TomTom Car Kit for iPhone – Too Good to be True?

We all remember when TomTom announced that it was entering the iPhone app business to expand its own horizons. TomTom is one of the best GPS makers around and having it develop GPS apps for iPhone was not only good for business overall but great for consumers as well. TomTom did release its app, and it was decent enough to allow many iPhone owners dump their standalone GPS and rely on their phone to get around. The app was pricey, but TomTom told us that the price was justified due to the premium features provided with TomTom for iPhone. At the same time, TomTom told us all that a kit was in the works that would make it easier to use iPhone as a fully-fledged GPS. So you’ve got a killer iPhone app, a killer phone, and a car kit to go with them all. What’s not to like?

That kit is finally here. TomTom’s car kit showed up in Apple’s store a while ago. The car kit comes with a solid mount that keeps your iPhone secure when you are driving. It also makes it easy to make hands free calls with the additional speaker and microphone that are included in this gadget. To make things even better, TomTom has included an antenna that supposedly enhance the performance of your navigation device so you get the best information on the road. In essence, if you want to turn your iPhone into a fully-fledged GPS, TomTom car kit for your iPhone is your best bet. Or is it?

Here is what not to like. Just like many other manufacturers, you are not given a whole picture on this device until you hit the very end of page. So you may miss this important note:

**Note: The TomTom app for iPhone is not included with this TomTom Car Kit. The Car Kit dock is compatible with all iPhone models, but the Car Kit app only works with iPhone 3GS and iPhone 3G

Maybe this is no big deal. After all, we are talking about an additional $99 to get the app, bringing your total to over $200. That’s a hefty price to pay for an app + mount kit. It’s true that you get the additional receiver, and a few good features with this kit but you can save a bit of money by picking up a $100 standalone GPS. I wonder what TomTom’s profit margin is for this kit. The good news is there are plenty of windshield and dash mounts that you can pick up instead of TomTom’s kit. You won’t get the additional features, but you save a lot of money. TomTom GPS kit is a very decent product, but it’s just too pricey to consider at this point.