TomTom NV is a leading manufacturer of Global Positioning System (GPS) navigational aids in Europe. The TomTom ONE is one of its most basic models, and all other TomTom products are based upon it. The ONE has a 3.5-inch color touch screen as well as voice-activated points of interest (POIs). TomTom has made great strides in the North American market since its introduction in 2002 against rival Garmin.
Custom Menus
The TomTom has a very easy-to-use menu, but sometimes the features you use most are several screens back. You can move the screen organizational tree around by plugging your TomTom directly in to a personal computer that has a word processing program. Look for the directory /TomTom/SDKRegistry and then drop in (copy and paste) any menu item from other sections into the block entitled MENUITEM. You can use this same technique to remove items that you don't use regularly by deleting them from the registry. If you ever wish to return your menu to normal, delete the entire registry file and it will reload in its default state.
Advanced Features
The TomTom ONE has many additional features that incorporate live traffic updates as well as the GPS. One of the least-understood and -used features of the ONE is the advanced lane guidance feature. Advanced lane guidance, when activated, will use a series of algorithms to predict the fastest lanes for you to drive in based on current traffic and past trends. This works exceptionally well on highways and expressways with two or more lanes, often saving considerable amounts of time. Also little-understood is IQ guidance, which keeps a history of commonly used routes. It compares your use of these routes to predict the best times of day to travel as well as minor modifications to decrease the travel time.
Points of Interest
Many TomTom users rely exclusively on real-time navigation results by plugging in the destination they want to go to every time they take a trip. From the TomTom website or Google Maps, thousands of POIs can be downloaded and preset into your ONE. The advantages of preset POIs means that on longer trips they will show up as custom icons on your map. Typically as you drive the TomTom shows only roads and byways. The addition of POIs such as your favorite grocery store and gas stations can greatly reduce the time it takes you to run errands by determining the most efficient routes between them.
Tags: lane guidance
