mis-typing letters. The larger screen also allows you to opt to have the "small" version of the keyboard which puts the numbers along the top row of the letters, just like a regular keyboard. This larger typing surface is one key advantage of the larger widescreen unit. See the image below where I superimposed the smaller standard screen TomTom ONE 130 keyboard over the widescreen TomTom ONE XL 330 keyboard - larger keys make it easier to enter addresses. The screenshots are actual size so if your browser hasn't resized these images - go ahead and put your finger to the screen; you'll see the difference when typing.

TomTom allows you to choose your destinations in several ways:

• "Home" - You program in your home address and you navigate there at the touch of a button
• Favorites of yours that you save for easy access
• A Street Address
• A recent destination
• A Point of Interest (POI)
• Point on a Map - browse on the map and pick out where you want to go.
• Latitude and Longitude - yea, go ahead and laugh, you'll be thankful you have this someday. I use this method a few times a year, and am glad GPS makers see fit to add this option.
• Position of Last Stop - helpful when you shut the unit off, park the car and then take the unit with you. You can turn it on and navigate back to where you parked.

Another way to navigate in a way is the pre-planning feature of navigating from "A --> B". This is often found in higher end units, but finds its way to the entry level TomTom's. This allows you to sit in the departure gate of an airport, and pre-plan a route for when you land in your destination city; from the airport to your final destination. Saves time and allows you to figure out how long the trip will take. Very helpful.

Spoken Directions and Text to Speech (XL 330S Only)

The TomTom ONE XL 330S only comes with one computerized (text to speech enabled) voice loaded for US English, which is too bad, but there are others that you can download with your TomTom HOME application that you load up on your computer. The TomTom ONE XL 330S has a variety of pre-loaded non-text to speech voices to choose from. The TomTom ONE XL 330 has the same variety of non-text to speech voices too; in several english accents for fun if you like.

An early and frequent complaint is that the standard screen size TomTom 130/130S is too quiet and that the voice is hard to hear. In contrast the widescreen 330/330S was clear, loud and articulate. I have no concerns about performance on the TomTom ONE 330/330S in the area of volume, or in Text to Speech for the ONE XL 330S.

Review Summary

The new TomTom entry level ONE XL 330/330S comes with the new design that allows for easy stowage and easy packing. The EasyPort mount is overall pretty good; nice design. At first the Mounting and Dismounting takes some getting used to, but once you see how the mount works, it's pretty easy, and the net of it is that it's a plus. Navigation and operating system on the TomTom is solid.

The very real concern area is that the new TomTom 130/130S is that the audible directions are hard to hear (see TomTom ONE 130/130S Full Review Tomorrow). Some people have reported these issues and some folks are fine with it. These concerns are not present in the TomTom ONE XL 330/330S, as it is plenty loud; I would consider the TomTom ONE XL 330/330S as a good contender in the consideration set for entry level GPS units. Performance is far superior to value oriented units, and I advocate for the widescreen units and Text-to-speech which you will find on the TomTom ONE XL 330S.

At Amazon - the TomTom ONE XL 330 or the TomTom ONE XL 330S

What's In the Box - TomTom ONE 330/330S
The TomTom ONE XL 330/330S comes with: