Having reviewed TomTom’s high-end GO 930 and GO 730 units earlier this year, we were already familiar with the advanced guidance and IQ Routes features that just trickled down into the recently released One 140 and XL 340. Glad as we were that they’re making their way to down to lower-end models, it’s nothing earth-shattering.
The new mounts introduced on these units, though, are quite unique. Small as they may seem, we actually think the GPS mounts are one of the most important aspects of a good standalone unit, and TomTom has really done some rethinking of the classic suction-cup-and-arm design that pretty much everyone on the market it using these days.
The new models still use suction cups to lock onto the window, but rather than locking on with a lever mount as most do, they actually secure with the twist of a knurled ring around them. The traditional ball-joint-mounted arm that sticks out to support the GPS has also been replaced by a ring – an enormous, almost cup-holder-sized guy that snaps firmly onto GPS unit back. After clipping in, the entire GPS can rotate around 360 degrees, with small detents to keep it from just swinging around wildly.
We’ve always been fond of TomTom’s mounts, but these look even more useful than the last iteration. First, they fold flat when they’re not in use. If you’ve ever had to finagle a mount into your glovebox before, you know this is a huge convenience for storage. Second, they should offer a more secure mount thanks to that twisting ring (TomTom’s old units didn’t even have a lever to apply suction after jamming them up on the windshield).
We’ll let you know when we actually get one of these things up in a car, but in the mean time we applaud TomTom for rethinking an otherwise overlooked, but important, part of the GPS.
