TomTom XXL Series Navigators [Larger 5-in Touchscreen Displays, Map Share, Pre-Loaded Maps, 7 Million Points of Interest]

I’m not sure if we’re ready to say that stand-alone portable navigation units (a la TomTom and Garmin) have jumped the shark, but with the proliferation of handheld devices and smartphones with integrated navigation comes the inevitable question of obsolescence. Not to be content with the development with its recent iPhone apps alone, TomTom has just announced that it will be launching a new series of standalone GPS navigators under the XXL series name that it hopes will get the attention of those drivers seeking higher-end features and a larger touchscreen.

TomTom announced today that it would be adding two more product offerings to its already expansive list of US-marketed standalone GPS navigation systems. The two new models, released under the XXL series, will be the TomTom XXL 530S and TomTom XXL 540S. The main product differentiation point on both models is found in their significantly larger 5-in touchscreens. This marks a departure from the traditional 3.5-in screens that are seen gracing the dashboards of most cars in America today. TomTom is claiming that their customers want larger screens so they are giving them larger screens. Pretty simple logic, really.

Both the TomTom XXL 530S and XXL 540S will include TomTom’s IQ Routes technology that’s based on historical speed measurements for every time of day and for every road segment. TomTom claims that it is this technology that has resulted in faster driving routes for up to 35% of the cases they have investigated. Both devices will also come with full maps of the US and Canada and TomTom Map Share technology so you can make map corrections and download other’s map corrections (if you are the trusting sort)

The slightly more appropriated XXL 540S comes with a few more bells and whistles worth mentioning. These upgrades include Advanced Lane Guidance, which is supposed to provide “realistic representations of complex highway junctions and lane-specific visual directions that take the stress out of navigating these otherwise challenging areas.” I don’t know about you, but the only thing that could really effect my level of stress while driving would be fewer drivers. Maybe a vaporization ray will come standard in the next rendition. The 540S also gets a pre-loaded map of Mexico (along with the standard US and Canada) and seven million points of interest.

The new TomTom XXL 530S and XXL 540S devices will be in retailers across the United States and Canada sometime in October for $279.95 and $299.95 respectively. For more information on these and the other TomTom navigation units you can surf on over to www.tomtom.com.