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TomTom’s new mapping platform and ecosystem

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Re: TomTom’s new mapping platform and ecosystem

#441

Post by jasonfarnon »

gambiting wrote: post #384
jstummbillig wrote: post #323

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> 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.

In my experience - it's just frequently wrong, to a point where I don't feel confident using it. Telling you to turn where you can't, going wrong way up one-way streets, showing you that streets connect on the map where they actually don't.......I could keep going. I keep reporting errors and they never get fixed. Like I mentioned in another comment there's a road near my work which has a no-left-turn sign but Google…

does it rely much on user reporting? I figured google maps was smarter than that. it would have the data to see that no one takes a left at that no-left street you mentioned.

Re: TomTom’s new mapping platform and ecosystem

#442

Post by jasonfarnon »

HollowEyes wrote: post #400
jstummbillig wrote: post #323

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> 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.

I just can't get on with gmaps, I stumble with the UI every time.

I remember how many years it refused to save route preferences like "avoid tolls" or "avoid highways". You would have to set them anew for each route search.

Re: TomTom’s new mapping platform and ecosystem

#443

Post by jakecopp »

What is the involvement of OpenStreetMap in this ecosystem?

From the FAQs at https://www.tomtom.com/tomtom-maps-platform/:

> I don’t want to use the new maps with OSM, will my application continue to work if I use an older library version?

> Yes. Although we encourage you to switch to the new enhanced map to take full advantage of the new map features integrated by the OSM community.

This update is light on details around licensing of the new map.

Re: TomTom’s new mapping platform and ecosystem

#444

Post by rsj_hn »

HollowEyes wrote: post #400
jstummbillig wrote: post #323

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> 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.

I just can't get on with gmaps, I stumble with the UI every time.

I've seen a marked decline in the speed and usefulness of google maps over the last 10 years or so. I'm not sure whether they are cramming too many features into it, so the UI becomes too cumbersome from it's original use case, or that they are having issues with data quality, but I find needing to retype different searches more often, and just interacting with the UI more to get the same information (which in my case is almost always "find the nearest X" and then "plan a route from where I am to X".)

Re: TomTom’s new mapping platform and ecosystem

#445

Post by slondr »

genocidicbunny wrote: post #211
mosburger wrote: post #182

Earlier quoted context omitted.

no hate here - the "replace everything with an iPad" movement of car dash design has been generally, IMO, a horrible change. When driving, you need tactile feedback when adjusting things like the cabin temperature so that you can keep your eyes on the road. Replacing knobs with GUI sliders on a screen that you have to see to manipulate is a step backwards. I would love it if auto manufacturers came to their senses an…

I think part of the problem is also the expansion of functionality in infotainment systems, especially if you're using android auto or similar. You end up needing to have a touch screen for some things like text entry (or having a much clunkier input method) and once the touch screen is there, the temptation to cut costs by replacing physical buttons and switches with some software is just too great.

Adding a touchscreen to the vehicle's infotainment system is absolutely not required for text entry when you are already connecting a device with a touchscreen to that infotainment system. Carplay/Android Auto devs just aren't creative, I guess.

Re: TomTom’s new mapping platform and ecosystem

#446

Post by dspillett »

gambiting wrote: post #385
dspillett wrote: post #176

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Tom Tom used to charge for map updates, which became a no-go for many. There was also an instance when they unceremoniously stopped supporting updates on “old” devices that were not actually that old and were in fact still actively being sold in stores (in the UK at least). I know people who switched to alternatives (the smartphone option in all cases IIRC) and vowed they'd never pay for another TomTom device again…

So I'm not sure what device you have in mind, but the one I mentioned(GO5000) still receives regular and free map updates despite being 12 years old now.

It was a fair few devices, including some that has been sold as getting lifetime updates (one of those sketchy instances where the lifetime in question is the lifetime of the product and they define the end of that by stopping the lifetime updates): https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/42859546.amp

To be fair, perhaps more fair than is deserved IMO, the devices still did (probably still do) get qgps updates so function normally apart from having outdated maps and can, somewhat disingenuously, be said to be still be getting their lifetime updates.

