TomTomVIA 1535TM 5-Inch Bluetooth GPS Navigator with Lifetime Traffic & Maps and Voice Recognition

**UPDATE**July 12, 2012After having the Nuvi 1490LMT in my car for the longest time, I finally took it inside the house a couple of days ago and updated its map/software. In the update, they took care of the "disappearing map" glitch for this particular unit. They also updated some of the map graphics, especially the junction and lane assist views - they have a more polished look (they look better IMO).I tested the Nuvi and happy to report that the "disappearing map" glitch is indeed fixed. I did not experience a map reload during the entire 1-hour drive.**ORIGINAL REVIEW**Garmin Nuvi 1490LMT vs. TomTom Via 1535TMI purchased both units to compare them and in the end pick the unit that best suits my needs and preferences. I wanted to get a new GPS unit because the built in unit I have in my SUV is outdated. The portability, being able to use on another vehicle, and the free lifetime maps are really what I'm after but decided that lifetime traffic alerts is not a bad option either. I would like to point out that whatever you chose between the two, the decision will not be a mistake as they are both good GPS units, they both have their own strengths and weaknesses, but it will come down to what you really prefer or your comfort level.I tested both units driving around where I live and when we went on vacation in Las Vegas. I had them mounted next to each other most of the time.TomTom Via 1535TMPROS:- By default, provides more info (speed, distance, time etc) on the status bar, located on bottom of screen, compared to the Nuvi. And just above the Via's status bar, it shows the street name that you are currently on (I find this very helpful), the Nuvi does not have this feature while navigating. The Nuvi will give you the option to display the same info on its status bar, but it will place the status bar vertically on the right side of the display that makes the main screen smaller (like an old 3.5" GPS screen) I really really like this feature and how it's displayed on the screen, it's really cool to have all this info ready at all times. Something you might say, "Honey, I'm about 65 miles away and will be home in about 50 minutes, by 2:30pm, I should be pulling up by the driveway." All this info is displayed on the unit at all times, you don't have to calculate in your head.- Consistently finds POIs faster than the Nuvi. It's almost instant whereas the Nuvi could take seconds, sometimes even several minutes to find its first POI (this really sucks when you are so ready to go, even a minute feels like an eternity!). But this also depends on how popular the POI is, if you're looking for McDonalds or something well known, then both units will give you an instant list.- The voice command feature is great when it works and it works most of the time. I really like this feature especially when driving to a new address; it is so much easier saying where you are going instead of manually inputting everything onto the unit. It's also great for looking for a certain POI while driving, I love how you can just say "Go to the nearest Starbucks" and it will get you there with just a single button input! The voice command feature is not perfect though, as some POI names, no matter how your pronounce it, just won't get recognized by the unit. I tried IKEA and 7-ELEVEN numerous times with no success. I was driving on the freeway one time and my low fuel indicator flashed and in a city I'm not familiar with and all I have to say was "Go to the nearest gas station" and within minutes I'm filling up my gas tank! This is so cool! I didn't have to fiddle with the unit to input and chose where I needed to go, keeping my attention on the road - where it should be. Even with the feature's shortcomings, I found this feature to be a deal breaker!- I also like the fact that you can still access the device while connected to the computer. This is helpful if you wanted to change settings or play around with the unit. The Nuvi locks you out the minute you plug in the USB cord.- The voice on the unit sounds a lot better than the Garmin Nuvi. The voice sounds more human, better to the ears while the Nuvi's voice sounds too robotic. The volume on the Nuvi is much louder than the Via though.- Preloaded speed traps/traffic camera POIs. The unit will beep to alert you of incoming traffic cameras! It'll make you rethink about running that red light!! The Nuvi does not have any traffic camera POIs preloaded, although you can download these from online.CONS:- The Via takes a long time to acquire a satellite signal! It takes anywhere from 1 to 4 minutes just to get a lock on a signal! You're probably saying, what's 1-4 minutes?! Well, I had the Nuvi next to it turned on the same and it acquired a signal in less than 30 seconds! The 4 minutes of waiting feels like forever! And this is not sometimes... this is all the time!!