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Jun 26 2007 - TomTom and Vodafone UK To Introduce the World's Most Advanced Travel Time Information System for Superior Navigation in the UK

http://www.tomtom.com/news/category.php?ID=4&NID=374

Here's a video showing how TomTom MapShare works, and demonstrating a secret undocumented cheatcode!

TomTom mapshare explanation and cheatcode

TomTom Home is a Mozilla xulrunner based desktop application for managing content on your TomTom, kind of like iTunes for GPS devices, but written with open source software, and programmable in JavaScript, XPCOM and C++. The reason for using an extensible open source platform like xulrunner is so TomTom and third party developers can customize and extend it by writing interfaces and tools that enable users to create, manage and share content on TomTom GPS devices (like voices, points of interest, reviews, routes, pictures, music, etc), and integrate TomTom Home with online services and content providers (like Yelp, Yahoo, Google, Facebook, etc).

TomTom is hiring XUL/JavaScript/AJAX/DHTML Developers to work on TomTom Home and other interesting projects in Amsterdam! TomTom's a great company to work for, in a wonderful location. If you're qualified and interested, please contact me and I'll give you more details.

-Don

Here's a video showing how TomTom MapShare works, and demonstrating a secret undocumented cheatcode!

TomTom mapshare explanation and cheatcode

TomTom Home is a Mozilla xulrunner based desktop application for managing content on your TomTom, kind of like iTunes for GPS devices, but written with open source software, and programmable in JavaScript, XPCOM and C++. The reason for using an extensible open source platform like xulrunner is so TomTom and third party developers can customize and extend it by writing interfaces and tools that enable users to create, manage and share content on TomTom GPS devices (like voices, points of interest, reviews, routes, pictures, music, etc), and integrate TomTom Home with online services and content providers (like Yelp, Yahoo, Google, Facebook, etc).

TomTom is hiring XUL/JavaScript/AJAX/DHTML Developers to work on TomTom Home and other interesting projects in Amsterdam! TomTom's a great company to work for, in a wonderful location. If you're qualified and interested, please contact me and I'll give you more details.

-Don

Agreed. And this isn't something new. The two major road data providers, TomTom and Tele Atlas, already have their "crowdsourcing" tools to improve the maps of their GPS Nav systems (and any other other of their customers, such as Google, Microsoft and Yahoo!). See MapShare and MapInsight, their official tools. Of course, OpenStreetMap is could be considered another pertinent project bridging GPS and crowdsourcing. Oh, and by the way, you have real-time traffic in Google Earth too you know. And we discussed p2p networks for road traffic some time ago.

And now, totally off-topic, I would have liked /. to discuss the last Microsoft Virtual Earth release this week. It's really major. My story submission about it was rejected. There's even a Google SketchUp competitor in there and many features we won't see anytime soon on Google Maps / Google Earth (and other few worthy competitors).

Oh, and in addition to that, data is fed to the device via Traffic Updates System so you can avoid delays. Also, there's a Speed Trap Database as well. All available for a device costing a couple of hundred quid (or about $200 with the usual corporate $1=£1 currency conversion).

Not to worry though. Like most things, give the USA another few years and they'll have caught up - by which time we'll have moved on again. Sad that a country that contributed so much innovation is nowadays resigned to always being a few years behind purely due to the greed of the corporates.

Oh, and in addition to that, data is fed to the device via Traffic Updates System so you can avoid delays. Also, there's a Speed Trap Database as well. All available for a device costing a couple of hundred quid (or about $200 with the usual corporate $1=£1 currency conversion).

Not to worry though. Like most things, give the USA another few years and they'll have caught up - by which time we'll have moved on again. Sad that a country that contributed so much innovation is nowadays resigned to always being a few years behind purely due to the greed of the corporates.

Oh, and in addition to that, data is fed to the device via Traffic Updates System so you can avoid delays. Also, there's a Speed Trap Database as well. All available for a device costing a couple of hundred quid (or about $200 with the usual corporate $1=£1 currency conversion).

Not to worry though. Like most things, give the USA another few years and they'll have caught up - by which time we'll have moved on again. Sad that a country that contributed so much innovation is nowadays resigned to always being a few years behind purely due to the greed of the corporates.

The notice IS posted on the official tomtom website: http://www.tomtom.com/news/category.php?ID=2&NID=3 49&Language=1

Disclaimer: I work for TomTom. Please note that www.tomtomgo910.co.uk is not the official TomTom website. It seems to be a landing page for easydevices.co.uk since the 'order now' links points to there. The official site can be found here: http://www.tomtom.com/

it's irrelevant to the case in point, as it can act as usb mass storage and thus be carrying infected files.

actually, it's running linux - tomtom's gpl page. Also take not of OpenTom, a team of 3rd party tomtom hackers.

As someone else noted, it runs Linux. So the virus really is just on the hard drive, so it can execute on computers that attach to the unit, but the virus doesn't actually execute on the GPS unit.