Re: TomTom’s new mapping platform and ecosystem

#447

Post by muti »

ddulaney wrote: post #415
ThamesJ wrote: post #394

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It’s interesting how anecdotal people’s perspectives on Google maps navigation ends up being. Personally GMaps has never failed me (UK based) in the best part of a decade, if anything it has been consistently worryingly accurate, and everyone I know has had a similar experience. As I’ve seen others say in this thread “it just works” without fail. Due to that it’s unbelievable (to me) that others have had such an expe…

I've experienced both sides. My rough sense of it is: If you're in a city or suburb with a Google office, it's spotless, including transit options that are often customized to the city itself. If you're in a city or suburb without a Google office, it's reliable on roads but probably doesn't cover transit particularly well. I'm not sure if the Google vs. non-Google office is just a bias towards the kind of cities Goog…

There's no google office where I live, but google maps will show detailed transit information including exactly where on its route the bus you are waiting for is.

There's an attribution saying the data is coming from the local metro provider, who has their own interface for accessing the same data, but having it in google maps is nice as it integrates well with other navigation.

So I would say it comes down more to who has partnered with google to make the data more accessible.

Maybe more anecdotal, but I have had great mileage with google maps for navigation while driving too. The government department for land information does make almost all GIS data publicly available which probably helps too.

Re: TomTom’s new mapping platform and ecosystem

#448

Post by culopatin »

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,…

So, does what google maps does, but can it route you around an accident? Does it show speed traps? Does it show you closed roads? Why is it better?

Re: TomTom’s new mapping platform and ecosystem

#449

Post by muti »

club_tropical wrote: post #302

Curious, does anybody navigate without GPS? Why do you do it? I occasionally challenge myself, and I am always surprised how much more active my mind is, compared to GPS where my mind is passively glancing at the screen every few seconds to see if I'm on course and next turn.

Yes, I find it more fun and engaging whether driving a car or riding a bike.

It also helps to build up a mental map of the city I live in, which I find to be one of those skills you can learn which feels like a bit of a superpower. Being able to find and navigate along a route, deal with detours, or navigate yourself around congested areas.

Recently I was trying to leave a large complex parking area when we noticed it was gridlocked. We were able to navigate a way out the back that hadn't become congested yet, and save ourselves from 4+ hours of waiting and ending up on the news.

Re: TomTom’s new mapping platform and ecosystem

#450

Post by DaiPlusPlus »

slondr wrote: post #445
genocidicbunny wrote: post #211

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think part of the problem is also the expansion of functionality in infotainment systems, especially if you're using android auto or similar. You end up needing to have a touch screen for some things like text entry (or having a much clunkier input method) and once the touch screen is there, the temptation to cut costs by replacing physical buttons and switches with some software is just too great.

Adding a touchscreen to the vehicle's infotainment system is absolutely not required for text entry when you are already connecting a device with a touchscreen to that infotainment system. Carplay/Android Auto devs just aren't creative, I guess.

> Adding a touchscreen to the vehicle's infotainment system is absolutely not required for text entry when you are already connecting a device with a touchscreen to that infotainment system.

It is, because a lot of car-makers intentionally make the phone physically inaccessible by being out-of-reach when plugged in for CarPlay/AndroidAuto (they don't want to be complicit in texting-while-driving deaths - would you?). Most societies agree it's okay to use a large touch-screen keyboard thats part of the dashboard because (at least it's meant to be) positioned such that your eyes can still see the road ahead to some degree, and big chunky virtual keys go a long way too.

...telling me to fumble around for my iPhone, then somehow unlock it, get to the right app, then precisely poke its tiiiiny keyboard keys and hope autocorrect doesn't get it wrong (and it will) just to enter a new navigation address when I'm trying to negotiate traffic is a bad idea.

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