- Like a lot of people say, the LCD screen of the TomTom Via is inferior to that of the Garmin Nuvi's. And I have to agree! The display gets easily washed up under the sun! There are times when you have to really focus on the screen just to read what is on there. It also doesn't help that the letters and graphics on the screen are smaller and the colors are not that vivid! The icons look flat as well. I was shocked when one day I was driving (almost sunset) when the sun's rays coming from the rear window hit the Via's screen and I totally couldn't see it, while the Nuvi sitting next to it was still visible!- The unit is not very responsive, very sluggish... You press an icon and it almost takes a full second to respond! There are also no beeps when you click on something, unlike the Nuvi that responds faster and gives you an audio cue every time you touch something on the screen.- Although the unit generates a POI list very fast, the list it provides shows very little info. It will only list found POIs and the distance in miles away from your location... Drilling down further will only provide a phone number and a mini map of its location. I found this very annoying as I always like to know the address of where I'm going, what city, what street it's on etc. I live in the Bay Area (California) and would always like to know the city of my destination since I would rather travel more miles than to cross one of the bridges, deal with the traffic and pay toll! I find it uncomfortable to just drive to a location xx miles away and with no other info... The Nuvi provides the full address, phone number and more info of all its POIs.- Voice Command when making calls is almost useless. If you have an iPhone, use its Voice Control feature to make calls instead - it will give you better results. The Via has a hard time recognizing names, so when you say "Call (insert name here)", it'll give you a list of your contact info, and you have to scroll down to get to the person you want to call then say the number of the contact before it'll dial. And given how the unit is very unresponsive to inputs, this little call could become very annoying fast!- There is also a bug that they need to fix. After updating the maps, all your favorites get deleted! This can get frustrating if you end up doing these four times a year (number of times they issue map updates in a year). MyTomTom, their online support, is still not fully functional. The only thing that it really does is update maps; you can't download extra voices, extra POIs and other things.Garmin Nuvi 1490LMTPROS:- The LCD Screen on the Nuvi shows very well under the sun. The colors pop and you won't get the washed up colors you get with the Via. The display is not cluttered with unnecessary info, very easy to read with big letters, better contrast and vivid colors. This is one of the main selling points of the Garmins, they are very easy to understand and use! You glance at the screen instead of "focusing" because of how easy it is to digest. The Garmin just has a better GUI (in my opinion) compared to the Via. I find the icons on the Nuvis looking better compared to the Via's flat look. The Nuvi just displays everything better, it's "prettier" and easier to look at than the Via. The Via is like reading a book where the Nuvi is like reading a book with pictures. The presentation is just better with the Nuvi.- Detailed POIs. The Nuvi generates POIs with complete addresses, phone numbers and how far it is from your location. I really like that Garmin included the complete address instead of just the distance. It gives you a better sense of direction and the comfort of knowing where you're going. The downside is that the Nuvi takes longer than the Via when looking for POIs that are not very common. It is also very convenient when saving these POIs to your favorites as you don't have to enter/edit too much info.- Acquires satellite signals very quickly compared to the Via, which usually takes 1-4 minutes. The Nuvi usually takes less than 30 seconds to lock on a signal, a minute at the longest. The GPS start up is also very quick. The unit is also very responsive to your commands; it gives you audio cues when inputting commands. It seems that the Nuvi just does everything a tad quicker than the Via.- I actually like the fact that Nuvi will say "Recalculating" when you miss a turn. I like to know when I make a mistake, so for example, when I come back to the same place without the GPS, I'm not taking the "wrong turn" and thinking that it's the correct way... The Nuvi recalculates fairly quickly and usually gets you on the right track right away. The Via will not give you an audio cue if you miss a turn, it'll just instantly recalculate and show you the next correct turn as if you were on the correct path all along. Some people actually prefer this as they are sick of hearing "recalculating".