TomTom GO 930 Traffic review

TomTom GO 930 Traffic Review

Reviewed by: Brett James

Reviewed on: 30 April 2008

We are starting to witness the GPS world falling into the same trappings as graphics cards: before you can blink an eye, your prized possession is superseded by the next best thing. But you can't halt progress.

TomTom is an excellent sat-nav manufacturer, bringing out or re-inventing innovative features. January saw the release of the TomTom GO 920T, and just three months later, we see the TomTom GO 930 Traffic. Available for £399 and also known as the TomTom GO 930T, the 930 Traffic introduces new technologies, but is it better than its predecessor?

Strengths
From the outside, the 930 Traffic is nearly identical to 920T. It has a 480x272-pixel, 109mm (4.3-inch) widescreen display and weighs 220g. Plus, it features TomTom Plus services -- subscription/data charges may apply -- and packs in the same ultra-fast interface.

To give the 930 Traffic some character, it's coated in a stylish black exterior, with a few cosmetic tweaks to its icons. Its destination input screen now features a handy dropdown box for quickly choosing your country of origin. Entering destinations can also be performed by voice recognition and the accuracy was impressive, even from a driving position.

Route calculations are now blessed with the much-hyped IQ Routes technology, which is based on real average speeds, rather than static maximum speeds by road type. Translation? The system will look at how many traffic lights, roundabouts, speed bumps and slopes are en route and select the optimal path based on this information. In practice, we tested four identical routes with and without the IQ Routes option enabled and while only two benefited from the technology, the efficiency was greatly improved.

Additionally, you can take advantage of the 930 Traffic's handy Map Share technology, producing up-to-date map corrections. There is now a Navigon-inspired advanced lane guidance system, kicking in primarily on motorway junctions and exits.

When approaching a junction, the 930 Traffic displays a real-time graphic representation of the lane structure, with large flashing arrows indicating your desired lane. Additional lane icons are also used at the bottom left corner for smaller junctions. Overall, the feature is a useful driving aid, rather than a distraction.

GPS signal performance has also been boosted with its new Enhanced Positioning Technology (EPT). If GPS reception is poor -- entering tunnels or driving between high rise buildings, for instance -- the EPT activates to keep your signal strong.

Voice directions were spoken clearly and its text-to-speech for pronouncing road names was clear. Its RDS-TMC receiver, which seemed to update more quickly than the 920T, was useful for informing us of any traffic problems along our routes. We had the option to manually or automatically re-route around any problems.

Weaknesses
Despite all its useful features, the 930 Traffic is still expensive. Plus, we expected the integration of the RDS antenna inside the car cradle by now. This would've ensured fewer cables to carry around.

Additionally, the FM receiver is useful for piping voice directions via our car's speakers. When used together with the RDS receiver, the latter started to intermittently interfere with its operation.

Our last niggle applies to the screen. While it's hi-res, we still feel the map detail is basic in appearance. Still, its 3D map perspective, directional aides and text-to-speech were more than adequate for routing.

Conclusion
While the 930 Traffic's IQ Routes technology did not affect all routes, we were impressed by its efficiency on the ones it did. Plus, its advanced lane guidance is a key feature for those who struggle with motorway junctions. But there's no need to panic if you've already bought the 920T. The IQ Routes database coverage is still maturing and unless you depend on the motorways for travel, you'll be fine with the old model, which in its own right is an excellent device too.

Edited by Jason Jenkins
Additional editing by Shannon Doubleday