Map update? Work in other Continents? 1. it has all the maps pre-loaded, great.but what if a year later, how do i do map upgrades?do i have to pay or to buy the navtek maps again?2. would it work in Europe or Asia (where do i get the maps?). could be very useful tracking down that trendy bar on the streets of shinjuku(and on the different characters of the map, how does it handle?) 3.any comparison between this and the pocket version one?4.does this use the sirf3? Map update? Work in other Continents? 1. it has all the maps pre-loaded, great.but what if a year later, how do i do map upgrades?do i have to pay or to buy the navtek maps again? » Read More Map update? Work in other Continents? 1. it has all the maps pre-loaded, great.but what if a year later, how do i do map upgrades?do i have to pay or to buy the navtek maps again?2. would it work in Europe or Asia (where do i get the maps?). could be very useful tracking down that trendy bar on the streets of shinjuku(and on the different characters of the map, how does it handle?) 3.any comparison between this and the pocket version one?4.does this use the sirf3? « Show Less
252904
Answer to Question 1: Garmin releases U.S. Map updates for all of their Nav units yearly. They come on dvd and usually cost around $75. If you have a Windows PC with DVD drive and USB Port, you can usually update your unit in about an hour.
252905
You can buy maps for europe and asia from garmin.com. If I understand correctly, you can buy them pre-loaded on a card and just swap it for the North America one. But they are in the $400 price range!
200965
Hi I wish I had a answer for you I am not satified with the maps or the POI's. I live in New England and the maps are ok but the POI' stink I have a sked Simplesoft many times how to update the maps and POI's.. If you find out what other maps we can use please let me know. My garman is far better....
960279
Navigon continues to officially sell maps in Europe, but no longer officially supports North America. As a matter of fact, they ended hardware sales and support in North America years ago...friend laid off as a matter of fact. If you're tech savvy, there are unofficial, generic maps available that are supported by this unit, but you'd need to look up which file type and then download it to a flash card. I started using Google Maps on Android and traffic is only tradeoff...Google Traffic isn't quite "fully baked" yet. Stand alone GPS era has just about passed into history. :- (
2070578
The radio comes with the SD card (microSD actually) with the map info installed. The map was a little dated (2012), and this radio does not come with free updates. I purchased a year of map updates for $69 - http://www.navizon.com/ if I remember correctly. The location for the map updates is on the NAV screen when it comes up each time. The NAV screen is a little slow the first time it is selected each day (~30 seconds) but after that it comes up immediately (switching between radio, bluetooth, NAV).
1128180
Hi Kwilt. Fellow Cheesehead here (Waukesha). Very glad to see 2009 map version shipping with these. Saves me time and hassle. Guess I should have left mine at 'free shipping' instead of next day :-)I'm interested in the SW version that comes with it. Is it 4.5 or something else? Thanks!Mike D
773248
Yes and no. I received an email for the latest maps and they (all in one file for N. America) came on a CD for only $7 shipping. It is a strong update. You can also download maps of Europe, etc. right through the excellent TomTom Home software. It is simple to install the data onto one or more SD cards. You have to keep careful track of your serial number (it's not hard to find on the unit) to install updates, since they only work with your particular unit, as a way to prevent piracy. Customer service is very friendly and helpful, though if you have any problems.
2119376
Yes to your question. However, I would not recommend the purchase. It has numerous problems and locks up and require rebutting and start it up again. Map updates are few and far between and currently, they have not updated the Content Manager (Program to down load Upgrades) to work with my current operating system on my computer. And do not know when they will have it corrected.
108672
Hi, ocean,I don't know whether it contains Europe maps. It died even when I was trying to update US maps, not saying Europe maps. I don't recommend this unit AT All.
1474187
Maps are available from TomTom site. I found and started download of UK/IE maps for a trip. Alas, I found them too close to departure time and didn't get them fully downloaded to install them before my trip. Map files are quite large! They're also a little pricey, I seem to remember it was about USD$70 to download the set. I can't vouch for whether downloaded maps work well. Europe destinations seem to be fairly well covered for TomTom maps. I wanted to download a map for Singapore too, but one is not available. See the TomTom site for places that are available.
283293
Mine worked in Europe in every country I visited, Prague, Switzerland, Germany, France and even worked in Costa Rica. It wasn't great in Costa Rica as I havent updated the maps since 2009. Mine worked! I am not sure if it will work in Ireland you may want to check the specs, the maps online but I did get the one that specifically said European maps.
1787988
Well, I need to do that myself as well. I did buy European maps when I lived there. I am technologically challenged, so my great assistant helped me try to install the map from online. We tried to download the European map which did not work, so I bought the SD card/chip for about $100. Not sure this was helpful at all.