- When you put an entry in your Favorites, the Nuvi will actually pronounce the name you give it. (BTW, the Nuvi does this for all destinations) For example, if I name my friends address as "Fat Joe's House", the Nuvi will actually say "Arriving at Fat Joe's House in .5 miles" or "You have arrived at Fat Joe's House on the right". Just imagine the possibilities... hahaha! It's surprising how many words and names the Nuvi can pronounce! The Via, on the other hand, will just give you the default message - "You have arrived at your destination on the right". Some folks might not find this as a PRO but I sure am entertained by this!CONS:- I wished that they could've added the same info on the status bar like that of the Via. On the status bar on the bottom of the screen, it only shows the estimated time of arrival on the left pane, the current speed and the speed limit on the right pane, the middle pane shows the lane assist feature when needed. The Nuvi also does not show the current street you're driving on, and if you have forgotten, the only option is for you to look out the window and look for street signs.- Looking up non-common POIs can be very frustrating! My family decided to check out the Boiling Crab, a very popular restaurant that serves mostly seafood (super yummy!). Upon entering the name, the Via showed 2 Boiling Crab locations instantly while the Nuvi was still "searching". We decided to just go and not wait for the the Nuvi. 50 minutes later, we are parking the car and the Nuvi is still "searching"! C'mon Garmin, if it's not in the POI database, then just make the unit say "not found" or something like that, instead of making us wait! The Via will show you "not found" if it didn't find the POI in its database, it won't make you wait forever!- The traffic alerts comes with its evil twin - advertisement! If the TomTom Via can give you lifetime traffic alerts without ads then why can't the Garmin Nuvi? I found that the ads will pop up when at a complete stop and when your are driving on unmarked roads, like parking lots, the ads do not block too much of the screen to become a safety hazard but still annoying to some people (it doesn't bother me at all). There's an option to disable the ads but doing so will also disable the traffic alerts.- While navigating, the Nuvi's display would all of a sudden turn blank (white screen) for about half a second and it then quickly "re-draws" the map. It seems like it "reloads" the map at certain points. This reload does not affect the navigation in any way but it's just odd that it does this. I'm not sure if it's a defect on my unit... I will contact Garmin about this and will keep you guys updated. This happens at least once every time I use the GPS unit! I find this annoying as I never saw this happening with the Via. Anyone else experiencing this on their 1490LMT? Please comment...MORE STUFF:- These two units will get you to your destination one way or another. I drove with these 2 units around my neighborhood and found that both make "mistakes". Mistakes, meaning they will take me to longer routes or make unnecessary turns... From South San Francisco to San Francisco - The Nuvi made me drive on El Camino Real, a long boulevard, (after purposely missing some turns) before making me hop on the freeway (I-280) at the end, while the Via kept directing me to hop on the freeway entrances along the way. From SF to SSF - I'm driving down 10th street towards the I-280 freeway entrance when all of a sudden the Via told me to make a left, then a right, another right and finally another left to get back on 10th street! WTF?! Bottom line, they will both make navigation mistakes but they will both get you where you're supposed to go.- The traffic routing is hit or miss. If the accident or the delay is not reported then there's no way for you to find out or avoid it in time. There was only one time in which the Nuvi gave me better traffic routing than the Via. Most of the time, both of the units, gave me the same routing. I also found that both units also report delays inaccurately... for example, both units will say a 2 minute delay (afternoon traffic) along my route but it really is more like a 10-15 minute delay!- Both units monitor how fast you're going compared to the speed limit. The Nuvi's display will turn red if you surpass the speed limit even by 1mph, the Via will only turn red if you go 5mph faster.- The Nuvi always shows an earlier estimated time of arrival compared to the Via. There's usually a 10-minute gap between the two units. For example, the Nuvi will estimate a time of arrival of 2:30, the Via at 2:40 but you actually get there by 2:35 The Nuvi seems to base its estimate as if as though you will not encounter traffic delays and the opposite can be said about the Via.