Tomtom Updates

[Nev183]

Recently bought a Yaris SR with the built in TomTom sat nav. Well pleased with it but was surprised when I connected it to my computer to download any updates to the maps to find that it appears you can't. After a lengthy discussion thread with TomTom these are the last couple of replies I was given . A bit disappointing as the maps have now moved on to version 8

Thank you for contacting TomTom Customer Support

Unfortunately due to the fact that Tom Tom Toyota products only support application version 6.5 at the moment, it is not possible to use mapshare with the product.

Furthermore, it is not possible to upgrade the map, as the latest maps require software version 7.** or higher.

Apologies for the inconvenience.

With Best Regards

The TomTom Customer Support Team

Are there plans to make the software available and will I be able to upgrade the maps or am I to be left with a brand new out of date product?

Can you please also let me know when version 675.1409 of the maps was released.

Thank you for contacting TomTom Customer Support

Unfortunately there are no plans as of yet for the Toyota products to be compatible with upgrade application versions.

Map version 6.75 was released in April of 2007.

With Best Regards

The TomTom Customer Support Team

[T V O R]

Which TomTom is it? Do you have TomTom Home?

[Nev183]

It's a TomTom TOYOTA (TNS400) and I have TomTom home, in fact I now have version 2.2 as I tried updating it as well.

[bjw]

You can take the support advice Tomtom gives you with a pinch of salt !!you can ask three support agents the same question and get three different answers !!

When you connect you device up to Tomtom home do you get offered any updates to your device ??

I am not familiar with Toyota tomtom but have used tomtom products before and never had a problem updating them !!.

It is important that you make a back up of your device in windows as Tomtom home software is notorious for being corrupted easily .

Have a look at this web site it has a lot of info on it

http://www.pocketgpsworld.com/

[Nev183]

When I use the TomTom home the only update it offers is the one for the position of satellites, which changes weekly. The only maps I can buy are the version already in it, version 6.75 and I can't participate in TomToms Mapshare. I have went through this all in great detail and after getting nowhere then contacted TomTom support and, after many other replies trying different solutions (copying all contents from the disc and reformatting was one) I finally got the answer above. I know this is not really critical, I just found it strange that Toyota would install a system that can't be updated

[bjw]

When I use the TomTom home the only update it offers is the one for the position of satellites, which changes weekly. The only maps I can buy are the version already in it, version 6.75 and I can't participate in TomToms Mapshare. I have went through this all in great detail and after getting nowhere then contacted TomTom support and, after many other replies trying different solutions (copying all contents from the disc and reformatting was one) I finally got the answer above. I know this is not really critical, I just found it strange that Toyota would install a system that can't be updated

What is the operating software your system is running 7.481 is the latest I believe .

I suggest you post in the forums of http://www.pocketgpsworld.com/ there are the real experts with sat navs and if they can help you they will

it may be a case Tomtom have not got round to updating the software to your model yet to enable you to update the maps !!!they seem to do things in stages

To be honest map share is not all that it is made out to be

If you go to the tomtom website and check your to see what map update you can have for your device it just states 6.75 so it looks like you are stuck with it until Tomtom get there act together !! which I am sure at a later date if enough have been sold they invest the time and money to provide updates .

http://www.tomtom.com/support/solution.php...29&FID=8417

[Nev183]

The operating system is 6.5 and can't be updated either. Your right, it looks like I'm stuck with it until TomTom decide to move - or Toyota put pressure on them. At the end of the day I bought a Toyota, not a TomTom

[Lorthirk]

I'm totally angry with TomTom. I bought a Yaris Navi the past october, and we're still stuck with this. I hate this situation, there must be something they can do! Moreover, once I was able to cheat on TomTom Home, and I managed to install TomTom 7 on the TNS400, but then all of the integration commands (the "screen button", mp3 and so on) weren't working anymore. So, if they say that the current hardware is not supported, it's just not true.

[geoffb]

The operating system is 6.5 and can't be updated either. Your right, it looks like I'm stuck with it until TomTom decide to move - or Toyota put pressure on them. At the end of the day I bought a Toyota, not a TomTom

If you really can't update that doesn't sound like a very clever move on Toyota's part. Maybe, since it's a relatively new option, it will take a wee while to get that aspect sorted.

bjw is quite right to recommend the pocketgpsworld forum. I use that for my Garmin Sat Nav. Their knowledge and help is second to none. It's worth a try - they may be able to suggest something to help ;)

[eduo]

For those that may be interested:

Updates have come out. Some time ago the update to the software version 7.x and now map updates are available as well.

Sadly, I haven't found a way to make the new TomTom HOME work with my TomTom TOYOTA (it asked to be upgraded and the update doesn't work) and it looks like TomTom expects me to pay for every quarter of updates since the last update the device had (which will no doubt make happy those users that decided to hold on updates for a year).

I will be calling up Toyota to see if there are map updates included in the purchase (I surely hope so, considering the maps that come with the device are from 2006!).

But those that want to check can try now. Both the software and the maps have seen upgrades.

[alfiejts]

As a TomTom user since 2002 when they released version 2, I can speak with a little experience of this product.