Linux

http://www.tomtom.com/products/features.php?ID=212 &Category=0&Lid=4

#1 TomTom
#2 Mapopolis

I've got the TomTom Go 300 and a sample of its 3D view is available here and in night mode here- sure it doesn't include wireframe buildings like the one you saw (which would be cool) but for £300 ($500) I can't complain. The GPS device you saw also probably only have buildings for Tokyo only - anything outside Tokyo wouldn't have it probably.

I can tell you I love my Treo, and I also had both for a while, but I always had to have my Palm with me for the things it did, and though I agree, email is superior on the blackberry, it's not good enough that I want to lug around another device. With my 4g SD card it's a better mp3 player than an Ipod Nano (well, better for me because I think ITunes is the devil). I have a a kickass GPS on it, so I can fly from city to city, and be able to rent a car and get to wherever the heck I need to be. With pssh I can take care of things I need to on servers anywhere, and with the browser (which also is not the best in the wireless space, but good enough for me) I can read my bloglists while riding in on the train

...every single item mentioned in the article that applied to GPS Navigation systems could be applied to conventional maps, at least with a GPS Navigation system it could talk to you without you having to look at it (Tom Tom http://www.tomtom.com/ for instance). Then it would take your eyes away from it and on the road where it belongs.

However you do navigate, you must plan ahead.

-My $.02

Linux is inviting.
E.g. at tomtom its like this: a small company develops navigation software. It's developed and tested on a number of platforms, including symbian, wince and linux devices. Then they come up with an idea to build their own all-in appliance. Order some development boards (say, arm chips, gps, fpga's) and start hacking away.
This is where there really isn't an option. The software included with a developmentboard - be it linux, or some proprietary rtos - never does the job. You just have to do your own hacking, or have someone do it for you. Asuming you're a hands on company that knows about bits and bobs you do your own hacking. This is where full access to quality code is essential. This is where linux is inviting.
When it's all up and running, the choice isn't really a choice.
If brand recognition is all that matters, you may choose to simply implement microsofts ref design and sell it as a wince-clone and concentrat on case modding. In all other cases linux and ten fingers to type is the only way.

The TomTom GO 700 will do the same thing as an all-in-one portable unit. I can't wait for this thing to come out (eta last month).

I was pretty blown away by the GPS units I saw there. They rendered 3D views of where you were [..] So my advice: if you want to see what's on its way check out what they have in Japan.

You mean like GPS units that have been on sale for several years (screenshots) here in the US from companies like TomTom?

• TimeTTracker - keeps track of how much time I use on my clients. This program pays not only for itself but also for the PDA, the GPS'es and all other software and hardware I've bought for use with my PDA.
• nPOPw - freeware email-client that can delete mail from the POP3 server without going through ActiveSync. Essential for reading mail on the road.
• TomTom Navigator 3 - GPS navigation with voice prompts and automatic re-routing if you take a wrong turn.
• ev41 - HP 41-CX calculator clone. Greatest calculator ever :-)
• Pocket Plan - Microsoft Project compatible planning if you don't use the fancy stuff

What do you think this is?
http://english.digi-map.de/

or this:
http://www.kirrio.com/uk/products/bundles/index.ph p?cat=0&id=2

or this:
http://www.tomtom.com/products/product.php?ID=27&L anguage=4

• TimeTTracker from RF Consulting" to keep track on how much time I use on what and whom. I work as freelancer and this program alone has paid not only for itself but also for the Pocket PC and all the gadgets associated with it.
• Tomtom Navigator 3 used with a Haicom HI-303S compact flash GPS receiver.
• Wisbar Advance 1.3.2.2 from Lake Ridge Software. This is the older freeware version that does not work with Windows Mobile 2003 SE. The version that does is payware.
• ev41, a freeware HP-41 calculator
• nPOPw freeware email program that can delete mails from the POP3-server, something that the built-in version cannot do. I use it for checking email when I'm on the road.
• Pocket Informat Pro 5 PIM program. This so much better than the built-in version.

I'll buy it if tomtom runs on it! Any news about this?

Did TomTom base their software on Ghost In The Shell? TomTom's maps totally look like the maps in that movie... except they are not green.

If it already runs under Linux, it might not be too hard for them to port it to a Zaurus. However, with Sharp's limited distribution in the US and Europe, I doubt they'd even try. It's too bad because I be the same app could run without recompiling on OpenZaurus or even an iPAQ running Familiar.

Of course, this isn't the only handheld option. The TomTom folks also have PDA editions for more popular devices.

TomTom GO"

TomTom GO

My setup is:

• Psion 5mx running Opera (for /. and such)
• Ericsson SH888 for connectivity - will upgrade to an Ericsson R520M with GPRS RSN.
• HP 215 camera with Compact Flash cards that can be read by the 5mx. Yes, this is not the newest model that you can get - but it was cheap.
• TomTom GPS with Roadplanner for Europe. For use when travelling long distances by car. Otherwise, I use a map (hint: it doesn't run out of batteries)

But being able to grab a photo, chuck the CF card into the 5mx and fire off an email with the picture attached, all within 15 minutes - that's cool!

And best of all: I have all this right now :-)