My wife got me a TomTom One 3^rd edition navigation system. Awesome! Now I never get lost anymore. The TomTom One stores the whole map of the United States and Canada. You can also select Guam as the default map. I guess nice for our men in service that want to drive around on Guam.

Nice gift if the TomTom works…

It took me about 15 minutes to get the TomTom device out of the package. Wow, that was a challenge to get the device out. I turned on the device and customized some settings. Different color settings, not too bright, voice level loud enough so I can hear the lady’s voice clear. After my customization, I turned the TomTom off and went to my PC to install the software delivered on a CD.

In order to get the latest updates, you have to turn on the TomTom again and what happened?

I got a white screen. A pure white screen and nothing else happened. I pressed on the screen but the white screen stayed there. My mood started to change a little bit. What is going on with this device?

Immediately I started to google to find a cause and solution for this problem and I discovered that many people are complaining about the same problem. It turns out that there was a large batch of defective units shipped to the stores.

You can’t fix it yourself so you have two choices. Bring the TomTom back to the store or after calling the TomTom support line, receive shipping instructions and ship it back for another unit.

I was disappointed because I wanted to play with my new toy. Although there are worse things that can happen in somebody’s life so it is not going to ruin the rest of my day. My wife picked a nice gift for me and it was the thought that counts. We get this problem with the TomTom fixed though. Just return the device for a new one.

Please let me know if you got a Christmas gift that didn’t turn out as expected. I am also curious if I was the only person with a bad TomTom experience on Christmas Day.

Update 12/26/2007:
I called the TomTom support line at: 866-486-6866 and received excellent service. After going through the phone prompts, the representative asked for personal verification information and the serial number on the bottom of the TomTom starting with: C_No:

Because I had already a TomTom account, I only had to provide my email address and all my information appeared on their screen. After my phone call, I received a confirmation email from TomTom that I have to print out and include in the shipping box. I used a small carton box. The 2nd email that I received was from Fed-Ex with instructions on how to print out a prepaid shipping label.

I will send out my package tomorrow and expect a new device within 10 business days.

Update 01/02/2008
Today I received my TomTom back and everything is working perfectly.  Taking the holidays into account, TomTom shipped a new unit back to me fairly quickly. I was able to update the maps and POI (Point Of Interests).

Tomorrow, I want to take the TomTom for a test ride.

Read reviews on Amazon.com:

TomTom ONE XL 4.3-Inch Widescreen Bluetooth Portable GPS Navigator with Maps of the U.S. and Canada

Garmin nüvi 350 3.5-Inch Portable GPS Navigator with Text-to-Speech

Is the iPhone worth the hype or is it a gadget that will disappear in the next couple of years? After reading many reviews, I just can’t make a decision if the iPhone is worth my 350 bucks. Unfortunately at this time of writing my article, the iPhone can only be used on the AT&T network. This means that I have to buy out my current service contract at Verizon. In addition, in the Northeast, which provider can beat the phone network coverage of Verizon?

A few friends of mine have the iPhone and I have played around with the phone. As a gadget man, I love a lot of the standard features but was disappointed with the speed of the Internet browser. We can blame AT&Ts EDGE network for this. Connecting the iPhone to a wireless network does give you a fast network speed.

The iPhone looks sleek and the video capabilities are better than that of any iPod have seen. But than again, it takes forever to transfer a movie to the iPhone.

The music sounds great through the headset and I was able to find songs easily as soon as I entered the music library.

My buddy’s iPhone has a battery problem or that is what I believe. After 3 hours of showing off its capabilities the batteries died. I told him: “Wait 2 more months and I bet you only get juice for 2 hours”. This means you can’t use the iPhone for a whole flight from Boston to Houston.

Email functionality and efficiency is not better than the BlackBerry. Not even close… Am I wrong to say that if you want to become the market leader in the phone industry, you have to beat the BlackBerry functionality?

BlackBerry, the phone to beat…

I hope people are able to convince me if buying an iPhone is a good decision. Myself… I am still debating whether this gadget ends up as a bragging item only. Please tell me what you think about the iPhone.

Good iPhone forums to bookmark:

• Planet iPhone
• Apple.com iPhone forum
• everythingicafe
• iPhone-Hacks.com

Supporting documents:

• Apple iPhone Manual
• iPhone: The Missing Manual (This is a very good book that you can buy on amazon)

Must have accessories that you can buy on Amazon.com (my buddies although have different brands though):

• iPhone Headset: V-Moda Vibe Duo Nero
• Black Leather Holster for iPhone
• DLO Jam Jacket w/ Cable Management for the iPhone