TomTom just announced a new traffic service called TomTom High Definition Traffic - only avaiable in the Netherlands so far. The service is a collaboration amoung TomTom and Vodafone, where anonymous GSM signals is merged with existing traffic sources to deliver traffic goods that covers 10x the roads, 5x more updates thereupon regular traffic services.

The first device to offer the high def traffic service will be TomTom ONE XL HD and it will be available in the Netherlands middle of that month. It’ll come with 12 months of High Definition Traffic subscription and will cost 400 €.

Here are the features of the device:

• Highly sensitive GPS receiver
• 4.3 inch full TFT colour LCD touch screen (480 x 272 pixels, 64.000 colours)
• Internal memory 1 GB
• GPRS Modem with built-in SIM card for
  live notes connection
• SD slot (only for additional maps, SD not included)
• Internal Lithium-Ion battery (2 hours operation)
• 119 x 86 x 27 mm
• 230 grams
• Map Coverage: Andorra, Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Monaco, The Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Republic of Ireland, San Marino, Spain (+ Canary Islands), Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom, Vatican City

Here is how HD Traffic collects input:

• Traffic input generated by the movement patterns of mobile phones in cars, via Vodafone’s Dutch GSM network
• Third party info provided by traffic authorities and road operators

Vodafone’s network delivers traffic documents to the TomTom XL HD Traffic every three minutes, twenty times an hour which is compared to RDS-TMC traffic info is five times more often.

Original post by Administrator