TomTom One 130S 3.5-Inch Portable GPS Navigator (Factory Refurbished)

This is my first GPS purchase. I researched various products at wildly different pricepoints on the web before choosing the refurbished TomTom One-130-S. While it may not have all of the bells and whistles of the more expensive models, it is very functional. I was somewhat disappointed that TomTom’s “Latest Map Guarantee” does not apply to refurbs, but a call to customer service led me to find that the unit’s map was only about six months old…so no problem. I’ve tested the unit on destinations that I normally travel and found that when I deviate from the suggested route, the TomTom quickly recalculates wihout insisting on making a U-Turn. I’ve also used it on trips to unfamiliar areas and was very pleased with the quality of the direction.The feature of having the voice identification of street names is definately worth the few extra bucks over the standard One-130. I am very pleased with this product.

Here is the latest in TomTom technology. The TomTom 130. This latest development from TomTom will be perfect for first time GPS buyers who are looking for something simple, compact, and accurate. For previous owners of the TomTom One however, this is no reason to upgrade.

The product itself is as close to perfection as I’ve seen in a basic GPS device, hence the five star rating, but then again so is the TomTom One 3rd edition that was released late last year. The TomTom 130 model is basically the TomTom One with a few minor upgrades. The most notable would be the new flip and fold mounting capability. Instead of the standard suction cup mount that TomTom owners are used to owning as a separate component (one that slides in and out of the back custom grooves of the TomTom itself) there is now an attached mount that folds into the unit for easy storage. This is convenient but in my opinion and like the other minor upgrades, no reason to toss out your old TomTom One in exchange.

iPod has set the standard for a lot of electronic thresholds, none being more noticeable than the size and depth of its products. To some it up…slim is in and the TomTom 130 is even slimmer than its big brother the TomTom One weighing in at a 6.1 ounces and only 1 inch in depth. Here are the some minor specs:

Unit Size: 3.8″H x 3.2″W x 1″D

Display Size: 3.5″ (Diagonal)

Weight: 6.1 oz

Also worth noting is the TomTom 130 now boasts a 3 hour battery charge instead of the paltry 2 hour that left TomTom One owners completely dependent on the cigarette chargers in their cars. 3 hours isn’t exactly a wealth of time but it is an improvement and a little more realistic.

Also included with the product is TomTom’s exclusive Map Share feature that allows users to make their own map corrections and share them with other TomTom customers through their online connection using the TomTom Home software on their PC. This service is free of charge.

This has been the subject of some confusion among TomTom users and should be pointed out. Some customers mistakenly think the Map Share updates they receive are entire map upgrades. This is not so. Although TomTom does provide its customers with Map Share updates free of charge these only include minor map modifications, such as dead end streets that weren’t marked properly or points-of-interest that were marked out of place. These Map Share updates do not include the miles of new roads being built every year across America & Canada. In order to receive these major map updates customers will have to pay for them.

Of course the TomTom 130 will already come included with the latest Tele Atlas which is now version 720.1802, and although TomTom has major map upgrades throughout the year most customers (including myself) will be content with just paying for an upgrade once a year. This guarantees that you will always have the latest maps with the newest roads.

Like the TomTom One 3rd Edition the TomTom 130 comes with a “Help Me” button which when pressed opens features such as “Phone For Help” which displays emergency numbers for the current location (such as and typically 911) “Drive To Help” which show you the quickest way to the nearest police station or hospital and a “First Aid Guide” which is provided by the British Red Cross.

Also included in the safety features is an option to sound a custom alarm if any of the following occur:

1. When approaching a school or church

2. When driving faster than a set speed

3. When driving faster than allowed

The 130 still uses the same TomTom touch screen user-interface so prior TomTom users will already be familiar with the controls but with such a user friendly design even new customers will have the hang of it in no time. The screen is a bright 3.5 inch full TFT color LCD with 320 x 240 pixels that supports 64K colors.

For first time GPS buyers this unit is perfect because of its price, portability, latest maps, outstanding user-interface, and simplicity. For someone looking to upgrade to something a little more advanced try the TomTom 130S with text-to-speech capability (verbal pronunciation of street names).

I haven’t used many GPS systems before so this is more of a review of this individual system as it stands on its own and not comparing it to other systems. Living in a large city, I don’t own a car, but recently I needed to make a trip that entailed visiting 7 or 8 locations all within a few hours of each other (in a rental car). I knew that I might have to change the order of when I would get to each location or possibly not go to them all. Not being very familiar with the area I figured that it might be a good idea to get a GPS. This unit worked perfectly for the whole trip. I programed in each address before leaving and saved it as a favorite location which made picking a new destination really easy while driving. All of the directions accurate, and the computer voice was easy to understand (and you have a choice of a few voices as well). I’m not sure how many ‘favorite’ locations you can put in but I had in over 10 so you can enter at least that many.

Here’s a list of other features that I liked:

- It came with a lighter/power cord for the car.

- Came with a USB cable to charge on the computer.

- You can update maps on the computer and backup your maps/info.

- It actually came with Macintosh software!! (as well as Windows of course)

- It came with a very useful suction cup holder to attach to the front windshield (it worked very well and never came off)

- This is a refurbished unit but it looked brand new. I didn’t even see a small scratch on the unit.

- I liked the night mode that had darker colors.

- There is an option to have the volume adjust based on your car speed.

- It is small enough to put into a pocket or bag when you leave the car.

- I didn’t use them but it has a bicycle mode and a walking mode.

- You can buy updates to maps or other map locations online.

Some features that you may not like:

- It doesn’t say the name of the street you need to turn onto. (I didn’t really mind that, though)

- The screen is pretty small. I actually liked it this way though, as I didn’t want it to take up too much of my view out the front window. But if you have trouble reading small text it might be hard to see what the exit is, etc. Some elements, like your speed or arrival time are pretty small.

- When you first turn it on it can take 4 or 5 minutes to locate the GPS satellites. (not sure how this compares to other units)

- It would probably be hard to enter a new address while you’re driving as the screen is pretty small. That’s why I pre-entered them before hand.

- You have to go through a few menus to change the volume. Not too bad if your parked but if you’re driving it can be a little tricky. (Don’t crash)

I think that’s about it. Again, I’m not sure how this compared to other portable units or other built in units but for what I wanted this was perfect, especially for the price and as of this writing there is a rebate as well.