Navigation made easy with the TomTom One 130S GPS

So what's someone who has always believed that having a good atlas or a map really precludes the need for a GPS navigation system doing with a TomTom One 130S GPS? Well, a few experiences in vehicles with a navigation system, along with the idea of just punching in a destination and not having to worry about having someone read the map convinced me that I should probably just bite the bullet and get one.

I really only had three requirements when I was looking for a portable GPS for the car. One, it had to be relatively inexpensive. Two, I wanted voice navigation, even if I turned it off most of the time. Finally, I wanted something that wasn't very big and easily fit on the windshield.

As I browsed all of the various units available, I settled on a few different TomTom and Garmin models. A price cut on the 130S is actually what convinced me to go with it. In the end, I'm glad it did, since I've seen the other units I was considering in action with other people and I actually like the way the TomTom works better.

TomTom 130S Basics

So what exactly is the TomTom One 130S? It's a Global Positioning System (GPS) device that receives signals from a network of satellites, which allows you to pinpoint your location down to a few meters. Not only can it provide a location though, but with a database of maps for the United States, you can pretty much punch in any address and the 130S will be able to compute a route to that location using its database of roadways and highways.

While the 130S is actually one of TomTom's lower end models, it packs a lot of functionality into its small package. You get a device that takes about a minute or less to mount on your windshield, quickly lets you enter destinations, provides step by step voice and/or visual instructions, has maps that can be constantly updated through a computer connection, has tons of points of interest pre-programmed into the device, and can calculate new routes on the fly should you miss a turn or not want to go in the direction the device is telling you to go.

How big is this little powerhouse? It's just under four inches wide, just over three inches high and an inch thick. It weighs less than seven ounces too. The screen, which takes up most of the front of the device is in full color too.

GPS Signals

Something I've noticed on some GPS units is that it takes forever to get a lock on the various satellites needed for a location lock. Not so on the 130S. The longest it has taken the device to connect to enough satellites in order to provide a location has been about a minute. Generally, within thirty seconds or so of the device booting up, it's already locked on to enough satellites.

The more satellites that you have locked, the better your locational information is. From what I can tell with the 130S, it often has several satellites in its view and is receiving data from all of them. There is a screen within the menu structure on the 130S that lets you see how many satellites you are connected to.

Using the 130S for the first time

Before you start navigating across the country with your 130S, there are a few things you'll have to do in order to update it and get it running. When you first turn it on (the batteries are charged when you receive it), it will run through a setup diagnostic that ask you a few questions. Following that, you can connect it to your computer where you are entitled to one free update of the maps along with updates of the points of interest database along with some other information. The points of interest database can be updated whenever you want, but if you want further map updates you'll have to pay for them.

It took me about a ½ an hour to get the 130S ready to put in the car.

Programming and using the 130S

Considering that most of us will be using the 130S in the car, I think the most important thing when it comes to the use of the device is that it is simple and basically foolproof. Does the 130S deliver? For the most part in my mind.

It really doesn't take much after your initial boot up and updating to use the 130S. The mounting system is very easy. There's a fold-out suction cup on the back of the 130S that you put on your windshield and then all you have to do is twist the locking mechanism to secure it to the windshield. After that, just push the on button and the 130S will run through it's startup which takes less than a minute. Then you'll have a location showing.

From here, you just tap the screen and you are brought to the navigation menu. You can navigate to a specific address, a point of interest or a city center. For the city center and address navigation, you'll go into another screen where you can type in the State, City and address information. For the points of interest, you can browse through the database.

Typing in information on the 130S is fairly easy. I wish the on-screen buttons were slightly larger though since I found I often had to correct myself because I'd push the button next to the one that I wanted. Strike it up to fat fingers.

There's also the ability to customize just about everything on the 130S, including what kind of voice you want the unit to speak in. We've fiddled with these settings over time, but for the most part, the default settings are fine and you really don't need to be twiddling with them.

Experiences

My first test of the TomTom 130S was on a trip to Myrtle Beach from the Boston area. Our friends had moved down there so we put in their address, a trip was calculated and we were off. For about 99% of the time, the GPS navigated us there without any problem. It followed the major highways for the most part. The only place where I would have rather it guided us a different way was near the end, when it took us on some local roads instead of the highways, but in the end, I think it was quicker that way, even though the driving might not have been as easy.

We would have the voice navigation on in denser areas since it was nice to get the auditory warning about upcoming turns. For rural areas, we just turned off the speaker and followed the visual prompts since there is plenty of time to take things in.

Navigation in a more dense urban area is quite good. Around the central part of Myrtle Beach, we had no trouble getting around and the 130S was able to take us right up to the front door of our friends' condo.

From Myrtle Beach we headed up to the Outer Banks of North Carolina. Again, the 130S worked pretty much flawlessly. It got us there the same way I would have gone using maps but it saved us from having to have someone constantly checking on those maps to make sure we were going the right way.

Here at home in Boston I don't use the 130S as much since I'm familiar with the roads, however when I'm heading somewhere that I don't know so well, I bring the 130S with me. Recently I had to take a friend to a doctor in Brookline. The 130S brought us right to the address in Brookline and I think it was easier than trying to follow written directions or trying to read a map. I was able to continue driving and not focus on knowing where to go, I just let the 130S guide me. Then on the way home it actually brought me a way I wouldn't have thought of, but it was quicker and easier than backtracking.

Another thing I like about the 130S is how portable it is. I don't have to dedicate it to one vehicle. We can use it in either of our cars or if I'm driving with a friend and they don't have a GPS, it is easy enough to hook up the 130S and be using it in their car.

Accuracy?

I was quite surprised at how accurate the GPS location information and the map database in the 130S is. I have yet to come across an area where the maps don't have information. Not only that, but even small deviations from the route show up on the device, telling you that the GPS locational lock is quite good.

Final Thoughts

I think that the $130 that I spent on the TomTom One 130S was money well spent. Sure I won't be giving up my atlas or maps any time soon, but the 130S is a great device, especially when you need to navigate to a specific address that might be difficult to find on a map. I can punch in where I want to go and within a minute, the 130S is telling me where I have to go.

So if you are looking for an inexpensive but quality GPS unit that will help you navigate while you drive, I think you should consider getting the TomTom One 130S GPS. I have found it to be a real time (and argument) saver when it comes to navigating in the car.