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TomTom’s new mapping platform and ecosystem

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Re: TomTom’s new mapping platform and ecosystem

#121

Post by newjersey »

fork-while-fork wrote: post #61
gambiting wrote: post #47

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I have a modern car with a built-in satnav as well as Android Auto support, and yet I still use my TomTom 5000 - it's just better. Definitely better than crappy Google Maps, definitely better than volvo's built-in maps, and it's without any kind of comparison how much better it is than Apple Maps. You get in the car, it auto-selects the destination based on the patterns it learnt(so if you get in at 7am on a workday,…

Google maps with Android Auto does auto-learn popular/regular destinations and suggests them at appropriate times. It works pretty well.

> auto-learn

There is a gate right behind me that is closed with chains. It isn't possible to drive through there, though you can walk in and out from the smaller gate.

Google still always tells me to drive through the gate. I don't think Google Maps auto-learns. Maybe it needs a bigger sample size so people don't abuse it?

Re: TomTom’s new mapping platform and ecosystem

#122

Post by richrichardsson »

Thlom wrote: post #112
fork-while-fork wrote: post #61

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Google maps with Android Auto does auto-learn popular/regular destinations and suggests them at appropriate times. It works pretty well.

Apple Maps as well, but I have no idea why I would need directions to work from home ...

Although the route is (more or less) fixed and static, the amount of traffic isn't, so it could be useful to be re-routed to avoid congestion.

Re: TomTom’s new mapping platform and ecosystem

#123

Post by dncornholio »

kleiba wrote: post #3

For the youngens here on HN: TomTom was once one of the leading manufacturers of GPS navigation systems for cars - purchased as an accessory that was stuck to the wind screen. This was in a time before every car had a screen built in, and before everyone had a smart phone with Google Maps in their pocket. I guess that product is a prime example for becoming irrelevant by society progressing. I actually still use an o…

It's not irrelevant. The quality of roads TomTom guides you are way more optimized then Google maps for example. The road graphics are also way much more clear.

TomTom is what I use on every vacation trip. Wouldn't do that with Google Maps.

Google Maps always picks strange roads and often I see me driving through a red light district or something, where TomTom would pick more conventional roads.

Re: TomTom’s new mapping platform and ecosystem

#124

Post by toyg »

cinntaile wrote: post #60
hotcoffeebear wrote: post #55

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Tom Tom used to charge for map updates, which became a no-go for many. The same thing thing with built-in ones. Toyota asked 60 euro for the map updates and unfortunately no android/ios auto.. i am going between google maps / apple maps. I find routes better in google maps but i love apple maps voice indications better. I still have also a free lifetime update tomtom but it very slow to add destination etc.

> Tom Tom used to charge for map updates, which became a no-go for many. This is what led to their demise, no?

No; their demise was the rise of smartphones who can do pretty much everything they can, for free. GPS navigation was commoditized as part of the smartphone arms race.

Re: TomTom’s new mapping platform and ecosystem

#125

Post by gambiting »

chrisseaton wrote: post #90
izacus wrote: post #87

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's also important how they're doing this. GMaps in my car constantly fails to show anything useful (or even start navigation) because there's no signal in my underground garage. Such a simple thing and yet TomTom can do it and Google can't.

My car's built-in navigation can use dead reckoning based on steering angle and wheel speed, so is still better than TomTom in this respect. I really think this person who is clinging to their old TomTom is a bit oblivious to what all the alternatives now do and how they do it better.

I don't know if I'm oblivious - on long drives I usually have the TomTom setup and Waze on the android auto screen - TomTom knows about traffic and issues on the road that are just not on Waze, most of the time. Also Waze keeps directing me on most idiotic side little roads, recently I nearly got stuck in a muddy road somewhere in the British countryside because of Waze because I decided to trust it. Again, no such problem with TomTom.

Re: TomTom’s new mapping platform and ecosystem

#126

Post by contravariant »

smallerfish wrote: post #52
helsinkiandrew wrote: post #32

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Their revenue from 2009-2022 tells the story: https://companiesmarketcap.com/tomtom/revenue/

Interesting, but if ever there was a y-axis that needed to 0, that is one of them. 550M revenue is a lot more than zero.

Oh wow that's an unclear graph, putting the first tick-mark at 1B gives the impression that you're starting at 0, but there is in fact over 0.5B missing from the bottom of the plot.

Good trick to remember I suppose.

Re: TomTom’s new mapping platform and ecosystem

#127

Post by pwagland »

gambiting wrote: post #47
kleiba wrote: post #3

For the youngens here on HN: TomTom was once one of the leading manufacturers of GPS navigation systems for cars - purchased as an accessory that was stuck to the wind screen. This was in a time before every car had a screen built in, and before everyone had a smart phone with Google Maps in their pocket. I guess that product is a prime example for becoming irrelevant by society progressing. I actually still use an o…

I have a modern car with a built-in satnav as well as Android Auto support, and yet I still use my TomTom 5000 - it's just better. Definitely better than crappy Google Maps, definitely better than volvo's built-in maps, and it's without any kind of comparison how much better it is than Apple Maps. You get in the car, it auto-selects the destination based on the patterns it learnt(so if you get in at 7am on a workday,…

The auto-nav feature is very nice. However others do this, Apple Maps, at least, will suggest a destination based on behavioural patterns.

Tesla also have a "simple" version of this, if you are at home, it will automatically to go to work in the "morning", and in the afternoon it will automatically go "home" if you are at the office. But this seems to be location/time based, and not behavioural.

Re: TomTom’s new mapping platform and ecosystem

#128

Post by dchuk »

contravariant wrote: post #126
smallerfish wrote: post #52

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Interesting, but if ever there was a y-axis that needed to 0, that is one of them. 550M revenue is a lot more than zero.

Oh wow that's an unclear graph, putting the first tick-mark at 1B gives the impression that you're starting at 0, but there is in fact over 0.5B missing from the bottom of the plot. Good trick to remember I suppose.

Any chart that isn't zeroed out is a bad chart

Re: TomTom’s new mapping platform and ecosystem

#130

Post by shukantpal »

izacus wrote: post #87
chrisseaton wrote: post #86

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> something super basic that no one has ever done Errr all maps apps do this.

It's also important how they're doing this. GMaps in my car constantly fails to show anything useful (or even start navigation) because there's no signal in my underground garage. Such a simple thing and yet TomTom can do it and Google can't.

You can download maps offline in Google Maps
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