Taking TomTom to N. Ireland

I tested TomTom Mobile 5 in and around Northern Ireland this weekend and well…there were good points and bad points. I used it with an iPAQ 2110, and a Holux G236 bluetooth receiver. The 2110 was great and easy to use. I mounted it on the windscreen and the large display and application buttons made it really simple to find my way around.

The 312MHz processor kept up well with all my demands and constant re-routing. The Holux receiver kept me on track even when I was driving through forests in the back beyond. Anyone who knows the tracks in and around Glenariff will appreciate how dense it can get up there, but the receiver kept our position really well. It was, however, slightly let down by TomTom’s maps.

In the centre of Belfast, a place I know really well, TomTom navigated me through back streets, one way streets, tricky junctions and more without breaking a sweat, but beyond the capital, even in other big cities, the maps were limited to major roads. Don’t get me wrong, I still really like the TomTom interface, and it got me where I wanted to go everytime, but the POIs were non-existent outside of Belfast centre and even major things like the Universities weren’t included.

For Scotland and beyond, TomTom 5 is rarely matched on accuracy and detail, but when I’m visiting Northern Ireland, I’m afraid I’m going to have to stick to Navigon.

For more detail on TomTom, the iPAQ 2110, Holux GR236 receiver, or Navigon [coming soon], click these links.