TomTom XL 330S
Manufacturer: TomTom Part number: 1EG005201
- More product information:
- Editors' review
- User reviews
- Specifications
- Manufacturer info
- Bottom Line:
- Stylish, easy to use, and accurate, the TomTom XL 330S is a great all-around GPS but we wish it was just a little cheaper.
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CNET editors' review
TomTom XL 330S price range: $159.00 - $299.95
- Reviewed by: Bonnie Cha
- Reviewed on: 03/25/2009
The good: The TomTom XL 330S offers accurate directions with text-to-speech functionality and is easy to use. The GPS is also sleek and features a spacious 4.3-inch touch screen.
The bad: Route recalculations could be a little faster. The mini USB port/power connector is difficult to access. The price is too high, especially without integrated Bluetooth.
The bottom line: Stylish, easy to use, and accurate, the TomTom XL 330S is a great all-around GPS but we wish it was just a little cheaper.
Entry-level GPS are a dime a dozen these days, but the TomTom XL 330S stands out for a couple of reasons. It updates the TomTom One XL with a better speaker and sleeker design, while keeping the things we loved about the One XL, including a spacious 4.3-inch touch screen and accurate directions. It's also incredibly intuitive and we'd even say more user-friendly and attractive than the Garmin Nuvi 200 series. However, we're disappointed that the company took out the integrated Bluetooth, especially considering the $299.99 price tag. For that much, we'd like to see it in there or perhaps the inclusion of free traffic updates, like the Garmin Nuvi 265WT and Navigon 2200T. Fortunately, you can find the TomTom XL 330S for less through online deals, and if it's a basic GPS that you're after, you won't be disappointed by this solid navigator.
Design
The TomTom XL 330S is one of the more attractive GPS we've seen to date. While it's similarly slim (4.7 inches wide by 3.2 inches tall by 0.9 inch thick; 6.6 ounces) to the Garmin Nuvi series, the rounded edges add a nice touch, and its large display and classic silver-and-charcoal gray only add to its beauty.
The XL 330's touch screen measures 4.3 inches diagonally and displays 64,000 colors at a 480x272-pixel resolution. We had no major problems reading the screen, though it can wash out in really bright sunlight. You can, however, adjust the display's brightness as well as choose from different map colors and day/night/auto mode under the Change Preferences menu.
As we've seen on other TomTom devices, the user interface is simple and easy to understand with large icons and clear menu options. The touch screen was responsive, and the onscreen keyboard was nice and roomy, minimizing the errors when entering addresses. In addition, the XL 330S offers predictive text, so as you start entering letters and numbers, the system will automatically surface possible results. We also like that you have a choice between QWERTY, ABCD, and AZERTY formats.
The rest of the GPS is pretty simple. On back, you'll find the speaker and brackets for attaching the vehicle mount. There's a power button on top and a mini-USB port/power connector on the bottom. We have to say that the latter is set fairly deep beneath the surface, so we had some problems plugging in the car charger and USB cable.
The TomTom XL 330S ships with a car charger, a USB cable, an EasyPort car mount (windshield and dash), and reference material. Unlike our experience with the TomTom One 125, the EasyPort mount securely held the XL 330S in place during our road tests. The accessory is easy to install and doesn't involve any loose or extra parts, so that was also nice.
Features
The TomTom XL 330S offers a basic feature set that's very similar to the TomTom One XL, though it adds text-to-speech functionality and an updated speaker system but loses integrated Bluetooth. For more information about the features of the TomTom XL 330S, please read our full review of the TomTom One XL.
Performance
We tested the TomTom XL 330S in San Francisco and Los Angeles. From a cold start, it took the GPS about 5 minutes to get a fix on our location under partly cloudy skies, but subsequent starts took about a minute or two--not bad, but we've seen faster start-ups. The unit was fairly accurate when tracking our position as we drove around the city and managed to keep its lock on the satellites in San Francisco's Financial District, which can be problematic due to all the tall buildings.
