TomTom unveils new, thinner Via series
TomTom puts its midtier offerings on a diet with the announcement of four new thin-bodied Via-series navigators.
- North American Car, Truck and SUV of the Year (NACTOY) Awards Juror
LAS VEGAS--TomTom has just pulled the wraps off of its new midtier portable navigation form factor, the TomTom Via series. This line of devices will at first coexist with--but should eventually replace--the manufacturer's current XL and XXL series of GPS navigators.
The most obvious difference between the incoming and incumbent GPS models is the Via series' extra-thin form factor. The new svelte chassis combined with the integrated low-profile EasyPort mount should make the Via quite pocketable and portable. The Via series features two touch-screen sizes split between four model numbers: 4.3 inches for the Via 1405 and 1435 and 5 inches for the 1505 and 1535 models.
All Via models feature TomTom's newly updated interface, which debuted on the manufacturer's current Go series, as well as text-to-speech spoken street names, graphic lane guidance, and TomTom's now-standard IQ Routes and Map Share technologies.
The upper-tier 1435 and 1535 models add to the Via series' feature set with a brushed aluminum finish--as opposed to the 1405's and 1505's black shells--Bluetooth hands-free connectivity, and TomTom's voice recognition technology. Across the line, all Via models will be available with optional lifetime maps (LM), lifetime traffic (LT), or both (LMT).
The new TomTom Via series of GPS devices will hit retailers in mid-2011 with a starting MSRP of $169 for the most basic 1405.