Firstly when you buy any add-on or car manufacturers in-built sat nav unit (or even a printed road atlas), its only current at the time you buy it and you never get free upgrades - you always have to pay to upgrade to later maps on any of these products - so its unfair to criticise Tomtom or Toyota for not giving free upgrades.

Secondly, there are only two satellite mapping companies - Navteq and Teleatlas - and each of the different sat nav units is based on one of those company's maps.

(Its a bit like all printed road atlases being based on Ordnance Survey's maps.....)

Those in the know (and you'll see this on the pocketgps forums) will tell you that Tomtom bought Teleatlas last year and swapped over to use their maps. They had previously been using Navteq maps.

V675 is the last Navteq map used by Tomtom and many say its actually superior to the later Teleatlas maps that are badged as v7, containing some updates that are missing from the supposedly later v7 maps.

Having upgraded to v7 software and maps on my PDA, I've since reverted back to v675 as V7 has calculated some very strange (and poor) routes......

So the bottom line is if (like me) you feel a little short changed by getting v6 Tomtom delivered with your September 08 Yaris SR, don't take it to heart, as you've probably actually got the better product.

What you do need to do, is to quickly copy all the files from the supplied 1GB SD card to a new 2GB SD card, otherwise you'll soon suffer from the dreaded "corruption" problem people get as the 1GB SD card is too full. (just 4mb free and that's not enough for tomtom to work....). I happened to have a spare 2GB card and mine's worked just great since I did that.

Separate to all the above, having painted the picture that v6 is OK, if you really want v7, all you need to do is go to your local Toyota dealer and tell them that you have a "corrupted file" message and Tomtom won't work. They'll order you a nice new 2GB SD card, free under warranty, that will have the v7 software and maps on it......

I ordered mine a couple of weeks ago and am just waiting for it to arrive.

Finally, Tomtom Toyota will only work with v1.6 of Tomtom Home, not v2 or above. If you have upgraded to that, you will need to uninstall Tomtom home from you PC completely and reinstall it from the supplied CD. If you download it from tomtom's web site, you need to download the version for PDAs (which will give you v1.6) not the version for Tomtom Go devices, which is v2.2.

[eduo]

To be fair, I've been a user of GPS since the mid-90s and of TomTom since the very first models so, by that rule, it could be said I also know a little.

In Spain (at least) the Yaris-with-TomTom in mid-08 onwards is being HEAVILY publicized on TV, print and radio. Toyota has even made a special edition of it ("Rock In Rio") that is getting lots of exposure.

The software this Yaris comes with is TomTom's Version 6. The maps are also an early version 6 which can be upgraded to 675 free of charge. The software can be upgraded to v7 free of charge as well.

Now, so far so good but my gripe comes from somewhere else.

You see, Navteq is a chicago-based company, TeleAtlas is an european company. TeleAtlas has far, FAR, superior coverage in Europe then Navteq does. Version 675 is almost unusable in Madrid, for example, not only because it calculates the weirdest routes but because it lacks hundreds of streets, has the direction in hundreds of others completely wrong and sometimes decides to consider buildings parking lots as streets, asking you to go inside them to complete routes.

The information in 675 for Europe is from early 2005, and incomplete at that. It's got decent coverage of England and Germany and perhaps France, and that's that.

Teleatlas's data in V7, which I have in my up-to-date 710, is pretty accurate to 2008. This is the map version that should've come with the Eclipse unit as it's the first barely useable version for Europe.

So yes, I consider this a mediocre software version and I consider the update to V7 (and ONLY V7) the bare minimum service they should offer. Luckily it's within warranty as you mention and I can "trick" the system. But I shouldn't have to.

As for HOME, you're wrong. I use version 2.2 all the time with it, no problems whatsoever. What I can't use is version 2.4. I have recovered a backup from Time Machine (I'm in a Mac, let's remember) from 2.2 and have been happily working with it. So yes, it's supported in version 2 (it's what you get when you want to download it and search by device) but 2.4 introduces a bug in the detection of the model. This bug has been acknowledged by TomTom already in a support ticket.

[alfiejts]

Eduo,

I think we generally agree. I defer to your greater knowledge of European mapping. My Navteq comments were based on feedback from UK users only, so for those of us working wholly within the UK, my commenst probably prevail and for people based or travelling in mainland Europe, I'm sure your comments are the correct ones...

With regard to Tomtom Home, on the UK tomtom site, its always said that 2.2 didn't support Tomtom Toyota equipment and when I try to upgrade my 1.6 version, it says I have the latest model.

(Maybe that's the difference between v6 and v7? V6 won't work under Home 2.2 and v7 will... )

[eduo]

With regard to Tomtom Home, on the UK tomtom site, its always said that 2.2 didn't support Tomtom Toyota equipment and when I try to upgrade my 1.6 version, it says I have the latest model.

(Maybe that's the difference between v6 and v7? V6 won't work under Home 2.2 and v7 will... )

Well, version 1.6 offered me a software update (not maps) for the TomTom Toyota which is now in version 7 of the software, and then that was supposed to run with HOME 2. I can use 1.6 or 2 without any issue, really but I couldn't use 2.2 until I upgraded the software in the TomTom Toyota to v7.