- The Nuvi shows a very accurate picture of the junction views - it will actually show you all the signs like how you would see them on the actual freeway. It grays out the signs that you are not suppose to take. The Via only shows the sign that you are suppose to take, it's as if it is the only sign on the freeway. I wonder if this might confuse some drivers. They both do a great job at illustrating which lanes to take. The Via shows the junction views longer than the Nuvi. The Nuvi shows the picture for about 7-9 seconds while the Via shows it close to 15 seconds.- Updating the maps on these units are very straightforward but the process is much quicker on the Nuvi that that of the Via. The Via took hours to complete! Close to 3 hours if I'm not mistaken. Updating gadgets should not have to take that long...- Both units paired with my iPhone 3GS without a hitch. Both units automatically pair up with my iPhone and downloads my contact info upon boot up. Receiving a call is easy with both units but found that the Nuvi is easier at making calls. You have to use the Via's troublesome Voice Command feature to make calls while the Nuvi uses the iPhone's Voice Control feature that is so much easier to use. I find the bluetooth functionality very convenient as it makes making and receiving calls that much easier while driving.It took me almost a month to decide which one to keep... and in the end I chose the Garmin Nuvi. I went with the Garmin because of its LCD display and it's GUI (Graphic User Interface) - it's simple, easy to read, understand and use. It puts me at ease that my wife can use it without asking me how to use it! I like the fact that the display stays sharp and vivid under the sun. I like how it gives the full addresses on POIs and how easier it is at making phone calls. As much as I like the Via's Voice Command feature and its included traffic/speed POIs, I can't overlook the fact that the Nuvi is a much "polished" product. I really don't care that the Via's MyTomTom online support is non-existent at the moment (it's still in beta) as long as they can provide me with updated maps, which they can. Although, it made me smile when I could download my little kids favorites - Spongebob and Dora, as Voices and car characters from the Nuvi's online support page.I really really like all the info that the Via shows on the screen but I find myself looking at it too much instead of the road! I like computers, so I like data and info as much as the next nerd but my wife had to tell me to keep my eyes on the road a couple of times while on a long drive... the Via became somewhat of a distraction. I really miss the Via's Voice Command... it is soooo cool! It doesn't work sometimes but when it does, I feel like Captain Kirk! A couple of updates on the voice command feature and it'll probably work much better! If I were given a few more days with the Via, I would have probably picked it over the Nuvi... I don't know, it's just a super cool device for the same price!!I'm a family man with wife and kids. So in the end, I chose a unit that I feel is very safe on the road that could easily aid us in getting where we need to go. The less distraction the better... '

Revised after 15 months experience with the TomTom Via 1535 device.I had a TomTom ONE, 3rd edition - one of the earliest GPS devices from this company. I LOVED "tilda," as we call "her." BUT, with aging eyesight and a desire for a device through which I can use my cell phone via Bluetooth, I wanted a new GPS device with a larger screen and newer technologies.After reading too many reviews by too many people like myself, I settled on the two models in the review title. It was somewhat scary that there were so many negative reviews of the TomTom product compared to the Garmin, but my experience with "Tilda" had been so good, that I had to consider TomTom. I found that there was only ONE way to intelligently decide between these two fairly equivalent models: I bought and mounted one of each, next to each other, and gave each identical destinations. After a few days of doing this around my home where I KNOW the roads, routes and best ways to go (BTW, it is NOT pleasant to have TWO voices giving you sometimes differing directions a second or two apart), I decided to return the Garmin and keep the TomTom. Below are my findings:Garmin Nuvi 2595LMT -POSITIVES - GREAT screen and graphics. EASY to see. Excellent color combination choices. Voice - the American English voice is somewhat harsh and dictatorial, but you can get used to it. Pairing my cell phone with the Garmin was EASY. One of the numerous on screen options is your "direction of travel." N, NE, E, SE, S, etc. I LIKE to know my direction of travel in case I am lost and need to divert from a programmed course! The device wakes immediately with the car power coming on. When approaching a turn, shows you which lane(s) you need to be in. AFTER software updates (plural) I was able to turn on the "traffic" service. However, I never saw ANY indication that it was working. I live in the Washington, D.C. metro area that is DEFINITELY, allegedly, served with traffic reports from Garmin's supplier. Other reviewers have commented on this problem. Excellent windshield mounting system. 