Having trouble with new Tomtom Rider 500

[raesewell]

and the common denominator is ? 

[alaskier]

To let you all know TomTom seem to have resolved their connectivity issues and I am now up and running.

Thank you all for your help - is has been very much appreciated.

I am slowly getting used to the new device which to my mind appears to be far more clunky than the old Start 25. I suppose that is the price you pay for a more sophisticated piece of kit!

[raesewell]

The user interface is fine once you get used to it. There are a few shortcuts to be discovered.
It's really worth taking a look at the Tomtom Youtube channel when you get a chance.

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLPhJJNjQoAH-OdTkaE09y9nZxsfh59cm-

[Phmode]

and the common denominator is ? 

Change. And not for the better. My old Garmin 2820 Brick was rock solid, easy to understand and use and never let me down till it couldn't cope with the over-bloated map data. Hell, it isn't as if Western Europe got bigger.

The old Zumo 660 was equally simple to use and again, never let me down until...see above.

The OEM nav in the old A6 was so intuitive and user-friendly (if somewhat clunky as it didn't have a touch screen) that I never needed to even glance at the user manual. It just worked. Of course, by the time the one in my A3 came along it had been 'improved' beyond all comprehension.

TomTom logic is not my logic and I have never been able to get on with it. And, as it turns out, nor is the new engine in the XT.

It looks and sort of feels like the old 660 at first. Then you start using it and wonder quite which motorcyclist was involved in the development of it. They have made the screen so busy that there is no room for a clock once you activate the mapping. So, it tells me when I will arrive at my destination but not how far in the future that is. I have to refer to the bike clock for that (good job my bike has a clock, not all do) and that requires me to look at yet another device.

If I want to type in a destination, some clever twit decided to break the QWERTY keyboard into two discrete screens, a left half and a right half with a button push to move between them. So, to type the word 'Scunthorpe' (not that that would be a destination of mine) you have to type 'Sc' then hit the screen shift key then type 'un' hit the key and type 't' hit and type 'ho' hit and type 'r' hit and type 'p' hit the bloody screen shift key and finally hit 'e'. Why?

Just a couple of examples. For others, see the plethora of moans on the net from mounts designed upside down so if it comes unlocked the device falls on the road as opposed to the old one which just wobbled a bit and stayed there to the inability to turn off the 'nanny state' bend warnings banners.

And the others who are moaning are not common to me.

[raesewell]

Having read the user manual for the XT I must say it does more than I would ever want. The phrase, sledge hammer to crack a walnut, comes to mind.

[Phmode]

Exactly! I have no idea who would want so much stuff on a sat nag.

It's like your washing machine or dishwasher with 74 programmes, only two of which 90% of folks ever use.

For me, the only thing on the XT which is better than the 660 is the screen, which is now 'almost' as good as the TomTom.

Oh, and unlike the 660, it works. For now 

Two of the most useful features of the 660 were the ability to get to the volume, brightness and mute menu screen with a brief press of the power button and the ability to go from the 3D route map view to the bird's eye map view by simply touching the screen. The first of these features have now been hidden in the menu structure and the second feature requires two touches on the screen, the second one on a specific virtual button, so again, the user has to take their eye off the road to use either of them.

To use the XT in the car, like other recent Garmin family members, you have to plug a loose cable into the back of the unit before putting it on the screen mount. The old units had the cable plug into the back of the mount so you only had to mount the device and didn't have a cable flailing around when you weren't using the sat nag.

I bought a second bike mount for the car to get round this problem but it was an expensive solution to a problem I never used to have.

I still haven't managed to work out how to turn the bloody thing off effectively. When the vehicle power goes off, instead of giving the option to stay on or turn off, the XT automatically goes into a 'the unit will now check for updates and then turn off' mode which is net configurable. You can hit the cancel button, but the unit then stays on. The power button on the back of the unit is so well disguised that even without gloves it is difficult to locate so by the time you have managed to override the 'intelligence' I have forgotten why I stopped in the first place. I took it off the screen for a night trip and slipped it into the door pocket. About two miles up the road there a glow from my right hip area. The bloody thing had come back to life because it has an intelligent sleep mode. Try as I might I couldn't kill the damn thing and after multiple long presses on the power switch it finally went off and stayed off. The next time I used it it had done a full factory reset and wanted me to start over from the beginning. It very nearly went out of the window at that point.

[alaskier]

This Rider 500 is driving me bananas. My gruntle is severely dissed and I am slowly losing the will to live ...

The User manual has helpfully suggested that I change the keyboard to one that is "glove friendly". I am not sure how I achieved it but somehow this I have done and the keyboard now has large friendly keys but each key is for a number of different letters. To choose the letter s I hit the pqrs button 4 times and it invariably shows the letter r  . Consequently it takes forever to to type any word that includes the letter s. My problem is that I cannot see how to change the keyboard back to its original qwerty format.

The User manual states :-
 Switching to the glove-friendly keyboard

The glove-friendly keyboard has large buttons so that you can make selections more easily while wearing motorcycle gloves.

See Entering search terms for instructions on how to select different keyboard layouts.

I cannot see "Entering search terms for instructions" anywhere in either the User Manual, my device nor Rae's kindly U-Tube tutorials. I cannot remember how I changed the keyboard in the first place but I know that the change was made in the "Search" Navigation area  of the the device. I have hit all of the various buttons in the Search function several times all without success.

 Can any one out there explain to me me in good old-fashioned UK English, as opposed to the bollox variety that our cousins from over the pond speak, how I can switch my keyboard between standard qwerty and "glove friendly" as I concede that "glove friendly" might be better in some situations such as when on the road.

I look forward to hearing from you with interest.

[raesewell]

Menu, settings, Language and Units, Keyboards.

[alaskier]

Many thanks Rae. I now have the traditional qwerty keyboard via menu, settings, language, keyboard as per your reply. The weird thing is that to go back to ‘glove friendly’ I need to go to menu then hit search, hit the globular ikon and hit ABC (large buttons). You would think TomTom would mention this anomaly somewhere in their User Manual wouldn’t you? I certainly would

[raesewell]

To change keyboard sensitivity, Menu, settings, Touch Sensitivity. Also when the keyboard is active touch the globe symbol next to 123?! button for more keyboard settings.

[alaskier]

Thanks Rae. I have already changed the keyboard’s sensitivity which makes it much easier to use. My original intention was to toggle between standard qwerty and glove friendly but with the revised sensitivity will probably leave it on standard qwerty full time.

Best wishes and very many thanks for all of your help and unending patience,
Tony

[raesewell]

You are very welcome Tony. As you get into it a bit more and want to transfer and plan routes, I'm here if you need help.

[alaskier]

Thanks Rae. Much appreciated. Leave it until Spring and I will see how I get along with it. In the past all I have ever done is set a destination and followed the instructions but might get a little more adventurous now that I have Winding Roads to explore

[raesewell]

You'll find my rates very reasonable, payable in Bank of England drinking vouchers 

[Phmode]

Thanks Rae. Much appreciated. Leave it until Spring and I will see how I get along with it. In the past all I have ever done is set a destination and followed the instructions but might get a little more adventurous now that I have Winding Roads to explore

Learn from those who have made many mistakes before you. As a newbie to routes, never leave it till the Spring. By Spring you will want to be riding and using the sat nag and you will be back here wondering why it takes a month to do anything.

Start now with the long dark nights and lack of decent weather, you will be glad you did come the Spring