18 March 2009 - TomTom, the world's leading navigation solutions provider, today announces that it has been exactly five years since it launched its first all-in-one portable navigation device. The launch of the first TomTom GO marked the start of an era that made navigation available for every car driver. TomTom's intuitive user interface, the ease-of-use, smart routing and the fact that it works straight out of the box have remained at the core of each product development cycle and product introduction.
Since 2004, TomTom has launched dozens of new portable navigation devices, including the TomTom ONE and TomTom XL series, and the successors of the original TomTom GO. The TomTom ONE series is still the world's best selling portable navigation device. In total, the products have won more than 1,000 awards and test reviews to date, and TomTom has over 30 million users around the globe.
More importantly, TomTom has introduced technologies that fundamentally changed the navigation industry: TomTom Map Share(tm), TomTom HD
Traffic(tm) and TomTom IQ Routes(tm).
IQ Routes
IQ Routes uses information about the actual speeds driven on roads at different times of day, so users know their route is always the best available. Depending on the time of the week or hour of the day drivers set off, the most efficient route will be calculated for that moment. It takes into account any factors that can delay drivers' journeys based on information derived from years of gathering anonymous historic speed measurements.
HD Traffic
High Definition Traffic is TomTom's real-time traffic information solution that uses anonymously collected and processed traffic data, using multiple sources and techniques. Through the unique combination of these sources, TomTom HD Traffic users receive traffic information that is faster, more accurate and more complete than available anywhere else, allowing users to avoid unnecessary delays and have peace of mind on their journey.
Map Share
Map Share is TomTom's proprietary map improvement technology, which enables users to easily and instantly improve maps. TomTom users can respond in real time to changes in the road network and correct the maps on their TomTom devices accordingly. Roads are changing by as much as 15% every year. Map Share gives TomTom users the option to capture all these changes on their device in-between map releases and keep their data current.
"We are humbled, thrilled and extremely motivated about the leading role TomTom has played in igniting and driving the PND market in the past 5 years," said Harold Goddijn CEO of TomTom. "Despite the changes the industry has seen in just five years, TomTom's focus has remained the
same: optimising the driving experience by delivering dynamic route guidance that is relevant to every driver's journey. You can count on us to continue with this strategy."
