The TomTom XL 340 S belongs to XL’s series of wide screen portable navigation devices. It features daily fuel prices, advanced lane guidance, TomTom Map Share and IQ routes and all these operate together to continuously update the map data and route mapping algo. Like said in theory, the devices get better with time. S is assigned because it features text-to-speech which will read aloud the street and POI names for faster recognition.
Design
Front is occupied by 4.3in WQVGA wide format touch screen and at the back you’ll find large and loud enough 2in speaker. There’s a power button on the top edge which is the only physical control on the unit, on the bottom edge a Mini USB port is found to which 12 volt car charger can be connected for data connections. It doesn’t have SD/microSD card slot so you have to stick with the 2GB storage involved. TomTom’s EasyPort mount incorporate XL 340 S’s cradle into unit’s back. If you have to fix the device to windshield you just have to toss out the suction cup then place the unit on windshield and quarter turn the locking ring. It is not that secured as Garmin’s suction cup however it provides a little more suppleness of mounting angles compared to Garmin.
The incorporated cradle adds significant bulk to the already existing huge size. When you want to pocket your GPS while leaving the car will turn off by additional mass but in case if you are carrying bag or purse then you won’t notice. A bonus to EasyPort mount is vehicle security is increased. XL 340 S boxes with USB connection cable, 12v car charger and an adhesive disk to attach the XL to vehicle’s dashboard if mounting on the windshield is not allowed.
Features
It includes Advance Lane Guidance, a feature that gives detailed picture of complex freeway interchanges, entire with lane information. The arrows which are on the picture tell the drivers which lanes will keep them on the chosen route.
Text-to-speech operation allows the XL announces street and POI names audibly. The unit is packed with 14 English, Spanish and French voices.
The TomTom Map Share allows you to make corrections to directions, road speeds, street names, POIs and etc and those changes are uploaded which are to be approved and shared with other users. You can even ignore this service or receive only the official updates.
IQ routes is another feature which uses unknown past time and speed information collected from actual driving and from other users to compute the fastest route between point A & point B. if it can not find the faster way then it’ll give at least accurate time to reach destination based on valid data. By the way IQ Routes is not similar to real time traffic data. So if any unique incident occurs then XL will not be privy for such information. To get this functionality you can purchase RDS-TMS receiver. Through subscription you can even download traffic camera info and fuel prices.
TomTom Home software lets you access downloadable content and map updates. The software is inserted in XL’s memory. When you connect XL to your PC through the USB, software will trigger you for quick installation, CDs are not required. After installation you can download updates, plan routes, back up data.
Performance
TomTom XL 340 S is fast to boot and satellite acquisition is quick. The onscreen keypad can be arranged in A-Z or AZERTY or QWERTY layouts. Key size is big enough to quickly input the characters. Destination entry is real fast and it is because of instinctive autocomplete feature.
POI can be hunted by name or searched by broad category: gas station, restaurant, lodging but it cannot be categorized by subcategory like Japanese or Mexican restaurants.
In sum, XL 340 S has got extremely useful features and you get it below $300 price point.
