By Hector Cortez Mar 4, 2008, 23:29 GMT
TomTom has announced ground-breaking features, IQ Routes and Advanced Lane Guidance, that will be included with the new TomTom GO series.
The IQ Routes technology is based on actual average speeds measured on roads, rather than posted speed limits. This means that the new TomTom GO range determines a route by considering all possible routes and then selecting the one that takes the least time based on recent historical data. In almost 50% of all journeys, this results in a faster route, and saves significant travel time, fuel, and money.
In addition, the new TomTom GO series includes TomTom's Advanced Lane Guidance feature. Advanced Lane Guidance provides users with realistic representations of complex highway junctions and lane-specific visual directions.
The two new features will be available with the new TomTom GO series, the TomTom GO 930 and TomTom GO 730, starting at the end of April 2008.
"With the introduction of IQ Routes technology, we continue to focus our efforts on features and content that improves the core navigation experience," said Jocelyn Vigreux of TomTom. "IQ Routes delivers what we call 'intelligent routing' -- an even smarter and more efficient way of planning your daily route that will help TomTom GO users save time, fuel and money."
The new TomTom IQ Routes technology is based on actual average speeds on roads, rather than the posted speed limits. This intelligent routing technology is based on anonymous historical speed profiles of over 6.2 billion miles of driven roads, gathered over the years by millions of TomTom users. It takes into account all the factors that may influence the time it takes drivers to get to their destination, including traffic lights, rotaries, steep slopes and speed bumps.
The TomTom IQ Routes speed profile database continues to grow at the rate of over half a billion measurements per day, so the time and spatial accuracy of TomTom IQ Routes technology will continually increase.
With the new Advanced Lane Guidance feature, navigating difficult junctions becomes easier than ever before. Advanced Lane Guidance provides users with realistic visuals of complex highway junctions and lane-specific directions. Static images of road signs, in the same color as the ones displayed on the road, ensure that drivers have an even more realistic view of the road ahead, and their specific route.
In addition to IQ Routes and Advanced Lane Guidance, the new TomTom GO range has a new premium look with a high-quality finish, expanded map coverage and comes pre-installed with the latest navigation features, including:
* TomTom Map Share technology, enabling users to make updates and corrections to their own maps instantly and to benefit from improvements made by other users, completely free of charge. New Map Share features include the ability to change turn restrictions and posted road speeds.
* Enhanced Positioning Technology (EPT) for uninterrupted navigation even in tunnels or highly-built areas (TomTom GO 930 only)
* Extensive safety features, including the 'Help Me' menu that gives drivers direct access to emergency services and roadside assistance
* Built-in FM Transmitter to play music and navigation instructions seamlessly over the car stereo.
Product technical specifications:
-- 4.3" widescreen 16:9 format LCD (WQVGA: 480*272 pixels)-- CPU 400 MHz-- TomTom GO 930: 4 GB internal flash memory, TomTom GO 730: 2 GB-- SD card slot-- High sensitivity GPS receiver-- Bluetooth-- Lithium-polymer battery (up to 5 hours operation)-- Dimensions: 118 mm x 83 mm x 24 mm- convert to inches 4.6 x 3.2 x 1-- Weight: 7.7 ounces
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