8GB on board memory plus a Micro SD slot. The 8GB on board memory gives lots of room for map updates, voices, vehicles, etc.NEGATIVES - The WORST negative about the Garmin was its STRANGE choices for routing. When I left one location this morning, the Garmin was telling me to turn right on a street that was still about a mile away and did NOT mention the street I needed to drive on just to exit my location. Furthermore, the route selected by the Garmin was longer both in distance and time than the route chosen by the TomTom. Additionally, when I turned off from the Garmin's chosen route because I knew a shorter/faster route, the device INSISTED on trying to route me back instead of recalculating a new route until I was near my destination. The MAIN reason you are buying a GPS device is for directions! The Garmin neglects to show the name of the street you are traveling on and will name streets without giving their route numbers. This is NOT helpful if you are in an area that you do NOT know. Especially considering that some areas are not very good about providing street name signs! While the Garmin easily paired with my cell phone, the phone call volume was so low I could NOT hear it well even in my garage with the engine OFF (NO road noise). Other reviewers have commented on this deficiency. I checked for adjustments and found that the phone volume was ALREADY maxed out at 100%. I had no trouble doing a map update but did need to update the software twice. Speed camera warnings are, to the best of my understanding, an optional subscription service. I think that the Garmin is SUPPOSED to show a photographic or digital graphic representation of an approaching turn, but I never saw it. MAYBE I did not have the feature turned on, but I could not figure out how to do so!TomTom Via 1535M - my refurbished TomTom ONLY came with lifetime maps, NO TRAFFIC. BUT it IS a 1535 model with Bluetooth. Amazon.com does not seem to have a listing for this particular configuration. After a few successful map updates, something in the TomTom update software did something to my Via 1535 that KILLED it. After several phone calls to tech support, and a bunch of aggravation, I was given a postage paid return label. The dead 1535 was replaced with a new one; a TM model.POSITIVES - GREAT ROUTING. The way I would choose to go when I know the area. Again, as I noted above, this is the reason for buying a GPS device. Gentle voice commands from the first American English choice. Shows you the name of the street that you are on. Shows you street names AND route numbers. I had a bit of difficulty pairing my cell phone (see below), but once they paired the GPS worked well and the telephone volume was adequate. Warns with three dings and two different icons for approaching speed and red light cameras. I believe that this feature comes with the device and is FREE. As with the Garmin, when approaching a turn, shows you which lane(s) you need to be in.NEGATIVES - While the device comes with a half dozen or so color schemes, I am not thrilled by any of them. I found the color schemes on the Garmin to be much better for my eyes. However, others allegedly can be downloaded for free from the TomTom site BUT none have ever been available. Perhaps the worst deficiency of the TomTom is the poor contrast and brightness of the screen. It is VERY difficult to see in bright sunlight!VERY SADLY, TomTom removed the one feature I regard as highly desirable in ANY GPS device ... the direction of travel indicator. On my old TomTom One, this was shown in compass degrees. I am hoping that enough people tell TomTom they WANT this feature so that it will be added to a future software update. I suppose the concept is that with a GPS to tell you which way to turn, you do not NEED to know what direction you are going. HOWEVER, as just happened to me, if you need to leave the programmed course because of car trouble and you do NOT know the area sufficiently to program a destination, it helps to know which way you are traveling!The TomTom Via 1535 has only 4 GB on board memory which is something like 75% filled upon arrival. BUT, there is a Micro SD slot for expansion. The amount of available memory is important because the devices without memory expansion become obsolete once the map size + points of interest + other items exceed the on board memory capacity. For example, my old TomTom one has something like 10% or so free space remaining and NO memory