TomTom One 140 S Portable Navigation Device Review

GPS — By Ricky on July 16, 2009 at 11:15 pm

Yummy: The TomTom One 140 S has many plus points like Lane Guidance that makes the driver aware of the present and future of the roads and also the Google Map Share makes the journey simpler. Newly added Text-to-speech feature is also the unique one with some of the master features and downloading. Current updating of fuel price makes the driver aware of the fuel consumption and filling.

Oops: TomTom quality has nothing to say but the smaller screen of the device makes it difficult to enter the text and also the show of the front has got mess effect with every buttons. Also the smaller screen makes it difficult to see the view without daylight and in the moving car because of flashy and glossy finish. Routing speed while moving is an inherited problem of TomTom navigation devices.

Price range: $149.95 – $199.99

Specialty: High quality audio device with the text-to-speech feature. Weight of the device is too light and just 6.8 oz.

Our Verdict: There are good benefits like trickling down and high end features. Prices are also the reasonable ones. But still the smaller size makes a bit difficult to use the device. It is manageable device and a similar version of the previous navigation portable devices of TomTom.

TomTom One 140 S

TomTom One 140 S Overview

The TomTom One 140 S is a new crown in the One series of the portable navigational devices introduced by TomTom in recent times. The company has wisely avoided the risk factor and has used the features that were just perfect in the older application and devices.

The dashing and distinctive feature of the advanced lane guidance is the prime objective of the navigational beauty TomTom One 140S. Lane Guidance is the unique feature that makes the navigation easier and also the complex conditions of freeway interchanges. Downloading has become easier and also the day to day fuel pricing and latest updates makes the driver aware of the departments he should. The Environment updates and the Google Map Share is also a unique feature of the portable navigational beauty of TomTom.

Deliberate Design

Design of the TomTom 140S is deliberately created and also it has made some remarkable changes in the form and type of the portable navigational devices. The entire front of the device is of 3.5 inch QVGA and also the touch screen makes the job easier and simpler. A loud 2 inch loud speaker on the backside is also making the device finer. Top edge of the unit is covered by the power on off button. The bottom edge is covered by the mini USB port and the bottom edge is also served by the 12 vault car charger.

How’s the competition with the rival Gramin Nuvi

TomTom has a history of riving with the Gramin Nuvi. There are so many tools that are similar in both the navigational devices of the company. If we compare the device, the One 140 S does not feature an SD or Micro SD card slot which is there is the Gramin Nuvi. The 2GB of onboard storage is the only option remained for the data savings as there is no facility for further storage in the new TomTom 140S.

Even if we see the suction cup of both the company, the Gramin device is a safer option as the twist lock suction cup is much stronger than the TomTom One 140. Even if the windshield is not permissible in the vehicle, it can definitely be attached to the dashboard of your car.

TomTom One 140 S Portable Navigation Device

Fascinating Features

The most distinguished feature of the device is the Advanced Lane Guidance that shows detailed illustrations of complex freeway interchanges and completes lane information. Arrows overlaid on the illustration keeps the drivers aware of the lanes that are less time consumable regarding to the traffic congestion and also seeing the exact route to the destinations by using the Google Map Sharing. Google Map makes a huge difference when you are at some unknown place and even the language makes a barrier to understand the exact solution of the situation.

Google Map Sharing is also done at quite a high speed resolution and is kept to manage the ways clear and sound. The additional benefit of Text-to-speech also make the job of the driver easier as the loud announcement of the street name, directions, road speeds, POIs etc. and also the continuous awareness of the visited place makes the driver alert about the names of the places and ways to the desired places. There are also some options given for the non wishers of this device. They can definitely save the money with non acceptance of the device if they wish so.

High speed of the software and also the rapid resolution of the device make it easier for the user to download all the essential and required data from the web. A simple connection with the Web is sufficient to make the USB working. TomTom Home software also gives benefit of downloading updates, back up data, plan routes, and even to play with a virtual representation of their own to the users on One 140 S.

Poor Performance

The performance could have been professional definitely if the keys and alphabetical layouts would have been more accurate and specious. As said earlier, the keys and the overall structure is very mess and small compare to what it should be. Moreover, the numeric row is added to the same place to make it messier than before. Overall, TomTom 340X could have been a better choice for those who prefer to have big fonts on their screen.

Overall view

TomTom 140 S could definitely be an unbeaten choice for those who have more driving and also for the shorter screen lovers, but if we compare the same with some of the different models of TomTom itself, we would sure feel that there is some lacking in 140S.

So, despite of a good toggle map or even some of the salient features like the Text-to-speech option, we would surely feel that the previous version of 340X was a better choice than 140 as it was comfortable to handle. Still, all depends upon the preference, not the size. So, choose wisely.