TomTom might be adapting to help power the autonomous cars of tomorrow, but the location and mapping giant hasn’t forgotten its roots. Today the Dutch company lifted the lid on a new satellite navigation (satnav) device designed to automate many of your day-to-day activities.
TomTom Go Premium builds on earlier versions by including integration with IFTTT out of the box. IFTTT, for the uninitiated, is an acronym for “If this, then that” and allows users to create customized, conditional interactions between apps, online services, digital assistants, wearables, and more.
Founded in 1991, TomTom has evolved significantly since its inception, but the company has long been renowned for its in-car navigation systems that drivers attach to their windshields. With the advent of Google Maps and smartphones, TomTom’s core business plummeted, leading it to chase other revenue streams — today it remains one of the “big three” mapping and location data companies in the world and licenses its technology to countless companies.
Though TomTom’s satnav business has dwindled, the company announced today that it has shifted 100 million navigation units to consumers since its inception.
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Above: TomTom Go Premium features IFTTT integration
Premium
TomTom Go Premium enables drivers to connect to myriad services through IFTTT, including digital assistants (e.g. Siri, Cortana, Alexa), calendars, and smart home devices. For example, you could configure your satnav to activate your Nest thermostat automatically when you arrive home, turn off the lights when you leave the driveway, open the garage door when you enter your street, or even activate your iRobot vacuum cleaner.
Above: TomTom Go Premium: Control your home with your satnav.
TomTom Go Premium costs the equivalent of $370 and $430 for the 5-inch and 6-inch incarnations, respectively, but for now it won’t be available to buy in the U.S.
While many will balk at the notion of paying up to $430 for a dedicated navigation unit when a phone mounted to a windshield achieves pretty much the same thing, it’s interesting to see TomTom try new things — like embracing home automation — to keep its legacy hardware business alive.
“We’ve thought about every moment of a driver’s journey and enriched the driver’s experience before and after they get in their car,” said TomTom Consumer managing director Mike Schoofs. “We continue to innovate by adding new features like IFTTT integration to the TomTom Go Premium, offering the driver a connected car experience.”
