TomTom One XL is Garbage December 31, 2007
Posted by Joe in : Technobabble , trackback
Someone I know recently bought themselves a TomTom One XL GPS. I’ve never owned a TomTom device, so I went about researching them online.
The One XL unit in particular seemed to receive your typical reviews with some ups and downs. Overall, it looked like a solid unit, and at a price of $200, I figured it was a good buy.
Oops.
Once I got my hands on the TomTom, I explained how important it was to connect it to a PC and get updated maps. Probably something almost every GPS device owner has done; update their unit online.
I followed the directions included with the One XL (just to be safe, didn’t want to, you know, brick it). I put in the included software CD, installed the TomTom Home software, and connected the One XL.
Immediately, TomTom Home says there’s updates available for the One XL and urges me to apply the updates. Sure, why not? I go for it. Half way through installation, it gives me a bland “Error” when accessing a file. OK, try again. Now it says “Error” when accessing a different file. Hmm…
Naturally, I Googled the problem and found that other users ran into the same issue. The solution was to download a newer version of TomTom Home. OK, uninstalled the old one, installed the new one… Tried it again.
I’m instantly told there are updates available (again) and try to install them. This time, it gets a bit further until another “Error” pops up. At this point, the machine is completely locked down with the GPS still connected. I managed to Safely Remove Hardware through Windows after killing the TomTom Home software would not work (killing the process did absolutely nothing - it remained). I disconnected the cable and was introduced to a flashing red circle with a white X in the center on the One XL’s screen. That was the end of this little GPS’s life.
Did I just brick the brand new unit on day one? Yes, yes I did! But was it my fault?
Again using Google, I found this to be a regular occurrence for One XL users; install TomTom Home, install updates, updates fail, unit shows flashing white circle with red X, game over.
There were even 12 reviews on Amazon stating this exact problem (which I unfortunately missed during my inital research). Furthermore, I found that many users contacted TomTom Customer Support, only to be told 1) TomTom knows about the issue 2) The issue is that the update being applied is older than the software currently on shippping units and thus corrupts the flash memory on the unit and 3) You should return it to where you purchased it, get a new one, and don’t try updating it.
I found this information in some forum postings dated back in June. Its January as of tomorrow. That’s six full months that TomTom had to correct this issue - an issue they knew of - and they didn’t. Pathetic.
Word to the wise: Avoid TomTom. I can forgive technology products for having flaws, even for getting bricked by the manufacturer (it happens), but when they just don’t give a damn… Well, than they shouldn’t be in business anymore. This TomTom owner won’t be getting a new TomTom.
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