 | After describing the theory of this new software, we can’t avoid to present you a practical use case, let’s then test TomTom6 at work.
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First part of the book review is available Here
At 16:43 our adventure starts… the goal is to reach Fisciano, in detail we’d like to arrive to Salerno’s University, this means we are not looking for a desolate place.
I then start the receiver and place my PDA in the car holder.
The setup procedure is always immediate, even cold start takes 2 or 3 seconds!!
This receiver is like a Ferrari sport car… incredibly fast, I don’t neither have time to switch it on that it has already fixed 5 satellites
I then set as destination Fisciano; the software immediately calculates the route, then follows asking us if we want to avoid to pay tolls, in this case I choose the fastest way, in order to test the behaviour in highway. This feature was already available in previous version of the application.
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Before starting I also set the option for the “security screen block” and deactivate some functions. One of the possible choices is to deactivate the visualization of the route to follow using only vocal instructions.
I don’t choose this feature, even because in this case I would not have the chance of taking pictures!
At this point, here we GO!!!!!....after few km I start training the application bringing a different way from the indicated one, not really for testing software potentialities but to stop to my friend’s place and to have a co-driver and a photographer.
From the picture you can see how after few meters the route is updated!
After this little deviation... we go back to planned route
In the meantime the GPS signal has always been good, just for curiosity, I tap on GPS settings panel in order to check the number of satellites fixed… check it out what this little receiver is capable of after 10 minutes working!!! I then proceed without any problem, the software points out the highway entrance and Fisciano exit. While driving we have been shocked by an alarm, a radar has been found. Unfortunately I didn’t have the time to take a picture of it as it took us unprepared, I did not know that along Napoli-Salerno highway close to Vietri there were such radars!!!
As soon as we leave the highway I feel a bit puzzled…
Tom Tom advices us to follow a narrow way, such narrow that I have to admit that I’ve never noticed it before!!!
I am sure the given indication is incorrect; I know that area very well, even too much well, and the right way to get to University is another one.
This is the screen shown at this point:
I however decide to follow it, perhaps it is a shortcut I’ve always ignored... here you are what I see out of the window at a certain point
I wonder if it could really be a shortcut, I didn’t dare to go on among nowhere... even because I’m not driving a 4X4.
Then I tried to follow the usual way, while the software was keeping on indicating that narrow street… after some attempts to convince it to recalculate the route in an alternative way, I give up and I set the navigator for coming back home.
On the way back, the software didn’t give any problem, I also had the chance to test the behaviour during an incoming phone call.
Here it is the screen during the call.
Still curious and not fully satisfied for the mistake occurred at Fisciano, I try to test again the application in a city route, changing more times direction. In order to do that, I decide to leave the highway and go to Nocera inferiore. Tom Tom reactions have been more than satisfying to my continuous stress, even if the route followed is different from the planned one the recalculation of new way was immediate. GPS signal is always at the top, even among urbanized full of building area. All common and private streets are shown correctly, and also road signs are precise.
The night has come, tired for the long driving, we decide to go back and to let the application drive us home…
I also tried the “night view”, comfortable and relaxing.
Finally after few hours of traffic we arrive at home at 19:27 with our test and pictures done.
After this deep test of Tom Tom 6 I can be more concrete in judging the software not only by the installation and structural point of view, as I described you in the first part of this test. Apart the mistake made around Fisciano, probably caused by the remoteness of the area, I can say that maps are precise and complete, a good plus is given by extension of range to major streets of Europe, and also road signs indications have improved. During highway and inner routes the result is more than satisfying, the recalculation of an alternative route is immediate and precise, also default radar positioning and preset speed limit for various kind of street are, for sure, useful features. I personally don’t find a real help by screen block option, even because once set the target place I never had the need to review my destination. User interface is at maximum level; even night view is nice and easy to look at, different kinds of surrounding are still indicated even if with smoother tones. This software is perfectly integrated with all phone facilities, as we have seen in previous pictures, phone calls or SMS are supported during navigation without crashing the system, moreover keeping alive navigation session and tracing our vehicle. Recensioni correlate: TomTom Navigator 6 First part |