expansion capability. Depending on future upgrades, this could last a long time OR kill the device with the next update! Somewhat slower to start up compared with the Garmin. Finally, it took a few tries to pair the device to my cell phone, but in the end it worked properly. Windshield mount is somewhat permanently attached to the device and - difficult to "lock."Note: The voice command system works on the Via 1535 but the programming is incomplete. For example, you say "Hey TomTom" to get its attention. You can then say "Drive to a Favorite." After selecting the favorite, you SHOULD be able to give the command "done." NOPE, you must touch the screen. Defeats the whole idea of voice commands. Furthermore, the voice recognition system is not too good. It frequently misunderstands commands. MAYBE this is my voice and Brooklyn accent??As noted above, I chose the TomTom because, disregarding ALL other factors, it gave better directions driving around my home area in which I could make a reasonable judgment! However, warnings of approaching speed and red light cameras are a very nice plus. I have since learned that updates to the speed and red light camera system require annual subscription. SO FAR, I have declined to pay for updates since the speed cameras in my area are either very permanent or moved so often that updates cannot keep pace.The TRAVEL ADVISORY system: The replacement Via 1535 I received and have been using for several months is equipped with "Lifetime Traffic." Unlike the Garmin device that I originally tried, I DO know that the traffic system is functioning since it is displayed in a narrow strip down the right side of the screen and the system has given me advisories a few times. The big question is the meaning of the advisories and their utility. You are driving along at 60mph, paying attention to the road and other drivers, and the system suddenly says something to you. I have missed most of what the system said several times. A visual notice also appears in the on screen traffic "strip". The visual advisory has been a LITTLE better. As near as I could tell, the advisory gives an approximation of the location of the "problem" in terms of the remainder of your programmed trip. I believe that the advisory tells you how long a delay is involved and whether or not you are still on the fastest route. I have not encountered a situation of rerouting, so I do not know how well the system works. My original TomTom One - 3rd Edition, provided a way to request rerouting that worked exceptionally well the one time I used it. It directed me around a road blockage in a very timely fashion, via back roads unknown to me and my hard copy maps. Hopefully, the new "lifetime traffic" system does the same.

I found this one easy to use and understand the basics. I have only had it a couple of weeks so I have not used all of the functions. Using voice commands has not worked well for me, I am either too loud or too soft and keep getting "command not understood" over and over again. I have not tried that function a lot of times. The best thing was just the ease of using it right away

Terrible sound. Could not raise volume past 40%. Unit said 100%, but volume would never actually change. Was so low, I could barely hear it in the car, even with windows up. And, even when being able to hear voice in quiet place, it was tinny and cheap-sounding - like a tin can. Reason: a much smaller speaker than its predecessor, the GO 2535. Teeny-tiny speaker in back. Also, didn't like that suction-cup mount permanently stuck to back. Seems convenient, but forces you to remove and replace suction cup on and off your dashboard every single time you leave your car if you want to keep gps with you to protect from breakins. Suction cup will wear out very quickly from over-use, and not stick anymore. I know from experience. Stick with separate mount gps, so you can remove and replace unit without having to touch suction-cup mount.

Over the years I've had two other Tom Toms so didn't hesitate to buy this one. It was a mistake. I purchased a map which I've been unable to download. The purchase was confirmed by email but it doesn't show up on my account when I try to download. Additionally, the computer won't recognize that the GPS is connected. I spent 45 min on the phone with their service advisor. Unfortunately, he seemed to be as unaware of how to fix it as I was. He continuously had me wait while he asked another what my next step should be. The problem still hasn't been resolved but we reached 5:00pm Eastern (quitting time). Fingers crossed I get a different,more knowledgable technician when I call again.

Took it out for its first test drive today. It expects the driver to be able to follow a course as the crow flies and isn't up to date on new addresses (by new, I mean in the last year). Not impressed, so far.

Just ok