joyce pellino crane

By Joyce Pellino Crane

Tom Tom was a welcomed companion on our family vacation this summer despite the irreverent car culture that developed around its quirky pronunciations.

Global Positioning System devices are the hottest new electronic toys on the market with sales skyrocketing over the past few years. Unit volume soared between 2006 and 2007 from 1.3 million to 5.9 million, and are presently on track to surpass last year’s sales, according to the NPD Group, a consumer and retail market research company.

The two most popular brands are Tom Tom and Garmin. Our findings: no major differences in accuracy and flexibility, but Garmin’s nuvi 265t was simpler to use on the road than Tom Tom’s XL 330 S. Both are priced at $299.99.

One confession: because Tom Tom spent a week with us, we developed a deep affection for the gizmo, like having a car guest who only speaks in non-sequiturs.

Besides being a fairly adept global positioning system, the device added an element of humor to our Cape Cod trip that would have been otherwise missing.

We left from a suburb northwest of Boston on a Friday afternoon in early August, and began learning how to use the device enroute. (For safety reasons, the driver was not involved in the startup phase). Inside the car were two adults and three teenagers. Number one son—the most technically proficient of our bunch—took charge of inputting destinations.

Though we are somewhat familiar with Cape Cod roads, having Tom Tom saved us time on at least two occasions, as we rushed to meet friends in locations that we had never before navigated.

We had borrowed the model to take with us on our week’s travels to Chatham, where we rented a cottage on Stage Neck Road. On the way down we used it to find a a Friendly’s Restaurant in Bourne and a hotel in Yarmouth where we stayed the first night.

After dinner we decided to bypass the Bourne Bridge and head to the Sagamore. Tom Tom was programmed for the first crossing, but adjusted for the second and led us directly to the hotel where we stayed until our cottage was available the next morning.

A few days into our vacation, we were rushing to meet a friend at Ryder’s Cove where he was waiting with his motorboat to take us water skiing. We found the boatyard in the nick of time, just before he took off without us, and jumped on board. It also helped us navigate from Chatham back to Yarmouth, where some friends had just purchased a summer home. Tom Tom’s data bank is so detailed, it was able to give us advanced warning that their road was unpaved.

We loved listening to the British accents among the gizmo’s audio choices and laughed when it called the infamous Massachusetts rotaries “roundabouts.”

Had we been willing to cough up an extra $12.95 each, we could have listend to the voices of Kim Cattrell, John Cleese, or Mr. T (www.twitter.com/TomTom) instead of the pre-programmed options, but we weren’t feeling quite hip enough.

The Tom Tom model is sleek and smaller than my hand. It offers free map upgrades, and a receiver for up-to-the minute traffic information. If mounted correctly, it remains secure on the dashboard or windshield and its screen is visible at night. (NOTE: some states don’t allow dashboard mounting). In streaming sunlight, it’s more difficult to see, but the audio directions are loud and clear.

In comparison Garmin’s nuvi 265t is pocket-sized with a clear and more Americanized audio. It offers FM traffic information, Bluetooth wireless and preloaded street maps for North America.The Garmin’s screen is crisper and simpler for viewing. Tom Tom has five icons on its opening screen: “navigate to,” “find alternative” (route), “help me,” “add favorite,” and “change preferences.” Garmin has two: “where to” and “view map,” with smaller icons in the right corner for volume and tools. I preferred the simplicity of the Garmin’s screen, particularly when operating the car.

We were frustrated at times with how long Tom Tom took to find a satellite connection whether on Cape Cod or at home in our northwest Boston suburb. The Garmin made the connection much more quickly.

But the directions provided by both are remarkably accurate and they can quickly find alternate routes that makes navigation for someone with no sense of direction (moi), a breeze. Tom Tom did a better job of offering alternate routes than Garmin, but both said street names clearly and gave ample advance warning for turns.

To check for Garmin’s map updates, go to https://my.garmin.com/maps/updates.htm. For Tom Tom’s, go to http://www.tomtom.com/products/maps/index.php?Lid=4. Tom Tom’s fees for maps from New England to Africa range from $59.95 to $119.95. Garmin sells map updates on DVD data cards for $99.99.

Joyce Pellino Crane can be reached joycepellinocrane at g mail dot com