2009 CES: TomTom Go 740 Live connects drivers and Internet

The portable GPS navigation market is fueled by innovation, with leading companies routinely pushing the boundaries as to what these devices can do. Before the holidays, we saw interesting advances from Garmin, Navigon, and Magellan, though number-two selling TomTom didn't have any tempting new product. Well, they soon will, as the company introduced a revolutionary connected device at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES), the Go 740 Live.

The focus for this device has been informed routing. TomTom is building upon its TeleAtlas maps with user-provided data—an ongoing and progressing strategy. At the core is the latest version of IQ Routing, a feature that uses historical traffic data in programming route guidance. While it may not know of a specific accident on the route, historic data can account for routine ebbs and flow in traffic, such as the impact of rush hour. TomTom has recorded 1.8 trillion miles of roads over the past two years to inform these calculations. Historic data is also supplemented with real-time traffic data, delivered by a built-in GPRS modem.

In addition, users are able to improve the maps themselves through Map Share, a free service for noting and sharing necessary map corrections. TomTom has received millions of user-provided map changes, and this information is processed and made available in routine map updates.

The Dash Express popularized the concept of device-to-device communications, allowing other users to share traffic flow data, providing supplemental insight into regional traffic. (The Express has been discontinued.) The Go 740 Live promises to take that idea to the next level. Rather than depend on other Go 740 Live owners, TomTom is developing relationships with cell-phone carriers to share motion data from its users. Called HD Traffic, this new feature will enable traffic flow data to be gathered from cell phones operated by partnered companies. The massive scale this approach promises would enable timely, specific route guidance to be layered onto the IQ Routing and Map Share information. (TomTom is still forging the relationships and says it will introduce this feature after the devices go on sale. TomTom currently provides a similar service in Europe.)

The Live services available on day one are similar to those packaged in the MSN Direct service offered on several premium devices, providing fuel prices, weather information, and Google-powered local search. A fun, connected twist is TomTom Buddies, a feature that enables users to locate one another on the map, share information, and even text message.

The Go 740 Live itself has a 4.3-inch screen, and TomTom claims a three-hour battery life. The device features voice recognition, with a large 130-word vocabulary. The retail price will be $499 when it goes on sale in the spring, and the device includes one-year of Live service with purchase. The HD Traffic service will follow some time after launch.

—Jeff Bartlett

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