1400991
My inquiry to TomTom:"I would like to buy this "TomTom VIA 1505M World Traveler Edition GPS Navigator with Lifetime Maps" from Amazon. However, it is not clear to me if the Lifetime Maps includes all of the maps included in the package. Can you confirm that Premium Maps of the United States, Canada, Mexico and Europe are included with Free Lifetime Map Updates as well as how many updates per year will be provided?"TomTom response:"I understand you wish to purchase VIA 1505 world Travel edition. WTE device comes with Lifetime Maps for USA., Canada and Mexico only and in order to update the map of Europe we would need to purchase the Map Update Service." My inquiry to TomTom:"I would like to buy this "TomTom VIA 1505M World Traveler Edition GPS Navigator with Lifetime Maps" from Amazon. However, it is not clear to me if the Lifetime Maps includes all of the maps included in the package. Can you confirm that Premium Maps of the United States, Canada, Mexico and Europe are included with Free Lifetime Map Updates as well as how many updates per year will be provided?"TomTom response:"I understand you wish to purchase VIA 1505 world Travel edition. WTE device comes with Lifetime Maps for USA.,... » Read More My inquiry to TomTom:"I would like to buy this "TomTom VIA 1505M World Traveler Edition GPS Navigator with Lifetime Maps" from Amazon. However, it is not clear to me if the Lifetime Maps includes all of the maps included in the package. Can you confirm that Premium Maps of the United States, Canada, Mexico and Europe are included with Free Lifetime Map Updates as well as how many updates per year will be provided?"TomTom response:"I understand you wish to purchase VIA 1505 world Travel edition. WTE device comes with Lifetime Maps for USA., Canada and Mexico only and in order to update the map of Europe we would need to purchase the Map Update Service." « Show Less
629284
My Via 1500 came brand new with lifetime maps. From day 1 the web site said it was expired. I download peripheral stuff but as far as I know the maps are not included. They do offer an update for $70. Thanks!"My Tom Tom" is the software for the 1500. "Tom Tom Home" will not work.I tried to deal with Tom Tom support but got nowhere. Good luck
889538
I just bought 255w at Amazon but it shipped by another vendor and I just found out It did not have a new map version.How do I update the map(package did not have USB cable and where can I find the Usb cable) I thought If I buy it from Amazon web site all GPS should go with new map.I'm confuse.I need some experts to help me out. Thanks,
102078
Yep, I have the same problem.Not sure why Mio introduces such a limitation.I asked my shop and they received confirmation from Mio that it should work.Unfortunately loading the maps fails, even if you copy them in the prime memory under the maps folder.The European maps use the fbl extention, the US ones use .map, not sure if this is the key to the problem.Anyway, if Mio thinks I will buy another Mio to use European maps then they are dreaming...
378470
Yes, my 920 came preloaded with maps of North America and some maps (I believe the Central Europe) of Europe, but TomTom has never offered any upgrades on those maps. Only on North American ones. After about 13 months the battery died and I found that is not replaceable and TomTom wanted me to buy a new unit. I am now using my smart phone for navigation. It works better and all over the world.
976344
It comes w/European maps. I haven't tried to get updates, but I have been led to believe that those are available at no charge -- for a lifetime. One function I used a number of times was (under "Tools") was "Where Am I?" This worked right off the bat when we got to Switzerland. This came in handy when we visited a large city especially later on when we were in France. I'd park the car, go to the Where Am I function, give the location a name and save it to Favorites. Later, when we wanted go back to the car, I'd bring up the name (I'd call it "Car"), and the Garmin would direct me back without a problem - finding the car in a strange city would have been quite a challenge without the Garmin. It comes w/European maps. I haven't tried to get updates, but I have been led to believe that those are available at no charge -- for a lifetime. One function I used a number of times was (under "Tools") was "Where Am I?" This worked right off the bat when we got to Switzerland. This came in handy when we visited a large city especially later on when we were in France. I'd park the car, go to the Where Am I function, give the location a name and save it to Favorites. Later, when we wanted go back to the car, I'd bring up the name (I'd call it "Car"), and the... » Read More It comes w/European maps. I haven't tried to get updates, but I have been led to believe that those are available at no charge -- for a lifetime. One function I used a number of times was (under "Tools") was "Where Am I?" This worked right off the bat when we got to Switzerland. This came in handy when we visited a large city especially later on when we were in France. I'd park the car, go to the Where Am I function, give the location a name and save it to Favorites. Later, when we wanted go back to the car, I'd bring up the name (I'd call it "Car"), and the Garmin would direct me back without a problem - finding the car in a strange city would have been quite a challenge without the Garmin. « Show Less