The gap between the usefulness and functionality of standalone GPS devices and GPS-enabled smartphones is narrowing, but with the TomTom Via 620, the standalone is playing what could perhaps be its remaining trump card – screen size.
The Tom Tom Via 620 has a 6-inch screen, the biggest screen size in the company’s range. A bigger screen size offers more to see of course, but for me it’s not simply the extra screen real estate that attracts, instead its the opportunity for the buttons on the touchscreen to be bigger. Button size and accessibility has been the one bugbear I’ve had in the GPS units I’ve used.
Other features on the Via 620 include a dual-mounting system (windscreen or dash), advanced lane guidance with new split-screen view, and parking assist.
The TomTom Via 620 offers lifetime free map changes, via TomTom’s crowd sourced Map Share Community. In this users alert TomTom of problems with maps, which are checked, and when verified, available for upload to the device. Similarly crowdsourced is the IQ routes feature, in which data from all TomTom users is collated to provide a hopefully smarter and faster route from A to B.
Tom Tom Via 620 price and availability
TomTom’s Via 620 will be in stores soon, and sell at $249.99 RRP