TomTom - ONE 130S GPS Device Review

While I never thought I'd need a GPS receiver for my car and I still don't think I do, but it's turned out that the TomTom One 130S GPS Receiver has been a great addition that has made it easier to find specific addresses and locations when I'm driving.

The TomTom One 130S is a Global Positioning Service (GPS) device that receives signals from a network of satellites, which pinpoint your location. It uses that information along with a database of maps for the United States to let you navigate practically anywhere. The 130S packs a lot of functionality into its small package. You get a GPS that takes about a minute or less to mount on your windshield, lets you enter destinations quickly, 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.

The 130S is 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.

For some GPS units, it takes forever to get a lock on satellites, not so on the 130S. The longest it has taken to connect to enough satellites in order to provide a location has been about a minute. I have been very happy at how accurate the GPS location information and the map database in the 130S are.

You'll have to do a few things with the 130S to update it and get it running before you first use it in your car. When you first turn it on the 130S will run through a setup diagnostic and then, 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.

It really doesn't take much after your initial boot up to use the 130S. The mounting system is very easy. The 130S starts up quickly after you push the power button. Then you'll have a location showing. 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. Typing in information on the 130S is fairly easy. 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.

My big 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. The GPS navigated us there without any problem. We used 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. 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, especially areas in Boston proper, which the 130S hasn't had a problem with.

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.

My Take

I think that the $130 that I spent on the TomTom One 130S was money well spent. The 130S has turned out to be a great device, especially when you need to navigate to a specific address that might be difficult to find on a map and I'd heartily recommend the TomTom One 130S GPS if you are looking for an inexpensive but quality GPS unit.