TomTom iPhone Car Kit

All in all, TomTom app for iPhone version 1.2 is a solid upgrade that answers many of the complaints that users had about earlier releases. The one problem it doesn't solve, however - and it's a big one - is price.

You'll have to splash the cash to stash the iPhone on your dash

Add the £100/$120 car kit to a £60/$100-or-so iPhone app, and you're talking serious money for what is, essentially, simply a well-equipped GPS unit - and one with a relatively small, if crisp, display. You can find the basics for less money from not only TomTom, but also such competitors as Garmin.

We'd also like to see apps that cover less territory and are therefore less expensive. Personally, we'd rather pay £18/$30 for just California than £60/$100 for the entire US and Canada - we have no plans to roam about Manitoba, for example, in the foreseeable future. But if we did, how about the opportunity for, say, a £5/$10 in-app purchase for turn-by-turn directions from Winkler to Winnipeg?

Verdict

If you own an iPhone or iPod Touch, TomTom 1.2 coupled with the appropriate TomTom car kit will provide a satisfying satnav experience with niceties not found in lower-priced units. After all - as we said earlier - if you're already an iPhone owner, you're used to paying big money for top tech. ®

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