The company announced its plans for Android apps at the end of August, but as they launched today if became clear that many of the best phones available will not be compatible with the software because it does not support their higher screen resolution.
Devices including Samsung’s popular Galaxy S3 and HTC’s One X and new X+ are not supported, and Google’s own flagship Nexus 7 tablet, and Samsung’s Galaxy Note is also not compatible. TomTom says its apps support devices running Android 2.2 or higher, using either 800 x 480 or 854 x 480 resolutions. It says the business is "committed to supporting higher resolutions on an ongoing basis."
“We aim to make TomTom content and services available to as many devices and platforms as we can,”said Corinne Vigreux, TomTom’s Managing Director. “Bringing TomTom navigation to Android smartphones is, therefore, a significant milestone for us.”
TomTom is offering the new apps at an introductory price of £30.99 for the UK and Ireland. It says the latest TomTom maps are included and stored offline, which means that users don’t have to worry about losing a signal in the middle of their journey or roaming charges when travelling abroad. The app includes free quarterly map updates.
TomTom's Android applications mean the company now makes maps for both Android and Apple phones.
TomTom also warned that users should avoid fake versions of their existing apps, and look out for the official version, identified as made by TomTom International BV.
