5. TomTom Plus Traffic Information: The Basics

Once all the connectivity problems are resolved, the Plus traffic information service is simple, but not always easy to use. You touch the TomTom Go 700's first page with your finger. The first page is a map showing your current location. If the GPS hasn't acquired satellite signals, the Go 700 shows a monochrome map with your last satellite-determined position.

A map of the last satellite-determined position is shown in monochrome if the Go 700 hasn't acquired any satellite signals. Touch the screen to bring up the TomTom Go 700's main menu.

The screen shots that follow take you through the process of updating traffic information. All of this assumes the GPS and a phone are correctly paired.

Here is the Go 700's main menu. Touch TomTom Traffic to see traffic-related options.

Touch Update Traffic Info to get the latest traffic information.

A little icon and moving green arrow in the upper right corner of the screen show that traffic information is being updated. The phone icon with the question mark indicates that the GPS is currently not connected to the phone. The GPS connects and disconnects many times during a traffic update download. This is normal.

As the photo below shows, once traffic data are downloaded, an icon with two cars in a red frame indicates the level of traffic congestion. It works like a thermometer. The higher the icon is on the white line, the more traffic. Traffic information is shown on this screen only if the Go 700 has acquired satellite data and you are on-route to a selected location. Hence the photo was shot with the Go 700 mounted in my Prius on-route to TG Publishing's offices in Westlake Village, California. The small green circle in the top right of the screen shows how old your traffic information is. In pie-like fashion, segments of the green circle turn gray as time passes.

The Go 700's main navigation screen shows the level of traffic and the age of traffic information.

There is one delay on the route and a delay on the 405 south of where my car will enter the freeway (in the bottom right corner of the map). On this screen, you can update traffic data or re-plan your route, based on traffic. This screen can be seen whether the Go 700 has acquired satellite signals and is on-route or not. Here the GPS is on-route with a solid set of satellite signals available.

Here the TomTom Go 700 is re-planning a route. Re-planning is quite fast, taking only seconds.