We plotted our standard test course from the Marina District to CNET's downtown headquarters, and the XL 330S was quick to calculate directions based on the fastest route setting. We missed several turns along the way, and this is the one area where the GPS could use some improvement. Though it always got us back on track, the new instructions often came right at the last second so we wish route recalculation was a tad faster.
The voice-guided directions were loud and clear. There's a feature that will automatically increase the volume when you're traveling at higher speeds and lower it when you slow down, so you don't have to manually change it onscreen. The text-to-speech pronunciations weren't bad. There were a couple of interesting pronunciations for some longer street names like Divisadero Street, but it wasn't so bad that we had no idea what the GPS was trying to say.
CNET's car tech editor Wayne Cunningham also used the TomTom XL 330S for a trip from San Francisco to Los Angeles and was generally pleased with the PND's performance. During his trip, he relied heavily on the trip information--miles left to go, time to destination, and so forth--due to the long stretch on Interstate 5.
In L.A., the lane suggestions proved a very valuable feature, as the XL 330S did a good job of anticipating areas where some lanes get congested, such as when two freeways merge. To quote Wayne, "The lane suggestions feature was often telling me to stay in the left lanes to avoid right lane congestion. Sometimes it was unnecessary, as traffic was light in some areas, but it's still appreciated." Wayne also added that he was happy to find an Original Tommy's chili burger place in Burbank, in the POI database.
User reviews
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best GPS I've had so far
by tpalny on July 30, 2008
Pros: - Wide screen - Text to speech - LOUD speaker - Volume adjusts to driving speed - great GPS reception - The new Easyport mount that eliminates the need to carry a separate mount - "Tomtom Home" softwa
Cons: - Easyport mount can be a little problematic when fitted into a pocket - The car charger takes a little practice to insert it easily - No bluetooth capability.
Summary: So far I had owned 3 GPS devices: the Tomtom One 3rd edition, the Garmin nuvi 350 and this latest Tomtom 330s model. Before owning, I have used the Garmin ...
Summary: So far I had owned 3 GPS devices: the Tomtom One 3rd edition, the Garmin nuvi 350 and this latest Tomtom 330s model. Before owning, I have used the Garmin Streetpilots given by many car rentals.
By far, this is the best of the three:
Pros:
- Wide screen
- Text to speech
- LOUD speaker (I've read some reviews of a soft speaker - I guess either it was a bad batch of devices, or you didn't read the instructions on how to change the volume. With mine, on 80% it's blasting over the radio AND road noise.)
- Volume adjusts to driving speed
- great GPS reception (even in NYC, although sometimes because of tall buildings can have a little trouble finding current position, but that's the problem with ALL of the GPSs I've had, including the very highly reviewed nuvi 350)
- The new Easyport mount that eliminates the need to carry three things for your trip: the Device, the mount (sometimes more than one part) and the car charger. This new mount is a blessing and a small nuisance at the same time since it makes it slightly more difficult to fit snugly into a pocket or a pouch, but is definitely more of a pro than a con because of its simplicity of use and the eliminated extra plastic thing to carry. This little issue can be solved either by buying the Tomtom carrying case (the one made specifically for the models with the easy mount for an extra ~$28 on Amazon), or simply by detaching it from the back since it is detachable. Though detaching it, some would say, is defying its purpose...
- "Tomtom Home" software is a breeze to use and lets you add user updates to the maps when roads get blocked or other changes take effect to the preinstalled map.
- Device SOFTWARE SOFTWARE SOFTWARE: The best software of a device I've had the pleasure of using. Explanation follows:
The software allows much more intuitive handling of the device than any Garmin I've found.
It's quick, it's easy, and the most important, when you search for a name of a POI, it uses the more modern approach that allows you to type any letter or word no matter where it appears on the name of the POI and it'll show you the results on the list.
There are dozens of advantages in the software over the one of the Garmins I've used but I can't possibly list them all.
Some important features to note are that the actual Navigation Screen View gives you so much more clear information (which one can, of course, tweak to one's liking) such as current time, time of arrival, total trip distance, remaining time to destination, GPS signal strength, next turn's street name, current street name, direction of and distance to next maneuver (which nuvi 350 garmin only tells you which way to go right before the turn), and to that you can add a compass, change the car symbol and even more impressive - the color scheme of the map!
