TomTom Introduces ONE XL GPS Unit

TomTom's ONE XL portable GPS device features a 4.3-inch screen, lightweight design, traffic-planning and route features...and celebrity voices.

GPS developer TomTom ha announced its followup to its popular TomTom ONE GPS device, in the form of the new TomTom One XL. The ONE XL features a 4.3-inch (480 by 272 pixeL) LCD screen, a sleek design, the by-now expected range of route planning, mapping, and real-time traffic and weather services—plus the ability to install celebrity voices for hands-free operation.

"The TomTom ONE has outsold every other portable navigation device in the world, a testament to the exceptional quality and design of our products," said TomTom Inc. president Jocelyn Vigreux, in a release. "The TomTom ONE XL has the same intuitive and easy to use form for which TomTom products are so well known. Its extra large screen and great price point complement our product range and give our customers even more navigation products to choose from."

TomTom says the ONE XL’s software enables rapid connection to GPS satellites for fast location-finding, offers preloaded comprehensive point-to-point maps of the U.S. and Canada, complete with several million points of interest. TomTom also boasts the unit is "traffic-ready," offering drivers access to real-time updates and road information through a subscription to TomTom’s traffic service (currently €39.95 a year—a little over $53 USD). The device sports a 266 MHz CPU, 32 MB of onboard RAM, a rechargeable lithium-ion battery which offers up to two hours of operation, and spoken instructions in up to 36 languages and 55 different voices.

And this may be the best part for some folks: using the TomTom Home application, users can not only plan routes using their computer and download that data to the ONE XL, but they can download celebrity and character voices into the unit for voice-guided directions! TomTom’s latest celebrity voice is actor Garey Busey—whose performance comes complete with a few "Buseyisms."

The TomTom ONE XL will be available at U.S. and Canadian retailers in June 2007 at a suggested price of $399.