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TomTom to Launch Car Kit for iPod Touch

Friday November 20, 2009 8:31 am PST by Eric Slivka
Earlier this week, an updated version of TomTom's GPS navigation application appeared in the App Store, and among the major changes included with the update was compatibility with the original iPhone and all generations of the iPod touch. The iPod touch, however, does not offer built-in GPS and must thus be paired with an external GPS receiver in order to function.

TomTom offers such a car kit for the iPhone to add better GPS reception and other functionality, but the kit is incompatible with the iPod touch due to the slightly different form factor from the iPhone.

In response to that limitation, TomTom revealed yesterday on its official Twitter blog account that a separate car kit specifically for the iPod touch is coming soon for U.S. users.

The existing #TomTom car kit is designed for the iPhone. A new car kit for iPod touch will be available shortly in the United States.

The kit has appeared on TomTom's site with a list price of $99.95, but is not yet available.

Rival Magellan has also released its own GPS navigation application for the iPhone and iPod touch and has announced that a car kit similar to the one offered by TomTom will be coming soon. Magellan's car kit is said to be compatible with the iPhone 3G and 3GS and the second-generation iPod touch, as well as a wide variety of cases and skins for those devices, suggesting that its car kit will offer greater adjustability than TomTom's car kits.
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JonB3Z
Posted: 29 months ago
Seems like Touch users of the Magellan product would be paying for a bluetooth hands-free capability they don't need, whereas buyers of the TomTom Touch dock would save a few bucks. (Of course, the Magellan unit may prove to be cheaper than the TomTom in the first place; we'll see.)
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Jape
Posted: 29 months ago
I believe the magellan car kit will cost 129.99
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macduke
Posted: 29 months ago



Earlier this week, an updated version of TomTom's GPS navigation application appeared in the App Store, and among the major changes included with the update was compatibility with the original iPhone and all generations of the iPod touch. The iPod touch, however, does not offer built-in GPS and must thus be paired with an external GPS receiver in order to function.


Should read: "The iPod touch and original iPhone, however, do not offer built-in GPS and must thus be paired with an external GPS receiver in order to function." By leaving it out, you imply that the original iPhone doesn't need a kit, and an uninformed consumer with an original iPhone might try to buy the Tom Tom kit without considering first the additional cost of the kit.
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dagomike
Posted: 29 months ago
I don't think it's that confusing. One is intended for iPhone, the other the iPod Touch. It just comes down to whether the option of BT calling is worth $20 to you.
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Jape
Posted: 29 months ago
Another way for tomtom to make money... Lol. They should have made one universal kit in my opinion.
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CBX
Posted: 29 months ago
About time! I posted about this 2 days ago! :rolleyes:
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entropys
Posted: 29 months ago
I would have thought that having two models of car kit would add to manufacturing cost. It is not as though they will sell tons of these docks to spread the development costs. And there is the risk that iphone users would access the cheaper car kit anyway. Or decide to buy a dedicated unit and buy anything but tomtom to spite them.

It seems to me that Tomtom is making it up as they go along.
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California
Posted: 29 months ago
So let me get this right.

My original iPhone will work with the Tom Tom kit for the iPhone, because the tom tom kit has a GPS receiver in it...

And now there is an app for the original iPhone as well.
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tweezer748
Posted: 29 months ago
Wow, I want one of these. I've been meaning to put my iPod to work lately, this would be perfect in the car. Seems kinda pricey though compared to some of these GPS systems..
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