-Even if you're headed to a familiar place in a very familiar city, a GPS device with traffic data can still be useful for dodging traffic jams.
TomTom has a new trick up its sleeve that aims to deliver more accurate traffic straight to your dashboard.
I'm Antuan Goodwin with CNET.com.
Let's take a First Look at the TomTom GO 2535 M LIVE.
The GO 2535 M LIVE packs many of the same features that we saw earlier this year in TomTom's GO 2405,
including a glass capacitive touchscreen.
This time it's a 5-inch unit as opposed to a 4.3-inch one, and an asymmetrically designed metallic chassis that snaps into its cradle with the power of magnetism.
Interestingly, the GO 2535's power cable features a detachable 12-volt-to-USB adaptor, so you won't get a separate USB sync cable in the box this time.
On the bright side, the GO 2535 LIVE gains the ability to use its traffic and live services without the power cable being connected,
because TomTom's moved the data receiver into the unit's main body as opposed to housing it in the cord like on previous models.
You'll be able to get the latest weather conditions and forecasts, find the lowest fuel prices nearby, search for points of interest with Google Local Search, avoid speed and safety cameras if you're a little paranoid, and get live traffic updates.
Now that last bit is worth dwelling on because this isn't just regular RDS traffic, but its TomTom's latest generation of HD traffic.
TomTom claims that this HD traffic service updates more frequently, more accurately, and on more roads than standard municipal traffic services.
TomTom's Live connected services are free for the first year of ownership.
The GO 2535 LIVE also features TomTom's new interface which was updated early in 2011 which takes advantage of the capacitive touchscreen for things like pinch and zoom on the map and swipe to scroll the menu.
There are also fewer mini levels than previous TomTom generations,
with the main functions of Navigate To, View Map, and Plan Route sitting at top level on the main screen.
Oh, and by the way, the 'M' in GO 2535 M LIVE means that this baby will get free updates for as long as you own it.
I'm gonna go chase down some traffic jams to see how accurate the GO 2535 LIVE's HD traffic service actually is and how much time it can save me.
I've been Antuan Goodwin.
To find out what I think, look for the full review of the TomTom GO 2535 M LIVE on CNET.com.
