Something else we like is that rather than rendering entire 3D buildings in its displays, the 140-S places only the footprint of the building (if available) on the map. Like lane assist, it's generally found in mid-level navigation devices, so it's great to see in a sub-$200 product. It lets you plan trips with multiple segments so you don't have to route a separate trip for each. Itinerary planning, or multisegment routing, is another handy feature. Lane assist is an excellent safety feature, and I'm glad we're starting to see TomTom including it in entry-level devices. You can also find it in Garmin's newer mid- and premium-priced products, but not the lower-end nüvi 265T.
This technology was introduced in the premium-priced Navigon 7100 in 2007, and has since appeared in products from other manufacturers, including Nextar and Magellan. You also get Advanced Lane Guidance, which clearly shows you which lane you need to be in for an upcoming maneuver, as well as the road signs you can expect to see. The only downside: IQ Routes take longer to calculate than standard routes that don't use the feature. This results in more realistic ETA estimations than you get from speed-limit-only data. This routing technology calculates optimal routes based on average speeds for every 5 minutes of the day on any day of the week, week, information that's collected from TomTom users when they use the TomTom Home software.
Free lifetime live traffic is one of the things we like best about the nüvi 265T, but the 140-S has plenty of other compelling features to make up for this omission. For that you need to purchase a $59.97 USB RDS-TMC traffic receiver (which comes with a free subscription for the first year and costs about $60 per year after that). Unfortunately, live traffic isn't included.
But like all TomTom products, the 140-S ships with the excellent TomTom Home application that lets you plot trips and update your maps on your PC using TomTom's user-generated Map Share feature. The maps, however, come preloaded on the internal memory-there's no SD card slot. Also new are enhanced maps and an expanded points-of-interest (POI) database with a robust seven million entries both cover all 50 states, Canada, Puerto Rico, and Mexico. New on the 140-S is the Quick Menu, which lets you choose up to six common functions (from a list of 10) for easy access via an onscreen shortcut icon. Though the 140-S is identical to the 130-S in its basic design and functionality, it does improve on the earlier model in some significant ways. If you take the device out of the bracket, getting it back in is tough and if you take the bracket off the windshield, it's hard to stick back on, requiring two hands. The mounting system is a bit awkward: To remove the GPS, you have the option of either popping the device out of its bracket or pulling the whole thing (bracket included) from the windshield. It measures 3.0 by 3.6 by 0.8 inches (HWD) and weighs in at 6.8 ounces with its integrated (but removable) EasyPort folding suction-cup mounting bracket. The first thing you'll notice about the 140-S is its stylish new black case (the previous model, the $149.95 130-S, sports a gray bezel) with chrome-accent trim outlining its 3.5-inch touch screen.
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