TomTom Go 700 VS Lowrance iWay 500

berliner · 10-13-2005, 10:19 PM

does anyone have either of those units?

i like the size of the iway but i like the features of the tomtom better especially the bluetooth......

Bayou Titan · 10-14-2005, 05:55 AM

I have the iWAY and love it. It has 20 gigs of memory (vs. only 2.5 gigs on the TomTom) of which 10 gigs are allocated for MP3 music files. I love the large screen which is much larger than the TomTom's. Lowrance is pretty good about software updates that add more features and make the unit faster.

I like the Blue Tooth that the TomTom has but I would rather have the other features of the iWAY than the occasional use of the Blue Tooth feature.

http://www.lowrance.com/Automotive/P...s/iWAY500C.asp

schneid · 10-14-2005, 07:18 AM

I had a iWay for eight months and sold it. I have TomTom Navigator 5 for my iPaq. All TomTom products now use the same code across product platforms and countries.

My iWays failed twice. I sold it after I got my third back from RMA and found ver 1.4 of the software disappointing. The iWay has without doubt the biggest brightest display out there. Even though it is prone to touch-screen and hard drive failure, Lowrance is prompt in replacing the units so you at least get a new one. The MP3 player is a plus, if you want one. I had to to add a PIE pre-amp and two filters to silence a squeal generated by the early units. The screen resolution is low for the size of the screen. They should have used VGA. You cannot customize the map colors or voices You can play with button positions and graphics by editing the screen files. This is actually kind of fun if you are so inclined.

My biggest issue with the iWay was that it could not be used as a moving map. It showed cross-streets on a random and unpredictable basis. Sometimes street signs are missing or obscured. The iWay does not step in to help. The iWay also has no avoid or detour feature to force it to do it“yourWay” or avoid a road closure. For example, last winter it insisted taking across roads seasonally closed in the Sierras. I couldn’t overrule it. Other gripes are that you cannot import address books and POIs from other sources. There is no Outlook integration.

TomTom suffers none of the limitations of the iWay. Its user interface is mature, feature rich, and polished. Predictive text entry using auto-complete and drop down menus makes destination entry a snap. You can create your own POI databases within TomTom or import them from the outside. It will navigate directly from within Outlook and will dial the number of a POI in its database on a Bluetooth linked phone. It shows every street that crosses your path.

TomTom has numerous map schemes of different colors and contrasts to pick from. They have voices in numerous languages and and regional flavors. Only the Go 700 has a pre-loaded hard drive. Other applications utilize SD cards either pre-loaded or user loaded. A 1gb SD card will hold the entire country. By having an SD card interface you can use TomTom worldwide by acquiring the country specific map. Personally, I think SD cards are faster and more reliable as they have no moving parts.

I also own and use Streets and Trips that now has turn-by-turn navigation, Street Atlas, Destinator, Street Atlas Handheld, and Pocket Streets, iGuidance. I owned a NavMan iCN 635 before the iWay. So far, for me, TomTom does it best. If the iWay overcomes its shortcomings, I'll buy another.

berliner · 10-14-2005, 11:13 AM

I think i will go with the tomtom, even though the size of the screen mattered to me at first but 1.5 in are not that big of a difference and if the voice commands are prompt , then i don't really need to look at the screen that often.

I had a nav in my VW touareg with a pretty big screen but the navteq software sucked and there were no updates or anything.

thanks for the input

donmecca · 10-14-2005, 02:03 PM

Wow, after reading Bayou's review and then Schneid's I'm not so sure about iWay. Thanks for the input from both of ya'll, anybody else have a review (I know, use the search, I'm just being lazy)? FYI:Someone posted a new thread showing a small baseball size unit the other day, anybody tried this gem yet?

Chaad32 · 10-14-2005, 04:49 PM

I was the one who posted the "baseball size" navi....I saw it at a local electronics store and it is very small. It would be good for infrequent use such as trips that you may take four or five times a year. not everyday use.

Bayou Titan · 10-14-2005, 05:51 PM

I have had no problems with my iWAY. A large, bright, easy to read screen with coast to coast mapping built in is what I wanted. It is close to $100.00 cheaper also.

Study all the features and get what you want. There are a lot of good units out there. I'm sure almost anyone would be happy with the TomTom also.

donmecca · 10-14-2005, 10:02 PM

Good input Bayou & Schneid, just need to take the plunge.
Not related to this thread but we lived in Gulfport in the 90's and we are sending $$ and prayers to help the relief/rebuild effort. I looked up our old house on the NOAA site which has posted over 7000 ariel images and found our old house, or what remains of it, we lived a block off the beach next to the Grand Casino. Sad.

schneid · 10-15-2005, 08:39 AM

Both TomTom and Lowrance post their manuals on there sites. It might benefit one to read them to make a decision.

pImpNaTitaN · 10-15-2005, 07:22 PM

can u guys put up sum pics of how your aftermarket gps looks installed, because im looking into purchasing one.

Bayou Titan · 10-15-2005, 07:38 PM

Mine fits perfectly in the cutout in the center of the dash without using any mount. I have never had it shift or fall off from this position. It is great in this position because both the driver and the passenger can easily see the display and you can easily remove it when you park to keep it from getting stolen.

The picture below shows the unit with a weighted base mount before I figured out that it is easier to use in the center compartment without it.

schneid · 10-16-2005, 06:10 AM

Before I gave up on my iWay, I had it in the same spot. I had it screwed down using a RAM base plate I bought. I drilled a hole in the tray to feed the power, audio, and a Gilsson exterior mounted antenna. I wired the audio through a PIE pre-amp and then into the Aux circuit behide the dash. It was very neat and clean. The exterior mounted antenna made a big difference with both my iCN 635 and iWay.

Lowes sells some black rubber mats with a diamond plate pattern. I've used these to cut form fitting mats for the tray. Any holes in the dash tray can then be covered by replacing the factory mat. I like the diamond plate better so I've replaced all my rubber mats with it.

If you search here, I think you will find some photos of my mount.

MATTOWAR · 10-26-2005, 12:57 AM

I just want to ask the question why are you guys using those inferior transportable units as opposed to something installed like this Pioneer unit. Navigation of the entire country and Canada, AM/FM/satellite ready/CD/DVD all in a nice tight package. No messy wires.

Is it price?

Do you move it from vehicle to vehicle on a daily basis?

Just trying to get another point of view.

Thanks

ptgarcia · 10-26-2005, 08:21 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MATTOWAR

I just want to ask the question why are you guys using those inferior transportable units as opposed to something installed like this Pioneer unit. Navigation of the entire country and Canada, AM/FM/satellite ready/CD/DVD all in a nice tight package. No messy wires.

Is it price?

Do you move it from vehicle to vehicle on a daily basis?

Just trying to get another point of view.

Thanks

Price is one reason. They are twice as much as my iWay 500c. Portability is another issue. I can have the iWay in our 4Runner, ready to go, in about 60 seconds.

The iWay also comes with a hardwire harness so hiding all the wiring is a piece of cake.

For $650 (new) the iWay was the best option for me.

**chunko** · 10-27-2005, 10:12 AM

I just purchased an Iway 500C for a very good a price. I believe it was pricing mistake. If the unit actually ships I'll PM the first few interested people with where they can buy it. The price I paid is less that 30% of what this unit is going for. Again, this appears to be a mistake and my order will probably get cancelled but just in case.... let me know if you're interested.

-Adam