Hitting Heavy Traffic with TomTom

TomTom is actually getting you there.

And that's at the heart of a patent dispute between the software giant and TomTom International, the maker of GPS devices that have become a favorite among many in the market. TomTom has continually added new functions and features to its now commonplace GPS devices, including the recent additions of heavy-traffic re-routing that you can find on the TomTom Go 930.

How impressive is that device.

Just tonight, driving from one end of Long Island to the other during the peak of rush hour, TomTom got this commuter off the totally-jammed Long Island Expressway, around two traffic tie ups, navigated from the Northern State Parkway to the Sagtikos, onto the L.I.E. Service Road and safely home. A Friday night commute that would typically take 90 minutes took about an hour.

That was one trip, and we'll continue taking a look at the device, its features and other functionality for a full review. But upon its first test drive, it looks quite impressive.

List pricing on the GO 930 is $499, and the traffic-service subscription is about $60 a year. For anyone who has to drive every day in a metropolitan area, the TomTom GO 930 could quickly become as necessary as a gas pedal.

TomTom, though, is facing a monumental threat from Microsoft - - which has filed patent-infringement claims against it. Microsoft is taking on a battle with TomTom at a time when it is trying to bounce back from declining desktop revenue and market share losses, and fight increasingly difficult battles for mind share against companies like Google and Apple. If Microsoft successfully proves its claims, it could be a big step for the company to regain some lost leverage in the marketplace.

If TomTom wins, the company's products give it a very bright future.