TomTom XL Live Europe

The TomTom XL Live Europe (£220 inc. VAT) is a mid-range satellite-navigation device that's crammed with features.

Withaccess to TomTom's Live services, the company intends this device to beused regularly, and not just when you're going somewhere new. The mostimpressive feature Live offers is real-time traffic updates, with eachof the units featuring integrated Vodafone SIM cards and reportingtraffic conditions and average road speeds back to TomTom.

Withupdates occurring immediately, in theory you should never have to sitin a traffic jam again. Unlike most other manufacturers, TomTom alsouses average speeds at different times of the day, so you'll beinformed of different journey lengths, depending on when you travel.

Thedevice itself features a 4.3-inch touchscreen display and is just aboutcompact enough to fit into a pocket. The cradle to attach it to yourwindscreen clips neatly on to the rear. It's pocket-sized and the bestsolution we've seen to date.

Destinations can be selected via anumber of different means, including full addresses, towns, post codesand from millions of Points of Interest. The onscreen keyboard is easyto use and the menus are a model of simplicity.

We also foundthe directions and mapping easy to follow, with accurate guidance andsimple verbal directions. When we took a wrong turning, the unit wasquick to re-route. Sadly, if you live in busy cities, it's inevitablethat you'll get stuck in traffic anyway, but the XL Live may help youto avoid the worst.

Unfortunately the Live package is onlyprovided free for three months, after which you'll have to pay £8 permonth or £80 annually. If you're a frequent driver, then the ability toavoid congestion will pay for itself but, for most users, the extrafeatures probably won't be fully appreciated.

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