TomTom’s new mapping platform and ecosystem

Post by eecc » Wed, Nov 02, 2022, 4:11 PM UTC

fs111 wrote: post #10

I worked at Tele Atlas/TomTom until 10 years ago. There is literally nothing new in this announcement except that they are going to "steal" data from OSM now. sensor derived data, user generated content, camera vans all of that is not new. All this existed when I left, so did the people mentioned in this announcement that are still running the show. I always hoped they would eventually realize that they need a fresh…

Post by lotsofpulp » Wed, Nov 02, 2022, 4:14 PM UTC

jstummbillig wrote: post #323

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,…

> It's just better. Definitely better than crappy Google Maps I struggling to see how anything could be "definitely" better than "crappy" Google Maps. To me, GMaps has made navigation about as exciting as using a door knob. It works without fail, and is so incredibly mundane, that the thought of forming a strong opinion about it makes me drowsy.

Post by lotsofpulp » Wed, Nov 02, 2022, 4:16 PM UTC

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.

Post by mda » Wed, Nov 02, 2022, 4:21 PM UTC

askldfjaliwejf wrote: post #235

molly_radstowe wrote: post #49

Earlier quoted context omitted.

How is it stealing data? Most geospatial companies use OSM data, with OSM's permission, and it's a smart thing to do b/c they have a great map. Why wouldn't a mapmaker work with OSM data?

except google. They copied OSM data in the past, and used in their proprietary offering that includes reselling the data. A blatant offense of the OSM license. They were caught red handed in 2018 i think, and blamed on some contractors. But most interesting, despite this being a widely know fact for the mapping community, i can't find any mention of it anywhere today.

Post by mnw21cam » Wed, Nov 02, 2022, 4:22 PM UTC

Cthulhu_ wrote: post #110

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…

Nowadays most people just use their smartphone, but there's definitely one market where an "old fashioned" navigation thing like this is still relevant: motorcycles. They need to be high contrast, low power usage (because most motorcycles don't have a power outlet), waterproof, offline, and resistive touch screens (because gloves). I did look into them at one point, but they had a €500 price tag which is a bit steep.