TomTom intros more portable ONE, XL GPS mappers

TomTom this morning updated its long-serving ONE and XL lines to make them easier to carry. The 3.5-inch ONE 130 and the widescreen, 4.3-inch XL 330 use refinements in hardware to slim down their bodies considerably compared to the original GPS devices and are designed to be more easily removed from a car either for pedestrian use or for safety: a new mounting system dubbed EasyPort lets users keep the mount attached to the receiver for transport and can even slide into a pocket through a collapsible arm. Larger speakers on either-size map device improve direction notices in noisy situations.

Both also take advantage of the Dutch navigation firm's Internet-connected features, including Home for weather and other quick data as well as Map Share for accessing community-made points of interest and map warnings. Every device ships with maps of North America and should be available starting from May. Core ONE 130 and XL 330 devices will sell for $200 and $250 respectively; special 130S and 330S versions add text-to-speech conversion for reading street names out loud and sell for $250 and $300 each.