I have to say this is just a SHORT list of software features I absolutely love and think are on a much higher level of sophistication than what I've seen of Garmin.
Cons:
I really have to strain to think of any, but there are some minor ones (after all, nothing's perfect)
- As I said the Easyport mount can be a little problematic when fitted into a pocket, but it CAN be removed from the back (see pros).
- The car charger takes a little practice to insert it easily.
- The "Password" feature when powering on the device seems more fluff than a hindering threat. It doesn't really lock the device if for example you enter the wrong password three consecutive times or so, it just won't let you use the device until the right combination is entered.
- No bluetooth capability. For some it's a con, but for me personally it's a pro (because I don't really need it anyways, and if any corner should be cut to make the product less expensive, this is it!)
- The map isn't as pretty as on the garmins. It has a little more jagged lines but, if visual beauty is important to you in a map representation of a GPS, you're really looking in the wrong direction...
In other words, warmly recommended for the people who are interested in getting the best GPS for their hard-earned dollars.17 out of 17 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Works really well but mount can be a problem
by cjc1103 on March 30, 2009
Pros: The 330S has a very nice, responsive, touch screen, and has an intuitive user interface with large icons, and 3D map mode. Lots of trip progress information. Navigation is very accurate, also gives you plenty of warning for turns and lane changes.
Cons: The built in mount is hard to attach to the windshield without inadvertently removing the GPS unit from the mount. Reattaching it is not so easy. Startup and acquiring the GPS satellites is a little slow. Power plug is recessed and hard to attach.
Summary: The built in mount is my biggest complaint, but it is also a plus since it is attached to the GPS and therefor harder to lose. Also once you dettach ...
Summary: The built in mount is my biggest complaint, but it is also a plus since it is attached to the GPS and therefor harder to lose. Also once you dettach it there is no telltale mount for thieves to see - they'll break into your car to get the GPS if they see the mount. Volume can be turned up loud enough to cut through the stereo. The LCD touch screen is beautiful, with a 3D map mode, although the map lines can be a little jagged, but that doesn't bother me. It's easy to program, has intuitive user interface with large icons. A quick tap on the map puts you in the menu system, select "Navigate to", then "Favorite Destination", scroll down, select, your in business. Entering in a city and street address is easy too thanks to a nice virtual QWERTY keyboard. It has a predictive entry feature that recalculates after each keystroke, so often you don't have to enter the whole street name. I really like the trip progress information on the lower part of the screen, including distance to the next turn, time to that point, total time left in the trip, the current time and ETA to your destination. It also shows you the GPS signal strength, your speed, and the speed limit if it has it in the database. If you go 5mph or more over the speed limit, the speed display turns red. The ETA display is based on the speed limit for the roads to be traveled on your trip. I set up the GPS and monitor it on long trips even when I know the route, because of the continually updated ETA. If you make a wrong turn, recalculation is fast - about 5 to 10 seconds. Overall I like it better than on the Garmin unit my Dad has.
3 out of 3 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Best first GPS to get!
by iceemark on June 16, 2009
Pros: Like the fact that if you know of a faster way, it'll recalculate and remember the faster way for future reference. Doesn't take long after powering it on to find the satillites. Like the bottom of the screen to show the various time sequences.
Cons: The plug on the bottom is kind of hard to attach the cable. Sometimes when I'm playing with it, the voice prompts come on for no reason. Kind of hard to see in very bright sunlight, but with the voice prompts, it's not much of a problem
Summary: I haven't had any problems of the time it takes to recalculate routes, takes less than a few seconds. Like the bottom of the screen to where it gives ...
Summary: I haven't had any problems of the time it takes to recalculate routes, takes less than a few seconds. Like the bottom of the screen to where it gives you your ETA and current time and how long it would take you to get to your destination.
Easy to mount with included mounting bracket, once you have the suction cup on the windshield, all you have to do is attach the GPS to the mount with ease. Very
accurate!
Some things I didn't like about it is that sometimes when I'm playing with it, the voice prompts come on for no reason, I don't know if it's because it has a route planned and is always referring to the current route. And also the sunlight factor, but I guess that's true with any LCD display.
If you're looking for a decent GPS that is very accurate and easy to use, I would definately get this one!1 out of 1 users found this user opinion helpful.
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did what it said, worked right out of the box
by indianastump on September 8, 2009
Pros: worked in some of the most remote hills of kentucky , in some of the worst roads you can traverse, very rural many road changes, not one mistake make every turn and side road change exremely well.
Cons: not blue tooth ---- but, didnt miss it really
Summary: of the two brands of gps i have, this xl 330 s is by far the best and operator friendly one i have, cant say enough good things about this ...
Summary: of the two brands of gps i have, this xl 330 s is by far the best and operator friendly one i have, cant say enough good things about this gps.
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Nice GPS, Great features, No bluetooth
by Trouble4u on August 2, 2009
Pros: Love the size, all of the features which are too numerous to mention and it handles re-routing good, sometimes not fast enough tho.
Cons: Windshield connector comes loose easily from the back of the GPS, USB/power connector makes it difficult to connect and disconnect. Very difficult to see in bright sunlight. No sd card slot. No music player. This is just your basic GPS.
Summary: Worth buying if you don't need or want bluetooth. It's a very nice looking and great working GPS.
Summary: Worth buying if you don't need or want bluetooth. It's a very nice looking and great working GPS.
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good choise for traveling
by AlexanderKhimich on October 2, 2008
Pros: good choise for traveling
Cons: good choise for traveling
Summary: i am sure TOmTom will upgrade its website to have us all the updated maps as early as 2008..well it doesnt have the MP3 play back option in the ...
Summary: i am sure TOmTom will upgrade its website to have us all the updated maps as early as 2008..well it doesnt have the MP3 play back option in the unit .. i find many pros while 2 cons.. it doesnt support a SD card slot and its mem is 1gb..however it should have street spelling option instead of calling the turns..well its the price that makes it worth..
0 out of 5 users found this user opinion helpful.
Specifications
- Manufacturer: TomTom
- Part number: 1EG005201
- Description: TomTom's award-winning software means easy navigation from A to B. Switch on and go right out of the box. Just enter the address on the touchscreen and start driving anywhere. TomTom guides you door-to-door with turn-by-turn spoken instructions. An extra-wide touchscreen helps you find your way, worry-free. TomTom has the most accurate maps and with TomTom Map Share technology you can instantly modify street names, street direction, and POIs on your own device. The XL 330 is preloaded with millions of points of interest to enhance your traveling experience. And with the "Help Me!" menu, there are added safety features so you can easily access local emergency providers. The TomTom XL 330 is traffic-ready, so you can outsmart the traffic, wherever you go, and go confidently.
General
- Width 4.7 in
- Depth 3.2 in
- Height 0.9 in
- Weight 6.6 oz
GPS System
- Recommended Use Automotive
- Voice Navigation instructions, Voice command recognition
- Features 2D / 3D map perspective, TMC (Traffic Message Channel) ready
- Maps Included USA, Canada
- Software Included TomTom HOME
Built-in Display
- Type TFT - Widescreen
- Resolution 480 x 272
- Diagonal Size 4.3 in
- Color Support Color
- Display Menu Language Czech, Dutch, Danish, French, German, Polish, Catalan, English, Finnish, Flemish, Italian, Latvian, Spanish, Swedish, Turkish, Estonian, Hungarian, Norwegian, Slovenian, Lithuanian, Portuguese
- Features Anti-glare, Touch screen
Battery
- Battery Enclosure Type Internal
- Battery technology Lithium ion
- Mfr estimated battery life 3 hour(s)
Miscellaneous
- Included GPS accessories USB cable, Car power adapter, Automotive windshield mount
Manufacturer info
- TomTom
- Manufacturer profile
- Browse TomTom products on Shopper.com
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- Website: http://www.tomtom.com/
- Address:
150 Baker Ave. Ext., Concord, CA 01742 - Phone: 978.287.9555
- Email: usainfo@tomtom.com
- Fax: 978.287.9522
